Babas kitchen, p.1
Baba's Kitchen, page 1
part #5 of Federal Witch Universe Standard of Honor Series
Baba’s Kitchen
Stories and Recipes By Taki Drake
Standard of Honor Series #5
Table of Contents
Title Page
Legal Matters
Dedication
Baba's Kitchen
Kitchen Helpers
Chapter 1 – Take Time to Be Shocked
Chapter 2 – Settling Trouble
Chapter 3 – Exploration
Appetizers
Potato and Salmon Spread
Eggplant Tzar
Imperial Eagle Wing Dip
Blini and Caviar
Soups and Salads
Olive and Egg Salad
Novograd Salad
Spinach Potato Soup
Simple Borscht
Side Dishes
Kabachkovyye
Black Sea Bread
Moscow Slaw
Simple Piroshki
Main Dishes
Cold Day Beef Stroganoff
Lemon Chicken Kiev
Over-stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Koulibiaka
Desserts
Syrniki
Honey Apricot Cake
Vatrushka
Blagogarsk Torte
Sauces, Condiments, and Components
Mayonnaise
Marinated Mushrooms
For Our Companions
Beet Treats
Kitchen Helpers - Part 2
Chapter 4 – Settling In
Chapter 5 – Fussing and Comfort
Chapter 6 – Begging Eyes
Author Notes - Taki Drake
Author - Taki Drake
Legal Matters
Copyright © 2020 All Chaos Press, All Rights Reserved
Reproduction of any kind is strictly prohibited unless written permission is granted by the editor of the anthology and the individual author.
The stories included in this cookbook are works of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Kitchen Helpers, Copyright © 2020 Taki Drake, All Rights Reserved
Dedications
First and foremost, this book is dedicated to my husband. His support and devotion have created an environment in which I have been able to dare to extend myself into new areas with the absolute certainty that someone will always have my back. Thank you, John. Thank you for your love and support, and being there in my life.
This book is also dedicated to the great group of crazy writers at Phoenix Prime. Those supportive, encouraging, and crazy indie authors have provided guidance, encouragement, and participation in my growth as writer of fiction.
None of this would be possible without the incomparable Ds, Dorene and Diane. Editors, beta readers, cheerleaders, and a bright spot in my life.
Getting the story to publish is the result of a ton of work from the All Chaos Press team. Thank you especially Ann for putting in the effort to keep me going!
My loving thanks to you all!
Welcome to Baba’s Kitchen
Bolormaa's life has changed, once again.
Forced to flee from the home that she had known for most of her life, the elderly Seer found herself living on a different planet, but in a land that reminded every day of the home that she had lost. With her granddaughter now taking steps to establish her own life, what will one woman do to fill her time and her heart?
Can she find a place to make a difference without becoming someone unrecognizable? Or will she be forced to sacrifice even more of who she has been?
Come taste the vibrant, earthy dishes from Baba’s heritage and the bounty of foodstuffs that grow and are available in the Russian cuisine and the comforting kitchen of Baba Bolormaa, grandmother to the Russian Witch, Zhanna.
Enjoy the different dishes, conveniently offered in a range of difficulties and complexities for everyone from beginning cooks to those with extensive experience.
Readers enter the world of a writer, immersing themselves in the descriptions of sight and sound, feeling and thought. The more comprehensive the immersion, the more encompassing the experience. The combination of stories and the recipes that would be appropriate for the characters in those tales are designed to make this cookbook an experience unlike most others.
The tales in this cookbook form part of a serialized story that continues in subsequent cookbooks and books. As the world increases in richness, so will the recipes, as we build an exciting palette of culinary adventures.
The following symbols are used throughout the cookbook to easily identify the important dietary characteristics of the recipes.
Vegan
Vegetarian
Dairy
Eggs
Fish
Gluten free
Dairy free
Nut free
In addition to the dietary basis of the recipes, there are some dishes that have specific cooking methods. Where there are alternatives, each is marked with a symbol indicating its underlying concept. The notable ones are indicated by the symbols shown below.
Slow cooker
InstaPot
I hope that you will enjoy these and find them as tasty as my friends and family have. Let me know if you would like more recipes like those in this book!
Cheerfully - Taki
Kitchen Helpers
By Taki Drake
A Standard of Honor Tale
Chapter 1 – Take Time to Be Shocked
Now, what do I do? Bolormaa sat on a chair by the table that was in the middle of the otherwise-empty kitchen in her brand-new cottage, feeling as if she were floating on water. The old woman knew that she had done the right thing in telling her beloved granddaughter, Zhanna, that the young Witch and her Familiar needed to live in the main house on this estate. Zhanna is becoming someone important here, with responsibilities at which she will excel. That means she is dealing with people in positions of authority, and they will not take her seriously if she lives in a humble cottage.
<< Fussing yourself into a corner? I thought perhaps you would be doing that about now! After all, that is what Zhanna would be doing, and you raised her! >>
The mental intrusion caused Baba’s head to whip around toward the outside door. Stalking her way into the kitchen was Dascha, her granddaughter’s black cat Familiar. The cat looked quite proud of herself, with tail held high and the sound of a rumbling purr accompanying her.
<< You look like you just got into the cream, Dascha. And I know that is not possible because we do not really have cows any longer and do not know any farmers. >>
<< I found something better than cream. At least, I think so right now, and it is something that you will like. >>
The old woman managed a smile and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, three tiny Hidden Folk came racing into the kitchen and across the floor. Close enough behind them that he could have grabbed the rearmost small creature, was Jack, the uncle of Dascha’s friend TT.
While both Dascha and Bolormaa could hear the mental growling that was going on in Jack’s mind, neither one of them could avoid bursting into laughter at his appearance.
Jack looked ridiculous. Covered with what looked like handfuls of pink mud, the cat’s tiger-striped fur was decorated with sparkling rocks and other childlike treasures. They swung around him as he moved, small feathers trembling in the air and clumps of combined mud and stone swinging at the end of his long fur.
Even while the old Seer laughed in delight and amusement, she knew that the pulling on his fur would be irritating. According to his growling complaints, the feathers were the things that he found the most offensive, eliciting snarling references to tar and feathers and the fact that he was feline, not a bird.
The tiny Hidden Folk dove for the safety of Bolormaa’s skirts. As they disappeared into the shadowed cave of her floor-length garment, the Seer could feel their small arms and legs as they clasped her ankles and tickled her skin with their panting breath.
One of the smallest ones climbed determinedly up her leg to perch on top of her knee underneath her skirt. Gently putting her hand around the tiny lump in her garment, the old woman could feel the Hidden Folk child trembling and its little heart pounding.
Trying hard not to laugh, Bolormaa asked the irate cat, << What are you so angry about? >>
<< You have to ask that?! Can you not see what they did to my fur? I was enjoying a nice nap in the sun, not bothering anybody or doing anything except resting. After all, it has been a very tiring few days! When I woke up, I was actually stuck to the rock! This pink stuff is like cement, and I had to rip part of my fur off to get up. They just sat under a bush close by and laughed. >>
“I take it that your fur decoration is the result of the Hidden Folk children that right now are cowering against my ankles.”
At that point, Jack gave into his emotions and sat down in the middle of the floor and yowled loudly. His actions, coupled with his appearance, was too much for Dascha to handle. Helplessly, the bonded Familiar laughed so hard that she flopped over on her side like a toppled cow and waved her paws in the air.
Since a cat’s laughter sounds a lot like a hissing attack, the combination of Dascha’s laughter and Jack’s yelling filled the chamber with echoing sound. It was quite noisy in Bolormaa’s kitchen right then, and the old woman discovered to her surprise that she felt better with the chaotic reverberations than she had when t
I have to admit that I can see why Dascha is out of control right now. If I were not trying to be really serious myself, I would probably be in a similar situation. Lying on the ground, feet in the air and laughing too, although I might have to get somebody to help me up. Jack is a rather dignified cat and does not wear flowers, shiny rocks, feathers, or pink mud very well.
<< Pink is just not your color, Jack. Perhaps next time, the children can use something better suited to the stripes in your coat, >> Dascha offered.
“Where are they? I know they are hiding in here someplace,” demanded a well-known voice. It was Noma, the practical head of the Hidden Folk that had come with Bolormaa and Zhanna from Earth to Tellus. The Hidden Folk elder was covered with plush brown fur and had sparkling big dark turquoise eyes that disarmed most humans. They thought he was cute and cuddly, but right now, he just looked annoyed.
Noma continued talking but addressed his comments to Jack, saying, “I am so sorry, Jack. These three seem to get into trouble no matter where we go. They are a complete handful, and Tish and I are at our wits end on what to do to stop this type of behavior.”
Jack quit making the horrendous caterwaul and dropped onto the ground with a thud and a sigh. << I know you are and I suppose we ought to be pleased that they are adjusting so well that they can get into mischief. I am an adult, and it is hard for me to wrap my mind around the changes that have happened in the last week. It is probably unreasonable to expect anything better from three tiny children. >>
“Three orphaned children,” Noma muttered in a pain-filled whisper.
Bolormaa commented, “The problem is actually worse because they are so very small. The smallest one is not as tall as my thumb, and anything that tiny running around is both vulnerable and hard to track. They move quickly and quietly as Jack found out. They are even sneakier than field mice!”
“Tish and I have been trying to figure out something for them to do, something that will keep them engaged, but we have not been able to find something that is both active enough to wear them out and is supervised sufficiently to make it safe for them to participate.”
Noma looked around the kitchen and then focused his attention on Bolormaa. Concerned colored his tone as he asked the older woman, “What are you going to be doing with the kitchen? It did not occur to me that we had to leave all of your belongings behind that would not fit into a pack.”
The Seer was hit with an intense wave of homesickness. Memories of the comfortable kitchen that had been her mother’s and grandmother’s before her flashed in her mind, and she longed with all of her heart to be back in her home again. Bolormaa’s head told her that she was in the right place, her emotions were something else.
<< Yes, I figured she would be obsessing about things and all alone and feeling sad, so I came looking for her. She was sitting here looking depressed, and I was just about to cheer her up with my witty repartee when a perfect amusement came thunking through the door decorated in bright pink. >>
<< Thanks a lot, Dascha. It is not bad enough that this stupid pink glop feels like it is pulling my fur out by its roots, but now you have labeled me as a walking amusement show! >>
<< Look at it this way. You can always have a career in the traveling actor’s troupe. Provided they have those here. >>
What promised to be an extended argument was interrupted by the sound of a strange voice coming from outside the open kitchen doorway. “Hello, the house? I am here to make a delivery!” It was a silvery-sounding woman’s voice, and it was coming from just outside the entrance.
Instantly, Jack and Noma moved so that they were flanking the entrance, tension visible in every muscle on their bodies. The danger of the last few weeks was reflected in the speed in which they moved and the practiced coordination of their positioning. Dascha took a protective stance in front of Bolormaa, the Familiar’s hair fluffed, and a low growl rumbling her chest.
Taking a deep breath, Bolormaa called out, “I am in the kitchen. Please come in.”
A tall, slender female with bluish-gray skin and a long waterfall of white hair walked in carrying two boxes, one larger than the other. Rushing to the only table in the room, the woman put the containers down on the side opposite from where the Seer sat and turned with a smile to address the elderly woman. “Wynn at the BHB thought that you might like these things, especially if you have not had time to go shopping yet. She gathered them up and sent them with plenty of hugs and kisses.”
Bolormaa’s face broke into a broad grin as she recalled the wonderful young woman who was a waitress at the Badger Hole Bar. Feeling much friendlier toward her strange visitor, the Seer said, “Please convey my thanks to Wynn for thinking of me.”
“I will! I do not even have time to stop and chat, but Wynn was really determined that you get these so that you had at least something to put in your kitchen. I think that Najeer also added something. Sorry to run, but I have to get back really fast. There is a whole bunch of stuff going on at the BHB, and they need my help.”
Dascha asked, << Are you sure that young woman is not a Seer? She certainly seems to understand what is going to be needed. >>
Bolormaa shrugged, bemused by the idea of somebody as free-spirited as Wynn being burdened by a Seer’s ability. When the strange young woman spoke again, the older woman dragged her attention back to the conversation.
“I hope you can make use of the things that Wynn found, but she told me to tell you that she does not expect them back. If you cannot make use of them, she said you would know someone else who needed them.”
With that, the young woman charged out of the kitchen with the same enthusiasm with which she had arrived just a few minutes before. It was as if a small tornado had come to visit and spun around the kitchen before leaving. The inhabitants of the room were bemused and still missing the name of their energetic visitor.
Chapter 2 – Settling Trouble
“Whew! I think we were just visited by a small tornado. It came in with a burst of air, zipped around so that all of us were feeling disoriented, and then disappeared!” exclaimed Bolormaa.
Noma laughed as he said, “That is a pretty good summary.” His voice became severe as the Hidden Folk elder asked in a more somber tone, “I believe we were discussing the small ones’ misbehavior.”
Bolormaa felt the children starting to shiver under her skirt again. She could see the tiniest one where it was curled up on top of her leg and cradled by her hands and watched as the child curled into a tight little ball as if to protect itself.
A pang of sympathy welled up from the center of her heart as she thought about how much more difficult it would have been for her to adjust to her new situation if she were an orphan and young. Even as old as I am, all of this change has been difficult. At least I have my granddaughter and some friends to help cushion my shock. These babies have no one that is just for them.
Before her mind could process what she was about to do, the Seer heard her voice saying, “How about if you leave the little ones with me for a while. I have a pair of boxes to explore and unpack, and perhaps that activity would keep them occupied and out of trouble.”
The room was filled with frozen quiet. It was so strange to not hear any sound that Bolormaa looked up from where she had been staring at the child hidden under her skirt to find that everyone else in the room was staring at her.
The combined weight of regard from Dascha, Noma, and Jack was intimidating enough. It became almost overbearing when Bolormaa realized that even Iskar had popped out from the wondrous tiled oven that both offered heating and cooking surfaces for her new kitchen. Flitting over to hover above the Seer’s hand, the Flamechild said in her crackly musical voice, “Are you feeling well? Are you sure that you want to do this?”
At this point, Bolormaa went from feeling overwhelmed to irritated. She responded with an assertive tone, saying, “Of course I am certain. I could use help putting things away. The children are not big enough to have their own responsibilities, nor are they of an age and temperament to be left without supervision. I have a problem, they have a problem. It makes sense to put the two problems together and come up with a solution that benefits both of us.”
