The Truth About Twinkie Pie Part 26

Now, I will not make a fuss if you want to use cherry pie filling, but we decided to make up our own version with fresh cherries, so give it a try, please.

* 2 cups fresh cherries, halved and pitted, keeping aside a handful of whole cherries for the top.

* 2 cups fresh cranberries.

* cup sugar * 1 cup water * 3 navel oranges.

Put your halved cherries, cranberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil. Stirring, cook for 15 minutes till it's nice and thickened. Let cool. Place a wire mesh strainer over a mixing bowl and carefully pour the sauce into the strainer. Work the sauce through the strainer with the back of a wooden spoon. You will have 2 cups of smooth, creamy cherry sauce. With a sharp knife, supreme your oranges. This means cut both ends off deep enough to reach the fruit. Then carefully cut all the peel off, leaving perfectly bald, juicy oranges. Now very carefully cut out each little orange section by going in one side of the membrane and out the other, leaving the lining behind. You'll be left with three pulpy orange pinwheels. Squeeze all the juice out of them into a bowl and set this aside. Take all your orange sections and add them to the cherry sauce. Then cover and put in the fridge.

When you're ready to a.s.semble your Cherries in the Snow, get out your prettiest gla.s.s trifle bowl. Though come to think of it, this would also look pretty served in big fancy parfait gla.s.ses. You know the ones that look like you bought them at the Giant Supply Store? Either way, the choice is up to you.

Anyway, start with a layer of ladyfingers. Drizzle with your saved fresh orange juice. Spoon a layer of cherry-orange sauce. Then whipped cream.

Repeat until you end up with the whipped cream.

Scatter some pretty cherries on the top.

epilogue.

Dear Mr. McGuire, I know this is late and I'm sorry.

On the following page, please find my Truth Poem.

The Truth About Twinkie Pie.

The Truth About Twinkie Pie.

is that making it is kind of like making a Life.

Because it doesn't matter.

if what you put in it is exactly what you figured and planned as long as it's what you hope and dream so when everything comes together you know you're making something so amazing and delicious and completely yours that all you want to do is hold it way up high and shout out with all your might.

"Look out, world! Sweet Stuff coming through!"

-and I'm not talkin' about the Twinkie Pie.

P.S. Also attached is a report on the relationship between poetry and science. I hope you will consider this as extra credit in order to bring my grade back to an A+.

P.P.S. DiDi wants to have all the Stargazers over Sat.u.r.day for dinner again, but you don't have to call them. I'll just text everyone. No big deal. See you then!

P.P.P.S. Oh, I meant to tell you, the week after the meteor shower (so cool!), I went and read that book you lent me on my namesake, Mr. You Know Who. Did you know that when he was first trying to figure out what he wanted to be, he heard about telescopes but didn't know how to get one? I mean, it's not like there were any 24-hour telescope stores around. So you know what he did? He figured out how to make his own. I think that just might be my favorite thing about him so far.

Sincerely.

Your student and fellow Stargazer, Galileo Galilei Barnes.

RECIPE FOR HOW TO FOLD A KOB.

Take one sheet of 8-by-11-inch paper. Try not to use the kind that rips out of notebooks and leaves all those weird little flappy things up the side. Though you could always trim them off.

Write your message.

Fold the paper in half the long way, keeping the message on the inside. Then fold that in half the long way again. You should have a long, skinny strip of paper.

Put the paper on a table in front of you up and down like the number 1.

This part is a little tricky: Put your left hand on the top half of the 1.

Take the bottom with your right hand and fold it over to the right at an angle, so that the paper looks like a capital letter L-but with a triangle cut out of the left corner. Try to get both sides of the L exactly the same length. Smooth it down firmly.

Now take the bottom of the L and fold it under itself so it comes out the left side and you have a backward L with a little triangle folded into the corner. Smooth the edge down.

Take the top of the L and fold it behind itself so you have a backward, upside-down L with a triangle showing in the upper corner. Smooth the edge down.

Take the bottom and tuck it into the triangle pocket. Smooth it.

And take the left side and tuck it into the triangle pocket over that. Smooth all the corners down.

Flip it over and write the name of the person you are giving it to... or directions like Read Now!

Or Read Later.

Or you can always leave it blank. It's up to you.

Have fun.

For more great reads and free samplers, visit LBYRDigitalDeals.com.

author's note.

A note about the recipes in this book:.

Anytime you decide to cook, please do me a favor and start with clean hands. I'm serious. Go now. Wash your hands with soap and hot water. Sing "Happy Birthday" in its entirety during the soaping. And sing the whole thing again for the rinsing. It's what my brother Max does, and he's an awesome cook and never gets sick.

Please make sure that you are supervised by an adult in all cooking activities. Learn the proper way to handle knives and to work around a hot stove.

Some of the recipes in this book include uncooked items. Be aware that there is always risk a.s.sociated with the consumption of these things.

Be aware of food allergies. Replace any allergens with ingredients that you and your parents know are safe for you.

And lastly, this is what I think. Be happy. Eat well. And try to do everything in moderation. For the sake of the very specific personality of one character, Mama, in this story, ingredient choices were made according to her history and preferences. Please feel free to replace high-fat ingredients with lower-fat ones. Sometimes you might need to buy fresh cherries in the middle of winter, but do try to shop locally when you can. Learn about what is best for your body, and make healthy choices on a daily basis. But also, I think that sometimes you have to have real b.u.t.ter.

Play with these recipes. Have fun. Make them your own. It's your Basket of Ingredients. What you do with it is up to you.

Enjoy!.

P.S. The amount of maraschino cherries it would take to make whipped cream the actual color of Cherries in the Snow lipstick is terrifying. I know this from experience. So I will ask for a little leeway with this bit of fiction.

acknowledgments.

I wish I could think of the perfect introduction to this section. Something that would encompa.s.s the vast and impossible range of emotions I am feeling right now, but I think I will have to settle for simply saying THANK YOU!.

Two people believed in this story very early on: My agent, Sarah Davies, who made clear from the very beginning her pa.s.sion and determination to fight for this story (and me).

My editor, Alvina Ling, who first saw this story at an NJSCBWI conference critique in 2011. Thank you for your guidance and patience and, most of all, for trusting me to do what needed to be done.

To Kathy Temean, who was the RA of NJSCBWI in 2011 and made the decision to place me with Alvina on a hunch that it would be a good match. (Trust me, writers, go join SCBWI!) To all the amazing people at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, especially Bethany Strout, Christine Ma, Sasha Illingworth, Nikki Garcia, Barbara Perris, Faye Bi, Jenny Choy, Victoria Stapleton, Melanie Chang, Andrew Smith, and Megan Tingley.

To the tribe known as SCBWI-especially Lin Oliver, Steve Mooser, Kim Turrisi, and Sarah Rutenberg-as well as their entire team of magic-makers without whom this ma.n.u.script (and others to follow) would never have made it out into the world. (Did I mention to join SCBWI yet?) To the NANOWRIMO community, without whom I would never have finished that very first rough draft.

Sometimes you just know within seconds of meeting someone that they will be your kid-lit soul mates for life. To Joyce Wan, Dianne De Las Casas, Marcie Colleen, Amber Alvarez, and Betsy Devaney for laughs and support and steadfast friendship in the wake of neuroses. And to Sarah Aronson for a life-changing favor to a stranger.

A heartfelt thank-you to those who went out of their way to spend time with me and talk of things simply out of the kindness of their hearts and souls. Susan Edwards-Bourdrez for helping me to remember some of the magical details of middle school. Dan Green for bringing the shooting stars a little closer for this novice Stargazer. Hunter Breckinridge Davis for the loan of two-thirds of the best name of the nicest boy ever. Josh First for the much-needed ammo tutorials. Elyse Rose-Coster for her culinary expertise. Linda Roberts Mueller for sharing her story. And especially Behzod Sirjani for sharing his and inspiring a new element in mine. (I'll say it again: Everyone should be so lucky to have the kind of friend that Ryan had in you.) To my dear friends Keith, Amanda, and Corbin "The Cub" Cartagine for their southern hospitality and love.

To my formerly southern brother, Max-you only get partial credit for "Hot Stuff! Coming Through!" but full credit for your help and support, particularly for introducing me to Terry Miller and Amy Gutzmer, who were so generous with answering questions and sharing their knowledge and time.

To Stine and Mom: This is a story about sisters and mothers-I have been blessed in both. Mom-for making home-cooked meals every single day for as long as I can remember and letting me loose in the kitchen when I wanted. And Stine-this journey all began with a punchbowl cake and some pretty impressive Jell-O molds at your bridal shower. I love you.

In memory of my father, whose first home in the US was teaching in Auburn, Alabama, where he forever reminisced over how popular and beloved he was in the South from the first day he set foot on southern soil, because (as he explained to us) who else could claim that everywhere they went in Alabama they were called Honey and Sweetheart? Only you, Dad. xoxo Miss you.

Most of all to my family: Peter-for talking me down from many a tree, for your love and support and steadfast belief from the beginning.

Jasmine-my first reader and editor. I'm really sorry I forgot to put an ad in the yearbook for your graduation... but I was busy making you this.

And Tiger, my future storyteller-your kind heart and spirit and creativity (and your twisted humor) amaze me daily.

You are the loves of my life.

P.S. Revlon's Cherries in the Snow Super l.u.s.trous lipstick is NOT discontinued. It can be found online and in stores that carry Revlon products.

P.P.S. (Oh, but I do wish they would bring back that fabulous gold case.).

end.