Karen's Cooking Contest

  “May I talk to you for a minute, Nannie?” I asked politely. “It will not take long.”

  “Certainly,” said Nannie. “I will be right back, Andrew.”

  We went down the hall to my room.

  “First, I want to tell you about Ms. Colman’s solution,” I said. “I do not know if you have looked at your copy of Tasty Treats yet. But today, before the cookbooks went on sale, I ripped out all the page eighty-eights and threw them away. Then I scratched ‘Chocolate Magic’ out of the contents and the index. In every single book.”

  “Really?” said Nannie. She looked surprised. “Wasn’t there another recipe on the other side of page eighty-eight?”

  “No. It was just my drawing of a doughnut,” I said. “So it was okay. Even though now there are no page eighty-eights. But at least no one will see your secret chocolate recipe.”

  “Goodness,” said Nannie. “It sounds as if you went to a lot of trouble. And it means that your doughnut drawing will not be in the cookbooks.”

  “That is okay,” I said. I took out my smiling-mouth pin. “Here. I made this good-luck pin for you to wear at the contest on Sunday. The smiling mouth is to remind you of me. And it also shows what someone will do as soon as they taste Chocolate Magic.” I gave it to Nannie, and she pinned it on her sweater.

  “It is lovely, Karen,” said Nannie. “It is very cheerful, and I am glad you made it for me. I am also glad that you and Ms. Colman fixed the cookbooks. Thank you.”

  “You are welcome,” I said. “I will never do anything like that again.”

  Nannie laughed and hugged me close. “I am sure you will do something different next time,” she said.

  I laughed too.

  “Karen, I have been thinking,” said Nannie. “You have been very grown-up and taken care of the recipe problem all by yourself. And I feel that I just will not do well at the contest without you. Even with your good-luck pin. I think maybe you are my good-luck charm. Will you come to the contest on Sunday and help me, like you did with the last two?”

  I started jumping up and down. “Yes! Yes, Nannie! I would love to.”

  “Good. It is all settled, then,” said Nannie. “Now I better go play Candyland with Andrew and Emily Michelle.”

  “I will play too,” I said.

  The Final Round

  “There it is!” I said, pointing out the window.

  Daddy turned the minivan into the parking lot of the hotel. We were at the big hotel in Hartford again. But this was the last, and most important, part of the contest.

  Because it was so important, my whole big-house family had decided to come. In Daddy’s minivan were Daddy, Charlie, Sam, David Michael, me, and Andrew. In Nannie’s Pink Clinker were Nannie, Elizabeth, Kristy, and Emily Michelle.

  Inside the hotel we helped Nannie get ready. While Nannie filled in the contest forms, I showed everyone where we needed to go. I had done this already. I was an expert.

  “This is our table,” I said briskly. “Sam, you set up the bowl and the candle. Kristy, please help me unload our samples. Andrew, will you set up our sign, please?”

  By the time Nannie had registered, her table was all ready.

  “Thank you, everyone,” she said. “It looks perfect.” She got busy melting some Chocolate Magic. I handed her some fruit, some pretzels, and some tiny cake squares to dip. Elizabeth got a cookie sheet ready with some waxed paper on it.

  “I have something too,” said Daddy. He opened a shopping bag and pulled out ten baseball caps. They were pink. On each hat was written TEAM NANNIE in black thread.

  “Oh, Watson, thank you,” Nannie said, laughing.

  We each put on a hat. I loved mine. It showed that we were a family, and we were all working together.

  This contest was much bigger than either of the first two Nannie had competed in. The hotel ballroom was crowded with rows of tables. There were separate sections for “Baked Goods,” “Candies,” and “Sauces and Dips.” Ten people were in our section!

  Many people had bought tickets to watch the judging. (They would get to eat the samples afterward.)

  There were five judges this time, three men and two women. Slowly they worked their way around the room, tasting and testing each entry. Between each sample they sipped water. Sometimes they ate a cracker. Daddy said this was to clear the chocolate from their mouths so that they could really taste the next sample.

  The judges stepped up to Nannie’s table. They saw my glittery CHOCOLATE MAGIC sign and smiled. One by one they each tasted Nannie’s samples. First a strawberry, then a pretzel. Two judges tried the little cakes. I was practically quivering with excitement. I wanted to jump up and scream, “Well?” Instead I just crossed my fingers.

  The judges made notes in their notebooks. They whispered to each other. Then they smiled at Nannie and moved on to the next table. The man next to us was also competing with a dipping chocolate. His samples sat in tiny gold foil wrappers. His business cards were in a holder on his table. He was a pro.

  All we could do now was wait. I ate a chocolate-dipped pretzel to help me calm down. After about twenty minutes, the judges headed for the stage at one end of the ballroom. They huddled together near the microphone, talking and comparing notes.

  “This is driving me crazy,” said Sam, sitting on a cardboard box.

  “I cannot stand the tension,” Kristy agreed. “I cannot believe so many people entered this contest.”

  “These are earlier contest winners from all over the Northeast,” Nannie pointed out. “They are from many different cities and states.”

  “Do not worry, Mom,” said Elizabeth. “Your Chocolate Magic is the very best.”

  “Ahem,” said a judge, tapping the microphone. “After a great deal of thought, we have decided on a winner!”

  And the Winner Is …

  “Thank you all for coming today,” said the judge. “We were most impressed with the quality of the entries, and the many delicious treats we tasted. As you know, there will be one first-place prize, one second-place prize, and one third-place prize given in each category. And then there will be one grand prize awarded to the recipe that uses Cocoa-Best chocolate in the best way.”

  “Cut to the chase,” muttered Charlie. “Just tell us who won.”

  “Starting with the third-place prize in the ‘Baked Goods’ category …” said the judge.

  We all groaned.

  Nannie did not win the third-place prize in the “Sauces and Dips” category. She did not win the second-place prize. We all held our breath when they announced the first-place winner.

  “And the blue ribbon goes to … Alex McCall!” said the judge.

  The man next to us smiled and trotted to the stage to receive his award.

  Nannie’s shoulders slumped. She did not look at any of us. We were all very surprised and very, very disappointed. After all of Nannie’s hard work, she had not won. Even after I had made her that great sign with glitter. And I had helped her choose perfect strawberries. We had used only the best pretzels. I had been so sure she would win.

  “And the grand-prize winner of the Cocoa-Best Chocolate Cook-off is …” said the judge.

  Nannie started to gather her things together for the long car ride home.

  “Janet Taylor, of Stoneybrook, Connecticut, with her Chocolate Magic dipping chocolate recipe!” said the judge.

  Nannie dropped a tray of samples and stared at the stage.

  “Nannie!” I yelled. “You did it! You did it again!”

  “Mom, you won!” said Elizabeth. She grabbed Nannie and hugged her. Then we all began to jump up and down and shout. Daddy threw his “Team Nannie” cap in the air. Kristy and Sam hit high fives. Even David Michael and I hugged each other. (We do not do that very often.)

  “Oh, my goodness,” said Nannie. “My goodness.”

  A swarm of people crowded our table. The judges handed Nannie a gigundo trophy. It was a marble pillar with a large golden bar of Cocoa-Best chocolate on top. br />
  “Congratulations, Mrs. Taylor,” said the main judge. “Your dipping chocolate is the best I have ever tasted. You really should think about selling it.”

  “Hmm,” said Nannie. She had a huge smile on her face.

  “Along with this beautiful Cocoa-Best trophy,” said another judge, “is this check for three thousand dollars.”

  “Good heavens,” said Nannie.

  “Plus, here is a gift certificate for two hundred dollars’ worth of Cocoa-Best chocolate,” said a third judge.

  “Oh, lovely,” said Nannie.

  “And last but not least, here is a gift certificate for you and your entire family to have dinner at the restaurant of your choice.”

  Nannie laughed and waved her hand at all of us. “I do not think you knew there were ten people in my family,” she said.

  We smiled at the judges. They smiled back.

  “That does not matter, Mrs. Taylor,” said a judge. “Dinner is on us.”

  * * *

  Guess where we went to dinner. Chez Maurice. It is the fanciest restaurant in all of Stoneybrook. My whole family put on party clothes. I wore a blue velvet dress, with white tights and shiny black shoes.

  At the restaurant, I tapped my water glass with my spoon.

  “Ahem,” I said. “I would like to make a toast. Here’s to Nannie, who has won the biggest contest I have ever seen, with her super-special and super-secret recipe for Chocolate Magic!”

  The people in my family raised their glasses.

  “Hear, hear,” said Daddy.

  “Thank you very much,” said Nannie. “And extra thanks to my special assistant, Karen. I could not have done it without her help.”

  I smiled. It had been a wonderful day.

  Chocolate Magic, Inc.

  “Class,” said Ms. Colman on Monday, “I am pleased to tell you that our Tasty Treats cookbook is selling very nicely.”

  “Yippee!” I shouted.

  “Karen, indoor voice, please,” said Ms. Colman.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  “In fact, it is such a big success that we are thinking about printing more of them.”

  “All right!” said Bobby.

  “Cool!” said Addie.

  “And I would like to ask Karen to ask Nannie if she would like to contribute one nonsecret recipe to the second edition of our cookbook. We will make a new page eighty-eight with her recipe.”

  I smiled. “That is a great idea,” I said. “I will ask her tonight.” This was wonderful news. I might have a recipe in our cookbook after all!

  * * *

  That night at dinner I asked Nannie for a recipe. She said she would be happy to give me one.

  “Now I have an announcement to make,” said Nannie. “I have been thinking a great deal about Chocolate Magic. I had a lot of fun entering the contest. I found I really enjoyed the challenge. While I will always see my main job as taking care of this family, I have decided that I will have another job too. I am planning on going into business for myself.”

  “Really?” said Elizabeth. “What are you going to do?”

  Suddenly I felt worried. Daddy would be busy working in his home office. Elizabeth worked at her office. If Nannie worked too, who would I talk to when I got home from school? Who would help me with my homework, and do things with me in the afternoon? And what about Andrew and Emily Michelle? They are just little kids. They need Nannie too.

  “I am planning to sell Chocolate Magic,” said Nannie. “That is something I can do part-time, from home. I could use Chocolate Magic in all kinds of ways — in centerpieces for tables, in gift baskets, for special holiday desserts. I love making gift baskets and centerpieces. I could do all sorts of things with it.”

  “Gee,” said Elizabeth. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  “If I set up my business here at home, I can still take care of the kids, and also help around the house, the way I do now,” said Nannie.

  I felt much better.

  “But having my own business would be fun and exciting for me,” said Nannie.

  “It sounds like a terrific idea,” said Daddy. “In fact, it would be selfish of you to keep Chocolate Magic from the rest of the world.”

  We all laughed.

  “And I have a good idea,” said Daddy. “You will need a special place for your business. A place here in the house where you will have plenty of space and will not be disturbed. I would like you to have the renovated pantry for your business.”

  “Oh, Watson,” said Nannie. “That is a wonderful idea. But are you sure you do not need the room for anything else?”

  “No,” said Daddy. “Your Chocolate Magic business is the best use I have heard for the pantry. It is yours. You will need to tell the workmen what to do with the room so that you have a good work space.”

  “Thank you very much, Watson,” said Nannie. “The pantry will be perfect.”

  “What can I do to help, Nannie?” asked Kristy. “Maybe I can hand out your business cards to our baby-sitting clients.”

  “I can tell people at school,” said Charlie.

  “Watson and I can mention it to people we work with,” said Elizabeth.

  Nannie smiled at us. “What a wonderful family I have,” she said. “Thank you all. I know I will need lots of help.”

  “You can count on us, Nannie,” I said.

  She patted my hand. “I know.”

  Out With the Old, In With the New

  “Watch out,” said Sam. “Ladder coming through.”

  It was the very next weekend. We were all crowded into the pantry, helping Nannie turn it into a good workplace. Daddy had had a phone installed. There were new shelves on the walls, and new cabinets with countertops. The window had been repaired so it would not leak when it rained.

  Nannie would still have to prepare and cook Chocolate Magic in the kitchen. But once it was made, she could do everything else in this pantry: take orders, make baskets, create special decorations. She had used her prize money to buy many of the supplies she would need, such as white cardboard boxes to package her chocolates in, woven baskets, and ribbons in all colors.

  Daddy was on a ladder now, hanging a new light fixture from the ceiling. Elizabeth and Kristy were on step stools. They were lining the new shelves with flowered paper. Sam and Charlie were putting the handles on the cabinet doors.

  Emily Michelle was sitting on the floor, playing with her own small kitchen set.

  Andrew was sorting all the boxes and tissue paper and ribbons that Nannie would use.

  I had a very special job: I was painting a mural on one wall. The mural showed Nannie in her “Kiss the Cook” apron. She was wearing a “Team Nannie” baseball cap. In one hand she held a wire whisk to stir with. In the other hand was a bar of Cocoa-Best chocolate. I painted a smile on her face. Also in the picture I painted her big Cocoa-Best trophy, and a large blue first-place ribbon.

  “That is lovely, Karen,” said Nannie. “That picture makes me feel like a winner — as if I can do anything.”

  That made me feel very good inside.

  Soon Nannie’s pantry was all ready. Nannie had even gotten business cards. They said:

  Janet Taylor’s

  Chocolate Magic —

  Gifts for all occasions

  The big-house address and her phone number were printed on the back.

  Now we had to wait for Nannie’s first order.

  * * *

  “Well, Mom, what are you doing tomorrow?” asked Elizabeth a few days later.

  “I am going to take Emily Michelle to get a haircut,” said Nannie. “And I will probably go to the grocery store. Why?”

  “Because you might have to stay home and make … Chocolate Magic!” said Elizabeth. She waved a piece of paper in the air. “This is an order from Beth Cooper, at my office. She is throwing a baby shower for her sister this weekend. She is looking for special gift baskets to place on each table at the luncheon. I told her about Chocolate Magic, and sh
e said it sounds perfect.”

  “Hooray, Nannie!” I said. “Your first order!” I felt very excited for Nannie. After all, I had helped her come up with the recipe in the first place. We were practically in business together.

  “I will be happy to create something for her,” said Nannie. “Ask her to call me so we can discuss all the details.”

  “Okay,” said Elizabeth. “Congratulations, Mom.”

  “Thank you. I will need just one thing before I make the gift baskets for Ms. Cooper,” said Nannie.

  “What is that?” asked Elizabeth.

  “My special helper, of course,” said Nannie, turning to me. “Karen, what are you doing tomorrow?”

  I jumped up and grabbed my “Team Nannie” cap.

  “I am going to go to school,” I said. “And then I will rush home to make some Chocolate Magic!”

  Nannie gave me a big hug. “Together, Karen, we can do anything!”

  “You are so right,” I said.

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 1998 by Ann M. Martin

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