Logs:Test Batch
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| RL Date: 28 September, 2008 |
| Who: Fiorella, Paige |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Paige is making cookies. Fiorella helps. |
| Where: Kitchens, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 7, Month 11, Turn 17 (Interval 10) |
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Fort's kitchens are both immense and well-appointed, which ensures that the kitchen staff is able to feed the Weyr's populace as efficiently as possible. The counters are carved out of the native granite, smoothed and polished through turns of use; there are several stoves and ovens placed along the walls, leaving plenty of room for various cooks to do their job and not be tripping over their fellows. Any ingredients or tools they may need can be found in drawers and cabinets, either within arm's reach or within reach of drudges. Hanging from the ceiling and on hooks on the wall are copper utensils, pots, and pans, all quite well-worn, but still serviceable. In the middle of this room are a couple of 'islands', composed of wood and with marble countertops, to allow assistants to prepare things and not need to get in the way of the cooks using the main counters. Dumb waiters are located out of the way, but still convenient for getting food down to the living cavern, rather than needing to send people down the stairs. Despite the constant motion and activity -- which slows only at night, but never fully ceases -- everything is meticulously kept clean, from top to bottom. Even though it's just after the dinner hour, Paige is settled on a stool she's pulled up to one of the islands, feet tangled about the legs as she chats with one of the Weyr's assistant cooks; from the sound of it, she's asking about how they prepare simple desserts. Like cookies. "The ones y'all make here are awful good, " the young greenrider says sincerely, posture suddenly leaning forward, earnest. "Y'reckon it'd be alrigh' if'n I tried t'make some, sometime?" And with her companion giving an affirmative, she just beams. Now, a most difficult decision awaits: "Whaddya think I oughta try, firs'?" "I like the spice ones." Fiorella chimes in though she wasn't asked her opinion. The girl pushes a lock of hair from in front of her eyes as she comes closer to the counter where the greenrider sits, wiping wet hands across her skirt. "Well I like those ones best anyway. I -like- all of 'em." "She's got a good idea, " the cook grins, waggling her fingers at Fiorella before turning back to direct a few workers over to begin dish washing. Paige half-turns on her perch toward the young girl, mouth curving up into another smile. "The spice'uns? I like 'em, too. I was kinda thinkin' o'makin' some with a bit o'cinnamon. Y'reckon tha'd be good?" There's a second look for the child, eyebrows lifting a little with some indirect recognition. "Yer Berit and Sunni's sister, ain'cha?" Fiorella oohs and nods, bobbing her head in an over exaggerated expression of her agreement. "That sounds wonderful! Maybe I could help you make 'em?" she half offers, half suggests, looking between rider and cook in case one of them might object. At the question of relation she nods, much more simply this time. "I am. My name's Fiorella, but you can call me Ella. Its not so long and its not as stuffy sounding either." "Y'can help me with the firs' batch, " Paige promises. "I gotta practice so's I can learn t'make 'em real good. I wanna surprise someone with 'em." Hopping down from her stool, she offers Ella a slim hand, pale eyes bright. "S'wonderful t'meetcha, Ella. Paige, green Tiasheth's." A few careful steps around the assistant cooks, and she's discreetly peeking around for any spare ingredients to experiment with; it takes some asking and a little searching, but she eventually comes up with enough flour, eggs, sugar and spice to make at least a dozen cookies. Perhaps two. One of the other assistants, probably overhearing her earlier request, kindly deposits a large bowl and some spoons onto the island for her to find once she plops all the items down. "Y'ever make cookies 'fore, Ella?" Paige wonders aloud, even as she unwraps the sack of flour and hunts around for something to measure some out in. Fiorella nods. "Once or twice." she replies, "I helped in the kitchen back home once in awhile." she replies with a smile, helping the woman with the ingredients. "I'm good at mixing though." ... "Paige." she repeats the name after a moment. "Sunni mentioned you once. She said you might be able to take me to Reaches sometime if you're not too busy so I could see her. She left right after I got here." Paige's grin returns, widening as they pour and sift through the dry ingredients. "S'good! Mixin' gets awful tirin', 'specially if'n there's s'lot o'batter." Then, there are the eggs to consider cracking; sliding one toward her fellow cook, she sets to cracking the rest, plopping in one yolk, then another. A glance peeks sideways at Fiorella, then, chin bobbing in a quick series of nods. "Be more'n happy t'take ya there, " she says cheerfully. "Told her I'd go back and visit soon's I could." Taking up one of the spoons, she adds the milk and dashes in some cinnamon, giving the batter the first few, forceful stirs to get it started. "I wish I could go see her more, " admits she, tone wistful. "She dun seem like she's a'settlin' in as well's I'd hope fer. I reckon she gets a lil lonely." Stir, stir. A few more turns of the spoon later, she pauses and offers the bowl to her assistant. Fiorella cracks her egg, and manages to get it into the bowl and only need to pick out one piece of shell before Paige begins mixing. "You'll let me know when you're going next then?" she questions, though fairly certain the answer is a yes. "She'll be alright. Sunni's tougher than you'd think." she adds, taking over the stirring and pausing for a long moment while she gets the spoon moving again. "Maybe we could take her some cookies!" "Sure will, " confirms the greenrider, the corners of her mouth lifting again for both the reassurances and the cheery suggestion. "Reckon we all're like tha', " Paige murmurs lowly, tone brightening soon after. "S'great idea, Ella. Real thoughtful o'ya. I'm sure she'll appreciate it an awful lot." While the batter's stirred, she focuses on cleaning up their area a bit, returning ingredients to their proper places and carrying cups over to be washed. "Any idea wha' she likes bes' in hers?" Fiorella grins brightly. "A'course its a great idea." she giggles, "-I- thought of it." Therefore it must be the best idea there ever was. "She likes these ones I think, and maybe the plain sugar ones too? But she'll like 'em all cause we brought for her and even more cause we made 'em." Clearly, her sister's favorites, at least in the cookie department, were not something she paid that much attention to. For that confident statement, Paige returns her grin, eyes lighting up at the mention of plainer cookies. Surely, they'd be easier to make. "I reckon yer right 'bout tha', " she replies at some length, fetching a small sheet for cookie baking. "Y'think 'tis mixed well 'nough?" Dipping a clean spoon into the bowl, she pulls out a glob, plopping it onto the sheet. "Hmm. Whatcha think?" If it meets with approval, of course, she's all for scooping out the rest of it, and then taking it on over to one of the ovens before the waiting begins. Fiorella nods. "Those look great!" she agrees, "And I bet they're gonna smell -real- good baking and taste even better." They're cookies, they have to be good right? "Just have to be careful not to let them cook to long. They don't taste as good then." "Hope so, " Paige laughs, lingering a moment to watch the cookies before resolutely stepping away to pass the time they take to bake with finishing the tidying up of their work area, occasionally encouraging Ella to come and peek at them with her every now and then, much to the amusement of the cooks finishing up the bulk of their nightly duties. Finally, though, one of the assistant cooks pronounces them done, with only a minimal amount of smoke escaping the oven. They're a little brown looking, and probably a little crunchy when they've cooled enough to be sampled. Still, Paige gives Ella a hopeful look as she takes a quick nibble off of one. "Maybe a few minutes less, next time?" she proposes idly, thoughtful. Fiorella peeks and paces, and repeats. She's not good at waiting it would seem. "Are they done yet??" she asks hopefully, more than once in the process. And once they finally are and are ready for tasting there's a small bit first and she nods. "Maybe, they're kinda.. crunchy.." And maybe a tad bit burnt on some. "But they still taste okay." "A lil bit crunchy, " Paige agrees, "but they ain' bad fer bein' m'firs' batch. And I had such wonderful help, 'sides." Beaming, she gets the rest of the cookies scooped off of the sheet and wrapped in a small basket to carry back with her, but not before making sure that Fiorella gets a couple of them, too. "I'll jus' hafta keep a'tryin', " she decides then, tucking the basket under an arm and giving the girl a delighted smile. "Thank ya fer a'helpin'. I oughta get goin' if'n I wanna get these up inter m'weyr 'fore they get cold 'tween here and there. 'Twas awful nice a'meetin' ya, Ella. I'll see ya 'round, I'm sure!" And with a cheery finger-waggle, she's striking out, presumably for the bowl. |
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