Appearance-Is-Everything Crab Soufflé
4 tablespoons butter, separated
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons milk
2/3 cup whipping cream
4 eggs, separated
2 6-1/2-ounce cans white crab meat, drained
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Now, honey, you know if you make something that looks good, it's gonna take all the attention away from anything else in your life that's going wrong. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Then take one tablespoon of the butter and use it to grease a 1-1/2-quart soufflé dish.
Melt the rest of the butter in a pan, add the flour and salt and mix well. Can't you just hear Julia Child talking to you? Now I know she passed already to the other side, but I tell you, she's there, over your shoulder, helping you get this just right Add the milk gradually, stirring constantly, then bring it up to a boil and cook until it's as thick as a good shampoo.
Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Don't be dumping them all in at once with the hot stuff; you'll get scrambled eggs instead of crab soufflé. Add a little of the sauce mix at a time, mixing it slow. Then add the bread crumbs, crab meat, onion powder and paprika.
In a whole other bowl (I know, but ask Julia, if you want to be a great chef, you have to dirty a few bowls), beat the egg whites until they've got stiff but not dry peaks. It's an art, just like cutting hair. Fold a little bit into the crab mixture to slacken it, as Julia would say, then fold in the rest. Gentle now, honey, don't want your peaks to fall.
Spoon it into the soufflé dish, pop it into the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until you can slip a knife into the center and it comes out looking as clean as a brand-new perm rod.
Don't wait to eat. Your new life is waiting for you and if you're pokey, you risk your soufflé deflating and your dreams escaping. Just ask Julia; she'll tell you the God's honest truth (because right now, she's got His ear).
Chapter Seven
Meredith's life had been ruined by a mullet.
Elona had pronounced her hair "outstanding" and apparently Bella, Luna and Brigitte had concurred. But all Meredith saw staring back at her from the wall mirror had been a fluffy, longer version of the 80's mullet, with layers on the top of her head and straight lengths of hair running along the sides.
Her life was over.
"Oh, don't you love it? Brigitte thought it would bring out your eyes." Elona eyes beamed with pride at her handiwork.
"It's ... it's ..." And then Meredith couldn't get out another word. She buried her face in her hands and started to sob.
"You don't like it?"
Meredith shook her head.
"But... but it's perfect for you."
"It's perfect for Duran Duran," Meredith cried between her fingers. She planned on never leaving this seat, never facing the world again. Or at least until her hair had grown out and resembled the look she'd had an hour ago.
In other words, she was staying here until the old Meredith grew back.
"Oh, honey, it's not so bad. Wait till you get home and play with it. Make it your own." Elona gave her a pat on the shoulder. "It's a big change. A lot to get used to."
"I look horrible." The words, muffled by her tears and her hands, came out more like "I wook how-wibba."
Elona came around to the front of the chair and gently peeled back Meredith's hands from her face. "No, honey, you don't. The girls agree with me. You'll see. Just get used to it."
Get used to it? Maybe in eight weeks, when her hair had grown out and she'd gone from a mullet to a shag. All her life, she'd had the same style—long, straight and plain. It may have been boring but at least she hadn't looked like an extra member of REO Speedwagon.
"Here, dry your eyes," Elona said, handing her a tissue. "And look again. It's not as bad as you think."
Meredith did as Elona said. She lifted one end of her hair, then the other. The haircut still looked like an overgrown mullet but
4 tablespoons butter, separated
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons milk
2/3 cup whipping cream
4 eggs, separated
2 6-1/2-ounce cans white crab meat, drained
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Now, honey, you know if you make something that looks good, it's gonna take all the attention away from anything else in your life that's going wrong. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Then take one tablespoon of the butter and use it to grease a 1-1/2-quart soufflé dish.
Melt the rest of the butter in a pan, add the flour and salt and mix well. Can't you just hear Julia Child talking to you? Now I know she passed already to the other side, but I tell you, she's there, over your shoulder, helping you get this just right Add the milk gradually, stirring constantly, then bring it up to a boil and cook until it's as thick as a good shampoo.
Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Don't be dumping them all in at once with the hot stuff; you'll get scrambled eggs instead of crab soufflé. Add a little of the sauce mix at a time, mixing it slow. Then add the bread crumbs, crab meat, onion powder and paprika.
In a whole other bowl (I know, but ask Julia, if you want to be a great chef, you have to dirty a few bowls), beat the egg whites until they've got stiff but not dry peaks. It's an art, just like cutting hair. Fold a little bit into the crab mixture to slacken it, as Julia would say, then fold in the rest. Gentle now, honey, don't want your peaks to fall.
Spoon it into the soufflé dish, pop it into the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until you can slip a knife into the center and it comes out looking as clean as a brand-new perm rod.
Don't wait to eat. Your new life is waiting for you and if you're pokey, you risk your soufflé deflating and your dreams escaping. Just ask Julia; she'll tell you the God's honest truth (because right now, she's got His ear).
Chapter Seven
Meredith's life had been ruined by a mullet.
Elona had pronounced her hair "outstanding" and apparently Bella, Luna and Brigitte had concurred. But all Meredith saw staring back at her from the wall mirror had been a fluffy, longer version of the 80's mullet, with layers on the top of her head and straight lengths of hair running along the sides.
Her life was over.
"Oh, don't you love it? Brigitte thought it would bring out your eyes." Elona eyes beamed with pride at her handiwork.
"It's ... it's ..." And then Meredith couldn't get out another word. She buried her face in her hands and started to sob.
"You don't like it?"
Meredith shook her head.
"But... but it's perfect for you."
"It's perfect for Duran Duran," Meredith cried between her fingers. She planned on never leaving this seat, never facing the world again. Or at least until her hair had grown out and resembled the look she'd had an hour ago.
In other words, she was staying here until the old Meredith grew back.
"Oh, honey, it's not so bad. Wait till you get home and play with it. Make it your own." Elona gave her a pat on the shoulder. "It's a big change. A lot to get used to."
"I look horrible." The words, muffled by her tears and her hands, came out more like "I wook how-wibba."
Elona came around to the front of the chair and gently peeled back Meredith's hands from her face. "No, honey, you don't. The girls agree with me. You'll see. Just get used to it."
Get used to it? Maybe in eight weeks, when her hair had grown out and she'd gone from a mullet to a shag. All her life, she'd had the same style—long, straight and plain. It may have been boring but at least she hadn't looked like an extra member of REO Speedwagon.
"Here, dry your eyes," Elona said, handing her a tissue. "And look again. It's not as bad as you think."
Meredith did as Elona said. She lifted one end of her hair, then the other. The haircut still looked like an overgrown mullet but
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