Page 169 of As They Are
“Would it be too cheesy for me to say what’s up, buttercup?”
“Save the niceness for later. I tried to make homemade buttermilk and created a science experiment instead.”
“You mixed butter and milk, didn’t you?” I asked it warily. The idea of what could have been in that bowl made my whole body cringe.
“Yep, and then I thought it tasted good, except for the chunks. Then I realized dairy shouldnothave chunks, and now I’m regretting everything.”
I walked over and slowly took the bowl, not looking inside of it. “Buttermilk is the leftovers from churning milk once the butter is taken out.”
“So, I traumatized myself for nothing?”
“You learned what buttermilk is in the end.”
She sighed, though she looked less green now that the milk and butter weren’t in front of her. I walked over to the bowl with all the dry ingredients. I collected the remaining pieces before mixing it together.
The cabinets opened and closed before Wren finally set down a skillet. “It’s the correct size,” she said. “I’ll get it warming up.”
“Thank you. Also, after breakfast, we’ll need to go to the library.”
“Why?”
“You forgot your phone there and Mollie had no idea where you were.”
Wren’s eyes were round. “Shit. I knew I was forgetting something. Did she call you?”
“Yes. I told her where you were and some of what happened. She figured out most of it.”
“She’s smart like that.” Wren opened the drawers and pulled out a spatula. “I can’t wait to get the twenty questions when I get back.”
“I know breakfast took a little longer than I intended, but hopefully it’ll all be good things.”
“They’ll be the best.” She attempted to dip her finger in the batter, but I held it up.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying the batter.”
“This has raw eggs and flour in it. It’s risky to eat it before it’s cooked.”
“Have you never had raw cookie dough?”
“No.”
She gasped. “Now who’s the monster? It’s the best part!”
“Until you get salmonella.”
“High risk, high reward.” She jumped and sat on the counter, which gave her just enough height to grab the bowl and get a taste of it, but she frowned. “I expected that to be better.”
“I expected it to be pretty bland.”
“We could have added something to it.”
“Maybe you can talk me into it next time. But for now, we follow the recipe. And try not to get salmonella.”
“Would you take care of me if I did?”
“I would. And then I’ll tell you that you shouldn’t have eaten raw batter.” I flipped the first pancake and had to fight Wren to make sure she didn’t eat it the second it was done. I wound up giving up on the third and fourth pancake and let her snack while I cooked.
