Truth Without the Trimmings

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  chapter 1

  chapter 2

  chapter 3

  chapter 4

  chapter 5

  chapter 6

  chapter 7

  chapter 8

  chapter 9

  chapter 10

  chapter 11

  chapter 12

  chapter 13

  chapter 14

  chapter 15

  chapter 16

  Cooking Tips From The Chef Girls!

  For Megan Bryant—D.M.

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd)

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  2007 Edition

  Text copyright © 2002 by Diane Muldrow. Interior illustrations copyright © 2002 by Barbara Pollak. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. S.A.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-50306-5

  eISBN : 978-1-101-50306-5

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  chapter 1

  Molly Moore inhaled deeply. “Ah! Pizza!” she said. Her green eyes gazed hungrily down at the pie in front of her.

  “I wonder if we could get their recipe,” Amanda Moore said. Amanda was Molly’s eleven-year-old identical twin. “What do you think, Molls? It’s probably way different than the one we have. Would you go ask for it?”

  Even though Amanda was in the same booth as Molly, she practically had to shout. The first Windsor Middle School basketball game of the season had just ended, and Pizza Roma was packed with noisy kids celebrating the team’s win.

  “Why don’t you get it?” Molly asked.

  “You’re better at stuff like that,” Amanda replied. That was true. Molly was the more outgoing of the twins. Amanda was more cautious.

  Their friends Peichi Cheng and Natasha Ross slid into the booth with them.

  “That game was sooo amazing!” Peichi said.

  “It was awesome,” Amanda agreed.

  Molly suddenly stood. “The pizza chef just came out of the kitchen. I’m going to go ask him for the recipe for their crust,” she said. “Dish could make pizzas.”

  “Why bother?” asked Peichi. “I like the pizza crust recipe we already have.”

  Natasha pulled a gooey slice from the pie. “We need to make homey meals,” she said. “Our clients want home cooking. If people want pizza like Pizza Roma, they can just call up and order it from them. They don’t need Dish for that.”

  Dish was a cooking club that the girls had started. And now they spent a lot of time talking about food. A lot of time.

  Actually, Dish was a combination club and business. The girls—or the Chef Girls, as they liked to call themselves—sold the food they made to the people in their Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood of Park Terrace. Most of the people who lived in Park Terrace were families, and many of the parents went off to work every day. Some of them worked in Brooklyn, but many took the subways into Manhattan. By the time they returned home at night, they were tired—often too tired to cook dinner. There were lots of places in Park Terrace where these weary parents could get take-out food, but none of them offered old-fashioned home-cooked meals. That’s what Dish did—and they did it well.

  Molly picked up her piece of pizza and began to eat. A glob of tomato sauce fell onto her sleeve.

  “Oh no, Molls!” Amanda cried. “You spilled tomato sauce on your sweatshirt. Come on, let’s go to the bathroom and see if we can wash it out.”

  Molly looked down at the stain. “Bummer,” she said, but she kept eating. “I’m not worried about it. It’ll come out in the wash.” She clearly didn’t want to get up and clean her sweatshirt in the bathroom. The girls were identical twins, but it was easy to tell them apart. Molly—whose real name was Amelia—liked sports and sporty clothing. She usually wore her dark hair in a high ponytail. And she didn’t care much about the latest fashions or trends. Amanda read lots of magazines and was always in the know about the hottest styles. Today she was wearing a fuzzy blue turtleneck over embroidered flare jeans. Her dark hair was pulled back with a skinny headband that was covered in sparkling beads.

  Just then, Connor Kelley, Justin McElroy, and Omar Kazdan stopped at the girls’ table. They had been on their way to the counter for second helpings of pizza. “How cool was that game?” Justin said.

  “Completely cool,” Amanda agreed, smiling her brightest smile at him. In her opinion, Justin was the cutest, nicest boy she’d ever met. “The JV team really rocks,” she added.

  “The cheerleaders had some cool moves, too,” said Connor.

  “Ooh-ooh-ooh! Connor was staring at the cheerleaders,” Omar teased him. This was nothing new. Connor and Omar always goofed on each other. They’d done it the whole time they were in cooking class last summer with the girls.

  Connor’s cheeks turned red. “I mean it about the cheerleaders. That human pyramid they made was pretty amazing.”

  “It was,” Molly agreed. Their friend, Shawn Jordan, was a cheerleader as well as a member of Dish. She’d stood in the middle of the human pyramid, helping to support the girls on the top. Molly had held her breath the whole time. She hoped Shawn wouldn’t fall down under the weight and send the whole team tumbling. But Shawn stood steady and smiled confidently as the crowd cheered.

  Of course it was totally like Shawn to stay calm. Everything about her—from her green cat’s-eye glasses to her dark, curly hair and beautiful, mocha-colored skin—was cool.

  “It’s a bummer Shawn couldn’t come out for pizza with us,” Molly said.

  “Why couldn’t she?” Natasha asked.

  “Her dad told her she had to come home right after the game,” Molly explained. “She didn’t say why.”

  “Wow! I hope everything’s all right,” Amanda said.

  Omar’s stomach grumbled loudly and he laughed. “Oops, sorry,” he said, rubbing his middle. “I need more pizza!”

  “See ya,” Justin said to the girls as the boys continued on up to the pizza counter.

  “Later,” Peichi called after them. She turned her attention back to her friends. “I want to talk to you guys about something,” she said.

  “What’s up?” Amanda asked.

  “Some new people are moving in next door to my family tomorrow,” she said.

  “Have you met them?” Amanda a
sked. “It’s always scary getting new neighbors. They could be great or horrible. You just don’t know.” The homes in Park Terrace stood in a row. Light came in from the front and the back windows, but all the sides of the homes butted up against one another.

  “Do they have any kids?” Natasha asked.

  “Yeah, maybe a gorgeous eleven-year-old son who needs someone to show him around the middle school,” Amanda suggested hopefully.

  “Sorry, no. My parents met them already. They said they were really nice and have one little kid,” Peichi answered.

  “Hey! You could make some baby-sitting bucks,” Molly commented.

  “Maybe,” Peichi said. “Anyway, I was wondering if we could all get together tomorrow to cook a few meals for the family. They haven’t really unpacked yet. My mom said it would be nice to welcome them to the neighborhood. What do you guys think?”

  “It would definitely be a nice thing to do,” Natasha agreed.

  “And a good way for you to get to know them,” Amanda added.

  “Plus it’s a great way to get a new customer,” said Molly. “But we’re not gonna charge them for this, right?”

  “No, of course not,” Peichi answered.

  “What should we make?” Amanda asked.

  “We could roast a chicken with herbs,” Peichi suggested.

  “While the chicken is cooking, we could bake some potatoes,” Amanda said.

  “Let’s make a lasagna, too,” Molly suggested. “Everybody loves a warm, gooey, yummy lasagna.”

  Peichi laughed. “We won’t even have to put it in the freezer. It’s been so cold out lately that by the time we bring it to their house it will freeze all on its own!”

  “What do you think about putting sausage in a mac-and-cheese casserole?” Natasha asked. “I saw a recipe for it in a magazine.”

  Molly, Amanda, and Peichi shot her skeptical looks. “I don’t know,” Amanda said slowly. “It seems wrong somehow to mess with a classic like mac and cheese.”

  “Yeah, and don’t forget that they have a little kid,” Peichi pointed out. “Imagine a little child all excited to dig into some macaroni and cheese and then he or she comes across a chunk of sausage. Gross! I hated sausage when I was little.”

  “Okay! Okay! Forget the sausage,” Natasha gave in. “Plain old mac and cheese will be fine.”

  Molly’s pizza cheese stretched out from her mouth, refusing to separate from the pizza slice. Giggling, she put the slice of pizza down and chewed the bite in her mouth. “Okay!” she said. “You guys can come over to our house tomorrow at noon. We’ll figure out what ingredients we have and then we’ll figure out what we have to shop for from there and after we—”

  The girls followed Molly’s stunned gaze as she stared at the front door. Shawn had just walked in. Several other cheerleaders were with her, including Angie Martinez, the most stuck-up girl in all of Windsor Middle School.

  “I thought Shawn couldn’t come out,” Amanda said, sounding both shocked and angry.

  Shawn had been laughing, but her smile faded when she noticed her friends staring at her. She wiggled her fingers at them in a guilty, self-conscious greeting.

  The Chef Girls waved in return, but their expressions remained unsmiling.

  Angie also saw the girls staring. She flipped her hair in their direction and turned her back.

  “I can’t believe it!” Molly said quietly. “Would she really ditch us just to hang out with them?”

  “Why don’t you ask her? Here she comes,” Amanda said sharply.

  “Hi,” Shawn said when she arrived at their table.

  “I thought you had to stay home tonight.” Molly got to the point right away.

  Shawn laughed nervously. She removed her glasses and wiped them on her shirt. “Oh, yeah, well, after the game Dad changed his mind and said I could go out,” she said, continuing to clean her glasses. “I tried to find you, but you guys had already left, and I didn’t know where you were going tonight.”

  The girls nodded. Molly thought that Shawn could be telling the truth. She was their friend and they didn’t think she would lie to them. But Amanda wasn’t so sure.

  “Shawn,” Peichi said to her, “we’re getting together tomorrow to cook for my new neighbors at Molly and Amanda’s. Can you come?”

  Angie arrived at their table. “Did I hear right? Are you girls playing in the kitchen again tomorrow? It’s so cute—really adorable. Personally, I stopped playing house in the third grade, but everyone’s different. Some people grow up sooner than others.”

  The girls tried to ignore her. “So? Can you come?” Peichi asked again.

  “Yeah, I think so. Okay,” Shawn agreed.

  “Oh, look!” Angie said, her eyes sparkling with sudden interest. “There’s Justin. Let’s go say hi to him.”

  She turned sharply and hurried toward the table where Justin, Connor, and Omar sat. They poked intently at Gameboys while somehow managing to eat pizza at the same time.

  Shawn glanced at their table and then back at her friends. “Okay, see you guys tomorrow,” she said. Her parting smile was quick and unhappy as she left to follow Angie.

  Amanda sat back in her chair, stunned. Was Angie going after Justin now? Why didn’t Shawn stop her? Shawn knew that Amanda had a crush on Justin. How could she just follow Angie over there?

  “Did you see that?” Amanda cried. “Shawn just ditched us! She definitely ditched us!”

  Everyone looked uncomfortable.

  “Manda, it’s okay,” Molly said quietly. “Shawn will come over tomorrow to cook. She’s not ditching us—she’s just hanging out with other friends sometimes.”

  There was a long silence. Then Natasha looked at her watch and cleared her throat. “Um, my parents will be picking me up really soon,” she said. “I’m going to stand by the window to watch for them. See you guys tomorrow! Call me if you want me to bring anything.” As Natasha left, she gently patted Amanda’s shoulder. Amanda smiled a little, but she still looked upset. She couldn’t take her eyes off Angie, who looked like she was seriously flirting with Justin.

  “Molly?” Amanda asked. “Do you mind if I call Mom for a ride home?” Molly nodded in agreement.

  For Amanda, at least, the fun night was over.

  chapter 2

  “Natasha, Hanukkah is a family holiday,” Mrs. Ross said firmly. “It’s not a time for friends.”

  “But my friends are like family. Don’t you always tell me that family is made up of the special people you love, and not just the people you’re related to? Don’t you always say that?” Natasha insisted. “Besides, there are eight nights of the holiday. I only want to invite them for one of the nights.”

  “I don’t know,” Mrs. Ross said doubtfully.

  “Don’t you want me to be proud of our Jewish traditions?” Natasha pressed.

  Mrs. Ross sighed.

  Natasha took this as a sign that she was weakening. “Please, please, please,” Natasha pleaded. “I think they would really like to come over. I’d really like to have them over. I promise I’ll help with dinner and I’ll clean up the kitchen afterward, too!”

  “Remember, Natasha, we agreed you’d do some chores around here on Saturdays!” Mrs. Ross said. “You haven’t done one thing I’ve asked you to do. I want you to start with your bedroom right now.”

  “I will,” Natasha said, “but I already told my friends I would help cook some food for Peichi’s new neighbors. I was supposed to be there at noon and it’s already twelve-fifteen.”

  Mrs. Ross frowned at Natasha. “When do you plan to return?”

  “Before four. Definitely by four-thirty.” Natasha headed for the front hall closet and pulled out her heaviest winter jacket, the puffy blue one. “No later than four-forty-five at the most,” she promised.

  “I expect to see you here by four-thirty and not a minute after,” Mrs. Ross called as Natasha went out her front door. Natasha didn’t answer, pretending she hadn’t heard.

  A bla
st of cold air hit her face. Little pockets of shiny, slippery ice glistened on the front steps. On the street, people walked with their heads down against the wind, their scarves flapping behind them.

  Natasha tucked her head into her jacket. She flipped up her hood and snapped the top snaps. Luckily, she always left a pair of stretchy black gloves in her pocket. She pulled them on as quickly as possible and headed to the Moore’s house.

  “Ohmygosh, your nose is bright red,” Amanda giggled as she opened the door for Natasha.

  Natasha stepped into the Moore’s front hall. “Mmmm. I smell tomato sauce cooking.”

  “It’s for the lasagna,” Amanda said. “It’s so cold today that none of us wanted to go out and buy a chicken. We already had the ingredients for the lasagna right here in the refrigerator downstairs.”

  Shawn’s Grandma Ruthie had lent the girls some money for a small fridge to hold their supplies. They kept it in the Moores’ basement. The girls were able to pay Grandma Ruthie back with the money they earned on their first job. Soon Dish was doing so well that the girls chose Peichi to be the treasurer. Each week, the girls chipped in some of the money they earned for food and other supplies they’d need for their cooking jobs.

  Natasha shrugged out of her jacket and hung it in the front hall closet. “That was a good idea. I’m really glad we don’t have to go to the store! I sure don’t want to go back out there into the cold.”

  She followed Amanda down the hall to the kitchen. The Chef Girls almost always cooked in the Moores’ large kitchen. It was a great room to hang out in, with pale yellow walls and bright tiles. Big windows let in sunshine from the garden outside. Copper pans hung on racks and there was a huge kitchen table. The Moores’ kitchen was the kind of room that welcomed everyone who entered.