FROM:    Thomas Cortez
OF:     The Bad Luck Cat Mysteries
BY:     Kay Finch

I'm the inconspicuous man behind the scenes at the Around-the-World Cottages in Lavender, Texas. My dearest and oldest friend, Rowe Flowers, owns the place and pays me to keep the grounds well tended and all things in working order. In other words, I'm the handyman. One place you'll rarely see me - except for meal time - is in the kitchen. As we approach Thanksgiving, though, I've made a resolution to lend my wife a hand when it comes to preparing the Thanksgiving feast. I'm no cook, but I've enlisted some help from Sabrina Tate, Rowe's niece.

When Sabrina first came to Lavender, I caught her sneaking into Rowe's house - often in the middle of the night.  I didn't know this woman, so I was naturally suspicious about her activities. Especially when I realized she had paired up with Lavender's legendary Bad Luck Cat. Now I was more than suspicious - I was a little scared of the duo. Turns out Sabrina is an insomniac baker.


When she can't sleep at night, she bakes. So I tagged along a couple of times and watched her work. And now I've scored a really simple recipe - a perfect Thanksgiving day pumpkin recipe.  And I'm sure to score points from my wife when I contribute my very own dessert for the holiday meal. I recommend you give it a try - you'll love it! (And by the way, you can find this recipe for Pumpkin Crunch in the back of Bad Luck Cat Mystery #3 - The Black Cat Sees His Shadow).