Recipes For Friendshipby Mr MerrittChaptersPinkie Pie Pasta Part OnePinkie Pie Pasta Part TwoSonic Rainboom Chili Part OneSonic Rainboom Chili Part TwoTwilight Risotto Part OneTwilight Risotto Part 2Pinkie Pie Pasta Part OnePeppermill, his black mane rustling in the early morning breeze, trotted into Ponyville from his home at Sweet Apple Acres. Like a number of the older ponies starting their day, he too was making his way to a familiar landmark in the town. To the uninformed it looked like a massive gingerbread house. But to the locals it was a town institution as the best bakery probably in all of Equestria. Sugarcube Corner would never find itself in dire financial straits, considering its popularity among the ponies of the sleepy burg. The amount of bits the shop made during the morning rush alone would have kept its owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake and their budding family, financially secure for a long time. But it really wasn’t about the money; it was explained repeatedly, but the simple fact that they loved their vocation. The colt understood and whole-heartedly agreed with this opinion. Having been born a natural chef, and his talent nurtured by his equally successful chef parents, food was the whole and sum of his young life. There was little Peppermill didn’t know about the culinary arts, and he was always happy to offer his hoof or his knowledge to any pony who asked. This, he was certain, was the reason why he had been asked to come to the bakery this early in the morning… The message that had been delivered to the farmhouse two days ago didn’t specifically mention this subject. The only things that could be gleaned from it was that Pinkie Pie wanted to talk to the colt about something ‘super-duper double hush-hush important’. The fact that it didn’t resemble a standard Pinkie Pie party invite (though it was usually best not to assume anything regarding the Element of Laughter), was enough to raise a few eyebrows among the Apple clan. But Peppermill was born to be achingly polite, being raised in the high-class city of Canterlot, and he couldn’t refuse a request. It looked as though he had managed to avoid the usual morning rush of hungry workers looking for a sweet start to their day, for there were no other ponies in the shop as Peppermill strode in. The plump Mrs. Cake was tidying the counter with a cloth, and when she heard the bell over the door tinkle she looked up with a warm smile. “Hello Peppermill. How are you today?” “I’m fine…Mrs. Cake. How…is everything…here?” “Oh, busy as always. I admit having to juggle customers and hungry foals does make things hectic…” “I…can only…imagine…” Upon the sound of the colt’s raspy voice, the sound of happy babbling in response to it caught his attention. He turned and smiled at a pair of infant ponies, strapped solidly in separate high chairs beside the counter. The Cakes` twins, Pound and Pumpkin, were reaching for the colt happily upon recognizing a friendly face. With a chuckle the grey colt approached the pair and offered each a forehoof. Pound Cake, the Pegasus colt, grasped the appendage in a rather impressive double grip and waves it around. Meanwhile the unicorn filly Pumpkin had crammed the hoof into her toothless mouth and chewed noisily on it. It was hard not to smile at such behavior, and Peppermill was no exception. He grinned at the two young ponies, and indulged them as long as he felt he could. But he was expected, and he didn`t like the idea of being late for anything. “As much as…I`d like to…stay with you two…Pinkie is…waiting for me.” He pried his hoof from Pound’s grasp and carefully wiped Pumpkin’s drool off with a cloth Mrs. Cake conveniently handed to him. Bracing himself against the whines of the infants, the colt walked into the kitchen of the bakery and through another door leading to the stairway to the second floor. As Peppermill recalled from the message, Pinkie Pie held court in her bedroom at the end of the hall. Even upon reaching the top of the stairway, he could hear the unmistakable warble of the pink pony as she seemed to be having a one-sided conversation. “I’m so excited, aren’t you Gummy? Peppy is so super smart when it comes to cooking that I just know he can teach me. I wonder what kind of yummy things he’ll show me…” Peppy? Gummy? The first was the ‘pet name’ that Pinkie had placed upon the colt, much to his dismay. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t like it, per say. It was that he was afraid more and more ponies would start to follow the party mare’s lead and give him all sorts of nicknames that would run counter to his young male ego. The occasional Applejack ‘sugarcube’ was more than enough, in his books. The other name puzzled the colt. He vaguely recalled an occasional off-hoof comment from some of his older friends about a ‘Gummy’. But the idea that the pink mare had a toothless baby alligator as a pet was a concept that Peppermill found ‘Pinkie being Pinkie’ didn’t adequately cover. Making a mental note to start telling his friends to lay off the pet names, the colt knocked on the door to the bedroom. There was a sudden total silence, followed by a flurry of movement that caught Peppermill off guard. The door to the room, which had only been partially open moments ago, was flung open and a pair of slender forelegs grabbed the colt and tossed him into the room. Peppermill found himself sprawled flat on the floor in the middle of the room, with Pinkie Pie looming over him with a grin that stretched wide. “You’re here! You’re here!” cheered the mare. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” “You saw me…two days ago, Pinkie…” “But two days is soooo long…” “…right.” Peppermill had learned fairly quickly not to take anything Pinkie said too seriously. Her…quirkiness could make even the most stoic of ponies lose their senses (and he knew this from experience, if watching Big Macintosh trying to deal with her was any indicator). “Anyways…you asked me…to come and…see you?” “Oh yes! I really, really, really need your help. You are the only pony that can help me with this.” “With what…exactly?” Pinkie certainly seemed to be sincere in her desire for his help, and his found himself growing curious over what was going on. The mare made a concentrated effort to calm herself down, and then spoke. “The other day I was at the cafe enjoying my third…or was it fourth…sarsaparilla float when I saw a pony order this amazing looking salad. Then I saw one having what looked like a yummy looking soup and another with these fancy toasted sandwiches. I watched and I looked at my float and I realized that I never ordered anything but ice cream floats from that place…” “Then when I came home I was having my dessert when I watched Mr. and Mrs. Cake eating these pretty green noodles and I realized I…well, I didn’t always eat the same stiff all the other ponies did. I couldn’t believe that there could be anything as delicious as sweets! Can you believe it?” She eats…all that candy…but still looks…the same… marvelled the colt. He wasn’t without a sweet tooth of his own, with his two biggest weaknesses being Sugarcube Corner’s ginger snap cookies and the hot cinnamon candies from the candy shop Bon Bon ran. But the thought of eating nothing but that stuff was enough to make him shiver. “I decided right there that I needed to start eating better, if only so I could enjoy all of the yummy things my friends liked to eat. But then I realized that it wasn’t enough to just eat better, I decided that I had to know how to make this stuff for myself. That’s where you come in Peppy…” “I…do?” Suddenly the mare threw herself at the colt’s hooves and looked up at his with a double-barrel gaze of baby-blue eyes. “Please teach me how to cook regular food, not sweets or cakes and stuff. You are the bestest cook I know and I just know you can teach me! Pleasepleaseplease???” “Ack!” Peppermill staggered back, having been unprepared for the mare’s plea. It was one thing to find himself wrapped around the hooves of the Cutie Mark Crusaders or even Silver Spoon when they played that particular trick, but a grown mare? It wasn’t like he would refuse the request, but still it was a bit much… “Okay…okay…please get…up Pinkie.” The mare bounded to her hooves, smiling hopefully. “I am more…than happy to…teach you as thing…or two.” “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” squealed Pinkie jubilantly. She lunged at the colt once more, but this time Peppermill was ready for her. “Pinkie, sit!” commanded the colt. He had picked up this trick for being around Applejack and Winona, having been fascinated at how the mare could control the dog so easily. Of course, the fact that Applejack was the only pony the dog would obey didn’t stop him from trying it out for himself. While not so effective on the dog, he discovered a firm voice worked quite well in most situations with others. In this case, it worked maybe a bit too well. Behaving exactly like a dog, Pinkie sat down on her rump and actually began to pant. Peppermill mentally shook himself, and spoke once more. “Cooking isn’t…something you…just do on…a whim. It takes…preparation. I need to…decide just what…kind of recipe would…work with you. I’ll need some…time to think.” Pinkie gave a small whine, which won her a dark look from the colt, unable to decide if she was just trying to be funny or not. “I’ll tell…you what. Give me…a day or two to…think and…gather some ideas. I promise I…will get back to you…before the end of…the week…” “Okey dokie lokie!” The ability of the Element of Laughter to switch from begging to cheerful amazed (and genuinely worried) the colt. He was about to take his leave when the mare gave a loud gasp. “Oh my gosh! I almost forgot! I wanted to introduce you to my sweet little Gummy!” “Um, that’s…alright Pinkie…I…” The colt’s attempt to make a quick getaway was thwarted by the mare tossing a small, green and scaly…something at him. The next thing he knew, he was feeling the sensation of a toothless mouth on his body. Only this time it was latched firmly to his snout, and the eerie sensation was compounded by the unstaring purple eyes staring at him from point blank range. There was only one thing Peppermill could do after this… … … … “Get…off…” *** “Ifin it makes you feel better sugarcube, that’s pretty much how anypony ends up meetin’ Gummy.” Applejack said as she took her seat at the dinner table in between Big Macintosh and Applebloom. “It’s not going…to stop the…nightmares I’m…going to have after…that ‘meeting’…” grumbled Peppermill as he brought the large pot of noodle soup to the table. “Aw Gummy ain’t scary. Well, as long as you don’t look him in the ahs…” remarked Applebloom. “Alraight, enuff yakkin’! Ahv been waitin’ fer this all day!” This sharp comment came from Granny Smith, who sat at the head of the table. Indeed, the elderly mare seemed quite anxious as the colt ladled out the broth to his family. “It’s just…noodle soup…Granny…” “Maybe to you sonny. But with mah teeth as bad as they are, this here is much easier to chew…” With that emphatic statement, the clan sat down to their meal… …slurp… …slurp… …slurrrrppppp… The four younger ponies gaped in various degrees of horror and embarrassment as the ancient mare noisy consumed her meal. Peppermill found himself thinking back to an incident back at his parent’s restaurant during a lunch rush when a similar soup was the special. More than a few of the servers had expressed disgust at how such high-class clientele seemed to think the ‘in’ thing was to consume every single noodle separately. While it may or may not have signified some sort of higher upbringing, it made eating slow and loud. “Honestly Granny…” grumbled Applejack. “This is why we don’t git to have this kinda soup more often.” “You young’uns have no raight to complain. I’ve seen the pigs wit their slop be more civilized than you at the table. Well, ‘cept fer Peppermill…” The colt was about to make a comment about having his impeccable manner driven solidly into his head by his mother when a sudden inspiration hit him. “Noodles…of course!” The colt suddenly bolted down the entire bowl of soup before him, to the amazement of the others. Upon finishing he slammed the bowl down and spoke. “May I…please be excused? I have…a recipe to find…for Pinkie…” Pinkie Pie Pasta Part TwoThat evening the grey colt wracked his brain for just the right recipe to teach the party pony. While he would never take anything away from Pinkie Pie as far as baking was concerned, he felt that the difference between cookies and a main dish were enough to warrant something easier to make. The fact that this would be the first time Peppermill actually attempted to teach another pony something meant a basic dish was the way to go. Fortunately, thanks to Granny Smith’s consumption of the noodle soup at supper provided a…unique source of inspiration. With a pad of paper and a pencil clenched in his teeth, the colt sat at the small desk in his bedroom and wrote out a considerable amount of recipes as they came to mind. Peppermill’s impressive memory for dishes was a legacy from his father, who himself never wrote down a recipe in his life. Every meal, from appetizers to desserts, came direct from his brain and he never forgot a single detail. The colt vividly recalled his mother literally ordering his father to write down the instructions for the other chefs and prep cooks so he would spend more time with her than in the kitchen. As the ideas flowed onto paper the colt began to think more about his late parents, especially his father. Pepperoncini was a firm believer that a good meal, and the ability to make such a thing, was a right every pony should have. Becoming a chef and running his own restaurant were extensions of that belief. A belief that he instilled very solidly in both his sons, though his youngest was far more receptive to it. I wonder…what Father would…have thought…about trying to…teach a pony like…Pinkie Pie? This simple though was the only real stumbling block Peppermill could see preventing him from a successful venture. Pinkie’s attention span seemed almost non-existent, and the grey colt had no idea how he would (or could) handle an inattentive student. Well…if all else fails…at least the…food should turn out…decent as long…as one of us…is paying attention… *** The next morning the colt was up with the rest of the clan as he prepared a small grocery list of the essentials he needed for his mini cooking class with the pink mare. With Applejack and Big Macintosh offering him well wishes, he bounded out of the farmhouse door and headed straight for the local market. Despite the fact that it would be a while yet before the stalls opened, he wanted to make extra sure that the ingredients he collected for his lesson were the absolute best. “Let’s see…zucchini…cherry tomatoes…red and yellow peppers…this is probably…more vegetables than…Pinkie has ever…eaten at once…I hope…she is okay…with that.” the colt wondered out loud. He already had a full load in a saddlebag that his caretakers leant him. Between the squash, the pasta noodles, and the onion he already had a decent load. Hopefully he would be able to collect the rest of the more vital components and get to Sugarcube Corner before the weight became too much. “I really should…have asked Applebloom to…carry some of this. She’s a lot…stronger than…she looks…” Fortunately the majority of the salesponies in the market knew all about Peppermill and his foodie nature. Quite often he and Silver Spoon would make an afternoon examining and comparing the fresh foods being sold. As a result, the ponies he needed to speak to knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted it. Peppermill would admit the respect they showed him put a spring in his step as he made his way to the bakery. As ordered by Pinkie Pie when she had made her request, Peppermill was to go to the back door of the shop and perform a secret knock, letting her know it was him at the door. Willing to humor the Element of Laughter he did as he was told, though even he recognized ‘shave and a manecut, two bits’ when he heard it. After a few moments, the door opened and a bubblegum-pink foreleg motioned him inside. Within seconds Peppermill was swept up and was being shaken upside down over a large counter, the contents of his saddlebags being dumped onto the surface. All the while Pinkie Pie kept up a frenzied, one-sided conversation. “Vegetables? Oh, lots and lots of vegetables! They are so colorful and pretty! Oh, I just knew you would come up with something fun, Peppy! I can’t wait to see what we are going to do! There is going to be chopping and mincing and sautéing…sauté…that’s a funny word isn’t it? Not as funny as kumquat or pickle barrel, but still…sauté sauté sauté!” “P-P-P-Pinkie…st-st-stop!” Peppermill felt his teeth chatter and his stomach lurch at the violent motion. No amount of preparation for Pinkie’s famous exuberance could prepare him for something that felt like riding a maddened Pegasus through a hailstorm. Fortunately Pinkie obeyed and placed the colt right side up by the counter, only for him to sink to the floor with wobbly legs. “Yes?” beamed the anxious mare, seemingly oblivious to the colt’s discomfort. With a tremendous surge of will, Peppermill got to his hooves and regained his composure. “We’ll need…urp…a baking sheet…and a cutting board. Oh, and…a large pot full…of water. I’ll…urg…sort everything out.” “Yes sir Chef Peppermill sir!” Pinkie snapped a salute and bounded off in her bouncy gait, while Peppermill waited for the room to stop spinning. When his vision improved enough that he could walk without stumbling, he began to pick the few vegetables that had fallen up off of the floor. Once that was sorted out, he removed his saddlebag and discovered to his relief a pair of vital items had remained untouched. He first pulled out a large knife in a protective plastic cover. He had come across it while in the kitchens of Canterlot Castle when he had been there recently. He had been so impressed by its balance and sharpness that he had begged Princess Celestia and the head chef to tell him where he could find one of his own. He was utterly overjoyed when he was given it as a gift, with specific instructions to use it with pride. It was one of his most prized possessions, and he refused to make even a single meal without it. The other item was another gift, of sorts. While he was in total agreement with his parents in the idea that wealth wasn’t important, he would readily admit that some things needed to cook cost a pretty penny. But when one of your best filly friends was a member of the second richest family in town and as much a lover of good food as he, sometimes he could get away with an occasional request. The tall, square-shaped green glass bottle he carefully placed on the counter was another vital necessity for cooking. Even Pinkie, who had returned with the utensils, could sense something important about the bottle. “What is that?” she asked, her baby-blue eyes focused on the container. “This…is the chef’s…secret ingredient.” “Secret ingredient? Is it…magic?” “No…but there are…some ponies who…think it…should be. This…is extra virgin olive oil.” “Oooohh…” “Now…before we go…any further I need…to ask you an…important question Pinkie…” “Yes?” “Do you…slurp your soup? Especially…noodle soup?” “Of course I do! What pony doesn’t?” “Then I assume…you don’t mind noodles?” “I love noodles! Oh…oh…is it spaghetti? You’re going to teach me how to make spaghetti? Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!” Pinkie’s jubilance was infectious, and Peppermill couldn’t help but smile. “Well…not exactly. It’s…kind of like…spaghetti. This is called…Pasta Primavera. It is really…good for you…and you can use…any kind of…noodle you want. Normally restaurants like…to use little…bow tie shapes called…farfalle.” Pinkie suddenly froze, and began to roar with laughter kicking her hooves in the air. “Farfalle…that’s hilarious!!” “Yeah…I kind of…figured you might…enjoy that. Sadly I wasn’t able…to find any bow ties…so we’ll have to use…regular spaghetti noodles. But remember…one of the…great things about pasta…is that the noodle…isn’t nearly as important…as the topping.” Despite Peppermill’s attempt to lecture the mare, it was clear she was far too far-gone in her amusement over the word ‘farfalle’. She continued to giggle wildly; enough that tears were streaming down her face. The grey colt sighed and shook his head. I should…have waited until…we started…the vegetables…before mentioning the noodles… *** Later, when Pinkie had regained her composure and the vegetables were roasting in the oven, the two ponies kept themselves busy preparing the pasta water and cutting the cherry tomatoes. Because it was a gas stove, Pinkie had insisted on dealing with the boiling water. This was partly because of safety measures and partly because the mare knew that the colt, despite his best efforts, still became somewhat skittish around open flames. Peppermill readily agreed to this, and continued to explain the dish as he chopped the fruit. “This is such a pretty dish.” commented Pinkie. “It’s so colorful, with all the peppers and stuff. It must be nice being able to know how to make all this yummy stuff.” “Well…I had a…lot of help. Plus…it helps to…write things…down.” admitted the colt. “I even…made sure to…make a recipe card…for you when this…is all over.” As Peppermill continued to chop, he noticed the normally chatty mare had gone quiet. He had become so used to the constant running conversation that he found the silence concerning. He glanced over his shoulder, to find Pinkie just…staring at him with an unreadable expression. “Is there…something wrong Pinkie?” “No, nothing. It’s just…” “Pinkie?” The mare gave a rare melancholy sigh and spoke. “It’s just…you look so much like my sisters I never really noticed until just now. I guess I just got a little homesick, that’s all.” Learning the pink mare was not an only child surprised the colt greatly. “You must…miss them…” “Yeah…” “Hmmm…” The colt and mare went back to their duties in silence. Then Peppermill made a decision. He turned to Pinkie. “You know Pinkie…if you like…you can think…of me as a…little brother. I have…a lot of experience…in that.” At first, the colt wondered if he had made a mistake given the lack of response from the mare. He was rewarded by her turning the oven burner off before launch herself bodily onto him, squeezing him tightly. He half-expected a rush of platitudes, but all she said was… “Thank you Peppy.” “You’re…welcome Pinkie” *** Soon enough the finishing touches were applied to the pasta and vegetables, and Peppermill plated two generous helpings of the pasta primavera. “So what…do you think Pinkie?” Peppermill was quite pleased at how well the dish had turned out, and he waited as the mare took a large forkful. She chewed, then closed her eyes and made some happy noises. “Oh Peppy! This is amazing! I never knew you could make something like this!” “You can…make something…like this yourself. It’s not…that hard. Just think of it…as savory rather than…sweet.” “I can’t thank you enough for all this. Oh wait, yes I can! Wait right there…” Pinkie raced off, leaving Peppermill to finish his own plate of pasta. He pondered whether or not to try out the dish back home at Sweet Apple Acres, but Pinkie returned before he could make a decision. She had a large box balanced across her back, and the colt immediately broke into a smile. There was no doubt in his mind what the contents were. “Two dozen Sugarcube Corner Gingersnaps, just for you!” “I think…that is more…than adequate payment…for a cooking class.” beamed Peppermill. Pinkie Pie Pasta Primavera Recipe complements of foodnetwork.com 3 carrots, peeled and cut into strips 2 medium or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips 2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips ¼ cup olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbs de Provence 1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta) 15 cherry tomatoes cut in half ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 450 F. On a heavy baking sheet, toss all the vegetables with oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half the vegetables to another heavy baking sheet and arrange evenly over the surface. Bake until carrots are tender and vegetables begin to brown, stirring after 10 minutes for 20 minutes total. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the vegetables in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately. Serves 6. Sonic Rainboom Chili Part OneIt was as typical a day on Sweet Apple Acres as one could find. Applejack and Big Macintosh were out among the apple trees bucking and loading up barrels for the barn. Applebloom and her friends were in their clubhouse deciding on another Cutie Mark Crusade. And in the farmhouse a grey colt and an elderly green mare puttered around. Applejack had cleared a particular ornery tree of its fruit when a shadow on the ground drew her gaze skyward. Soaring high above and coming in for a rare easy landing was one of her closest friends, the self-proclaimed fastest flier in Equestria Rainbow Dash. The sky-blue mare circled a few times above the Earth mare before coming to a neat, four hoof landing. “Well, I reckon’ this is the first tahm you ever landed properly around here RD. I dunno whether to be proud or suspicious.” remarked Applejack casually. The multi-hued mane of the mare was brushed aside with a forehoof, allowing her to give her friend a smirk. “Hey, I’m as good at landing as I am at flying. Besides, haven’t you heard the old Pegasus saying that any landing you can walk away from is a good one?” “I’d prefer one that didn’t need a shovel to fill in the furrow left behind…” “Whatever…” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and then spoke again. “Listen, is Peppermill around? I wanted to talk to him about something…” “Something?” questioned the blond mare. While Rainbow Dash was as friendly as any pony toward her adopted kin, having her actually ask about him was something new. AJ found that the Pegasus tended to show little interest in anything that didn’t directly relate to her specific likes: flying, speed and the Wonderbolts (not necessarily in that order…) “Look, is he here or not?” demanded the mare crossly. “He’s at the farmhouse with Granny Smith.” answered Applejack. “And fer the record Rainbow, you don’t hafta ask permission from me. He’s a good kid and I don’t watch over him every hour of the day.” “Maybe every other hour…” murmured Rainbow with a grin. Before Applejack could respond, the Pegasus took off to the farmhouse. *** “…and that is the secret to a good apple sauce. I figured you’d appreciate learnin’ like that more than my other grandchildren.” Granny Smith continued to stir the pot of mashed apples at the stove, and Peppermill jotted down noted on a recipe card at the table. “I’m sure…Applebloom would…not mind knowing…how to make this. She told me…all about you and her…and Zap Apple Jam.” “Naw, she has her own life to live sonny. Yer the one born with a knife and pan in yer hooves.” “Hello?” Rainbow Dash poked her head through the kitchen window, causing the two ponies to look in her direction. “The cider lover…” chuckled Granny, which caused Peppermill to snicker and Rainbow to roll her eyes. Ever since the ‘Flim Flam Incident’, Granny Smith would never refer to the Element of Loyalty as anything other than that, much to Rainbow’s annoyance. Of course, even if the mare wasn’t the grandmother to one of her closest friends, she wouldn’t dare correct her. Applejack had been very…descriptive of what happened to ponies who dared talk back to the matriarch. “Hey Peppermill, do you have a second? I want to…talk to you about something.” “Something?” Peppermill raised an eyebrow, but excused himself and joined the mare out on the front porch. “So…what can I…do for you Rainbow?” “Pinkie was telling me the other day about how you showed her how to make something to eat. She seemed really happy about it…” “Yes, I think…Pinkie enjoyed…the lesson.” Peppermill noted that Rainbow seemed just a little bit anxious, as if she was trying to find the right words. “Listen,” sighed Rainbow, “I read an article about the Wonderbolts the other day all about how they all have to maintain their flying weight, and all sorts of stuff on how they all have specifically tailored diets and meal plans and stuff like that… “Sounds…about right. I can see…them watching what…they eat.” “So if I wanted to become a Wonderbolt, I have to do everything they do. And if they watch what they eat, it’s about time I did too.” “So…where do I…come in? How exactly…did you eat…before?” “Take out and frozen dinners.” Rainbow Dash answered with such a dead-pan expression that Peppermill couldn’t help but frown. “I don’t think…those are the kind…of things a…Wonderbolt would usually eat.” “Exactly.” “Not to mention…it sounds like you…prefer convenience over…cooking. But I suppose…you don’t have…the patience for it…” “Yeah, that might be a problem.” Rainbow admitted. “But you were able to get Pinkie of all ponies to sit still long enough to learn how to make something. I’d be a walk in the clouds compared to that. Please, I promise I’ll make it up to you.” “Well…I suppose since…it means so much…to you. I guess I’ll…have to think about…the best dish to…match your needs. Not to mention…finding a place to do this.” “A place to do this? Why can’t you come up to my house?” “That’s exactly…my point Rainbow. Your home is…up there.” The colt pointed with a forehoof towards the blue sky dotted with a few wispy clouds. Rainbow seemed unfazed by this explanation. In fact, a grin formed on her face. “I said I would make it up to you right? Well, I think I know exactly how to do that…” *** A few days later a large violet hot air balloon lifted off from Ponyville carrying two passengers. One, the brainy Twilight Sparkle, piloted the unique vehicle towards a stately castle-shaped structure moored near the town. The other passenger, vibrating with excitement and bounding from one side of the basket to the other gazing in amazement at the sights, was a grey colt with a jet black mane. “Careful Peppermill,” Twilight Sparkle chuckled, “there aren’t any clouds around here to walk on yet.” “This must be…how a Pegasus…sees the world…all the time…” rasped Peppermill. It had been a day of firsts for the young pony. It was the first time he had ever went up in a hot air balloon, not to mention the first time he ever had a unicorn cast a magical cloud walking spell upon him. And within moments, he would have the chance to be a guest in an honest-to-goodness cloud castle. “There it is…” announced the lavender mare. Peppermill gazed out where she pointed, and found himself grinning so wide it almost hurt. The descriptions of Rainbow Dash’s home didn’t do the actual sight of it justice. “It’s…amazing…” “It’s something, all right.” Twilight adjusted something with some unicorn magic, and the balloon continued its steady drift towards the structure. “Now remember Peppermill, the cloud walking spell will last exactly one day. That should be more than enough time to help Rainbow with her little lesson and have a chance to actually spend the night.” “Heh…how many…Earth ponies can say…they got to…sleep in a cloud castle?” “Not many, that’s for sure. And while I probably don’t have to remind you, it would be a good idea to be on your best behavior. Rainbow Dash is probably not that used to having company at her house.” “I’ve already promised…Applejack to not…misbehave. Besides, I wouldn’t…do anything to…ruin this. I think Rainbow…will like what…I have planned.” “Hey!” The familiar voice of the rainbow-maned mare came to their ears as she approached the balloon. “You sure took your time. I still say I could’ve given him a ride here Twi.” “Maybe, but not with all the stuff he’s bringing for you Dash.” Twilight motioned to a saddlebag sitting on the floor of the basket between her and the colt. “Somehow the idea that you don’t even own a cooking pot or frying pan doesn’t surprise me at all.” “Yeah, yeah…” The Pegasus waved off the comment, and then gave the colt a huge grin. “You are so going to love my place kid. It is beyond awesome!” Rainbow reached over and grabbed Peppermill’s bag with a grunt, and hauled to the castle. Eventually the balloon arrived at its destination mere feet from the grand entrance to Rainbow Dash’s home. Despite his excitement, Peppermill felt a slight shiver of trepidation as he gazed at the surface of the cloud. He gave Twilight an uncertain look, but she reassured him with a smile. “Applejack was a little nervous when I used the spell on her too. Trust me, you’ll be fine.” Peppermill bit his lip, then with a wiggle of his rump leapt over the edge of the basket and onto the cloud where Rainbow’s castle sat upon. … … … “Wow…” The best comparison the young cook could make to the sensation under his hooves was meringue, not unlike the kind one would make for a cream pie. There was just the tiniest bit of give yet he felt confident that he would not suddenly sink through to a rather unpleasant downward trip. All in all, it was something he would not forget anytime soon. “Not bad huh?” Rainbow Dash had returned to her front yard (such as it was) to greet the colt and see the unicorn mare on her way. “Remember Dash, the spell only lasts a day. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to pick Peppermill up.” said Twilight. “Have fun you two.” “We’re going to have a blast!” announced Rainbow with a grin. Mare and colt waved as the balloon drifted away back to Ponyville. As soon as it was out of sight, Peppermill addressed his hostess. “Okay Rainbow…we have a lot…to do and not…that much time to…do it in. Let’s check out…your kitchen and…get started.” “Sounds good to me kid. What exactly did you have planned? You sure seemed to have a lot of stuff in that bag.” Rainbow led the grey colt to the large double doors of her impressive abode and opened them wide. Peppermill stepped forward excitedly… …and stopped dead in horror. Sonic Rainboom Chili Part TwoPeppermill was, by nature, a tidy colt. Even if he hadn’t been born to a cook who was notorious for throwing a fit if he couldn’t eat off the counters of his kitchen, the colt would still willingly follow in his father’s hoofsteps. Of course, that didn’t mean that the colt wasn’t prone to the occasional lapse especially when it came to making his bed. But all in all Peppermill preferred order over its counterpart. The same, it became painfully clear to the colt, could not be said for Rainbow Dash. Upon stepping into the large living room, Peppermill immediately witnessed more clutter and disarray than he had ever seen in his young life. Take out containers, CD and DVD cases, articles of clothing and all sorts of random junk and Wonderbolt memorabilia was strewn all over the place. Other than the stereo and the TV, everything else seemed to have a thin layer of dust on it. And to top it all off, the colt was convinced he could smell stale food from everywhere. “I hope you don’t mind the mess. I don’t really entertain that much…” admitted the mare with a sheepish smile. She then made the mistake of facing the colt, to discover a look of horror and disgust on his face. “Rainbow…how in Celestia’s name…can you live like this?!” “Well, you got to understand that my house is around more for a place to hang and crash between jobs than anything else. A lot of my friends don’t realize just all of the responsibilities I actually have. Between the weather team and my Wonderbolts training I’m usually just barely able to flop into bed and scrounge for something to eat before I’m at it again.” “This…urgh…gah…” Rainbow gazed with a mix of concern and shock at the colt that appeared to be having some sort of mental breakdown. She then found herself stunned by a look of pure disgust being aimed at her with dark blazing eyes. “I absolutely…refuse to take…another step in…this disaster area until…you clean it up!” “Oh come on! It’s not that bad…” “No!” “Look, just…ignore it so we can get to the kitchen to…” “No clean…no cook!” The mare’s face twisted into a dark scowl, and she attempted to glare the colt into submission. Peppermill met Rainbow’s glare with one of his own, and it wasn’t long before she realized that was not going to get her anywhere. Finally tearing her eyes off his dark ones, Peppermill was buffeted by a gust of wind as Rainbow Dash raced around the living room. All of the clutter was scooped up in her forelegs as she circled the room so quickly it made Peppermill dizzy. When she had a full load, she would dive through a nearby open window to return seconds later ready for another load. After only a minute, Rainbow stood before the colt in triumph. Behind her, the living room was now clutter free and looking far better than it had moments earlier. Peppermill pursed his lips tightly as he scanned the room, then sighed in resignation. “That’s…so much better…” “Good. Now can we get cooking?” asked Rainbow. Peppermill gave a nod, and made his way to where he assumed the kitchen sat. Before he could take another step, Rainbow suddenly cleared her throat. “Um…just a sec, ok?” Once again, the mare raced by the colt into the other room. He heard the unmistakable sound of dishes clattering and take-out boxes being pushed out of the window, which caused him to roll his eyes. Soon, Rainbow stuck her head back into the living room with a sheepish smile. “Ok, now we can get started…” *** Once Peppermill was satisfied that Rainbow’s surprisingly large kitchen was in an acceptable state, he began to unpack his bags onto the counter. Rainbow Dash watched with interest as he produced several different types of pepper, tomatoes, corn kernels and mushrooms. He also lifted out a few large jars of various liquids, a large zucchini and some smaller containers full of various spices. “Geeze, that seems like an awful lot of stuff Peppermill. I was hoping for something a little…less complicated.” Rainbow remarked. “Well…I admit I had…to think a bit to…come up with a good dish…for you. I then had a…brainwave. This dish might…take a little longer to make…but you can make…a lot of it at once…and store the rest for later. I figured re-heating…would be fast enough for you.” “So, what the hay can you make with all this?” questioned the mare, nudging a yellow onion the colt placed before her. “Well…I figured you might…appreciate something hearty and…maybe a bit on the…spicy side.” “Spicy? Spicy is cool.” “How does…chili sound?” The mare flashed him a grin. “Now you’re talking!” “Of course…how spicy it ends up…is up to you. It’s all…in how many chilies we…put into it…” “Just hold up a second,” remarked Rainbow, a sudden frown on her face. “Are you implying I can’t handle a little fire in my food?” “N-no…” squirmed Peppermill, taken back by the sudden change in mood in the mare. A sudden memory of Applejack speaking with him before he left for the skies came to mind. And a piece of advice sugarcube: Dash will make a competition outta anything she can, and she don’t lahk to lose… “I’ll have you know I have all of the food delivery ponies that come around here knowing exactly what I want: as much hot sauce or whatever stuff they like to put on their food they can stuff in the bag. Here, I’ll prove it.” Rainbow Dash went to her refrigerator and opened it up, motioning to the door. Sure enough, Peppermill recognized the logos of at least half a dozen or more fast food franchises on dozens upon dozens of packets of condiments almost falling out of every available space. And he noted more than a few of said packets were hot sauces of various degrees of heat. “If you like…that stuff so much…why is it you…have so many…unopened packets?” queried Peppermill innocently. “Never mind about that…” answered Rainbow gruffly, slamming the fridge door. “Are we making chili or not?” “Ok…ok…” Rather relieved that the tense situation was over, the colt produced his now famous knife from his bag. Rainbow Dash, like a lot of the ponies who knew the colt, was very familiar with the skill the colt had with it. She even went so far as to give an appreciative whistle as he pulled out the blade from its cover. “You might be able…to clear a sky in…five seconds flat…but how is…your skill in…chopping some veggies?” “Hmm…even I know there are some races I can’t win. I’m more than happy to consider you the champ in that.” “Well…even so…we have a lot of veg…to go through. If you could…start with the peppers…I’ll get the pot…ready to go.” “Cool. Hey, is that that fancy magic stuff Pinkie was going on about?” asked the mare as the colt produced a bottle from the bag. “No, not quite…but canola oil…can be just as…useful as olive oil.” Peppermill admitted. The grey colt began to pour a small quantity of the oil onto the pot. “If you could…put this on your stove at…a medium high heat…I’ll help finish the prep. Once the vegetables…are chopped most…of the hard work…is over. Letting the…chili simmer afterwards…shouldn’t try your…patience too much.” “Great.” Colt and mare continued to slice and add their ingredients to the pot, along with all the proper spices. As Peppermill carefully worked on the chilies, Rainbow looked on thoughtfully. “Is there a reason why you’re getting rid of most of that white stuff from those peppers?” “This is where…most of the heat…from these Serrano peppers…comes from.” Peppermill explained. “How much heat…the end product has…depends on how much…of the pepper we use.” “Really? Huh, I would never have guessed that something like that could be so hot. Doesn’t look like much to me…” And then, to the colt’s horror, Rainbow Dash popped one of the spare chilies he had not cut up whole into her mouth. Even…Silver Spoon…wouldn’t dare that… grimaced the colt to himself. Peppermill found he didn’t dare blink less he miss what was sure enough to be an impressive display of…something. At first, he was impressed that Rainbow seemed unfazed by her action, chewing thoughtfully. Then, ever so slowly, it began. It started as a slight change in her expression, and her eyes took on a look he had only saw on a particular mailmare. A slow blush of color, darkening her blue coat to a purple started on her neck and rose up into her cheeks. Those same cheeks began to bulge ominously as trickles of sweat began to pour from her forehead. And to cap it all off, a sound not unlike a whistling kettle could be heard through the kitchen. ”YEARGH!!" howled Rainbow, diving for the sink. “Not water! It will…make it worse. Milk…or bread!” cried out Peppermill. The mare performed a pin-point midair turn and proceeded to drive her head through a nearby cupboard door. Peppermill had to pull his jaw off of the floor, amazed at how fast the mare had been moving. He trotted over to the counter below the cupboard where Rainbow was, her hind legs trying to gain purchase on the counter. He grabbed a hold of her many hued tail in his mouth and tugged with all his might. CRACK! The cupboard door released its grip with a splintering sound as Peppermill and Rainbow Dash tumbled backwards. Peppermill picked himself off of the floor and hurried over to examine his friend. The mare appeared to have at least half a loaf of bread stuffed in her mouth. “What in Equestria…possessed you to…eat a whole pepper like that?” demanded the colt crossly. “Mmmph mm mmmph…” came the muffled response. Rainbow gave a large swallow, and she spoke, her voice even raspier than usual. “I didn’t think it was going to be that hot…geeze. You could kill a pony with one of those…” “I though you said…you liked spicy food.” “I do. Just…not that spicy…” “Please warn me…if you decide…to do something like…that again. You…scared me…” “I did?” “Yes!” stammered the colt. “…Sorry kid. I didn’t mean to.” “You know…Applejack warned me…you might try something…like this. Trying to impress me…I mean.” Rainbow remained silent as the colt continued. “Believe me…the last thing…you would ever…have to do…is to try and…show me how cool…you are. I’ve seen enough…of your stunts to...understand why…Scootaloo thinks so…highly of you. Heck…you invited me…an Earth colt…into your house. How many Pegasi…would do that?” Rainbow digested these words, along with the bread she had crammed down her throat. She gave a large swallow, and then gave a sigh as she pushed herself into a sitting position. She ruffled the colt’s mane with a forehoof, and flashed him a grin. “I am pretty cool, aren’t I?” “Yes…yes you are.” sighed Peppermill, shaking his head and chuckling. “Now…enough talk…we have some chili…to make.” “Right on. And, maybe we’ll hold off on the peppers this time. At least, not until I get a little better at handling my heat.” “Deal…” “Oh, and one more thing kid…” “Hmmm?” “Let’s just keep this whole ‘cupboard’ thing between us. Applejack would never let me live it down if she heard about it.” “I’ll…think about it.” Rainbow’s face fell at this, but when she saw the mischievous glint in the colt’s dark eyes she threw her head back and laughed. “You know, you’re pretty cool yourself.” “I’ve…been told that…” agreed Peppermill with a laugh of his own. Sonic Rainboom Chili Recipe compliments of foodnetwork.com 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion 1 chopped red bell pepper 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 to 3 Serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced, according to taste 1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice 2 cups fresh corn kernels, approx. 3 ears worth 1 ½ pounds Portobello mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and cubed 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cayenne 4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped 3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans rinsed and drained 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 cup vegetable stock or water ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves In a large, heavy pot heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, red pepper, garlic and Serrano peppers and cook, stirring for three minutes until soft. Add zucchini, corn, mushrooms, and cook, stirring until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges. Add chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne and cook stirring until fragrant. Add tomatoes and stir. Add tomato sauce, stock/water and beans, then stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro. Adjust to seasoning and taste. Garnish as you like and enjoy! Twilight Risotto Part OneWith a thump, the hot air balloon made a solid landing with pin-point accuracy just outside of Ponyville Library. Its occupants, a young grey Earth colt and an older lavender unicorn mare, had just returned from a literal castle in the sky. Despite having enjoyed an once-in-a-lifetime experience, Peppermill was happy to be back on solid ground. With a grunt, he hopped over the edge of the basket grateful that the pack he had taken to Rainbow Dash’s house was no longer as weighty as it had been on the way there. “There…” announced Twilight Sparkle with a smile. “You’re back in Ponyville in one piece.” “Thank you…again for all…your help Twilight.” “I’m happy to help. I don’t often get an excuse to take my balloon out. You should go into the library while I get the balloon packed away. I think Spike has some sweet tea ready for you.” Peppermill gave the mare a grin as he trotted into the library as asked, licking his lips at the thought of a nice cool drink. Especially if it was made by the claws of the friend he considered his equal in all things cooking. “Spike?” called out Peppermill as he nudged the front door to the tree-cum-building and entered. “Hey, welcome back Peppermill.” The purple baby dragon came into the main room of the facility bearing a tray with two large glasses of iced tea. “So, how was cooking at Rainbow’s house?” “Fun…once I managed…to convince her to…actually clean up…the place.” “Somehow the idea of Rainbow having no time to clean her own house doesn’t surprise me that much…” Spike chuckled as he offered the colt a seat and a glass. The grey colt took a long sip of his drink, giving a sigh of contentment afterwards. “It would break…Applejack’s heart if…I told her I would…take this over…Sweet Apple Acre…Apple Juice…anyday.” “Heh, I promise I’ll keep your dirty secret.” “Thanks…” “Uh, listen…” began Spike suddenly. “I kind of need to ask a big favor from you Peppermill.” Everyone…seems to want…favors from me…lately Peppermill thought to himself. But he motioned the dragon to continue. “In a few days I am going to Canterlot to do some…business.” “Business?” “Librarian assistant stuff, if you must know. Anyways, since I am the only capable cook in here I usually just leave a few easy things for Twi to heat up. We figured out long ago not to let Twilight anyway near a kitchen. I assume you know that unicorn magic and cooking don’t work too well together…” “Yes…I remember learning that…from my father. Any unicorn…prep cooks and sous chefs…were told to do it…by hoof or…not at all…” “Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal. Twilight knows better than to try anything…complicated. But lately she has become a bit obsessed with learning how to cook. Beats the hay out of me why, but without me to keep her out of the kitchen I’m afraid I might come home to a disaster area or worse.” “This is sounding…more and more…like my fault…” remarked Peppermill soberly. “It seems…every pony I know…has suddenly looked to me…as some sort of…cooking teacher.” “It’s not like that at all!” insisted Spike. “They are going to you because they know you are so good at it. To be honest, until you came along I was getting requests all the time. And after seeing how you managed that ruby casserole recipe I gave you, I’m more than happy to name you the King of the Kitchen.” Despite himself, the grey colt had to blush with embarrassment at the accolades poured upon him by the baby dragon. “I’m assuming…you would like me…to keep an eye on Twilight…if she decides…to try her hoof at cooking…while you aren’t around…to watch?” “Would you? I’d owe you…” “I seem to recall…that you already owe me…from when you asked me…to distract that…one stallion who was…flirting with Rarity…the other day.” ”That wasn`t a distraction. Rarity just had to…focus on her work rather than deal with some nopony…” I hope I…never start acting…like that around fillies. thought Peppermill, hiding a smirk. Fortunately for the desperate dragon Twilight Sparkle entered the library, which gave Spike the chance to change the subject. “Hey Twilight!” exclaimed Spike in relief. “It looks like Peppermill might be willing to help you out with some meals while I’m away.” “Spike, I thought we already discussed this. I appreciate you wanting to help me, but I think I have the book that will finally help me figure out how to succeed in the kitchen, see?” Twilight levitated a book from a nearby desk and showed it to the dragon and colt. It was a large hard-covered tome with the title How To Succeed In The Kitchen. “Again with the book.” groaned Spike. “Twi, I keep telling you that you can’t always rely on books. There is more to cooking than just following a recipe word for word.” “Spike…is right.” commented the colt. “A recipe is…not an end-all and be-all. It is…a guide at best. Some of the…greatest dishes…have been made…from taking a…known dish and…making it your own.” “Making it your own?” Twilight showed some interest in the subject, and it was one the colt found nice to be able to delve into for a change. He didn’t consider himself to be even close to being Twilight Sparkle’s equal in intelligence, but he liked to think he knew a little more about the nuances of cooking and cuisine than your average pony. …and it was a lot less boring than one of Applejack’s ‘1001 Things You Ought To Know About Apples’ lectures. “No two cooks…will or should…make the exact same dish. Even if the…only real difference…is one extra…ingredient. A dish is a…reflection of the cook…not a copy of something…on a page.” “Hrmm…” Twilight seemed unconvinced, and all Spike and Peppermill could do was share a look. “I’ll tell you what…let me look…through one of…the cookbooks I found…at Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe I can…figure out a way…to help you understand. But at least…let me get…settled back home. Mind you…I don’t know if…I’ll ever be able to…sleep in my bed…as well as I did…on a cloud.” *** “Argh!” This painful exclamation came from Peppermill’s room on the second floor of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. He lay on his bed, glaring at the open book before him. Ever since he had come back home he had been wracking his brain and pouring over every available cookbook he could find, and was coming up empty for ideas. And with Spike’s business trip the very next day, he was beginning to feel he was going to fail in his mission. “It just…doesn’t…feel right…” lamented the colt, tossing the book away and grabbing a pillow to pull over his head. Thoughts of a disappointed Twilight floated in his mind, followed by an angry Spike. He hated the idea of failing at what, he felt, should have been an easy task. “I was able to get…Rainbow Dash of…all ponies to cook. Why is it…so hard to help…Princess Celestia’s prized student?” Peppermill moaned. “Wuts goin’ on in here?” The youthful drawl of a familiar yellow filly made Peppermill lift the pillow just enough to see his ‘sister’ Applebloom in the doorway. “Please…I’m not in…the mood, Applebloom.” Peppermill sighed, giving the filly a sullen look from beneath the pillow. “Geeze, are you still frettin’ about wut yer gonna teach Twilight to cook?” “Yes I’m ‘frettin’” grumbled the colt. “I’m going to…fail miserably. No pony…is going to…want my help…if I can’t even teach…a super smart pony…like Twilight.” “Now that’s nonsense an’ you know it!” snapped Applebloom. She tugged the pillow off of the colt’s head so she could look him in eye. “You are one of the best chefs in Ponyville, maybe in all of Equestria. No pony is gonna think less of ya ifin you mess up once…” The colt glared at the filly for a long moment, then responded. “So you think…I’m going to fail and…let everypony down…but I shouldn’t…let that big me.” “Don’t go puttin’ words in mah mouth!” snapped Applebloom. “You ain’t failed yet. Ya still got tahm to come up with something.” All this did was make Peppermill huff and turn over to show his back to the filly. “Look, wut kind of recipe are ya tryin’ to find? Maybe I kin help…” “Twilight Sparkle…is all about books…and science…and stuff like that. I was hoping…I could find something…that could reflect…that. But a lot…of the stuff I know is…by memory or feel…” “By feel?” questioned the filly, cocking her head in puzzlement. “You know…how you see…things like ‘a pinch of this’…or ‘season to taste’…in cooking? Those are not…precise measurements. You learn that from…years of cooking or…from making the same dish over…and over again. And even…if there was an…exact amount…no two ponies would…agree it…was the best.” “Huh, you sound jus’ lahk Granny when she was teachin’ me about Zap Apple Jam.” remarked the filly. “She told me that no two batches of jam are the same. All it takes is an itty bitty change to make the jam different from season to season. I remember askin’ her why she didn’t use one of those fancy kitchen timers when making it, an’ she told me you just knew.” Kitchen…timer? A sudden though bubbled in Peppermill’s mind as Applebloom continued to go on about zap apple jam. She never even noticed him toss the pillow away and sit up in the bed. “Applebloom, could you…please hand me…that cookbook?” The filly blinked at the colt’s sudden change in mood, but did as she was asked, watching her ‘brother’ as he leafed through the pages. A smile grew on his face when he scanned one particular page as a plan formed. “Of course…why didn’t I…think of this before!” exclaimed Peppermill jubilantly. He bounded off the bed, gave Applebloom a quick hug and raced out of the room and down the stairs. By chance, he had left the book open on the page he had been looking at, and the filly just had to peer at it. “Riz…otto? Wut the hay is that?” Twilight Risotto Part 2Peppermill sat in the small kitchen of the Golden Oaks Library, awaiting the arrival of his ‘student’. It had taken a bit of work to come up with his lesson plan-slash-recipe, but he felt strongly that the lavender mare’s strict attention to detail could be taken advantage of. Even so, the colt didn’t want to take too many chances as he nudged the small timer he had placed on the table before him. I hope…she likes mushrooms… “Ok, I think I am ready!” With that announcement, Twilight Sparkle entered the kitchen. … … … “Twilight, what…in the world are…you wearing?” the colt gasped, his dark eyes growing wide and a sudden heat flaring on his cheeks. “It’s an apron of course. My books are very clear that new cooks should wear one of these to minimize messes.” That…is an apron?! thought the colt furiously. It was true, the clothing was the correct shape for an apron. But there was a considerable amount of frills, and it seemed to be rather…clingy. In fact, it seemed to be more like a second skin that a protective piece of clothing. It didn’t hide the fact that as brainy as she was, Twilight Sparkle was a reasonably attractive mare. “I admit; it seems a little showy. But this was something I got from Rarity. She told me that it would be useful one day should I ever get a coltfriend, though why a stallion outside of a chef would be interested in this is beyond me…” Should I…tell her? A vivid memory of peeking into his late parent’s bedroom one night when he was restless, seeing the ponies partaking in a moment of intimacy and his mother wearing a similar apron much to his father’s apparent delight burned bright in his mind. As young as he was, the colt was quite a bit more knowledgeable than the other colt’s his age about…adult things. But just because he understood the real intent of Rarity’s ‘gift’ didn’t mean he wasn’t affected by it. “Peppermill, is everything alright?” The colt jumped in surprise, finding the mare standing rather close to him. She looked down at him with a concerned look, and the colt had to wrench his eyes upwards to meet her gaze and not that of the rather…plunging neckline of the apron. “Yes, yes…I am just…surprised you were so…prepared.” “Oh thank you! I really want to do well at this. I want to show Spike that I am not as helpless in the kitchen as he says I am.” The mare’s beaming smile and excitement proved to be enough of a distraction to snap Peppermill out of his initial panic. Composing himself, he led the mare to the kitchen counter where he had placed all of the ingredients he had brought. “This should prove…to be a simple but tasty dish.” explained the young chef. “I’ve decided that…the preparation of a risotto…should appeal to you.” “A risotto? I remember having that back in Canterlot when I was invited to dine with Princess Celestia. They were very nice rice dishes, but it sounded like they were kind of…tricky.” “Hmm, I wouldn’t say…tricky as time-consuming. This is…not the kind of dish for…the impatient. I don’t…think that Rainbow Dash or…Pinkie Pie would…be able to make without…some help. But I think you…should do fine. Even so, I brought along…a bit of extra help.” “Are you referring to that kitchen timer I see on the table?” “Yes. You see Twilight…the important part about…making a risotto is…absorption.” As he had expected, the mare’s face took on a thoughtful cast. “Absorption huh? Well, that depends on factors like heat, the medium…” “Soup stock and…Arborio rice…” “Arborio rice…I remember Spike mentioning that before…” “It is a special…type of rice that…works best with a dish…like this.” The colt motioned to a small bag on the counter, full of pearly grains. “I really feel like I should be writing this down…” “Don’t worry Twilight…I have already…printed out a…recipe card for you. Soon you will…have a whole boxful of meal ideas.” “Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you. Wait…” The mare’s gaze suddenly fell upon two large glass bottles. “I know that is olive oil, but is that…wine?” “That’s right.” Peppermill frowned slightly at the sudden anxiousness coming off of the unicorn. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, it’s alcohol…” “Twilight, a smart pony…like you should know that…the alcohol part of the wine…will evaporate away, leaving…just the taste behind.” The mare squirmed further, then she hung her head with a sigh. “Peppermill, I don’t know how to tell you this but…I don’t really care for wine.” “I imagine that…is because you have…never had it before…” “Hmm, no. I have had a few glasses in the past. Remember, dinners at the palace? I politely took the glasses but I never drank more than a few sips. I never cared for it…” “I understand your…concern Twilight. But I…promise you that…using wine…in cooking is…a lot different than…drinking it straight up.” The mare gave the colt a lop-sided smile at this. “I guess I figured you wouldn’t be all that impressed if I told you I didn’t like wine. I mean, I know you have drunk it…” “Oh, you heard…about that huh?” sighed the colt. “Somepony needs…to explain to Applejack that…you can be honest and…not tell everypony…everything that happens to them.” “That’s just AJ’s way. The truth be told; I was quite impressed at how mature it made you sound.” If the mare had left it at that, things might have worked out a bit better. But Twilight, as was her own nature, had to reach over and give the colt a warm hug. The sudden sensation of the silky apron against his chest was a vivid reminder of just how…alluring she looked in it. To the colt’s utter horror, he felt his face grow bright red just in time for the mare to release him and peer down at him in surprise. “Peppermill, why are you blushing?” “Hrrgg...I’m…fine. Let’s get…started.” *** “Okay, now have reached…the part of the recipe that…I think you will…be able to perform quite well.” Once the colt had thoroughly forced the memory of the shapely mare and her wholly inappropriate clothing from his mind, and mentally reminding himself to sooner or later explain the situation to her, the two had begun preparation for the dish. Everything had gone smoothly from that point, but now the real trick to a good risotto was about to be performed. “The last thing…you want to have is…watery risotto. It is important that…all of the stock…has been absorbed by…the rice before adding…more.” “All of the stock…has to be absorbed.” recited Twilight as she wrote on a spare piece of parchment she had grabbed earlier. Even though Peppermill felt it was unnecessary, the mare had insisted on taking notes in her own writing as they cooked. As a result, there had been more than one occasion when the colt had to drag her away from her note-taking to keep an eye on her dish. “Depending on your…skill level and…experience you…can go about this one of two ways. Experience chefs and…those who make risotto…a lot will learn just by sight alone…when it is time to add more brother. But for somepony who…is just starting or have…never made it before…it can be useful to use…a timer.” “The timer…” The mare glanced briefly at the timepiece, and used her magic to momentarily put her quill down so she could lift and hold it in front of her. “It can take…a bit of trial and error…to determine just…how much time you need…between applications of stock. Given the circumstances I think…45 seconds to a minute should be a good starting point. If we need to adjust…the time for the next…half cup, then…we will do so.” “Okay, I can do this…” murmured the mare as she twisted the dial of the timer. She then used her forehoof to take the previously prepared measuring cup of soup stock and poured it into the hot pot of rice and mushrooms. “Remember, as much…as you might like…to use your magic, it is…not a good idea. It’s still a mystery…why using magic seems to affect food…preparation so adversely.” The mare gave a small nod as she reached for the nearby wooden spoon and began to very carefully and precisely stir the mixture. Peppermill watched and marveled at the look of intense concentration on the mare’s face as she did so. The moment the timer’s bell went off, Twilight repeated the process with as much care and attention as the first time. This sort of thing…appeals to her…meticulous nature thought the colt. And so does…that apron… … … … Oh crumbs! And I had…been doing so well too… Twilight Sparkle Mushroom Risotto Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com Ingredients 6 cups chicken broth, divided 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 shallots, diced 1 ½ cups Arborio rice ½ cup dry white wine Sea salt/ground pepper to taste 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives 4 tablespoons butter 1/3 freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat 2 Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid and set aside 3 Add one tablespoon to a skillet, and add shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil for two minutes. When rice has taken a pale, golden color pour in wine and stir until fully absorbed. Add ½ cup of broth to rice, and stir until absorbed. Continue to add broth ½ cup at a time until fully absorbed, stirring continuously until rice is al dente. This should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. 4 Remove from heat, stir in mushrooms and their liquid, butter, chives and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6 Author's Note Risotto is one of those 'always wanted to try' dishes for me. The idea of Twilight in a risque apron was a whim, based on a previous mention in a story about PM liking Twi's mane a certain way...I king of like making a 'new crush' for him.
Pinkie Pie Pasta Part OnePeppermill, his black mane rustling in the early morning breeze, trotted into Ponyville from his home at Sweet Apple Acres. Like a number of the older ponies starting their day, he too was making his way to a familiar landmark in the town. To the uninformed it looked like a massive gingerbread house. But to the locals it was a town institution as the best bakery probably in all of Equestria. Sugarcube Corner would never find itself in dire financial straits, considering its popularity among the ponies of the sleepy burg. The amount of bits the shop made during the morning rush alone would have kept its owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake and their budding family, financially secure for a long time. But it really wasn’t about the money; it was explained repeatedly, but the simple fact that they loved their vocation. The colt understood and whole-heartedly agreed with this opinion. Having been born a natural chef, and his talent nurtured by his equally successful chef parents, food was the whole and sum of his young life. There was little Peppermill didn’t know about the culinary arts, and he was always happy to offer his hoof or his knowledge to any pony who asked. This, he was certain, was the reason why he had been asked to come to the bakery this early in the morning… The message that had been delivered to the farmhouse two days ago didn’t specifically mention this subject. The only things that could be gleaned from it was that Pinkie Pie wanted to talk to the colt about something ‘super-duper double hush-hush important’. The fact that it didn’t resemble a standard Pinkie Pie party invite (though it was usually best not to assume anything regarding the Element of Laughter), was enough to raise a few eyebrows among the Apple clan. But Peppermill was born to be achingly polite, being raised in the high-class city of Canterlot, and he couldn’t refuse a request. It looked as though he had managed to avoid the usual morning rush of hungry workers looking for a sweet start to their day, for there were no other ponies in the shop as Peppermill strode in. The plump Mrs. Cake was tidying the counter with a cloth, and when she heard the bell over the door tinkle she looked up with a warm smile. “Hello Peppermill. How are you today?” “I’m fine…Mrs. Cake. How…is everything…here?” “Oh, busy as always. I admit having to juggle customers and hungry foals does make things hectic…” “I…can only…imagine…” Upon the sound of the colt’s raspy voice, the sound of happy babbling in response to it caught his attention. He turned and smiled at a pair of infant ponies, strapped solidly in separate high chairs beside the counter. The Cakes` twins, Pound and Pumpkin, were reaching for the colt happily upon recognizing a friendly face. With a chuckle the grey colt approached the pair and offered each a forehoof. Pound Cake, the Pegasus colt, grasped the appendage in a rather impressive double grip and waves it around. Meanwhile the unicorn filly Pumpkin had crammed the hoof into her toothless mouth and chewed noisily on it. It was hard not to smile at such behavior, and Peppermill was no exception. He grinned at the two young ponies, and indulged them as long as he felt he could. But he was expected, and he didn`t like the idea of being late for anything. “As much as…I`d like to…stay with you two…Pinkie is…waiting for me.” He pried his hoof from Pound’s grasp and carefully wiped Pumpkin’s drool off with a cloth Mrs. Cake conveniently handed to him. Bracing himself against the whines of the infants, the colt walked into the kitchen of the bakery and through another door leading to the stairway to the second floor. As Peppermill recalled from the message, Pinkie Pie held court in her bedroom at the end of the hall. Even upon reaching the top of the stairway, he could hear the unmistakable warble of the pink pony as she seemed to be having a one-sided conversation. “I’m so excited, aren’t you Gummy? Peppy is so super smart when it comes to cooking that I just know he can teach me. I wonder what kind of yummy things he’ll show me…” Peppy? Gummy? The first was the ‘pet name’ that Pinkie had placed upon the colt, much to his dismay. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t like it, per say. It was that he was afraid more and more ponies would start to follow the party mare’s lead and give him all sorts of nicknames that would run counter to his young male ego. The occasional Applejack ‘sugarcube’ was more than enough, in his books. The other name puzzled the colt. He vaguely recalled an occasional off-hoof comment from some of his older friends about a ‘Gummy’. But the idea that the pink mare had a toothless baby alligator as a pet was a concept that Peppermill found ‘Pinkie being Pinkie’ didn’t adequately cover. Making a mental note to start telling his friends to lay off the pet names, the colt knocked on the door to the bedroom. There was a sudden total silence, followed by a flurry of movement that caught Peppermill off guard. The door to the room, which had only been partially open moments ago, was flung open and a pair of slender forelegs grabbed the colt and tossed him into the room. Peppermill found himself sprawled flat on the floor in the middle of the room, with Pinkie Pie looming over him with a grin that stretched wide. “You’re here! You’re here!” cheered the mare. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!” “You saw me…two days ago, Pinkie…” “But two days is soooo long…” “…right.” Peppermill had learned fairly quickly not to take anything Pinkie said too seriously. Her…quirkiness could make even the most stoic of ponies lose their senses (and he knew this from experience, if watching Big Macintosh trying to deal with her was any indicator). “Anyways…you asked me…to come and…see you?” “Oh yes! I really, really, really need your help. You are the only pony that can help me with this.” “With what…exactly?” Pinkie certainly seemed to be sincere in her desire for his help, and his found himself growing curious over what was going on. The mare made a concentrated effort to calm herself down, and then spoke. “The other day I was at the cafe enjoying my third…or was it fourth…sarsaparilla float when I saw a pony order this amazing looking salad. Then I saw one having what looked like a yummy looking soup and another with these fancy toasted sandwiches. I watched and I looked at my float and I realized that I never ordered anything but ice cream floats from that place…” “Then when I came home I was having my dessert when I watched Mr. and Mrs. Cake eating these pretty green noodles and I realized I…well, I didn’t always eat the same stiff all the other ponies did. I couldn’t believe that there could be anything as delicious as sweets! Can you believe it?” She eats…all that candy…but still looks…the same… marvelled the colt. He wasn’t without a sweet tooth of his own, with his two biggest weaknesses being Sugarcube Corner’s ginger snap cookies and the hot cinnamon candies from the candy shop Bon Bon ran. But the thought of eating nothing but that stuff was enough to make him shiver. “I decided right there that I needed to start eating better, if only so I could enjoy all of the yummy things my friends liked to eat. But then I realized that it wasn’t enough to just eat better, I decided that I had to know how to make this stuff for myself. That’s where you come in Peppy…” “I…do?” Suddenly the mare threw herself at the colt’s hooves and looked up at his with a double-barrel gaze of baby-blue eyes. “Please teach me how to cook regular food, not sweets or cakes and stuff. You are the bestest cook I know and I just know you can teach me! Pleasepleaseplease???” “Ack!” Peppermill staggered back, having been unprepared for the mare’s plea. It was one thing to find himself wrapped around the hooves of the Cutie Mark Crusaders or even Silver Spoon when they played that particular trick, but a grown mare? It wasn’t like he would refuse the request, but still it was a bit much… “Okay…okay…please get…up Pinkie.” The mare bounded to her hooves, smiling hopefully. “I am more…than happy to…teach you as thing…or two.” “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” squealed Pinkie jubilantly. She lunged at the colt once more, but this time Peppermill was ready for her. “Pinkie, sit!” commanded the colt. He had picked up this trick for being around Applejack and Winona, having been fascinated at how the mare could control the dog so easily. Of course, the fact that Applejack was the only pony the dog would obey didn’t stop him from trying it out for himself. While not so effective on the dog, he discovered a firm voice worked quite well in most situations with others. In this case, it worked maybe a bit too well. Behaving exactly like a dog, Pinkie sat down on her rump and actually began to pant. Peppermill mentally shook himself, and spoke once more. “Cooking isn’t…something you…just do on…a whim. It takes…preparation. I need to…decide just what…kind of recipe would…work with you. I’ll need some…time to think.” Pinkie gave a small whine, which won her a dark look from the colt, unable to decide if she was just trying to be funny or not. “I’ll tell…you what. Give me…a day or two to…think and…gather some ideas. I promise I…will get back to you…before the end of…the week…” “Okey dokie lokie!” The ability of the Element of Laughter to switch from begging to cheerful amazed (and genuinely worried) the colt. He was about to take his leave when the mare gave a loud gasp. “Oh my gosh! I almost forgot! I wanted to introduce you to my sweet little Gummy!” “Um, that’s…alright Pinkie…I…” The colt’s attempt to make a quick getaway was thwarted by the mare tossing a small, green and scaly…something at him. The next thing he knew, he was feeling the sensation of a toothless mouth on his body. Only this time it was latched firmly to his snout, and the eerie sensation was compounded by the unstaring purple eyes staring at him from point blank range. There was only one thing Peppermill could do after this… … … … “Get…off…” *** “Ifin it makes you feel better sugarcube, that’s pretty much how anypony ends up meetin’ Gummy.” Applejack said as she took her seat at the dinner table in between Big Macintosh and Applebloom. “It’s not going…to stop the…nightmares I’m…going to have after…that ‘meeting’…” grumbled Peppermill as he brought the large pot of noodle soup to the table. “Aw Gummy ain’t scary. Well, as long as you don’t look him in the ahs…” remarked Applebloom. “Alraight, enuff yakkin’! Ahv been waitin’ fer this all day!” This sharp comment came from Granny Smith, who sat at the head of the table. Indeed, the elderly mare seemed quite anxious as the colt ladled out the broth to his family. “It’s just…noodle soup…Granny…” “Maybe to you sonny. But with mah teeth as bad as they are, this here is much easier to chew…” With that emphatic statement, the clan sat down to their meal… …slurp… …slurp… …slurrrrppppp… The four younger ponies gaped in various degrees of horror and embarrassment as the ancient mare noisy consumed her meal. Peppermill found himself thinking back to an incident back at his parent’s restaurant during a lunch rush when a similar soup was the special. More than a few of the servers had expressed disgust at how such high-class clientele seemed to think the ‘in’ thing was to consume every single noodle separately. While it may or may not have signified some sort of higher upbringing, it made eating slow and loud. “Honestly Granny…” grumbled Applejack. “This is why we don’t git to have this kinda soup more often.” “You young’uns have no raight to complain. I’ve seen the pigs wit their slop be more civilized than you at the table. Well, ‘cept fer Peppermill…” The colt was about to make a comment about having his impeccable manner driven solidly into his head by his mother when a sudden inspiration hit him. “Noodles…of course!” The colt suddenly bolted down the entire bowl of soup before him, to the amazement of the others. Upon finishing he slammed the bowl down and spoke. “May I…please be excused? I have…a recipe to find…for Pinkie…”
Pinkie Pie Pasta Part TwoThat evening the grey colt wracked his brain for just the right recipe to teach the party pony. While he would never take anything away from Pinkie Pie as far as baking was concerned, he felt that the difference between cookies and a main dish were enough to warrant something easier to make. The fact that this would be the first time Peppermill actually attempted to teach another pony something meant a basic dish was the way to go. Fortunately, thanks to Granny Smith’s consumption of the noodle soup at supper provided a…unique source of inspiration. With a pad of paper and a pencil clenched in his teeth, the colt sat at the small desk in his bedroom and wrote out a considerable amount of recipes as they came to mind. Peppermill’s impressive memory for dishes was a legacy from his father, who himself never wrote down a recipe in his life. Every meal, from appetizers to desserts, came direct from his brain and he never forgot a single detail. The colt vividly recalled his mother literally ordering his father to write down the instructions for the other chefs and prep cooks so he would spend more time with her than in the kitchen. As the ideas flowed onto paper the colt began to think more about his late parents, especially his father. Pepperoncini was a firm believer that a good meal, and the ability to make such a thing, was a right every pony should have. Becoming a chef and running his own restaurant were extensions of that belief. A belief that he instilled very solidly in both his sons, though his youngest was far more receptive to it. I wonder…what Father would…have thought…about trying to…teach a pony like…Pinkie Pie? This simple though was the only real stumbling block Peppermill could see preventing him from a successful venture. Pinkie’s attention span seemed almost non-existent, and the grey colt had no idea how he would (or could) handle an inattentive student. Well…if all else fails…at least the…food should turn out…decent as long…as one of us…is paying attention… *** The next morning the colt was up with the rest of the clan as he prepared a small grocery list of the essentials he needed for his mini cooking class with the pink mare. With Applejack and Big Macintosh offering him well wishes, he bounded out of the farmhouse door and headed straight for the local market. Despite the fact that it would be a while yet before the stalls opened, he wanted to make extra sure that the ingredients he collected for his lesson were the absolute best. “Let’s see…zucchini…cherry tomatoes…red and yellow peppers…this is probably…more vegetables than…Pinkie has ever…eaten at once…I hope…she is okay…with that.” the colt wondered out loud. He already had a full load in a saddlebag that his caretakers leant him. Between the squash, the pasta noodles, and the onion he already had a decent load. Hopefully he would be able to collect the rest of the more vital components and get to Sugarcube Corner before the weight became too much. “I really should…have asked Applebloom to…carry some of this. She’s a lot…stronger than…she looks…” Fortunately the majority of the salesponies in the market knew all about Peppermill and his foodie nature. Quite often he and Silver Spoon would make an afternoon examining and comparing the fresh foods being sold. As a result, the ponies he needed to speak to knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted it. Peppermill would admit the respect they showed him put a spring in his step as he made his way to the bakery. As ordered by Pinkie Pie when she had made her request, Peppermill was to go to the back door of the shop and perform a secret knock, letting her know it was him at the door. Willing to humor the Element of Laughter he did as he was told, though even he recognized ‘shave and a manecut, two bits’ when he heard it. After a few moments, the door opened and a bubblegum-pink foreleg motioned him inside. Within seconds Peppermill was swept up and was being shaken upside down over a large counter, the contents of his saddlebags being dumped onto the surface. All the while Pinkie Pie kept up a frenzied, one-sided conversation. “Vegetables? Oh, lots and lots of vegetables! They are so colorful and pretty! Oh, I just knew you would come up with something fun, Peppy! I can’t wait to see what we are going to do! There is going to be chopping and mincing and sautéing…sauté…that’s a funny word isn’t it? Not as funny as kumquat or pickle barrel, but still…sauté sauté sauté!” “P-P-P-Pinkie…st-st-stop!” Peppermill felt his teeth chatter and his stomach lurch at the violent motion. No amount of preparation for Pinkie’s famous exuberance could prepare him for something that felt like riding a maddened Pegasus through a hailstorm. Fortunately Pinkie obeyed and placed the colt right side up by the counter, only for him to sink to the floor with wobbly legs. “Yes?” beamed the anxious mare, seemingly oblivious to the colt’s discomfort. With a tremendous surge of will, Peppermill got to his hooves and regained his composure. “We’ll need…urp…a baking sheet…and a cutting board. Oh, and…a large pot full…of water. I’ll…urg…sort everything out.” “Yes sir Chef Peppermill sir!” Pinkie snapped a salute and bounded off in her bouncy gait, while Peppermill waited for the room to stop spinning. When his vision improved enough that he could walk without stumbling, he began to pick the few vegetables that had fallen up off of the floor. Once that was sorted out, he removed his saddlebag and discovered to his relief a pair of vital items had remained untouched. He first pulled out a large knife in a protective plastic cover. He had come across it while in the kitchens of Canterlot Castle when he had been there recently. He had been so impressed by its balance and sharpness that he had begged Princess Celestia and the head chef to tell him where he could find one of his own. He was utterly overjoyed when he was given it as a gift, with specific instructions to use it with pride. It was one of his most prized possessions, and he refused to make even a single meal without it. The other item was another gift, of sorts. While he was in total agreement with his parents in the idea that wealth wasn’t important, he would readily admit that some things needed to cook cost a pretty penny. But when one of your best filly friends was a member of the second richest family in town and as much a lover of good food as he, sometimes he could get away with an occasional request. The tall, square-shaped green glass bottle he carefully placed on the counter was another vital necessity for cooking. Even Pinkie, who had returned with the utensils, could sense something important about the bottle. “What is that?” she asked, her baby-blue eyes focused on the container. “This…is the chef’s…secret ingredient.” “Secret ingredient? Is it…magic?” “No…but there are…some ponies who…think it…should be. This…is extra virgin olive oil.” “Oooohh…” “Now…before we go…any further I need…to ask you an…important question Pinkie…” “Yes?” “Do you…slurp your soup? Especially…noodle soup?” “Of course I do! What pony doesn’t?” “Then I assume…you don’t mind noodles?” “I love noodles! Oh…oh…is it spaghetti? You’re going to teach me how to make spaghetti? Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!” Pinkie’s jubilance was infectious, and Peppermill couldn’t help but smile. “Well…not exactly. It’s…kind of like…spaghetti. This is called…Pasta Primavera. It is really…good for you…and you can use…any kind of…noodle you want. Normally restaurants like…to use little…bow tie shapes called…farfalle.” Pinkie suddenly froze, and began to roar with laughter kicking her hooves in the air. “Farfalle…that’s hilarious!!” “Yeah…I kind of…figured you might…enjoy that. Sadly I wasn’t able…to find any bow ties…so we’ll have to use…regular spaghetti noodles. But remember…one of the…great things about pasta…is that the noodle…isn’t nearly as important…as the topping.” Despite Peppermill’s attempt to lecture the mare, it was clear she was far too far-gone in her amusement over the word ‘farfalle’. She continued to giggle wildly; enough that tears were streaming down her face. The grey colt sighed and shook his head. I should…have waited until…we started…the vegetables…before mentioning the noodles… *** Later, when Pinkie had regained her composure and the vegetables were roasting in the oven, the two ponies kept themselves busy preparing the pasta water and cutting the cherry tomatoes. Because it was a gas stove, Pinkie had insisted on dealing with the boiling water. This was partly because of safety measures and partly because the mare knew that the colt, despite his best efforts, still became somewhat skittish around open flames. Peppermill readily agreed to this, and continued to explain the dish as he chopped the fruit. “This is such a pretty dish.” commented Pinkie. “It’s so colorful, with all the peppers and stuff. It must be nice being able to know how to make all this yummy stuff.” “Well…I had a…lot of help. Plus…it helps to…write things…down.” admitted the colt. “I even…made sure to…make a recipe card…for you when this…is all over.” As Peppermill continued to chop, he noticed the normally chatty mare had gone quiet. He had become so used to the constant running conversation that he found the silence concerning. He glanced over his shoulder, to find Pinkie just…staring at him with an unreadable expression. “Is there…something wrong Pinkie?” “No, nothing. It’s just…” “Pinkie?” The mare gave a rare melancholy sigh and spoke. “It’s just…you look so much like my sisters I never really noticed until just now. I guess I just got a little homesick, that’s all.” Learning the pink mare was not an only child surprised the colt greatly. “You must…miss them…” “Yeah…” “Hmmm…” The colt and mare went back to their duties in silence. Then Peppermill made a decision. He turned to Pinkie. “You know Pinkie…if you like…you can think…of me as a…little brother. I have…a lot of experience…in that.” At first, the colt wondered if he had made a mistake given the lack of response from the mare. He was rewarded by her turning the oven burner off before launch herself bodily onto him, squeezing him tightly. He half-expected a rush of platitudes, but all she said was… “Thank you Peppy.” “You’re…welcome Pinkie” *** Soon enough the finishing touches were applied to the pasta and vegetables, and Peppermill plated two generous helpings of the pasta primavera. “So what…do you think Pinkie?” Peppermill was quite pleased at how well the dish had turned out, and he waited as the mare took a large forkful. She chewed, then closed her eyes and made some happy noises. “Oh Peppy! This is amazing! I never knew you could make something like this!” “You can…make something…like this yourself. It’s not…that hard. Just think of it…as savory rather than…sweet.” “I can’t thank you enough for all this. Oh wait, yes I can! Wait right there…” Pinkie raced off, leaving Peppermill to finish his own plate of pasta. He pondered whether or not to try out the dish back home at Sweet Apple Acres, but Pinkie returned before he could make a decision. She had a large box balanced across her back, and the colt immediately broke into a smile. There was no doubt in his mind what the contents were. “Two dozen Sugarcube Corner Gingersnaps, just for you!” “I think…that is more…than adequate payment…for a cooking class.” beamed Peppermill. Pinkie Pie Pasta Primavera Recipe complements of foodnetwork.com 3 carrots, peeled and cut into strips 2 medium or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips 2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips ¼ cup olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbs de Provence 1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta) 15 cherry tomatoes cut in half ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 450 F. On a heavy baking sheet, toss all the vegetables with oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half the vegetables to another heavy baking sheet and arrange evenly over the surface. Bake until carrots are tender and vegetables begin to brown, stirring after 10 minutes for 20 minutes total. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the vegetables in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately. Serves 6.
Sonic Rainboom Chili Part OneIt was as typical a day on Sweet Apple Acres as one could find. Applejack and Big Macintosh were out among the apple trees bucking and loading up barrels for the barn. Applebloom and her friends were in their clubhouse deciding on another Cutie Mark Crusade. And in the farmhouse a grey colt and an elderly green mare puttered around. Applejack had cleared a particular ornery tree of its fruit when a shadow on the ground drew her gaze skyward. Soaring high above and coming in for a rare easy landing was one of her closest friends, the self-proclaimed fastest flier in Equestria Rainbow Dash. The sky-blue mare circled a few times above the Earth mare before coming to a neat, four hoof landing. “Well, I reckon’ this is the first tahm you ever landed properly around here RD. I dunno whether to be proud or suspicious.” remarked Applejack casually. The multi-hued mane of the mare was brushed aside with a forehoof, allowing her to give her friend a smirk. “Hey, I’m as good at landing as I am at flying. Besides, haven’t you heard the old Pegasus saying that any landing you can walk away from is a good one?” “I’d prefer one that didn’t need a shovel to fill in the furrow left behind…” “Whatever…” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and then spoke again. “Listen, is Peppermill around? I wanted to talk to him about something…” “Something?” questioned the blond mare. While Rainbow Dash was as friendly as any pony toward her adopted kin, having her actually ask about him was something new. AJ found that the Pegasus tended to show little interest in anything that didn’t directly relate to her specific likes: flying, speed and the Wonderbolts (not necessarily in that order…) “Look, is he here or not?” demanded the mare crossly. “He’s at the farmhouse with Granny Smith.” answered Applejack. “And fer the record Rainbow, you don’t hafta ask permission from me. He’s a good kid and I don’t watch over him every hour of the day.” “Maybe every other hour…” murmured Rainbow with a grin. Before Applejack could respond, the Pegasus took off to the farmhouse. *** “…and that is the secret to a good apple sauce. I figured you’d appreciate learnin’ like that more than my other grandchildren.” Granny Smith continued to stir the pot of mashed apples at the stove, and Peppermill jotted down noted on a recipe card at the table. “I’m sure…Applebloom would…not mind knowing…how to make this. She told me…all about you and her…and Zap Apple Jam.” “Naw, she has her own life to live sonny. Yer the one born with a knife and pan in yer hooves.” “Hello?” Rainbow Dash poked her head through the kitchen window, causing the two ponies to look in her direction. “The cider lover…” chuckled Granny, which caused Peppermill to snicker and Rainbow to roll her eyes. Ever since the ‘Flim Flam Incident’, Granny Smith would never refer to the Element of Loyalty as anything other than that, much to Rainbow’s annoyance. Of course, even if the mare wasn’t the grandmother to one of her closest friends, she wouldn’t dare correct her. Applejack had been very…descriptive of what happened to ponies who dared talk back to the matriarch. “Hey Peppermill, do you have a second? I want to…talk to you about something.” “Something?” Peppermill raised an eyebrow, but excused himself and joined the mare out on the front porch. “So…what can I…do for you Rainbow?” “Pinkie was telling me the other day about how you showed her how to make something to eat. She seemed really happy about it…” “Yes, I think…Pinkie enjoyed…the lesson.” Peppermill noted that Rainbow seemed just a little bit anxious, as if she was trying to find the right words. “Listen,” sighed Rainbow, “I read an article about the Wonderbolts the other day all about how they all have to maintain their flying weight, and all sorts of stuff on how they all have specifically tailored diets and meal plans and stuff like that… “Sounds…about right. I can see…them watching what…they eat.” “So if I wanted to become a Wonderbolt, I have to do everything they do. And if they watch what they eat, it’s about time I did too.” “So…where do I…come in? How exactly…did you eat…before?” “Take out and frozen dinners.” Rainbow Dash answered with such a dead-pan expression that Peppermill couldn’t help but frown. “I don’t think…those are the kind…of things a…Wonderbolt would usually eat.” “Exactly.” “Not to mention…it sounds like you…prefer convenience over…cooking. But I suppose…you don’t have…the patience for it…” “Yeah, that might be a problem.” Rainbow admitted. “But you were able to get Pinkie of all ponies to sit still long enough to learn how to make something. I’d be a walk in the clouds compared to that. Please, I promise I’ll make it up to you.” “Well…I suppose since…it means so much…to you. I guess I’ll…have to think about…the best dish to…match your needs. Not to mention…finding a place to do this.” “A place to do this? Why can’t you come up to my house?” “That’s exactly…my point Rainbow. Your home is…up there.” The colt pointed with a forehoof towards the blue sky dotted with a few wispy clouds. Rainbow seemed unfazed by this explanation. In fact, a grin formed on her face. “I said I would make it up to you right? Well, I think I know exactly how to do that…” *** A few days later a large violet hot air balloon lifted off from Ponyville carrying two passengers. One, the brainy Twilight Sparkle, piloted the unique vehicle towards a stately castle-shaped structure moored near the town. The other passenger, vibrating with excitement and bounding from one side of the basket to the other gazing in amazement at the sights, was a grey colt with a jet black mane. “Careful Peppermill,” Twilight Sparkle chuckled, “there aren’t any clouds around here to walk on yet.” “This must be…how a Pegasus…sees the world…all the time…” rasped Peppermill. It had been a day of firsts for the young pony. It was the first time he had ever went up in a hot air balloon, not to mention the first time he ever had a unicorn cast a magical cloud walking spell upon him. And within moments, he would have the chance to be a guest in an honest-to-goodness cloud castle. “There it is…” announced the lavender mare. Peppermill gazed out where she pointed, and found himself grinning so wide it almost hurt. The descriptions of Rainbow Dash’s home didn’t do the actual sight of it justice. “It’s…amazing…” “It’s something, all right.” Twilight adjusted something with some unicorn magic, and the balloon continued its steady drift towards the structure. “Now remember Peppermill, the cloud walking spell will last exactly one day. That should be more than enough time to help Rainbow with her little lesson and have a chance to actually spend the night.” “Heh…how many…Earth ponies can say…they got to…sleep in a cloud castle?” “Not many, that’s for sure. And while I probably don’t have to remind you, it would be a good idea to be on your best behavior. Rainbow Dash is probably not that used to having company at her house.” “I’ve already promised…Applejack to not…misbehave. Besides, I wouldn’t…do anything to…ruin this. I think Rainbow…will like what…I have planned.” “Hey!” The familiar voice of the rainbow-maned mare came to their ears as she approached the balloon. “You sure took your time. I still say I could’ve given him a ride here Twi.” “Maybe, but not with all the stuff he’s bringing for you Dash.” Twilight motioned to a saddlebag sitting on the floor of the basket between her and the colt. “Somehow the idea that you don’t even own a cooking pot or frying pan doesn’t surprise me at all.” “Yeah, yeah…” The Pegasus waved off the comment, and then gave the colt a huge grin. “You are so going to love my place kid. It is beyond awesome!” Rainbow reached over and grabbed Peppermill’s bag with a grunt, and hauled to the castle. Eventually the balloon arrived at its destination mere feet from the grand entrance to Rainbow Dash’s home. Despite his excitement, Peppermill felt a slight shiver of trepidation as he gazed at the surface of the cloud. He gave Twilight an uncertain look, but she reassured him with a smile. “Applejack was a little nervous when I used the spell on her too. Trust me, you’ll be fine.” Peppermill bit his lip, then with a wiggle of his rump leapt over the edge of the basket and onto the cloud where Rainbow’s castle sat upon. … … … “Wow…” The best comparison the young cook could make to the sensation under his hooves was meringue, not unlike the kind one would make for a cream pie. There was just the tiniest bit of give yet he felt confident that he would not suddenly sink through to a rather unpleasant downward trip. All in all, it was something he would not forget anytime soon. “Not bad huh?” Rainbow Dash had returned to her front yard (such as it was) to greet the colt and see the unicorn mare on her way. “Remember Dash, the spell only lasts a day. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to pick Peppermill up.” said Twilight. “Have fun you two.” “We’re going to have a blast!” announced Rainbow with a grin. Mare and colt waved as the balloon drifted away back to Ponyville. As soon as it was out of sight, Peppermill addressed his hostess. “Okay Rainbow…we have a lot…to do and not…that much time to…do it in. Let’s check out…your kitchen and…get started.” “Sounds good to me kid. What exactly did you have planned? You sure seemed to have a lot of stuff in that bag.” Rainbow led the grey colt to the large double doors of her impressive abode and opened them wide. Peppermill stepped forward excitedly… …and stopped dead in horror.
Sonic Rainboom Chili Part TwoPeppermill was, by nature, a tidy colt. Even if he hadn’t been born to a cook who was notorious for throwing a fit if he couldn’t eat off the counters of his kitchen, the colt would still willingly follow in his father’s hoofsteps. Of course, that didn’t mean that the colt wasn’t prone to the occasional lapse especially when it came to making his bed. But all in all Peppermill preferred order over its counterpart. The same, it became painfully clear to the colt, could not be said for Rainbow Dash. Upon stepping into the large living room, Peppermill immediately witnessed more clutter and disarray than he had ever seen in his young life. Take out containers, CD and DVD cases, articles of clothing and all sorts of random junk and Wonderbolt memorabilia was strewn all over the place. Other than the stereo and the TV, everything else seemed to have a thin layer of dust on it. And to top it all off, the colt was convinced he could smell stale food from everywhere. “I hope you don’t mind the mess. I don’t really entertain that much…” admitted the mare with a sheepish smile. She then made the mistake of facing the colt, to discover a look of horror and disgust on his face. “Rainbow…how in Celestia’s name…can you live like this?!” “Well, you got to understand that my house is around more for a place to hang and crash between jobs than anything else. A lot of my friends don’t realize just all of the responsibilities I actually have. Between the weather team and my Wonderbolts training I’m usually just barely able to flop into bed and scrounge for something to eat before I’m at it again.” “This…urgh…gah…” Rainbow gazed with a mix of concern and shock at the colt that appeared to be having some sort of mental breakdown. She then found herself stunned by a look of pure disgust being aimed at her with dark blazing eyes. “I absolutely…refuse to take…another step in…this disaster area until…you clean it up!” “Oh come on! It’s not that bad…” “No!” “Look, just…ignore it so we can get to the kitchen to…” “No clean…no cook!” The mare’s face twisted into a dark scowl, and she attempted to glare the colt into submission. Peppermill met Rainbow’s glare with one of his own, and it wasn’t long before she realized that was not going to get her anywhere. Finally tearing her eyes off his dark ones, Peppermill was buffeted by a gust of wind as Rainbow Dash raced around the living room. All of the clutter was scooped up in her forelegs as she circled the room so quickly it made Peppermill dizzy. When she had a full load, she would dive through a nearby open window to return seconds later ready for another load. After only a minute, Rainbow stood before the colt in triumph. Behind her, the living room was now clutter free and looking far better than it had moments earlier. Peppermill pursed his lips tightly as he scanned the room, then sighed in resignation. “That’s…so much better…” “Good. Now can we get cooking?” asked Rainbow. Peppermill gave a nod, and made his way to where he assumed the kitchen sat. Before he could take another step, Rainbow suddenly cleared her throat. “Um…just a sec, ok?” Once again, the mare raced by the colt into the other room. He heard the unmistakable sound of dishes clattering and take-out boxes being pushed out of the window, which caused him to roll his eyes. Soon, Rainbow stuck her head back into the living room with a sheepish smile. “Ok, now we can get started…” *** Once Peppermill was satisfied that Rainbow’s surprisingly large kitchen was in an acceptable state, he began to unpack his bags onto the counter. Rainbow Dash watched with interest as he produced several different types of pepper, tomatoes, corn kernels and mushrooms. He also lifted out a few large jars of various liquids, a large zucchini and some smaller containers full of various spices. “Geeze, that seems like an awful lot of stuff Peppermill. I was hoping for something a little…less complicated.” Rainbow remarked. “Well…I admit I had…to think a bit to…come up with a good dish…for you. I then had a…brainwave. This dish might…take a little longer to make…but you can make…a lot of it at once…and store the rest for later. I figured re-heating…would be fast enough for you.” “So, what the hay can you make with all this?” questioned the mare, nudging a yellow onion the colt placed before her. “Well…I figured you might…appreciate something hearty and…maybe a bit on the…spicy side.” “Spicy? Spicy is cool.” “How does…chili sound?” The mare flashed him a grin. “Now you’re talking!” “Of course…how spicy it ends up…is up to you. It’s all…in how many chilies we…put into it…” “Just hold up a second,” remarked Rainbow, a sudden frown on her face. “Are you implying I can’t handle a little fire in my food?” “N-no…” squirmed Peppermill, taken back by the sudden change in mood in the mare. A sudden memory of Applejack speaking with him before he left for the skies came to mind. And a piece of advice sugarcube: Dash will make a competition outta anything she can, and she don’t lahk to lose… “I’ll have you know I have all of the food delivery ponies that come around here knowing exactly what I want: as much hot sauce or whatever stuff they like to put on their food they can stuff in the bag. Here, I’ll prove it.” Rainbow Dash went to her refrigerator and opened it up, motioning to the door. Sure enough, Peppermill recognized the logos of at least half a dozen or more fast food franchises on dozens upon dozens of packets of condiments almost falling out of every available space. And he noted more than a few of said packets were hot sauces of various degrees of heat. “If you like…that stuff so much…why is it you…have so many…unopened packets?” queried Peppermill innocently. “Never mind about that…” answered Rainbow gruffly, slamming the fridge door. “Are we making chili or not?” “Ok…ok…” Rather relieved that the tense situation was over, the colt produced his now famous knife from his bag. Rainbow Dash, like a lot of the ponies who knew the colt, was very familiar with the skill the colt had with it. She even went so far as to give an appreciative whistle as he pulled out the blade from its cover. “You might be able…to clear a sky in…five seconds flat…but how is…your skill in…chopping some veggies?” “Hmm…even I know there are some races I can’t win. I’m more than happy to consider you the champ in that.” “Well…even so…we have a lot of veg…to go through. If you could…start with the peppers…I’ll get the pot…ready to go.” “Cool. Hey, is that that fancy magic stuff Pinkie was going on about?” asked the mare as the colt produced a bottle from the bag. “No, not quite…but canola oil…can be just as…useful as olive oil.” Peppermill admitted. The grey colt began to pour a small quantity of the oil onto the pot. “If you could…put this on your stove at…a medium high heat…I’ll help finish the prep. Once the vegetables…are chopped most…of the hard work…is over. Letting the…chili simmer afterwards…shouldn’t try your…patience too much.” “Great.” Colt and mare continued to slice and add their ingredients to the pot, along with all the proper spices. As Peppermill carefully worked on the chilies, Rainbow looked on thoughtfully. “Is there a reason why you’re getting rid of most of that white stuff from those peppers?” “This is where…most of the heat…from these Serrano peppers…comes from.” Peppermill explained. “How much heat…the end product has…depends on how much…of the pepper we use.” “Really? Huh, I would never have guessed that something like that could be so hot. Doesn’t look like much to me…” And then, to the colt’s horror, Rainbow Dash popped one of the spare chilies he had not cut up whole into her mouth. Even…Silver Spoon…wouldn’t dare that… grimaced the colt to himself. Peppermill found he didn’t dare blink less he miss what was sure enough to be an impressive display of…something. At first, he was impressed that Rainbow seemed unfazed by her action, chewing thoughtfully. Then, ever so slowly, it began. It started as a slight change in her expression, and her eyes took on a look he had only saw on a particular mailmare. A slow blush of color, darkening her blue coat to a purple started on her neck and rose up into her cheeks. Those same cheeks began to bulge ominously as trickles of sweat began to pour from her forehead. And to cap it all off, a sound not unlike a whistling kettle could be heard through the kitchen. ”YEARGH!!" howled Rainbow, diving for the sink. “Not water! It will…make it worse. Milk…or bread!” cried out Peppermill. The mare performed a pin-point midair turn and proceeded to drive her head through a nearby cupboard door. Peppermill had to pull his jaw off of the floor, amazed at how fast the mare had been moving. He trotted over to the counter below the cupboard where Rainbow was, her hind legs trying to gain purchase on the counter. He grabbed a hold of her many hued tail in his mouth and tugged with all his might. CRACK! The cupboard door released its grip with a splintering sound as Peppermill and Rainbow Dash tumbled backwards. Peppermill picked himself off of the floor and hurried over to examine his friend. The mare appeared to have at least half a loaf of bread stuffed in her mouth. “What in Equestria…possessed you to…eat a whole pepper like that?” demanded the colt crossly. “Mmmph mm mmmph…” came the muffled response. Rainbow gave a large swallow, and she spoke, her voice even raspier than usual. “I didn’t think it was going to be that hot…geeze. You could kill a pony with one of those…” “I though you said…you liked spicy food.” “I do. Just…not that spicy…” “Please warn me…if you decide…to do something like…that again. You…scared me…” “I did?” “Yes!” stammered the colt. “…Sorry kid. I didn’t mean to.” “You know…Applejack warned me…you might try something…like this. Trying to impress me…I mean.” Rainbow remained silent as the colt continued. “Believe me…the last thing…you would ever…have to do…is to try and…show me how cool…you are. I’ve seen enough…of your stunts to...understand why…Scootaloo thinks so…highly of you. Heck…you invited me…an Earth colt…into your house. How many Pegasi…would do that?” Rainbow digested these words, along with the bread she had crammed down her throat. She gave a large swallow, and then gave a sigh as she pushed herself into a sitting position. She ruffled the colt’s mane with a forehoof, and flashed him a grin. “I am pretty cool, aren’t I?” “Yes…yes you are.” sighed Peppermill, shaking his head and chuckling. “Now…enough talk…we have some chili…to make.” “Right on. And, maybe we’ll hold off on the peppers this time. At least, not until I get a little better at handling my heat.” “Deal…” “Oh, and one more thing kid…” “Hmmm?” “Let’s just keep this whole ‘cupboard’ thing between us. Applejack would never let me live it down if she heard about it.” “I’ll…think about it.” Rainbow’s face fell at this, but when she saw the mischievous glint in the colt’s dark eyes she threw her head back and laughed. “You know, you’re pretty cool yourself.” “I’ve…been told that…” agreed Peppermill with a laugh of his own. Sonic Rainboom Chili Recipe compliments of foodnetwork.com 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion 1 chopped red bell pepper 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 to 3 Serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced, according to taste 1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice 2 cups fresh corn kernels, approx. 3 ears worth 1 ½ pounds Portobello mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and cubed 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cayenne 4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped 3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans rinsed and drained 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 cup vegetable stock or water ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves In a large, heavy pot heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, red pepper, garlic and Serrano peppers and cook, stirring for three minutes until soft. Add zucchini, corn, mushrooms, and cook, stirring until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges. Add chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne and cook stirring until fragrant. Add tomatoes and stir. Add tomato sauce, stock/water and beans, then stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro. Adjust to seasoning and taste. Garnish as you like and enjoy!
Twilight Risotto Part OneWith a thump, the hot air balloon made a solid landing with pin-point accuracy just outside of Ponyville Library. Its occupants, a young grey Earth colt and an older lavender unicorn mare, had just returned from a literal castle in the sky. Despite having enjoyed an once-in-a-lifetime experience, Peppermill was happy to be back on solid ground. With a grunt, he hopped over the edge of the basket grateful that the pack he had taken to Rainbow Dash’s house was no longer as weighty as it had been on the way there. “There…” announced Twilight Sparkle with a smile. “You’re back in Ponyville in one piece.” “Thank you…again for all…your help Twilight.” “I’m happy to help. I don’t often get an excuse to take my balloon out. You should go into the library while I get the balloon packed away. I think Spike has some sweet tea ready for you.” Peppermill gave the mare a grin as he trotted into the library as asked, licking his lips at the thought of a nice cool drink. Especially if it was made by the claws of the friend he considered his equal in all things cooking. “Spike?” called out Peppermill as he nudged the front door to the tree-cum-building and entered. “Hey, welcome back Peppermill.” The purple baby dragon came into the main room of the facility bearing a tray with two large glasses of iced tea. “So, how was cooking at Rainbow’s house?” “Fun…once I managed…to convince her to…actually clean up…the place.” “Somehow the idea of Rainbow having no time to clean her own house doesn’t surprise me that much…” Spike chuckled as he offered the colt a seat and a glass. The grey colt took a long sip of his drink, giving a sigh of contentment afterwards. “It would break…Applejack’s heart if…I told her I would…take this over…Sweet Apple Acre…Apple Juice…anyday.” “Heh, I promise I’ll keep your dirty secret.” “Thanks…” “Uh, listen…” began Spike suddenly. “I kind of need to ask a big favor from you Peppermill.” Everyone…seems to want…favors from me…lately Peppermill thought to himself. But he motioned the dragon to continue. “In a few days I am going to Canterlot to do some…business.” “Business?” “Librarian assistant stuff, if you must know. Anyways, since I am the only capable cook in here I usually just leave a few easy things for Twi to heat up. We figured out long ago not to let Twilight anyway near a kitchen. I assume you know that unicorn magic and cooking don’t work too well together…” “Yes…I remember learning that…from my father. Any unicorn…prep cooks and sous chefs…were told to do it…by hoof or…not at all…” “Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal. Twilight knows better than to try anything…complicated. But lately she has become a bit obsessed with learning how to cook. Beats the hay out of me why, but without me to keep her out of the kitchen I’m afraid I might come home to a disaster area or worse.” “This is sounding…more and more…like my fault…” remarked Peppermill soberly. “It seems…every pony I know…has suddenly looked to me…as some sort of…cooking teacher.” “It’s not like that at all!” insisted Spike. “They are going to you because they know you are so good at it. To be honest, until you came along I was getting requests all the time. And after seeing how you managed that ruby casserole recipe I gave you, I’m more than happy to name you the King of the Kitchen.” Despite himself, the grey colt had to blush with embarrassment at the accolades poured upon him by the baby dragon. “I’m assuming…you would like me…to keep an eye on Twilight…if she decides…to try her hoof at cooking…while you aren’t around…to watch?” “Would you? I’d owe you…” “I seem to recall…that you already owe me…from when you asked me…to distract that…one stallion who was…flirting with Rarity…the other day.” ”That wasn`t a distraction. Rarity just had to…focus on her work rather than deal with some nopony…” I hope I…never start acting…like that around fillies. thought Peppermill, hiding a smirk. Fortunately for the desperate dragon Twilight Sparkle entered the library, which gave Spike the chance to change the subject. “Hey Twilight!” exclaimed Spike in relief. “It looks like Peppermill might be willing to help you out with some meals while I’m away.” “Spike, I thought we already discussed this. I appreciate you wanting to help me, but I think I have the book that will finally help me figure out how to succeed in the kitchen, see?” Twilight levitated a book from a nearby desk and showed it to the dragon and colt. It was a large hard-covered tome with the title How To Succeed In The Kitchen. “Again with the book.” groaned Spike. “Twi, I keep telling you that you can’t always rely on books. There is more to cooking than just following a recipe word for word.” “Spike…is right.” commented the colt. “A recipe is…not an end-all and be-all. It is…a guide at best. Some of the…greatest dishes…have been made…from taking a…known dish and…making it your own.” “Making it your own?” Twilight showed some interest in the subject, and it was one the colt found nice to be able to delve into for a change. He didn’t consider himself to be even close to being Twilight Sparkle’s equal in intelligence, but he liked to think he knew a little more about the nuances of cooking and cuisine than your average pony. …and it was a lot less boring than one of Applejack’s ‘1001 Things You Ought To Know About Apples’ lectures. “No two cooks…will or should…make the exact same dish. Even if the…only real difference…is one extra…ingredient. A dish is a…reflection of the cook…not a copy of something…on a page.” “Hrmm…” Twilight seemed unconvinced, and all Spike and Peppermill could do was share a look. “I’ll tell you what…let me look…through one of…the cookbooks I found…at Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe I can…figure out a way…to help you understand. But at least…let me get…settled back home. Mind you…I don’t know if…I’ll ever be able to…sleep in my bed…as well as I did…on a cloud.” *** “Argh!” This painful exclamation came from Peppermill’s room on the second floor of the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse. He lay on his bed, glaring at the open book before him. Ever since he had come back home he had been wracking his brain and pouring over every available cookbook he could find, and was coming up empty for ideas. And with Spike’s business trip the very next day, he was beginning to feel he was going to fail in his mission. “It just…doesn’t…feel right…” lamented the colt, tossing the book away and grabbing a pillow to pull over his head. Thoughts of a disappointed Twilight floated in his mind, followed by an angry Spike. He hated the idea of failing at what, he felt, should have been an easy task. “I was able to get…Rainbow Dash of…all ponies to cook. Why is it…so hard to help…Princess Celestia’s prized student?” Peppermill moaned. “Wuts goin’ on in here?” The youthful drawl of a familiar yellow filly made Peppermill lift the pillow just enough to see his ‘sister’ Applebloom in the doorway. “Please…I’m not in…the mood, Applebloom.” Peppermill sighed, giving the filly a sullen look from beneath the pillow. “Geeze, are you still frettin’ about wut yer gonna teach Twilight to cook?” “Yes I’m ‘frettin’” grumbled the colt. “I’m going to…fail miserably. No pony…is going to…want my help…if I can’t even teach…a super smart pony…like Twilight.” “Now that’s nonsense an’ you know it!” snapped Applebloom. She tugged the pillow off of the colt’s head so she could look him in eye. “You are one of the best chefs in Ponyville, maybe in all of Equestria. No pony is gonna think less of ya ifin you mess up once…” The colt glared at the filly for a long moment, then responded. “So you think…I’m going to fail and…let everypony down…but I shouldn’t…let that big me.” “Don’t go puttin’ words in mah mouth!” snapped Applebloom. “You ain’t failed yet. Ya still got tahm to come up with something.” All this did was make Peppermill huff and turn over to show his back to the filly. “Look, wut kind of recipe are ya tryin’ to find? Maybe I kin help…” “Twilight Sparkle…is all about books…and science…and stuff like that. I was hoping…I could find something…that could reflect…that. But a lot…of the stuff I know is…by memory or feel…” “By feel?” questioned the filly, cocking her head in puzzlement. “You know…how you see…things like ‘a pinch of this’…or ‘season to taste’…in cooking? Those are not…precise measurements. You learn that from…years of cooking or…from making the same dish over…and over again. And even…if there was an…exact amount…no two ponies would…agree it…was the best.” “Huh, you sound jus’ lahk Granny when she was teachin’ me about Zap Apple Jam.” remarked the filly. “She told me that no two batches of jam are the same. All it takes is an itty bitty change to make the jam different from season to season. I remember askin’ her why she didn’t use one of those fancy kitchen timers when making it, an’ she told me you just knew.” Kitchen…timer? A sudden though bubbled in Peppermill’s mind as Applebloom continued to go on about zap apple jam. She never even noticed him toss the pillow away and sit up in the bed. “Applebloom, could you…please hand me…that cookbook?” The filly blinked at the colt’s sudden change in mood, but did as she was asked, watching her ‘brother’ as he leafed through the pages. A smile grew on his face when he scanned one particular page as a plan formed. “Of course…why didn’t I…think of this before!” exclaimed Peppermill jubilantly. He bounded off the bed, gave Applebloom a quick hug and raced out of the room and down the stairs. By chance, he had left the book open on the page he had been looking at, and the filly just had to peer at it. “Riz…otto? Wut the hay is that?”
Twilight Risotto Part 2Peppermill sat in the small kitchen of the Golden Oaks Library, awaiting the arrival of his ‘student’. It had taken a bit of work to come up with his lesson plan-slash-recipe, but he felt strongly that the lavender mare’s strict attention to detail could be taken advantage of. Even so, the colt didn’t want to take too many chances as he nudged the small timer he had placed on the table before him. I hope…she likes mushrooms… “Ok, I think I am ready!” With that announcement, Twilight Sparkle entered the kitchen. … … … “Twilight, what…in the world are…you wearing?” the colt gasped, his dark eyes growing wide and a sudden heat flaring on his cheeks. “It’s an apron of course. My books are very clear that new cooks should wear one of these to minimize messes.” That…is an apron?! thought the colt furiously. It was true, the clothing was the correct shape for an apron. But there was a considerable amount of frills, and it seemed to be rather…clingy. In fact, it seemed to be more like a second skin that a protective piece of clothing. It didn’t hide the fact that as brainy as she was, Twilight Sparkle was a reasonably attractive mare. “I admit; it seems a little showy. But this was something I got from Rarity. She told me that it would be useful one day should I ever get a coltfriend, though why a stallion outside of a chef would be interested in this is beyond me…” Should I…tell her? A vivid memory of peeking into his late parent’s bedroom one night when he was restless, seeing the ponies partaking in a moment of intimacy and his mother wearing a similar apron much to his father’s apparent delight burned bright in his mind. As young as he was, the colt was quite a bit more knowledgeable than the other colt’s his age about…adult things. But just because he understood the real intent of Rarity’s ‘gift’ didn’t mean he wasn’t affected by it. “Peppermill, is everything alright?” The colt jumped in surprise, finding the mare standing rather close to him. She looked down at him with a concerned look, and the colt had to wrench his eyes upwards to meet her gaze and not that of the rather…plunging neckline of the apron. “Yes, yes…I am just…surprised you were so…prepared.” “Oh thank you! I really want to do well at this. I want to show Spike that I am not as helpless in the kitchen as he says I am.” The mare’s beaming smile and excitement proved to be enough of a distraction to snap Peppermill out of his initial panic. Composing himself, he led the mare to the kitchen counter where he had placed all of the ingredients he had brought. “This should prove…to be a simple but tasty dish.” explained the young chef. “I’ve decided that…the preparation of a risotto…should appeal to you.” “A risotto? I remember having that back in Canterlot when I was invited to dine with Princess Celestia. They were very nice rice dishes, but it sounded like they were kind of…tricky.” “Hmm, I wouldn’t say…tricky as time-consuming. This is…not the kind of dish for…the impatient. I don’t…think that Rainbow Dash or…Pinkie Pie would…be able to make without…some help. But I think you…should do fine. Even so, I brought along…a bit of extra help.” “Are you referring to that kitchen timer I see on the table?” “Yes. You see Twilight…the important part about…making a risotto is…absorption.” As he had expected, the mare’s face took on a thoughtful cast. “Absorption huh? Well, that depends on factors like heat, the medium…” “Soup stock and…Arborio rice…” “Arborio rice…I remember Spike mentioning that before…” “It is a special…type of rice that…works best with a dish…like this.” The colt motioned to a small bag on the counter, full of pearly grains. “I really feel like I should be writing this down…” “Don’t worry Twilight…I have already…printed out a…recipe card for you. Soon you will…have a whole boxful of meal ideas.” “Oh, that’s very thoughtful of you. Wait…” The mare’s gaze suddenly fell upon two large glass bottles. “I know that is olive oil, but is that…wine?” “That’s right.” Peppermill frowned slightly at the sudden anxiousness coming off of the unicorn. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, it’s alcohol…” “Twilight, a smart pony…like you should know that…the alcohol part of the wine…will evaporate away, leaving…just the taste behind.” The mare squirmed further, then she hung her head with a sigh. “Peppermill, I don’t know how to tell you this but…I don’t really care for wine.” “I imagine that…is because you have…never had it before…” “Hmm, no. I have had a few glasses in the past. Remember, dinners at the palace? I politely took the glasses but I never drank more than a few sips. I never cared for it…” “I understand your…concern Twilight. But I…promise you that…using wine…in cooking is…a lot different than…drinking it straight up.” The mare gave the colt a lop-sided smile at this. “I guess I figured you wouldn’t be all that impressed if I told you I didn’t like wine. I mean, I know you have drunk it…” “Oh, you heard…about that huh?” sighed the colt. “Somepony needs…to explain to Applejack that…you can be honest and…not tell everypony…everything that happens to them.” “That’s just AJ’s way. The truth be told; I was quite impressed at how mature it made you sound.” If the mare had left it at that, things might have worked out a bit better. But Twilight, as was her own nature, had to reach over and give the colt a warm hug. The sudden sensation of the silky apron against his chest was a vivid reminder of just how…alluring she looked in it. To the colt’s utter horror, he felt his face grow bright red just in time for the mare to release him and peer down at him in surprise. “Peppermill, why are you blushing?” “Hrrgg...I’m…fine. Let’s get…started.” *** “Okay, now have reached…the part of the recipe that…I think you will…be able to perform quite well.” Once the colt had thoroughly forced the memory of the shapely mare and her wholly inappropriate clothing from his mind, and mentally reminding himself to sooner or later explain the situation to her, the two had begun preparation for the dish. Everything had gone smoothly from that point, but now the real trick to a good risotto was about to be performed. “The last thing…you want to have is…watery risotto. It is important that…all of the stock…has been absorbed by…the rice before adding…more.” “All of the stock…has to be absorbed.” recited Twilight as she wrote on a spare piece of parchment she had grabbed earlier. Even though Peppermill felt it was unnecessary, the mare had insisted on taking notes in her own writing as they cooked. As a result, there had been more than one occasion when the colt had to drag her away from her note-taking to keep an eye on her dish. “Depending on your…skill level and…experience you…can go about this one of two ways. Experience chefs and…those who make risotto…a lot will learn just by sight alone…when it is time to add more brother. But for somepony who…is just starting or have…never made it before…it can be useful to use…a timer.” “The timer…” The mare glanced briefly at the timepiece, and used her magic to momentarily put her quill down so she could lift and hold it in front of her. “It can take…a bit of trial and error…to determine just…how much time you need…between applications of stock. Given the circumstances I think…45 seconds to a minute should be a good starting point. If we need to adjust…the time for the next…half cup, then…we will do so.” “Okay, I can do this…” murmured the mare as she twisted the dial of the timer. She then used her forehoof to take the previously prepared measuring cup of soup stock and poured it into the hot pot of rice and mushrooms. “Remember, as much…as you might like…to use your magic, it is…not a good idea. It’s still a mystery…why using magic seems to affect food…preparation so adversely.” The mare gave a small nod as she reached for the nearby wooden spoon and began to very carefully and precisely stir the mixture. Peppermill watched and marveled at the look of intense concentration on the mare’s face as she did so. The moment the timer’s bell went off, Twilight repeated the process with as much care and attention as the first time. This sort of thing…appeals to her…meticulous nature thought the colt. And so does…that apron… … … … Oh crumbs! And I had…been doing so well too… Twilight Sparkle Mushroom Risotto Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com Ingredients 6 cups chicken broth, divided 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 shallots, diced 1 ½ cups Arborio rice ½ cup dry white wine Sea salt/ground pepper to taste 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives 4 tablespoons butter 1/3 freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat 2 Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid and set aside 3 Add one tablespoon to a skillet, and add shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil for two minutes. When rice has taken a pale, golden color pour in wine and stir until fully absorbed. Add ½ cup of broth to rice, and stir until absorbed. Continue to add broth ½ cup at a time until fully absorbed, stirring continuously until rice is al dente. This should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. 4 Remove from heat, stir in mushrooms and their liquid, butter, chives and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6 Author's Note Risotto is one of those 'always wanted to try' dishes for me. The idea of Twilight in a risque apron was a whim, based on a previous mention in a story about PM liking Twi's mane a certain way...I king of like making a 'new crush' for him.
