“Where did you find that, Sandy?”
Sandy tilted his head and looked up. His eyes were definitely questioning her but he had no idea what she wanted. He wiggled his tail and whined.
Miranda picked up the discarded scrap and put it under Sandy’s nose. “Here, Sandy. I want more. I want more. Fetch!”
Sandy tilted his head the other way and he hopped up to Miranda’s knees and yipped.
“Fetch, Sandy, fetch!”
Sandy sat down again, then stood and yipped. Miranda waved the scrap towards the bottom of the corn stubbled field.
“Fetch, Sandy, fetch!”
Sandy turned towards the tobacco field and began to run at top puppy speed through the cutoff stalks down below the end of the harvested patch. Miranda followed at a comfortable trot and met him at the edge of the woods.
Delicately placing his puppy paws onto a small animal trail, he followed the side of the creek that ran through the farm. Sandy turned left and began to follow a smooth dirt path. He trotted confidently along, following it between the tree line and the rippling stream until he stopped beside a thin waterfall that pitched down an overhang to a pool about fifteen feet below.
He looked back at Miranda to confirm that she was following and then stepped onto a series of flat stones over to the wooded side.
“Do you know where you’re going, Sandy?”
He yipped.
“Okay, but I haven’t been here since I was a kid. This is where we cooled off in the sweltering summer afternoons. No air conditioning back then.”
After pausing to sniff, Sandy plunged onto a smaller trail away from the stream. In a few yards, he stopped and sat. “Is this it?” asked Miranda. She scanned the brush and saw nothing that looked like it had been disturbed recently. Then Sandy wiggled behind a small rare bush of white-haired goldenrod. There were several clumps of the previously endangered plant along this sandstone stretch of small overhanging ledges.
Miranda got down on all fours and followed Sandy into a low but wide opening that led into a small cave about the size of her dining room. It was about seven feet high with a dry floor and a few cracks at the back, which let in a shaft of sunlight.
This was probably one of the caves her uncle had used for making moonshine. Good height, plenty of room, clear running water close by, and vents to let the smoke escape—a perfect spot for distilling his corn-based shine.
There were remnants of an old still along the right-hand side of the space. An old barrel had rotted down to a pile of wood and rings. A circle of rocks looked like where a furnace might have stood and there was a jumble of glass jars along the back wall, some broken, some whole.
Along the left-hand side was an old army-green ammunition box wrapped in another scrap of the ancient calico feed sack.
Heart racing, Miranda grabbed the box and crawled out of the cave. “Let’s go, Sandy. I want to see what this is out in the light.” Sandy yipped and followed her with his tail wagging like a windshield wiper.
Out on the path, Miranda removed the remaining calico material and grabbed the latch at the front of the box. It wouldn’t budge. It was stuck and wouldn’t give in to her grunting and straining to get the box open.
“Well, Sandy. This has been out here in the damp for a long time. It won’t open easily. But there are plenty of tools in the barn.” She got up and started back over the creek. “Come on, Sandy. Let’s go!”
She opened the small people-sized door on the back wall of the barn and went into the last stall, which had been used as a workshop for as long as she could remember. The walls were adorned with old tools, jars of rusted nails, and ancient harnesses for farm horses that had died long ago. There was a tall, thick workbench that had a vice mounted on one side. It still smelled of sawdust.
She hefted the ammunition box onto the workbench and grabbed a short pry bar that hung on a nail. Wedging it under the latch, Miranda pressed down using all her weight. The latch moved a tiny bit, but it wouldn’t release.
On a shelf above the bench, Miranda saw a can of 3-in-1 multipurpose oil and squirted multiple drops all around the latch.
“That should do it,” she said to a patient Sandy. He looked up at her and tilted his head. “We need to be patient. Just a minute more and we’ll know what’s in this box.”
She heard footsteps and Austin stood beside her. “I wondered where you went. I see you’ve found your little runaway.” He scooped up Sandy. “What’s going on?”
“Sandy led me to one of the caves where my Uncle Gene made his moonshine.” She pointed to the ammunition box. “I also found this wrapped in the same cloth as the rag Sandy dragged back to the house.”
His eyes spread wide. “This could be your uncle’s secret stash.” He reached for the pry bar.
Miranda blocked him with an arm. “No, this is mine to open. It’s on my property and it’s my right to find out what he hid in here.”
Austin stepped back and executed a princely bow. “Yes, your highness. Pry away.”
Miranda laughed with all her heart. “Yes, that did sound officious. Sorry.”
Then she stopped to look back at Austin. “I think that’s the first genuine laugh I’ve had this whole week. Thanks for sticking with me through this.” She looked at Austin with gratitude. There was great value in a man who could make you laugh.
She turned back to the bench and wedged the pry bar under the latch again. Pressing her full weight on the bar, she heard a sharp crack and the latch flew open and the box tipped over in a cloud of rusty debris. “Wow, that was really stuck.”
Miranda picked up the box and sat it upright. She looked at Austin holding Sandy and crossed the fingers of both hands. “Here’s wishing for good luck.” She closed her eyes and imagined a future here in this lovely farmhouse, with a distillery in one half of the barn and a teaching studio for painting in the other half.
She opened her eyes and peered into the box. There was a carefully folded calico remnant at the top. She lifted that out and found small, one-inch-thick parcels wrapped in yellowed copies of the Wolfe County News.
Her excitement spread to Sandy, who wriggled out of Austin’s arm to hop onto the top of the workbench. He instantly stuck his nose in the box then sneezed so hard he rolled over. Miranda caught him before he fell off the bench.
“Hang on, Sandy.” She put him down on the floor. “We’ll know in a second if this box saves the farmhouse.” She lifted out the first package, which appeared to be the newest. It was wrapped in volume 73, number 9, dated Friday, November 23, 2018. “This is only a couple of years old.”
Unwrapping the parcel revealed a stack of bills precisely sorted in denominations of tens and twenties. Miranda looked over to Austin. With trembling hands, she counted the stack. It came to two thousand dollars. She held her breath as she counted the number of parcels in the box. There were twenty-five parcels. Each parcel was wrapped in a newspaper of a different year.
“This is it! Sandy found his stash. He must have been saving some of his moonshine money every season.”
Then she noticed a faded red envelope underneath the money parcels. She held her breath and opened it. The frayed half-sheet of notebook paper listed the complete ingredients for her uncle’s famous moonshine. The secret ingredient was there.
She grabbed Austin in a dancing embrace and they spun together in the open section of the barn. After a few swirling moments, Miranda collected herself and dropped her arms. “Oh, sorry, Austin. I didn’t mean to bowl you over. I’m so relieved.”
“Since you found his stash, I’m assuming you’ll be staying around to keep your business running?”
Miranda smiled. “Oh yes! Paint & Shine is here to stay.”
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Miranda Dorothy Trent Protagonist
Sandy Miranda’s male puppy
Doris Ann Morris Receptionist
Gene Buchanan Miranda’s late uncle, Mom’s bachelor brother
Tyler Morgan Austin’s sister
Jerry Rose Handyman
Joe Creech Customer from Sydney
Laura Hoffman Bride client
Brian Hoffman Groom client
Kelly Davis NYC client
Linda Sanders NYC client
Shefton Adams Local client
Austin Morgan Local forest ranger
Mrs. Naomi Childers Principal cook
Mrs. Viola Hobb Assistant cook
Dan Keystone Distillery owner
Gary Spenser Wolfe County deputy
Roy and Elsie Kash Miranda’s neighbors
Sheriff Richard J. Larson Wolfe County sheriff
Felicia Larson Coroner
Detective Otis E. Peterson Lexington Police detective
Officer Young Lexington Police officer
Iris Hobb Older granddaughter of cook
Lily Hobb Younger granddaughter of cook
Recipes for Moonshine Cocktails
Very few package stores outside of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio carry Ale-8-One, but you can substitute Mountain Dew. The cocktail will be a little sweeter, but still delicious.
Paired with Fried Green Tomatoes Ale & Shine
1-½ oz. clear unflavored moonshine
Ale-8-One Soda or Mountain Dew
Squares of candied ginger
Lemon twist
Fill an 8 oz. mason jar halfway up with ice.
Pour moonshine over ice.
Top up with Ale-8-One and stir.
Garnish with a piece of candied ginger and a lemon twist.
Paired with Venison Stew Cranberry & Sparkle
½ tsp. cranberry sauce (either homemade or jar)
Sparkling water
1-½ oz. clear unflavored moonshine
Unsweetened cranberry juice
Fresh sprig of rosemary
Place the cranberry sauce in the bottom of an 8 oz. mason jar.
Add 2 oz. sparkling water and mix with the jam.
Fill the jar halfway up with ice.
Pour moonshine over ice.
Top up with cranberry juice and stir.
Garnish with fresh sprig of rosemary.
Paired with Dutch Apple Cobbler Apple & Shine
1 oz. Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine
½ oz. Grand Marnier
½ oz. Amaretto
Cola to taste
Orange slice
Maraschino cherry
Build the ingredients over ice in a highball glass and stir.
Garnish with an orange slice and a Maraschino cherry.
Cider & Shine
1-½ oz. clear unflavored moonshine
Apple cider to taste
Apple slice
Cinnamon stick
Pour moonshine over ice in a highball glass.
Top up with apple cider.
Garnish with a slice of apple and a cinnamon stick.
Recipes for Meals
Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes
These fry up super crispy with very little oil. You’ll love this healthy way to eat fried green tomatoes!
Course Appetizer
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Servings 4
2 green tomatoes, (3 if smaller)
Salt and pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup Panko crumbs
1 cup yellow cornmeal
Mister filled with olive oil or vegetable oil
Hot sauce (optional)
Cut tomatoes into ¼-inch slices. Pat dry with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper.
Place flour in a shallow dish or pie plate, or for easy clean-up use a paper plate.
Whisk together eggs and buttermilk in a shallow dish or bowl.
Combine Panko crumbs and cornmeal in a shallow dish or pie plate, or for easy clean-up use a paper plate.
Preheat air fryer to 400° F.
Coat the tomato slices in the flour, dip in egg mixture, and then press panko crumb mixture into both sides. Sprinkle with a little more salt.
Mist air fryer basket with oil and place 4 tomato slices in the basket. Mist the tops with oil. Air-fry for 5 minutes.
Flip tomatoes over, mist with oil, and air-fry 3 more minutes.
Serve with hot sauce if desired.
Venison Stew
Course Main
Prep Time 20 minutes
Slow Cooker Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours and 20 minutes
Servings 4
3 stalks celery, diced
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds venison stew meat
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried oregano to taste
Dried basil to taste
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup dry red wine
½ cup water
Place the celery, onion, garlic, and parsley in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the venison well in two batches and add to the slow cooker. Season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil.
Pour in the tomato sauce, red wine, and water. Cook on Low for 7 to 10 hours.
Classic Cornbread Sticks
Course Main
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 14
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
½ cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup whole buttermilk
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Softened butter, for serving
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Brush wells of two 7-stick cast-iron corn stick pans with melted butter. Place pans in oven to preheat for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, flour, sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, and pepper.
In a small bowl, stir up buttermilk, oil, and egg.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; stir in buttermilk mixture just until combined.
Carefully remove hot pans from oven. Sprinkle wells with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Divide batter among prepared wells.
Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from pan immediately. Serve with butter, if desired.
Dutch Apple Cobbler in Cast-Iron Skillet
Course Dessert
Hands-on Time 1 hour and 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour and 40 minutes
Servings 8
Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 8–10),
peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
To make the filling:
Heat the oven to 375° F. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and flour, and cook until sugars dissolve, about 5 minutes. Add apples and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples have slightly softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Sti
r in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and remove from the heat.
To make the topping:
In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix together the flour, 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, the baking powder, and the salt. Gradually pour in the heavy cream, and using the fork, to bring mixture together into a sticky dough. Scatter pieces of the dough over the top of the apple mixture in the skillet.
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Place the skillet on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips and bake until top is golden brown and both the filling and the topping are cooked through, about 40 minutes.
Serve warm, preferably with vanilla ice cream.
Peanut Butter Potato Pinwheels
Course: Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Refrigeration 2 hours
Total Time 2½ hours
Servings 4
¼ cup unseasoned mashed potatoes
2 Tbsp. milk or nondairy beverage
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
16 oz. pkg. confectioners’ sugar
2 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar for dusting
⅓ cup peanut butter, or to taste
Combine mashed potatoes, milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl. Reserving two tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar for later, stir confectioners’ sugar into potato mixture until a dough consistency is reached. Refrigerate dough until chilled, at least an hour.
Sprinkle reserved confectioners’ sugar on a cutting board or waxed paper. Roll dough into a large rectangle on prepared surface. Spread enough peanut butter on top layer of dough to cover. Roll up dough into a jelly roll shape; refrigerate roll for another hour. Slice dough into pinwheels to serve. They taste even better the next day after refrigeration overnight.