301: Perfecting recipes

Source.

    “Open these and put them in the mixing bowl, please.” I hand Crystal a package of cream cheese and wedge of Brie. I’m nervous about perfecting my recipes for prime time at the bakery and want to debut the porcini-and-Brie cheesecake at the party on the last day of my pastry class.
    “I don’t feel like baking,” Crystal tosses the cheese on the counter. She licks her forefinger, dunks it into the open canister of sugar, then sucks noisily on it.
    “Crystal!” I grab her hands and push them under the faucet. “First thing, wash your hands. Here’s the deal: If you want to spend more time with me, you’ve got to help. I’m not forcing you; I’m giving you the option. Either we limit our visits to Sundays or we work together during the week. I’m going to pay you.”
    “How much?”
    “Eight dollars an hour.”
    Crystal’s eyebrows shoot up. “That’s pretty good.”

. . .

    “That dorky actor guy?” Crystal says, peeling away the papery skin of an onion, then cutting into it. “Is he, like, your real boyfriend now?”
    I shrug and get to work crumbling sesame crackers into a bowl for the cheesecake crust.
    “Do you think Ethan would want you to have a boyfriend?” Her eyes tear up from the onion. She wipes them with the backs of her hands, then pauses, considering her own question. “I think he would want you to.”

Here's the list of words and phrases from Lolly Winston's Good Grief we looked at this week. Use twelve of them in your own sentences or stories:

Source.

mixing bowl
cream cheese
perfect (v)
prime time
debut (as verb)
feel like
here’s the deal
force (someone/something)
limit … to
[minimum wage]
flip the mixer to the…
    setting
glob
double over
come on!
turn down
raise one’s voice
tap, faucet
signature item
make a note
shrug
get to work
tear up
backs of one’s hands
deliberately
ease (v)
single-serving size
relieved
soap opera
raise an eyebrow
arched
doubtfully