Annie, after washing up, wanted to do something nice for dinner for the adventurers. She went to the wagon and rummaged through their provisions. She saw a can of mushroom soup, and she set it to the side.

The rice chef was sure that, if given the chance, the adventurers would just eat the can of soup. Young people these days had no appreciation for a well-cooked home-made meal. Or camp made, in their case.

She saw some onions and the rice sack, and she placed them next to the soup can. Then, Annie saw some cheddar cheese, and she grinned. Yes, a pleasant, creamy soup would do nicely.

Then, she saw the celery, and she took that, too. The gears in her mind began to turn. What if it was not a soup, but, rather, a casserole? But, for a casserole, she needed something more. Maybe, broccoli?

Annie found a sack with broccoli in the back of the provision sack, labeled horse feed. She gave out a chuckle. Young people these days. She could bet a month of washing duty that it had been Lucita who wrote it. She was quite mischievous. 

Then, Annie took the salt and pepper jars and the oil bottle. Placing everything in a bag, so she could carry it easier, she placed the spare lightweight tool inside and carried everything to the camping site.

When she came with the bag, everyone stared at her.

“Granny, what is all this?” Asked Krisina, eyeing the bag.

“I will be making dinner. You all deserve something warm in your bellies,” Annie began taking out the ingredients, and she watched as the adventurers began to set the pot over the fire.

“Fewer logs, we don’t want the rice to burn,” commanded Annie and some logs were taken out as she placed some oil in the pot and measured 3 cups worth of rice.

Then, she got down to frying the rice while Krisina and Lucita went down to the river to wash the celery and the broccoli. Annie spared Zachary, Timothy and Nyle a glance. They were standing to the side awkwardly, looking at the pot.

“What are you doing, just staying there? Clean the onions!” The three men took an onion each and a knife and got to work. After they cleaned their onions, they pilled them before Nyle, who chopped them in small cubes.

“Good, good. Now, give them here. The rice needs to get the scent of the onions,” Nyle carefully picked up the cutting board he had used and carried it over to the pot. Then, he dumped the onions inside.

Annie hummed, and the three went to the river to wash before dinner. But, Annie needed to boil the broccoli and then turn them into a purée. For that, she needed another fire and a different pot.

Or, she could just take the rice off the fire once it was done. Yes, that is what she did, with mitten clad hands, having activated the Rice Master to make the rice be done faster and to help it get enriched with mana.

The girls came with the celery and the broccoli, and Annie chopped them. But, she didn’t mix them. The celery had to remain chopped and not become a purée.

“Krisina, dear, bring me another pot for the broccoli, please,” Krisina went to the wagon, and she brought back a pot with a cover. Annie hummed. Yes, this was precisely what she required.

Annie placed some water in the pot and dumped the broccoli inside. Then, she removed more logs from the fire so that it was shimmering. Now, normally, Annie couldn’t cook something if there was no rice in the pot or pan, but this was just boiling. There was no trick to it and, since there was water involved, the broccoli was unable to get burned.

That also meant that Annie had to wait for the broccoli to be done the old-fashioned way. As she waited, Annie looked at the river. She wondered if it was as rich in fish in this part of it as it was around Ulssin. Maybe she could make rice with fish for dinner tomorrow, if the adventurers caught something.

The pot bubbled merrily and Annie turned to look at it. She grabbed a fork, removed the lid, and speared one of the broccoli. It fell apart around the fork. Perfect.

Annie took the pot off the fire, and she drained the water from it, and then handed it to Lucita.

“Mash the broccoli with a spoon, dear. Nice and gentle,” Lucita nodded, her eyes twinkling. She grabbed a spoon and began to press it on the vegetables. Annie nodded in approval, and she placed the rice back on the fire. Placing the celery inside, she stirred until everything was mixed well, and then she took the mushroom soup can, and she poured it inside.

The smell of mushrooms filled the air and Annie grinned. But, she had forgotten something important! The sour cream!

“Krisina, do we have some sour cream?” Asked Annie. Surely, she had just missed it?

“No, sorry, granny. We didn’t think we will need it. We have regular cream, though. For our coffee,” Annie nodded. Regular cream had sugar in it, so, it wouldn’t work.

“Well, I suppose we can cook without cream, then,” the casserole wouldn’t taste the same, but, Annie was sure, it would be just as tasty. “Lucita, are you done with the broccoli?”

“Here, granny,” Lucita handed the pot with the mashed broccoli and Annie added that to the rice. Then, she took the cheese and ground it over the pot with the rice. She ground half of it, leaving the other half for tomorrow.

Stirring, Annie took in the scent of the food. She could smell the mushrooms the best, followed by the cheese. The cheese was melting nicely, making threads of itself on the ladle as Annie stirred.

The men came back from the river, with clean bowls and cutlery, and they, as well as the two women, sat down to wait, their mouths watering. Annie took the pot off the fire, and she filled each bowl.

 She had made enough for just six servings, which was enough for everyone, but not enough for extra servings. Then again, she doubted that anyone would still be hungry after a bowl of such rich food.