Ivy's First Lessons

Ivy got to Ktara's place right on time. Well look at you, said Ktara. Perfect timing. Ya well I almost had to cancel because the new Fantasy Forest was breaking down but Pippa got all the pixies to help fix it and now it is called The Fantasy Pixie Forest, said Ivy. Really there is a new forest, where? asked Ktara. Just west of here, not far, said Ivy, Viridian knows where it is. So that means pixies live there now? asked Ktara. Yep most of them, said Ivy. Wow, that is a lot from what I was told, said Ktara. Yep and it is public so anyone can enter and have fun. It looks amazing too, said Ivy. I bet it does, said Ktara. Now are you ready to get started. Yep, said Ivy. Okay first I have to show you how the stove works, said Ktara. Okay, said Ivy. Ktara opened the lower door of the stove where the wood was put. Now the stove is empty now. So we have to get it going with fresh wood first, said Ktara. First we put in some paper then some kindling on top of it but lightly, said Ktara. Okay, makes sense so far said Ivy. Then we put a couple of small pieces of wood on top of the kindling, said Ktara. Then we light it with a match or a candle. Be easier if Phonixa was here, said Ivy. Ktara smiled, well she is not here so we have to do it. Now come over here and help me. It will light faster if we both light one side of the paper at the same time. Um okay, said Ivy. Ktara gave Ivy a match. Okay now what? asked Ivy. I will show you, said Ktara. Watch me. She struck the head of the match on the metal side of the stove and it lit. Wow, that is like magic, said Ivy. Ya sorta. But really it is science, said Ktara. Now you do the same. Ivy tried to light the match but it didn't light. She tried again but the match broke. Oops, I did something wrong, said Ivy. Ktara had to blow her match out so it wouldn't burn her. Okay lets try again. That happens sometimes, said Ktara. She handed Ivy another match. Now this time don't push so hard. Just touch the tip of the match to the stove then move it down slowly. Okay, said Ivy. Lets do it together, said Ktara. They both struck the match on the stove and this time they both had lit matches. Ivy was looking at hers but couldn't get her hand to stop shaking. Relax Ivy. You are in charge of the match, said Ktara. Okay, I am in charge, said Ivy a couple of times. Now reach in the stove and light that piece of paper on your side and I will do the same on my side. Okay, said Ivy. They both reached in and lit the paper. Now blow out the match and throw it in with the rest of the wood, said Ktara. Ivy did that and looked really happy about what she just did. Good, said Ktara. Not that wasn't hard at all was it. Nope pretty easy once I stopped shaking, said Ivy. Ktara smiled. Now lets just watch it for a minute and make sure the wood catches on fire. Okay, said Ivy. Soon the wood was burning and Ktara told Ivy to throw in a bigger piece. Okay here is a good one and she threw it in. Good now we close the door and that part is done, said Ktara. Really that is it, said Ivy. Yes, the heat from the fire will rise up and allow us to cook on top of the stove, said Ktara. But it takes a bit for the stove to get hot enough then we will put in another piece of wood to keep the fire going.

Now I talked to Viridian this morning and she said that you liked spaghetti so that is what we are going to make today and enough for all four of us to eat. Yum, I love spaghetti, said Ivy. Now first we have to make the tomato sauce. That is fairly easy to do. Okay Ktara, you make the best sauces, said Ivy. Now I have six big ripe tomatoes under the counter there so take them out and put them on the cutting board then grab a sharp knife. Have you used a knife before asked Ktara. Only a little one to butter bread mostly, said Ivy. Okay I will show you the proper way to use a very sharp cutting knife, said Ktara. She showed Ivy how to hold the knife then cut the first tomato into cubes. Now do you think you can do that with out cutting your self? asked Ktara, Yep I hope so, said Ivy. She took the knife and started cutting the next tomato just like Ktara did. There, I did it, said Ivy and no fairy needed to heal me, said Ivy with a smile. Ktara smiled also. Okay then do the same with the other four tomatoes. Ivy cut all the tomatoes with out an accident then put the diced tomatoes in the pot with the other ones. Good said Ktara, Now we put the pot on the stove to cook the tomatoes. Next we cut the green onions, the red bell pepper and mushrooms into small pieces and add them to the cooking tomatoes. I will cut the veggies while you do the next step. What is that? asked Ivy. In the cooler part of the ice box is a thawed one pound package of ground beef. Take it out and unwrap it then put it into this smaller pot on the stove and mush it up real good then stir it until all the meat has turned brown. Ivy did as Ktara said exactly and now she looked like she was having fun. I am cooking, said Ivy and it is fun, just like Jessica said. Yep, sure is, said Ktara and not really that hard to do. Okay all the meat is brown now, said Ivy. Okay take this big spoon with the holes in it and scoop out all the meat letting the grease drip off then add it to the tomato sauce then add some salt and pepper to the sauce, said Ktara. Again Ivy did exactly as Ktara said and got all the meat drained and in the pot with the tomatoes. Now the pot that had the meat in it goes into the sink to be washed later. Just rinse it out a bit first. Then go back to the stove and start stirring the sauce. You are now in charge of it, said Ktara. Oh like the match, said Ivy. Ya sort of but this is going to be better tasting, said Ktara. Ktara finished cutting up all the veggies then added them to the tomato sauce that Ivy was stirring. Now I add three table spoons of ground parmesan cheese to the sauce and then you mix it all in good, said Ktara.

 Now we have to cook the pasta, said Ktara. I have seen Viridian do that said Ivy, She gets the water boiling first then adds the pasta in the bubbling water. I just stand by the sink where there is water in case the fire jumps out and tries to burn her. What do you mean it jumps out? asked Ktara. You know like how fire can jump from one tree to another, said Ivy. So you have seen a forest fire before? asked Ktara. Yep, a long time ago. All the sprites and pixies worked together to put out but is was really scary. Well a stove is made so that fire can't do that, said Ktara. You never know, fire can be pretty smart you know. Fire is not smart or alive, said Ktara. Just because it doesn't have a body doesn't mean it isn't alive, said Ivy. Fire is energy and where there is energy there is life, just a different kind of life, said Ivy. So that is why you are scared of fire, said Ktara. Not scared anymore just careful, fire's main thing in life to do is to spread and get bigger. Have you ever seen a forest fire? No I haven't, said Ktara. You are lucky, then you would see how smart fire can be, said Ivy. Yes I am beginning to understand that now, said Ktara. Okay lets continue, you can slow down stirring the sauce now and put it on this heater that is not as hot as the one that it is on now. Then we fill this big pot half way with water, add some salt then place it on the hot heater. Put in about a table spoon of butter and mix it in the hot water. Then put the lid on the pot and wait for it to boil. Just mix the sauce every ounce and a while. I will clean off the counter and the cutting board, said Ktara.

Ktara started cleaning everything in the sink then noticed the water was boiling. Okay now we add the pasta, said Ktara. Now this package has a pound of long spaghetti in it so that is perfect for all of us. Just dump it in and stir it around with this long fork until it is all under the water. Ivy dumped in the pasta and stirred it up. Now we leave the lid off and just stir the sauce and the pasta every once and a while making sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the two pots. Okay, said Ivy. We are almost done now right? Yes we are, Are you getting hungry? asked Ktara. You bet and it all smells great, said Ivy. Once the pasta had cooked nicely Ktara got Ivy to strain the pasta in the colander. Now I always put some sauce in the bottom of the big pot then add the pasta on top of it and mix it until all that sauce has covered all the pasta. Okay, said Ivy and did that then added the pasta and mixed it up real good. Okay that is it, said Ktara. We are all done. Okay great, said Ivy. I bet they will think that I ruined everything at home. Maybe but I am a good teacher so I think they will be expecting some thing good from you, said Ktara. Ktara took a fork out and spun it around in the pasta then dipped it in some sauce. Here you tell me how it tastes, said Ktara and handed the fork to Ivy. Wow, it tastes perfect, I am a good cook, said Ivy. Well you can cook spaghetti now, tomorrow we will try something a bit harder, said Ktara. Ivy grabbed the pot of pasta and Ktara took the pot of sauce then headed over to Ivy's place.