"Whoever got it from Richie's space cow deserves a medal," she chuckled. "Probably Cobb, honestly, he's all about the ranching."

As she measures out the sugar, salt, and flour, dividing the latter into two small bowls, Clarice hums thoughtfully. "A few people taught me, really. My mom taught me first, growing up. Lots of traditional stuff: stuffed peppers, apple cake, shepherd's pie, fried chicken. Rib-sticking food, you know? But when I moved in with my friend Ardelia, she taught me some Southern cooking. I didn't really learn how to improvise, how to really cook in general, though, till I started living with my beau. He taught me the science of it, why certain things have to be prepared certain ways to taste good, and how to make it happen."