How to Cook Up a Disaster: DIY Dating, #1

By Rachel Elizabeth Cole

Sadie Dawson's mother goes into labor hours before her great-grandfather's 100th birthday party and Mom refuses to cancel the festivities. Now it's up to domestically-challenged Sadie to host the dinner party--only she hasn't a clue how to cook a turkey.

This could be the mother of all culinary disasters, but with the help of her two best friends, Sadie is determined to pull off the best dinner party in a hundred years. And maybe land Mr. Right, too.
       
How to Cook Up A Disaster is a breezy chick lit novelette which should also appeal to romantic comedy fans.

The DIY Dating Series:
Book One: How to Cook Up a Disaster
Book Two: How to Knit a Tangled Mess
Book Three: How to Wallpaper a Catastrophe (coming 2015)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tangled Oak Press
• Release date: Oct 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781498987042

Rachel Elizabeth Cole

Rachel Elizabeth Cole is a novelist and short story writer whose work has appeared, among other places, in Cahoots, Literary Mama, Gator Springs Gazette, and Flashquake. Even though she hates the rain, she lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, their two sons, and two very spoiled house rabbits.

Book preview

1

If I’d known what was in store for me that day, I would have convinced Mom to order take-out, locked the cat on the porch and never, ever allowed my father in the same room as my Aunt Ginny. But, being the dutiful daughter I was, I took the UVic bus to Mom’s place that morning, prepared to bake and roast and decorate and otherwise make Grampy Joe’s one-hundredth birthday party the best it could be.

Mom greeted me at the door, her blonde hair pinned back in a youthful hairstyle that actually seemed to make her look older, her beach-ball-sized belly poking out from under the words ‘Kiss the Cook’ emblazoned on the front of her apron.

Hi, sweetie, she said and planted a token kiss on my cheek.

How’s the baby? I asked, trying to keep my tone light. The baby had been a sore spot between my mother and me since she’d announced she was pregnant just shortly after her forty-fourth birthday, claiming with a laugh that if my brothers and I weren’t going to come through with the grandchildren, this was the next best thing. That’s right. Who needs grandchildren when you can simply divorce your husband of twenty-one years, marry a guy ten years younger, and start a whole new family? I pasted what I hoped was a convincing smile on my face.

Fine, fine. She patted her belly and smiled. She’s been boxing with my insides these last few days. I think she wants out, but she’s got to wait another two weeks.

Mom was determined the baby was a she, even though she refused to let the technician verify the sex at any of her three ultrasounds.

I unwound my scarf from my neck. So where’s this cake I’m supposed to ice?

Mom flashed me a smile that was part sympathy, part malicious grin, and led me into the kitchen. The countertops were already cluttered with dirty pots, assorted utensils, mixing bowls, turkey-stuffing ingredients and four empty boxes of cake mix. A huge slab of white cake was lying benignly on the table in the adjoining nook, looking quite naked without its icing.

There you go, Mom said and stuck a huge mixing bowl full of butter icing under my nose. Have at it.

––––––––

An hour and a half later, my back was aching, my hands were sore, I had more icing on my clothes and in my hair than on the cake, and I still wasn’t finished. Just getting the icing smooth had taken forever. Piping the scalloped border around the top had taken even longer. By the time I’d got to the inscription, my hands were shaking so badly, I’d ended up writing something that looked more like ‘Hoppy 100th Barfday Grumpy Joe.’ I’d added a few squiggles and curlicues, in the hopes of salvaging it, but who was I kidding? A preschooler with finger paints could’ve done better.

Almost done? Mom removed a pile of baking sheets and roasting pans from the oven, then turned the dial to set the temperature.

Hardly. I rolled my eyes. You don’t suppose the fire alarm will go off when all these candles are lit, do you? I’d lost count at 57, but kept right on stabbing gold-and-white birthday candles in a neat row around the top of the cake.

With our luck, I wouldn’t be the least—oh! Mom clutched at her stomach.

What? What’s wrong? I asked, fearing she’d burnt herself or worse—though I didn’t want to

Reviews for How to Cook Up a Disaster

[mnm123_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved this short story. We have all had that moment when we cook for our first dinner party and everything goes wrong. I loved the added romance amidst the hilarity.

[missy1229 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A quick fun read!

[jk6113 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While "How to Cook Up a Disaster" was a cute book, the plot was lacking and the story was a little stunted. It seems that there is a lot of back story and character development that either happens in another book, or in the author's mind.The story itself is a cute little romance involving a terrible chef and a crazy family. I would love to know what happens next to Sadie, especially given the cliff-hanger the book ends on!

[booklover3258 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this ebook for free from Member's Giveaway. I thought it was a cute tiny novelette. The premise is a woman who cannot cook to save her life must learn how to cook really fast for her family's party when her mom becomes unable to attend to the kitchen. It's funny, cute and definitely a sweet ending. Hopefully, I'll be able to read more of this series in the future.

[missy1129 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good beach read and can easily be finished in one sitting.

[kirathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When her mom goes into labor the day of her great-grandpa's 100 th birthday, Sadie finds herself trying to cook all the food for his party. Small problem, neither Saie or her two friends know how to cook turkey or anything else for that matter. Will the party be a disaster or will the trio pull it off?This book is absolutely hilarious. The characters are funny and likable. The plot is entertaining and well-done. My only complaint was it was over. A must-read for anyone.

[jaiw-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This short story would appeal more to young adults who are just learning to cook or those wanting to remember their early disasters. A lively, funny, quick read.

[lkernagh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I tend to like the occasional chicklit read and this one was no exception. Fun, slightly sassy and with a bit of a YA flair to it, I read the story from start to finish over the course of one hour and had a few giggles and chuckles along the way. Stories that involve a gathering of family members are the perfect backdrop for an author to have fun with plots and characters. Cole pulls off the 'derailing event' concept in an entertaining way that had me looking forward to finding out just what else could go wrong, or if it could be salvaged. If you like a light, breezy chicklit story, this DIY Dating Book 1 story may appeal to you.

[georgiann-4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fantastic cute novella with a complete story line. Poor Sadie when her Mother goes into labor on Thanksgiving it's up to Sadie to take over in the kitchen to help prepare for her Great Grand Father's milestone birthday. There is plenty of adventure .Sadie Dawson is not a cook, but she is learning fast. And of course anything that can go wrong goes wrong The characters are like able and funny.I could not stop reading till the very end . Laugh out loud funny at times. I highly recommend if you like your romance stories with a bit of laughter

[sportzmomof5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.This was a fun, quick read. It is one day in Sadies life, but it is filled with hysterical moments. The characters were relatable and likable. The storyline was well developed. The only downfall is I wanted more! Guess I will have to wait for boom 2.

[lewislibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very fast paced and full of excitement. Enjoyed the humor and the storyline.

[lindamobile · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a short fun book full of disasters and humour. For me its all a bit slapstick.I received this book in exchange for a review.

[sherrypg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I won this book through LibraryThing.How to Cook up a Disaster was a cute, quick read. Sadie gets thrusts into the position of cook for her granddad's 100th birthday party when her mom goes into labor. But Sadie can't cook.

[terriko_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Sadie's mom goes into labour, she leaves Sadie in charge of her grandfather's 100th birthday party... with hilariously disastrous results. The premise of this one will be pretty familiar to any Canadian who's heard the Vinyl Cafe holiday stories (starting with "Dave Cooks the Turkey"), but it's still fun even if it's familiar. Short, sweet, and fun!

[kiramoody · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When her mom goes into labor the day of her great-grandpa's 100 th birthday, Sadie finds herself trying to cook all the food for his party. Small problem, neither Saie or her two friends know how to cook turkey or anything else for that matter. Will the party be a disaster or will the trio pull it off?This book is absolutely hilarious. The characters are funny and likable. The plot is entertaining and well-done. My only complaint was it was over. A must-read for anyone.

[belletaylor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very enjoyable quick read. Sometimes you need those in between heavier lengthy books. I found this story quite funny and was rooting for Sadie and her misadventures.

[carmenmaranda · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a short story full of funny incidents revolving around cooking a turkey. Well done. I was not able to work out how old Sadie was as she seems very very young.

[amyjobrenner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very easy read. This was a cute short story. The characters and story could have been taken much further. I found myself disappointed that it was so short. Enjoyable read!

[aeisen_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a complete comedy of errors. I thought it was a cute short story. It was easily read in an hour.

[noeliielights · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a good recipe !You mix a little bit of romance, family troubles and a teenager trying to cook and you end up with this amazing short story !This is efficient and can be read quickly if you are in need of a good story to cheer you up or entertain you. We definetly get attached to the characters, all of them, and even want to know more after we finish the story. I liked that it depicted situations that we find in our actual society as well as the light humour that can be find sometimes. The story is refreshing, funny and super optimistic ! It is even surprising sometimes. I wouldn't have mind more chapters !Loved it and will recommend it for sure.

[rtb_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed by: JoAnneBook provided by: book was won in a contest at LibraryThing for reviewReview originally posted at Romancing the BookThis was a cute novella that had an actual complete storyline along with lots of action all packed into one day – Thanksgiving. There were adventures and misadventures throughout and poor Sadie was involved in it all from beginning to end in all 43 pages. There was a different premise to the story than I expected and there was too much family, most of whom were not too likable, and some friends involved too. Grampy was a hoot.There was sweet closure on two fronts but there was so much more story to tell and I felt it ended abruptly so much so that I didn’t realize I reached the end on my ereader until I turned the page and reached the “About the Author” page.I would give other books by Cole a try hoping for a little better closure and a book at least somewhat longer.

[jurai2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Are you someone who recently moved out on your own? What about someone who has had to entertain guests and then burnt the food or forgot to get drinks? This novella will have you alternatively laughing and cringing as one disaster after another follows Sadie. The ending was sweet, and though I knew she’d end up with the guy, the way it happens is surprising. I think this short story would make an excellent couple scenes of a movie and that the author should consider expanding it into a screenplay or full-length novel.I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[kmt01_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this free to read and review from Library Thing. This is a well written novella about a young woman left to prepare the family dinner for her grandfather’s milestone birthday when her mother goes into labor almost as soon as she arrives on the scene to help her. Sadie Dawson is not a cook, not by a long stretch, but she is learning fast how to cook. She is also taking the normal precautions of a young single girl to keep her eyes open for “the man”, who appears in the form of the great looking firefighter who arrives to take her mother to the hospital. Still, the reader is left wondering whether these two will ever get together as the plot unfolds. One thing is certain. Sadie has a very dysfunctional family, who arrive for the birthday dinner and go through a series of crazy antics from spiking and drinking spiked punch to a lip lock between Sadie’s divorced father and his once upon a time girlfriend, Sadie’s mother’s sister. This book was delightful, if a bit trite in the plot area. The author has interjected a lot of things in a rather short novella quite successfully. I hope she aspires to writing something longer, as I would love to read what she could do with a full length storyline.