There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

That expression is amazing!

"No, no, I mean, you'll be in charge of looking after this batch of spare ingredients, radishes."

Horse meat isn't very tasty, even though it's tender, low in fat, and has a unique savory flavor and rich nutritional value. It's also said to help restore liver function, prevent anemia, and promote blood circulation. But as a seasoned animal rights activist, how could I possibly...

Ouch... why am I drooling?

Besides, if we're talking about delicious food, then it has to be chicken stew with mushrooms!

I looked at the bewildered chicks and found them huddled in Poppy's hair, trembling.

What are you afraid of?

If you don't like braised chicken with mushrooms, I also have cola chicken wings, shredded chicken, poached chicken, salt-baked chicken, braised chicken legs, teriyaki chicken cutlets, and other recipes. All kinds of cooking methods are available!

"Marcus, what are you doing?" Karen was probably the most confused person there, since she had talked to me in a completely nonsensical way that day and had no idea why I had asked her to come.

That's a very good question!

I untied the cloth tied to my sleeve and imagined a giant dragon radiating golden light soaring into the sky, asking them what they wished for... Pshaw, I asked them if they recognized my esteemed status as a top-tier chef!

"I am Liu Angxing, the head chef of Juxialou Restaurant and the youngest master chef in history... My friend is known as 'Two cleavers to suppress bandits and one steel rod to shake the world,' and my code name is: Master Ma with the Steel Rod!"

"Master Ma, the bachelor?" the three girls asked, tilting their heads in unison.

"It's steel! 'Single' sounds awful! Whose nickname would reveal their relationship status?!"

"A bachelor steel master?" The three girls tilted their heads again.

"Master Kong only makes instant noodles, okay?! There are five people here, do I have to order five packs?!" The more I listened, the more uneasy I felt. "Forget it, forget it, I'll stick with the code name Li Xiaoyao... Although I have a bad feeling about this code name, it might just mean I end up as a jinx..."

Early this morning, after I arrived, Boss Dart left the tavern to spread the word about the canteen's opening. Hopefully, he can finish his task soon and get everyone to come over; otherwise, waiting around aimlessly like this isn't a solution.

I tapped the heads on the table. "By the way, why isn't Ellie here? Did she forget?"

Karen answered me first: "I ran into Ellie when I went out this morning. She said she forgot something and had to go home. She'll be here later... Hey, Ellie, you're here!"

I turned my head and sure enough, I saw Ellie arrive late, carrying a bunch of things in her hands.

"Ellie, why are you..." Before I could finish speaking, I saw her attire, and my words turned into: "...Why are you wearing Pinru's clothes?"

Chapter 255 Pinru's Home

Upon closer inspection, I realized that Ellie was indeed wearing clothes completely different from usual. Her outfit seemed to be based on medieval European maid outfits, with functionality as the main requirement. The style was very simple and plain, consisting of a white apron decorated with ruffles and a plain white dress with a white collar.

However, she did not wear a maid's headscarf, and her only decorations were the ruffles on her apron and the bow made by the apron ties tied at the back.

However, I noticed that she had tied a ribbon into a bow at the neckline for the sake of the appearance of her clothes.

Ellie brought a lot of clothes with her, which were tied into a bag and placed on the table, making it look quite heavy.

...Did you empty Pinru's wardrobe? Or did you come directly from Pinru's home?

"Why are there so many clothes?"

“Marcus, when Grandma heard that we were going to work at the restaurant, she took out some maid outfits she had made before and modified them overnight so that everyone could wear the same clothes.”

Ellie smiled as she handed the clothes to the other girls: "Grandma said that back in her big city, all the restaurants she saw were like this!"

The mention of big cities finally caught the attention of several girls, who eagerly picked up their clothes and ran upstairs to change.

"Thank you so much, Ellie! It's so kind of your grandma to go through all this trouble!"

I said gratefully to Ellie, "It was just an activity I did on a whim, yet you've taken it so seriously. You haven't eaten yet, have you? There's no one else here, so I'll make you something to eat!"

Since I'm going to be a chef, I'm going to show off my skills.

As I walked towards the kitchen, I said to Ellie, "Next time, we can suggest to Grandma that we could include elements like cat ears and 'absolute territory' (the area between the upper and lower body areas)..."

"???" Ellie was confused.

Never mind, it's a small matter. Maid outfits aren't something you can wear as little as possible.

What really matters are attributes!

For example, having long, straight black hair, being taciturn, having strange verbal tics, being able to throw a knife at will, catching fairies and putting them in bottles, brewing poisoned tea for her master according to her own opinion, and being skilled in using the ability to stop time—these can all make her a very qualified maid!

Ellie listened to my explanation with a puzzled look on her face, her eyes filled with countless question marks. Before she knew it, she found herself walking into the kitchen, where I was already rummaging through the ingredients.

"No need to go to so much trouble, just make something simple." Ellie herself is also responsible for cooking for the family, taking care of the food for the three of them. She is no stranger to the kitchen, so she could tell at a glance that the kitchen was short of ingredients.

Apart from two rows filled with washed radishes, there were no other decent ingredients to be seen on the kitchen shelves. On the other side of the window, there was a ham drying, but it was so salty and dry that it didn't look like it could be eaten as a meal.

“There’s been a shortage of food in town lately, and we haven’t been able to buy anything decent for a long time,” Ellie said. “It’s wonderful that you’re willing to run this communal dining hall and prepare food for everyone!”

I smiled nonchalantly: "It's all as it should be. I originally wanted to make Mapo Tofu, Eight Treasures Noodles, Five-Spice Roasted Gluten, Stir-fried Lotus Seeds with Camel Hump, Shepherd's Purse and Dried Scallop Soup, and Silver Lake Snow Frog for you to try, but we really don't have enough ingredients here... Back in the day, when I ran the Immortal Sword Inn, I relied on these few dishes to defeat all the challengers and become invincible..."

I rummaged through the food shelf and finally took out two radishes. "I'll just make a simple dish. You can go out first, so you don't get choked by the fumes!"

Ellie smiled and nodded, then lifted the curtain and walked out of the kitchen, where she found the other girls already dressed and sitting in the lobby.

The same clothes, worn by these different people, give off completely different vibes.

Lin was dressed neatly in her maid outfit, with the sleeves and collar folded perfectly. Only her sleeves were rolled up high, revealing her smooth arms. She held a broom in both hands, looking every bit the dutiful and responsible maid.

"Ellie! What are you doing in there?" Lynn greeted Ellie warmly as soon as she saw her come out. Although they lived in the same town, they didn't see each other every day, so every time they met, it was a grand gathering.

Ellie lifted the hem of her skirt and sat down next to her: "Marcus said he'll cook for us!"

"Hmph, at least he has some conscience. If it doesn't taste good, I'll make him pay double the labor fee!" Karen said, her eyes fixed on the kitchen.

She was tall and slender, and the standard-sized knee-length skirt only reached above her knees, thus revealing her long, shapely legs. She had removed all the individual decorations from her maid outfit, leaving only a plain-colored apron, and her expression was extremely haughty and aloof, like a young lady on a secret incognito visit to experience life.

If I hadn't seen her act crazy when she was drunk, I would definitely have been fooled by her.

"Karen, I think Marcus is definitely very confident! What do you guys think?"

Popli lowered her head and spoke to the chicks in her arms, which elicited a series of confused chirps from the two chicks.

Her usual style leans towards this, so when Popuri put on the maid outfit, she looked like a newly appointed maid, her face beaming with excitement. The hair accessories she brought herself added a vibrant touch to her pink hair, making her look exceptionally adorable.

“I’ve eaten Marcus’s cooking!” Lin immediately raised her hand in agreement. “I remember Dad cried the day he ate it! It must have been really delicious!”

“My dad cried while eating my food and said it was delicious… Looks like Marcus does have some skills after all…” Karen muttered to herself, but Ellie happened to hear her.

Ellie remembered that day: Boss Jeff, clutching his stomach, staggered over, his face ashen, until he reached the hospital. Dr. Dort diagnosed him with cyanide poisoning from excessive levels, and only a gastric lavage saved his life…

Sheriff Harris came to investigate that day, believing there had been a malicious poisoning incident in town and wanting to open a case. Fortunately, Jeff, the owner, eventually revealed the truth.

He was poisoned after eating food cooked by his own daughter...

Given that Jeff had repeatedly warned her not to tell anyone about this, especially not to Karen, Ellie decided to keep it to herself.

But how does cooking produce cyanide...? Did she put a lot of bitter almonds in the stew that day?

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! Huh? Why are you all wearing Pinru's clothes?"

Ellie had been sitting down for less than five minutes when I came out mysteriously and placed a covered wide-mouthed plate on the table in front of them.

"Marcus, you've only been in there for five minutes?" Ellie asked in confusion. "You're done so quickly?"

"It's nothing! I've cooked countless dishes, this is considered slow!" I said modestly, but my hands were anything but slow.

I skillfully lifted the lid, and a rich aroma of meat wafted out of the plate, creating an irresistible fragrance that lingered around the noses of the entire audience. Then, a glistening sheen flashed from the plate, reflecting a dazzling light!

Come forth, the light of the supreme cuisine!

"Try my creation, honey-glazed ham!"

Chapter 256 Honey-Glazed Ham

There's a reason why this ham was left in Dart's kitchen, which was so spacious it could host an F1 rat rally.

Previously, the owner of Dart was exploring ways to extend the storage time of meat, so he coated half a pig leg with salt and dried it in the sun, hoping to cure it into a superior ham.

Following the instructions in the book, he knew that ham needed to be properly stored after curing to prevent it from spoiling. So he wrapped the ham in clean, breathable paper, then wrapped it in plastic wrap, and stored it in the refrigerator.

However, the owner of Dart forgot one step: soaking. Ham that has not been soaked contains a lot of fat and is still prone to mold and attracting insects, even after curing. Especially in spring or humid weather, the ham must be hung in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place where it cannot be exposed to direct sunlight.

So the result of this attempt was a half-finished product. The half-cooked ham is still drying in the sun on the windowsill, inedible even during a food crisis.

Of course, if you're really determined to eat it, this undercooked ham isn't necessarily unpalatable. But I just cut off a small piece and tried it…

As everyone knows, Mineral Town is located on an island, surrounded by the rolling waves of the ocean. Seawater, as a raw material for the salt industry, has long been a reliable source of salt for the surrounding sea salt resources. Therefore, along the shipping routes upstream and downstream of Mineral Town, everything else is expensive, but sea salt is exceptionally cheap…

This is way too salty!

One bite and the saltiness almost sent me to heaven. I felt the saltiness turn into bitterness, shooting straight up my tongue, down to the top of my head and to the soles of my feet. I felt completely out of sorts!

Hmm... to make a dish like this, you need to use some other seasonings. The ham is so salty, there's no doubt that a little sweetness needs to be added to make it palatable.

I looked around but couldn't find any honey in the corner. However, I did find a jar of white sugar for flavoring next to the stove in the kitchen.

Okay, I think this has a chance.

Seeing that the kitchen was fully equipped, I had a general idea of ​​what to do, so I issued the production command: "Select work command: Cook a delicate meal!"

Fine food is... how to put it, it's a special kind of food adapted to local conditions. Just as there are no fixed formations in warfare and no fixed shapes in water, food also has no fixed shape. Even the founder who invented this cooking method never imagined that he would become "fine food" in the mouths of other animals.

Therefore, under the control of the colonizer system, my body quickly arrived at the stove, poured a little olive oil into the frying pan, and waited for it to boil over low heat.

He then took the ham from the windowsill and placed it on the cutting board. Three sharp blades popped out from his arm guard, and he quickly swung them in a crisscross pattern, slicing thin slices of ham from the hard, dry ham.

These ham slices are like carpenter's shavings, so fine and thin that you can vaguely see the scenery on the other side when the sunlight shines through them, and you can directly observe the fine muscle texture when you hold them in your palm.

Mr. Dart wanted to make a fully cooked ham, the kind that's tough enough to hit someone with and make a loud thud. But due to his mistake, he seems to have created a different kind of semi-cooked ham. This ham is large with small bones, thin skin, and thick meat. Because it's not fully dried, the cross-section has a bright color, with a clear distinction between red and white. The lean meat is pinkish-red, and the flavor is salty and savory, while the fat is rich but not greasy.

So there are ways to solve the problem of it being too salty.

I put the ham slices in a large bowl and placed it in a steamer. I added an appropriate amount of water and turned the heat up high to steam the ham. This steam slowly moistened the inside of the ham, removed any remaining salt crystals, and accelerated the ripening process.

The original ham chunks should be simmered over low heat until cooked through, a process that takes about two hours. However, by using extremely thin slices of ham, I was able to shorten this process—otherwise, steaming thin slices of ham for two hours would probably result in a mushy mess.

Ham is a hard, dried product that is not easy to stew until tender. If you coat the ham with some white sugar before stewing it, it will be easier to stew until tender and will taste more delicious.

So once the oil in the frying pan was hot enough, I immediately added a large spoonful of white sugar—sorry, Mr. Dart!

A series of crackling sounds came from the pot, but I kept it firmly under control. As the heat baked, the white sugar gradually turned into a thick syrup, which slowly bubbled on the plate and emitted a caramelized aroma.

This caramelized aroma is exactly what I need.

But before that, I spent two minutes peeling and washing the radishes I grew on my balcony, cutting them into uniform strips and arranging them on a plate.

If I don't make use of the unique feature of holding meetings with radishes, then there's no point in running this cafeteria!