So, an oddity of Born a Queen was that when I was writing it, I was slightly obsessive on some of the details. I checked the calendar for the year to ensure that all of my days were correct for that year and date, I made sure the phases of the moon were accurate, and all of that. But slightly differently, I wanted to be certain that the dishes in the meal that Lilith prepared were ones that I’d had myself. I’d been floating about the idea of sharing the recipes here, and… well, I suppose it’s time.

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First on the list is the pork roast. This is the Chinese Pork Roast from Allrecipes.com, the only one of the recipes which I took from elsewhere. My wife and I found the recipe to have a very subtle flavor, so we doubled the amount of ginger, increased the garlic by 50%, and it still needed salt, as it has very little in the recipe. Still is one of my favorites.

Next are the mashed potatoes. These are a recipe that I came up with myself, so pardon me if it’s a little rough, as I often change measurements by what looks about right.

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Mashed Potatoes Ingredient List

• 2 lbs yellow potatoes (I use Yukon Gold when I can find them)
• 2 sticks (1 cup) margarine (this is due to my wife having a dairy allergy, butter is fine)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, making certain there’s enough to cover the potatoes. This’ll depend on the pot shape, of course. Peel the potatoes and cube them, making sure they aren’t more than half an inch thick, and an inch on a side. Put the potatoes and minced garlic in the water, boil for 15 minutes or until a fork easily slides into them.

While the potatoes are boiling, put the margarine in the microwave long enough that it starts to melt. If you have a mortar and pestle, put the salt, garlic powder, and rosemary into it and grind them into a fine powder (salt does wonders to help), then add to the margarine. You can crush or mince the rosemary, but this leaves as few fragments as possible in the potatoes. Mix thoroughly, making sure the mixture is moderately liquefied.

Drain potatoes, trying not to lose all the garlic as you do so. Mash them moderately, then add a quarter of the margarine mixture at a time, mashing until well-mixed in between portions. You may need to adjust the amount of liquid based on the potatoes, so do not add too much at a time. Serve, generally planning on 1/2 pound of potatoes per person.

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Raspberry Cheesecake

This recipe was acquired from an old friend of the family, and I’m particularly fond of it.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. Cream Cheese
• 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raspberry preserves
• 1 tablespoon raspberry gelatin mix
• 1 or 2 graham cracker pie crusts (1 if you have an 8-inch springform pan)

Place all ingredients except the pie crusts in a mixer, begin mixing (Warning, this is very thick, so if you have a weak mixer, do not attempt!) Mix for 2-5 minutes, until smooth. Please note that there are usually small bits of cream cheese that don’t get fully mixed in, but which don’t affect the flavor.

If you have an 8-inch springform pan, empty crust into pan, press into layer across the bottom. If you have wax paper, line the edges of the pan with it. Pour in mixture, smooth out evenly. If you do not have a springform pan, pour mixture evenly into each pie crust, smoothing out evenly. Refrigerate overnight before serving.