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    The Secret Ingredient
    The Secret Ingredient
    The Secret Ingredient
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    The Secret Ingredient

    By Lena Merika

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Can you guess the Secret Ingredient?
    Author Lena Merika and transcreator Victoria Andre King want you to meet Dora and Miltos!
    Friends since Miltos moved into Dora’s neighborhood, this dynamic duo’s common love of good food and detective stories is a strong bond. The only thing they argue about, who is the boss! Dora thinks she is worthy of the title Sherlock Holmes, but Miltos is not content to be the side kick Dr. Watson. Who will solve this case; her, him, or both?
    Dora’s brother brings a mysterious guest home for winter break and the Nikolaos family is in an uproar. Grandma is so upset she even goes on “hunger” strike! Who is this mysterious Niket? Is she a spy? A terrorist? What is the secret ingredient in her dolmadakia that makes them just as good as Grandma’s? Will Grandma ever come out of her bedroom? Dora and Miltos are on the case!
    This is the first of six adventures featuring Theodora Nikolaos and Miltiades Ronconi aka Dora & Miltos, Private Investigators. We first meet these two smart kids in the 7th grade, and follow their detective work through 11th grade. Romance and intrigue await!
    Stay tuned for volume two in the series: Code-name Monica!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTender Loving Care Publications
    Release dateMay 31, 2020
    ISBN9780463746516
    The Secret Ingredient
    Author

    Lena Merika

    Lena Merika was born in Athens, Greece and studied in Austria. She was a working “boy Mom” for years before pursuing her passion for writing. Using her own experiences, the adventures of her sons and their friends and current events, she has become one of the most beloved and awarded children’s and young adult authors in Greece.Lena has received many honors, including the Athenian Academy “Ourani Institute Award” for her overall contribution to Greek Children’s Literature. For her though the greatest honors come from her readers who consider her the “Greek Judy Blume”. She even has a social media fan group in Turkey! Now we are sharing her work in English, giving more readers an inside look at what it is like to be a kid growing up in “modern” Greece.Lena’s stories talk about important social themes like economic inequality, diversity and trauma. Her sensitive, realistic and lens raises awareness and promotes tolerance while her humorous approach to navigating life’s dramas make her stories highly entertaining. Although she writes books for all age groups, her teen stories are her favorites. “People think Greece is “Modern” today, but in “Old World” Europe... Some things never change!” Lena would love to hear from you, contact her at: lenamerika.author@gmail.com

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      Book preview

      The Secret Ingredient - Lena Merika

      The Secret Ingredient

      A Dora and Miltos Mystery

      Volume 1

      By

      Lena Merika

      Editor-Transcreator: Victoria Andre King

      www.victoriaandreking.com

      Cover Art: Mara Papaziti

      For.clever.clients.only@gmail.com

      Publisher: Tender Loving Care Publications

      Powered by LOVE

      ISBN: 9780463746516

      TABLE OF CONTENT

      MONDAY – Spaghetti with mincemeat.

      TUESDAY – Oven roasted perch.

      WEDNESDAY – Bean soup with savory fish.

      THURSDAY – Stuffed Turkey.

      FRIDAY – Pork and potatoes with celery.

      SATURDAY – Dolmadakia Yalantzi.

      SUNDAY – Oven roasted goat with oregano.

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      MONDAY – Spaghetti with mincemeat.

      Dora! Bring me my bag already! Don’t you hear it?

      Mom’s cell phone was shrieking from inside her bag, which was hanging just over the ‘clam’. The clam is this ultra-modern weight-loss contraption: they close you inside it up to your neck, push a button and then you are simultaneously shaken and steamed until your fat melts away… At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

      For heaven’s sake girl can’t you move any faster! I’ll miss the call!

      My mom, who only calls me Dora when she’s in a rush, managed to open the clam lid just enough to snatch the phone from my hand before I could speak. She accidentally hung up and of course that was somehow my fault.

      Darn it to pieces! Why didn’t you tell me you’d already pressed receive?

      You ripped it out of my hand Mom. Why are you so worked up? He’ll call back.

      Ha! You know how your brother is… always finding excuses NOT to call me when he should be calling me every day. Lucia! Come get me out of this thing, my hour’s up.

      The clam gasped, its steamy breath swirled around my mom’s head as Lucia, the aesthetician opened it up. Mom emerged, her skin all red and sweaty, and she wrapped herself up like a giant pink souvlaki¹ in the spa’s towel. As she shuffled off toward the showers, I settled down to check out one of the forbidden fashion magazines. Their glossy pages fascinated me because they were never allowed on our coffee table at home. Grandma said they would put ‘modern’ ideas in our heads. Mom’s phone started shrieking again but this time I answered straight away.

      Hello Alkis…

      Oh… Hey Theodora!

      Mom’s in the shower want me to go…

      No! Nah, it’s OK, just tell her that we’ll be arriving tomorrow night.

      Who’s we?

      Eh… who do you think? There are five of us coming down in Alexander’s car and we just got on the ferry in Ancona.

      OK, I’ll tell her. At least this means we get to skip the fish! Tomorrow may be Tuesday, but whenever you come, she always makes…

      Tell her not to go to any trouble; I just had ‘dolmadakia²’ day before yesterday. But… can you do me a favor? One of my friends she he… I’ve invited them to stay with us. OK? Can you tell Mom?

      He… or she?

      She… What difference does it make? She’s my friend.

      So, what’s your friend’s name?

      Theodora, my talk time is running out. You’ll meet her tomorrow, just don’t forget to tell Mom! Bye!

      He hung up just as Mom snatched the phone from my hand again.

      He actually called back?! Why did you hang up?

      He hung up Mom, his talk time ran out. They are coming in Alexander’s car and will get here tomorrow night. He’s invited a friend to stay with us, she’s a girl.

      He’s bringing a girl friend?!

      He said she’s a friend Mom, why do you stress about everything? You can interrogate her tomorrow. Can we leave now? I’ve been sitting here for hours! Is this how I’m going to spend winter vacation?

      You’re the one who wants new shoes young lady! What was I supposed to do? Drive you all the way home then drive all the way downtown again for two hours then drive all the way back home again just to take you shopping?

      I studied my dingy old shoes as we walked out of the beauty institute. It would not be a smart move to talk back right before the holidays. I already wasn’t looking forward to having to be at home all day every day. There was no point making it harder by annoying Mom. That said though, it is a fact that I am always the last in line in the family. Just the other day my older sister Deppy, who thinks she’s hot stuff since she turned sixteen, decided to go out and buy herself THREE pairs of shoes without even asking! Dad had entrusted her with his credit card (big mistake BTW) to go and pick up his new Timberland’s and she came home with boots, Reebok trainers and patent leather pumps! Did she even say thank you? No. Did she even apologize for not asking Dad’s permission? NO!

      As for Alkis… first born son, need I say more? That’s why Mom is so psycho about him calling her every day. Ever since he left to study in England two years ago, he thinks he’s got the right to ‘Lord’ over us all. He says: ‘I’m a man of simple tastes just like Oscar Wilde, I simply demand the best!’ I don’t know who this Oscar Wilde guy is, but I think he should get over himself!

      I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t realize we had reached the shoe store.

      Theodora what are you staring at? Aren’t you coming in?

      Oh, I was just thinking… if I get a pair of Reeboks like Deppy’s…

      I gazed up at her sweetly as I emphasized ‘like Deppy’s…’

      They would be expensive so you wouldn’t be able to get me those boots I want but, if I take the yellow trainers that are on sale…

      Clever little minx you!

      She ruffled my hair with a conspiratorial grin. Smiling back, I took her hand and gave her a peck on the cheek before we entered the shop. It is important to be diplomatic when dealing with parents.

      We got home from shopping just in time for my favorite meal, spaghetti with meatballs. After lunch the midday silence finally settled over the house as Grandma switched off the TV and pulled her bedroom door shut behind her to have her siesta. That was my cue to sneak back to the kitchen for a second helping of spaghetti. I wanted just a little bit more, one of those small bowls Grandma had bought from the Soviet immigrants at the street market. How many calories can there be in such a small bowl of pasta anyway? Mom’s really got this thing against calories… but I just can’t help myself, I love pasta and that is that!

      Mondays can be crummy for a lot of different reasons but for me there is always that one comfort: walking in the front door after torturous hours spent slaving away at school to be greeted by the magical aroma of Grandma’s spaghetti sauce. It may seem weird since we aren’t even Italian, but the Mediterranean has a common food denominator. In this part of the world most cooking is still from scratch. Grandma’s sauce is so awesome because she grates fresh tomatoes, chops up fresh basil and rubs the oregano between her fingers over the sauce pot. The store-bought prefab stuff may be more convenient, but it never tastes, looks or smells the same. It takes love to go to the trouble of making stuff from scratch, love for good food and love for the people you want to

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