It was a cloudy day. The kids looked out the window as they put on their aprons.
"A storm is coming," Jason said.
"Oh no!" Izzie thought.
"Everyone, pay attention," Chef said. "We're making beef chili today."
Outside, lightning flashed, followed by a rumble of thunder.
Izzie clenched her teeth.
"Yay! It's starting to rain!" Nina said. "The garden is getting watered!"
Chef nodded. "Jason, please chop the onion. Izzie, you can chop the bell pepper. Bobby and Nina, you can chop the garlic."
Izzie tried not to look out the window as she worked. When she was finished, she checked the recipe again. "Next we cook the pepper and onion."
Nina poured oil into a pot and added the pepper and onion. Bobby added the garlic.
Lightning flashed again. Boom! This time the thunder was even louder.
"Whoa!" Bobby said.
"It's pouring now," Jason said. "What a cool storm!"
"Stop talking about the thunderstorm!" Izzie snapped. Her friends looked surprised. "I mean, er . . . we should be busy cooking!"
Chef nodded. "Let's keep working. We have to brown the beef now."
He used a spoon to break up the beef in the pot. While it cooked, Izzie opened the can of beans. Nina held a strainer, and Izzie poured the beans into it.
"We drained the liquid," Izzie said. "Next we rinse the beans and add them to the pot."
"I'll add the can of tomatoes," Bobby said.
Izzie looked at Chef. "Can we mix all the spices now?"
"Sure. You're working fast today, Izzie." Chef pointed to the spices on the counter.
Izzie quickly measured the chili powder. She poured it into a small bowl. Nina and Jason added cumin and oregano. Bobby put in the paprika.
"Now we add the salt and pepper," Izzie said.
Nina mixed all the spices together. Then Chef added the mix to the chili and stirred.
"The chili simmers on low heat for twenty minutes," Jason said.
"Right," Chef said. "The spices will add flavor as it simmers."
Bobby smiled. "Let's tell ghost stories while we wait!"
"No!" Izzie said. "We have to clean up first."
"Yep." Jason started washing dishes.
"I'll help you, Jason," Izzie said.
"We can all help with the chores," Chef said. He put on some music. Soon everyone was busy, cleaning up the kitchen.
A few minutes later, a flash of lightning lit up the windows. A huge crack of thunder split the air.
Jason jumped. "Yikes! That was loud!"
"What?" Izzie looked up from the dish she was drying. "I didn't even hear it this time!"
Chef grinned. "Sometimes it's good to stay busy."
Izzie nodded. "Maybe I'll try it during the next thunderstorm," she thought.
At last the timer went off. Chef filled five bowls with steaming chili.
Nina looked out the window. "The storm is over!"
Izzie sighed with relief. Then she blew on her chili to cool it off.
"It's delicious!" she said, tasting it.
A ray of sunshine shone through the window. "And look! There's a rainbow!" Izzie said.