by Sandra Lee
Grace was unsure what she should do next, but saying yes did not immediately come to her lips, and the gazebo crowd would be headed across the park any minute. “Oh, Mike…”
Grace felt his eyes caressing her face. He could sense her hesitation and stood up, putting his arms around her. Mike was wonderful, but forever? With a man like Mike, Grace knew their relationship would be over for good if she said no. Could she live without him, his quiet strength?
Mike was leaning so close, his breath soft on her cheek, whispering in her ear. “I don’t have much money, but you’ll always know who I am, and I’ll always be able to make a life for us. That’s why I worked so hard on this place—so you could see what I could do for you, for us. Maybe I couldn’t buy the best home on the block, but I could make any house the best home, if it was for you, Grace. For you and Emma. For us.”
“Mike,” she said, pulling him away from the doorway. “I am so—I don’t know what to say. Can I think about it?”
“That’s not a no?”
“No.” Grace tried imagining being married to Mike. The years would spool out evenly, the line straight and unbroken. Something to count on. But then she realized she would be OK without him, too.
That’s when Grace knew for sure.
She wanted to be with Mike, not because she needed a man who could save her. She had already saved herself. But because her life would always be more fun with him in it.
“So is it a non-engagement, then?” Mike asked hopefully.
Grace laughed. “Yes,” she said, “yes definitely, it’s a non-engagement,” and then she kissed him.
That night, when the last book had been rung up, the cupcake wrappers had been collected, and the last crumb swept up, after Emma had read her story to a crowd of excited kids, after the new puppy had met her proud new dad, after Emma had stopped by another chorister’s house for a pizza, Grace found herself back in the kitchen. She and Lorraine were baking Emma’s birthday cake together. “Midnight baking. A new tradition,” laughed Grace. She was wearing the pearl ring—on her right hand for now.
“It was a wonderful night, Grace. You should be very proud.” Lorraine set out the eggs for the cake and handed Grace the recipe box.
“I don’t think I need that anymore, Mom. You know, I was thinking of giving it to Emma for her birthday.” The recipe box had led to so many things in her life, Grace thought.
“I think she’d really appreciate it. “
As the sheet cake baked and its heavenly fragrance began to fill the room, Lorraine reached into her purse. “And I’m going to give you your Christmas present, early,” Lorraine said. She handed Grace a small, wrapped box. Grace opened it to find the locket.
Grace ran her fingers over the heavy silver case. “I know how much this means to you. I’ll take good care of it until it’s time to pass along to Emma. And here’s your gift.” She handed Lorraine an envelope. Inside were three tickets to Sweden. “Actually, this is for all of us, next summer. We’re going home.”
The two of them sat together at the table with the recipe box between them. This was where it had all begun. Where two girls had become young women, a daughter had become a mother, and a mother and daughter had become friends. And they both knew—the tickets were just the icing on the cake, because they were already home.
RECIPE INDEX
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific entry, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.
Blood Orange Sheet Cake 13
Cardamom Scones 245
Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries 47
Door County Cherry German Chocolate Cake 33
Firehouse Chili 123
Grandma M’s Mushrooms 91
Independence Cupcakes 127
Korvlada 197
Malibu Mojito 75
Marie’s Memory-Maker Meatballs and Sunday Gravy 86
Mike’s Mason Jar BLT Salad 136
Nut Case Cupcakes 214
Strawberry Pie 68
Swedish Chocolate Balls 79
Swedish Cinnamon Buns 110
Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry Jam 165
Sandra Lee is a multi-Emmy and Gracie Award-winning expert in all things kitchen and home. She is the host of Food Network’s Semi-Homemade Cooking, Sandra’s Money Saving Meals, Sandra’s Restaurant Remakes, and HGTV’s Sandra Lee Celebrates. The editor in chief of Sandra Lee Magazine, she is also a New York Times bestselling author of twenty-six books, including Every Dish Delivers.
sandralee.com
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade®
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information address Hyperion, 1500 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the original print edition of this book as follows:
Lee, Sandra.
The Recipe Box/Sandra Lee.—First Edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-4013-1083-7
1. Self-realization in women—Fiction. 2. Cooking—Fiction. 3. Mothers and daughters—Fiction. 4. Family secrets—Fiction. 5. Life change events—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3612.E34853R43 2013
813'.6—dc23
2012043233
eBook Edition ISBN 978-1-4013-0479-9
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photograph © Corbis
Author photo © Ed Oullette
First eBook Edition
Original paperback edition printed in the United States of America.
www.HyperionBooks.com