Table of Contents
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PRAISE FOR BETH KENDRICK'S NOVELS
The Bake-Off
“A warm, winning story about the complications of sisterhoodâand the unexpected rewards.”
âSarah Pekkanen, author of
Skipping a Beat
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“Two estranged sisters about as likely to bond as water and oil. A fun book with more twists and turns than a three-layer marble cake.”
âSusan Miller, 2000 Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist and winner of
Nabisco's 1999 “Build a Better S'Mores” contest
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“Wonderful! Kendrick manages to cook up a tender, touching, and very funny story about the complicated relationship of two sisters torn apart by their own stubbornness and brought back together by love and pastry. With a fresh plot and richly layered characters,
The Bake-Off
is a winner.”
âEllen Meister, author of
The Other Life
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Second Time Around
“Kendrick deftly blends exceptionally clever writing, subtly nuanced characters, and a generous dash of romance into a flawlessly written story about the importance of female friendships and second chances.”
â
Chicago Tribune
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“Smart and fun, this is my favorite book this year.”
âJane Porter, author of
She's Gone Country
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“A touching and humorous look at love, loss, and literature.”
â
Booklist
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“Extremely engaging . . . [Kendrick's] characters were easy to fall in love with.”
âNight Owl Reviews
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“Kendrick is an undeniably practiced hand at depicting female bonds.”
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Publishers Weekly
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“A funny, charming story about the power of female friendship, and a must-read for all English majors, past and present.”
âKim Gruenenfelder, author of
Misery Loves Cabernet
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The Pre-nup
“In the exceptionally entertaining and wonderfully original
The Pre-nup
, Kendrick writes with a wicked sense of humor and great wisdom about the power of friendship, the importance of true love, and the very real satisfaction of romantic revenge done right.”
â
Chicago Tribune
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“The three female leads all captivate.”
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Romantic Times
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“[A] highly entertaining story.”
âFresh Fiction
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“[Kendrick's] heroines are easy to like.”
â
Booklist
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“Clever, wise, and wonderful,
The Pre-nup
is Beth Kendrick at her best.”
âJane Porter
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“Witty, juicy, and lots of fun! Say âI do' to
The Pre-nup
.”
âSusan Mallery,
New York Times
bestselling
author of
The Best of Friends
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“A smart, funny spin on happily-ever-after!”
âBeth Harbison,
New York Times
bestselling
author of
Secrets of a Shoe Addict
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Nearlyweds
“A fun and funny look at marriage, commitment, and figuring out what your next best step is . . . whether it be down the aisle or not.”
âAlison Pace, author of
City Dog
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“Very funny.”
âCarole Matthews, author of
The Chocolate Lovers' Club
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Fashionably Late
“Wickedly clever.”
â
Booklist
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“Kendrick gives chick lit clichés an adroit turn.”
â
Publishers Weekly
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“Kendrick's keen sense of humor and pitch-perfect gift for dialogue are excellent accessories to this fun and frothy tale.”
â
Chicago Tribune
ALSO BY BETH KENDRICK
Second Time Around
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The Pre-nup
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Nearlyweds
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Fashionably Late
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Exes and Ohs
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My Favorite Mistake
NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
Published by New American Library, a division of
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
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First published by New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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First Printing, May 2011
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Copyright © Beth Macias, 2011
All rights reserved
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REGISTERED TRADEMARKâMARCA REGISTRADA
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:
Kendrick, Beth.
The bake-off/Beth Kendrick.
p. cm.
eISBN : 978-1-101-51472-6
1. SistersâFiction. 2. BakingâFiction. 3. Family secretsâFiction. 4. Domestic fiction. I. Title.
PS3611.E535B35 2011
813'.6âdc22 2010053454
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Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
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The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.
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For Bridget and Joe, my brilliant and beautiful siblings
Secret Sisterhood Szarlotka
ANNOTATED BY AMY BIALEK NICHOLS
SUGGESTED SOUND TRACK: Beastie Boys'
Licensed to III
, B-52s'
Cosmic Thing
Ingredients:
For the crust
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup ultrafine sugar (also known as “baker's sugar”)
¼ teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sour cream
For the apple filling
6â7 (3 pounds) large applesâmostly Granny Smith, with one or
two Fuji thrown in for variety
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
â
teaspoon allspice
Instructions:
Watch a few hours of the Food Network and/or
Top Chef
. Say to yourself, “How hard can this really be? It's just
pie
.”
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Have a glass of wine and give yourself a pep talk. Then get to work on the crust.
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First, cut the butter into small cubes and store in the refrigerator. The key to light, flaky piecrust is to keep the butter as cold as possible throughout the prep and rolling process. Whenever the dough starts to get warm and difficult to handle, pop it back in the fridgeâor even the freezerâfor a few minutes.