The Coincidence of Coconut Cake Quotes

“Delight is indeed born in the heart. It sometimes also depends on its surroundings.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“I think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give. —JULIA CHILD”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Lou took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of just-cut flowers, fresh tamales from the food stands, and sunshine. She preferred the West Allis farmers' market to all others in the area, with its open sides, wide walkways, and rows of stalls. More recently, small tents serving hot sandwiches and fresh Mexican food had popped up outside the brick walls. It all looked so good, she'd learned long ago to come with limited funds or she would buy more produce than she could possibly use. She relished talking to the farmers, learning about what they grew and where. She liked to search for farmers growing something new and interesting she could use at Luella's.
But today's visit was personal, not business. Sue had dragged her out to West Allis for a little lunch and some girl time with fall squash and Honeycrisp apples.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Luella had been Lou's favorite grandma. Some grandmas took their grandchildren to parks, or bought them books and dolls, or shared their special stories. Her grandma shared her recipes. She taught Lou how to check when a roast turkey was done, chop veggies without cutting off a finger, and bake a coconut cake grown men swooned over. A fog of comforting smells had perpetually blanketed her kitchen- an expression of her love so strong you could taste it. Lou caught the culinary bug during those early days and loved that she was named after her grandma, even if Lou believed she'd never make food quite as delicious.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“The two together seemed unbeatable, impervious to the ups and downs of life. For them, it was only ups as long as they were together; they made sense. As a model of marital harmony, he could think of no better.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“It hurts more to see those we love sad about something inevitable. We are born, we live, if we are lucky we love, then we die. That is the way, not something to mourn. Only mourn those who haven’t lived, who haven’t found love. They deserve your sadness, not us.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“On most days, delight kept itself hidden from her, so she would go places where it frolicked—like right here, right now. Delight at the beautiful objects, delight with her sometimes stiff companion, and delight at the freedom from immediate responsibility. She would savor her delights where and when she could.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“All too often, she felt like an actor in a play, performing only actions outlined in the script. She needed her apartment as a place to spill food, be loud, break things, be herself.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give. —JULIA CHILD”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Best to keep it friendly and light, like a frothy meringue for dessert—enough sweet to end the meal on a happy note, without the substance to make you feel stuffed.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“When you love someone, Schätzchen, you are never alone.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“We are born, we live, if we are lucky we love, then we die. That is the way, not something to mourn. Only mourn those who haven’t lived, who haven’t found love. They deserve your sadness, not us.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Barf . . . if you got any sappier it’d smell like a Pine-Sol commercial in here.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Yes, she’s not crazy. She has never done anything crazy.” “Until now. That’s how the really crazy ones work. You go along, everything’s all smiles and sunshine, then bam! You’re tied up in a gas station bathroom being fed Cheez Whiz through a funnel.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“She planned to make a roast beef, a pile of mashed potatoes, corn- then mounted it into a bowl and drown it in gravy. Some people ate ice cream or pie when depressed; she went for the warm comfort food she learned to make in her grandma's kitchen.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Do not hide who you are. These are a nurturer's hands. Cooking is hard and sometimes painful work, but you do it to share your gift with us. Your cooking improves our lives. Don't ever be ashamed of who you are.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“She slapped a few slices of bacon on the heated griddle. Sizzling started immediately and the scent of rising coconut cake mingled with the smoky salt of bacon. "Heaven." She buttered day-old baguettes to toast, then cracked a few eggs for breakfast sandwiches. "Now some cheese. Brie? Emmental? Mmm, smoky onion cheddar.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“And there was the rub. Even with all the heartache, Lou wouldn’t change the past few months.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Milwaukee has wormed its way into my heart. My short-sightedness kept me from seeing it sooner.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“She has never done anything crazy.” “Until now. That’s how the really crazy ones work. You go along, everything’s all smiles and sunshine, then bam! You’re tied up in a gas station bathroom being fed Cheez Whiz through a funnel.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Your writing changed.” Hannah looked at him closely, trying to find the difference. “Perhaps you’ve changed?”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“All too often, she felt like an actor in a play, performing only actions outlined in the script.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Instead, he’d commiserated that sometimes you need to get really pissed so your body feels as bad as your heart does.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Devlin gave her a kiss, took her hand, and walked right over her plans. Lou struggled to breathe under the weight of his version of their future.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“I love you for the million kindnesses in your heart, your infectious enthusiasm, your search for the perfect deep-fried cheese curds. I love that you take apart a recipe, look at the parts, then put it back together better than before. I love that my first memory of you is the smell of vanilla, coconut, and bacon. I love that you wear Crocs in the kitchen and heels when we go on dates. I want to fill a wall with magnets for all our special memories. I want to carve the Thanksgiving turkey using your hand-painted carving set every year for the next fifty. I want to cook with you, laugh with you, make love to you, and most of all, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Coconut teased him with tropical deliciousness; then the vanilla he so often smelled on Lou's neck wafted up. He ached to hold her, smell that spot right behind her ear. The cake, frosted and covered with toasted coconut, beckoned, wanting to be cut and eaten immediately.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Lou's arteries congealed as she recalled the pounds of butter that went into the meal and the two pies cooling in the kitchen. But you couldn't skimp on butter on a holiday, and any substitute would feel wrong to a girl born and raised in the Dairy State. At least she'd resisted putting cheese in half the dishes.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Lou recovered some foie gras, duck confit, and assorted veggies and herbs. As she grabbed the items, a menu started bubbling to the surface: foie gras ravioli with a cherry-sage cream sauce, crispy goat cheese medallions on mixed greens with a simple vinaigrette, pan-fried duck confit, and duck-fat-roasted new potatoes with more of the cherry-sage cream sauce. For dessert, a chocolate souffle with coconut crisps.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“He'd been living a lie since he arrived. He'd pretended to be a local, yet had loathed everything about Milwaukee. Now Al knew differently. He didn't want to be anything else but himself: a cheese curd-loving, festival-going, Brew Crew fan who adored the most incredible chef in the city.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

“Big, burly Harley with the heart of an angel, soul of a teddy bear, and Sue with her backbone of titanium, spiked with rusty nails, ready to take on any threat to those close to her.”
― Amy E. Reichert, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake