The Ingredients of Us Quotes

“ Imagine your husband cheated on you; what do you bake? Pies are too cheerful, cookies too festive, chocolate mousse too sensual-- you probably decide on jam. Something to pulverize. Blackberry jam, to be specific, made straight from the gnarled bush that has overtaken your potting shed in the back-- the bush, heavy with berries, that your lying husband promised to prune but never did. ”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“There's satisfaction in knowing something so well-- and knowing someone so well. Like a recipe by heart, every step, every ingredient, every taste. So familiar that it feels a part of her, as soon as her fingers dip into flour or rich skin. Each knead like an argument, each release like a kiss, until something has been made out of practically nothing, a string of separate ingredients mixed together like a courtship until they make one whole, grown stronger by each trial, each compression under two palms.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“Bonnie comes over with a metal sugar duster and taps it over the top of the cake, the little blueberry globes and peach crescents turning frosty white with powdered sugar.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“It's a matter of browning the edges and bottom now, since the peaches are primed. The spice of ginger pierces the air, and Elle, mouth watering, tries the caramelized peach juice left over on the cookie sheet. It's sweet, with a gingery kick.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“ Since peaches are already so sweet, sprinkle only very lightly with white sugar. For the perfect complement, use freshly grated ginger. If it's not freshly grated, don't bother. ”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“ There's something about cheesecake that pacifies emotional wounds. The bigger the tragedy, the bigger the slice. If you've never used cheesecake to soothe sadness, you've missed an opportunity. ”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“If their life together were a recipe, it would be this: tablespoons of late nights talking, a dash of fervent fingers across skin, and too many I love you's to count. Date nights and nights in and days spent in the sunshine or getting caught in the rain or sneaking cigarettes at family functions, and their wedding day. His homemade spaghetti sauce followed by her coffee cake. Their cat, Velcro. Their Greenwood home. Trust, laughter, tears, and pure joy, kneaded into one by years of togetherness.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“ Here's something life doesn't give you: a recipe.You have to make it up as you go along, adjusting accordingly. ”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“I feel like baked goods make everything better-- especially a situation as strange as this one.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“The whole place smells like roasted peppers, cilantro, and lime-- a welcome scent to her hunger.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“ Ask your lover what flavor of topping is preferred; there are endless possibilities. Peach and fresh ginger. Mixed berry. Apple, cinnamon, clove. Cardamom and pear. Lemon plum. ”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“She got tipsy on pinot noir and ate too much of her pesto angel hair with blackened chicken-- now, at the door to the room, she's regretting it. She feels nauseous from the wine, and she knows her breath is bad from the garlic.
Tom doesn't seem to notice; he's calm and a little giddy and keeps passing a hand over her ass, up under her dress. She wants to feel sexy; but she just can't, not with the thought of her dinner or her certainty that she has pesto in her teeth. Italian places are romantic in theory, but the pasta and the garlic and the rich sauces and filling wines are not conducive to carrying the romance past dinner.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“Her mother is like a lemon-drop candy: at first sweet and pleasing, but when you get close to her, the sugar dissolves, leaving something sour underneath. Such a contrast to Elle's father, who was more like caramel: smooth and sweet from first meeting until the end. Elle suspects her father loved his wife because she was a challenge; he had a knack for softening edges. And she made him think. Having been a corporate success, her father was always up for a debate. Yet he had a gentle side; he loved his wife and his daughter more than anything-- except maybe his garden.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“It could be any date night. Perhaps Tom takes her to Ray's in Ballard. They share a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling, even though Tom is more of a negroni man. The wine goes well with her market halibut and the view of the bay. He has the filet mignon, and judging by the bite he offers her, it's exquisite.
Or perhaps it's that Mexican place somewhere in Ravenna, operated out of an old house. The wall paint is chipping, but the air is sweet with the aroma of freshly cut tomatillos. They have margaritas and share chicken mole, with extra chips and fresh guacamole on the side.
No matter where they go, it has been a long day, a bad day for Elle. She probably dropped a pie, or an angry customer yelled at Bonnie, or old milk ruined a batch of cake batter. She probably almost said no to Tom's spontaneous idea for a dinner date. As usual, though, she's glad she didn't. The crème brûlée or fried ice cream is reason enough-- let alone the way he makes the negativity melts away.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“She takes a final bite of the ugly, messed-up tart she saved, then swipes her finger through a glob of curd left on the plate. It tastes like spring rain, the summer before pastry school, mint-tea afternoons with her mother, and mulch from her father's peony gardens.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us

“Bonnie did a nice job with the danish topping this morning: thinly sliced peaches are fanned like angels' wings atop the dollop of cream cheese frosting.”
― Jennifer Gold, The Ingredients of Us