Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies Quotes

“Life has given you a path, even if it’s not your preferred one.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“he’d abandoned the novel on page 146 because he didn’t like one minor character. Ridiculous, to get so far and then ditch it. Kate finds it impossible to abandon books, even bad ones. It feels disloyal; maybe the book will improve, maybe the time invested will ultimately not prove wasted.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Choosing well is one of the most difficult things in a difficult world…whether applied to food, drink, companionships, or occupations. —Agnes Jekyll, A Little Dinner Before the Play”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Beneath the outward signs of deterioration, the same spirit dwells and looks on with dismay at the devastation the years have wrought.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“But this is where fact and fiction diverge, because Cecily and Zimmy did have a child, a son, Jeremy, who is my father. Cecily and Zimmy remained happily married for fifty-three years. My grandpa died in 1987; Grandma survived him by nearly two decades. She died peacefully in her sleep, at home, at the age of one hundred, shortly after welcoming her first great-granddaughter into the world (and receiving a birthday card from the queen).
Unlike the eponymous Cecily, in real life, Cecily was good-natured, though she did complain of boredom a lot. She adored art, food, and books and always encouraged me to write. This is not the first time she has been featured in a work of fiction. Prior to Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies, I published four novels under the pseudonym Stella Newman. In my first, the bestseller, Pear Shaped, the heroine's grandmother is based on Cecily. I suspect she'd have been pleased about that, and even more pleased to be taking center stage now.
I was privileged to have her as a grandmother.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses, we must plant more trees.
---- GEORGE ELIOT”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Male or female, that cat will be named Cecily because all cats are like Cecily--- contrary, exquisitely standoffish, fussy about food--- and sometimes they pretend they don't need you or love you even though they do.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Oftentimes, when making a dessert, you'll find a pinch of salt brings out the sweetness in the dish far more than extra sugar. It sounds counterintuitive but it is a fact, and one I've thought about often. What's true in the kitchen is often true more generally in life.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Earlier this afternoon when Kate was unpacking the food delivery, she'd suffered a mild meltdown when she realized she'd ordered raspberries, not cherries, there wasn't enough asparagus, and she hadn't allowed enough time to factor in more shopping. But then Cecily's advice, from "Dinner in a Bed-Sitting Room" had popped into her mind: What can't be disguised must be utilized. Don't apologize--- improvise. Kate had turned the raspberries into a sharp, fruity purée for Bellinis, kept the chocolate mousse simple, and ended up asking Martin to find more greens--- if not asparagus, then frozen peas or broad beans. The pasta had turned out even better, the peas adding sweet little bursts of freshness to cut through the rich, creamy, smoky sauce.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Cecily pointed out that writing about the different flavors of unhappiness was all well and good, but the plan was to get Kate back to happy--- and to focus more on that.
She'd loved doing it, though, and by the time she'd written down "Lunch for When You're Thoroughly Bored with Yourself"--- slow-roast chicken with lemon and harissa, with a butter-drenched baked potato, followed by warm chocolate-cookie pudding with cream--- any urge to contact Nick had passed, and she was back to thinking he was an idiot--- and that she was not only the icing but the whole entire cake.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Nick, how sure are you about us? Because if you were sure, I think you'd have made more effort to turn up at the hotel earlier. And I don't think you'd be putting Rob before me."
He opens, closes, then opens his mouth again. She's beginning to notice how much like a fish he looks when he does this.
"I..." He winces, as if the pain he's about to inflict will hurt him more than her. "I'm at least 70 percent..."
Kate laughs, she can't help herself. "Wow--- I don't even merit at least three quarters?"
"I---well---it's just..."
"Do you have a spreadsheet you could show me, Nick? Because your data might be faulty. Surely algorithms can't always be right or computers would never go wrong?"
"That's not technically the fault of the software necessarily, it could also be the hardware..."
"Oh shut up, Nick."
"Kate--- this is still hard for me..."
"You know what? It's harder for me. I'm not the mathematician you are, but here are my sums: I am 100 percent sure that this"--- she says, stabbing the table as she lowers her voice----" this, here, you are not good enough.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“She's keeping it simple and luxurious, in line with Cecily's menu--- mozzarella and tomato salad, duck lasagna, and chocolate mousse for dessert--- but she's made a few tweaks. The salad has evolved into homemade ricotta and roast tomato with homemade bread. The tomatoes have been slow-roasting for hours, with thyme, olive oil, and garlic, until they're sweet, jammy, and fragrant. After Nick had canceled on Tuesday, she'd ended up spending the evening practicing making ricotta. She'd been through half a dozen muslins and piles of rubbery, beige curds before finally mastering the technique--- and tonight a bowl of smooth, creamy cheese sits on the counter as proof.
The lasagna feels like it's taken an entire decade to make, though in reality it's only been six hours, three for the soffritto, another two spent braising the duck legs in red wine, another hour once the meat had fallen off the bone, making a rich, thick sauce to be layered between pasta and smothered in Parmesan and mozzarella.
Kate's upgraded the chocolate mousse with cocoa nibs and fresh raspberries. She's licked the spoon a few too many times, but what in this world is more delicious than chocolate melted into double cream?”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“And anyway, for the hundredth time, Nick did not dump me, it was a time-out."
"Semantics, it was so a dumping."
"Cara, you do sound pretty harsh sometimes," says Bailey.
"Harsh? Me? I've got the biggest heart of anyone."
"No, you've got the biggest mouth," says Kate. "It's not the same organ at all."
"Don't you remember how devastated I was when Michael Jackson died? And George Michael, I cried for nearly a whole week."
"Yup, dead pop stars named Michael--- then you're pure compassion," mutters Kate. "When Michael Bublé dies, perhaps you'll compose a requiem.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Meanwhile, you need to read up on codependency."
"I know what codependency means--- it means allowing difficult people to take advantage of you."
"You're always saying Nick is the problem child, but Nick seems perfectly capable of taking care of his own needs."
"That's only because he doesn't realize what his real needs are."
"Darling, that's pure codependency talking. You need therapy too."
"I do not... I just need Nick to love me."
"You give your energy to all the wrong people. Right, I'm going to head down to Selfridge's to take back those L.K. Bennett wedges. It's a bugger to park around here, so you'll need to sit in the car while I dash in."
"And that would be a perfect example of me giving my energy to the wrong people," says Kate triumphantly, her thoughts crystalizing as she speaks. "Besides, I'm having tea with someone."
"Nick?"
"Someone who needs me more than you do.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Of those immortal dead who live again
In minds made better by their presence.


Kate stopped in her tracks: The dead who live again, in minds made better by their presence. That line reminds her of her father. He's been dead twenty years now--- more years than they had a chance to share. She's learned to exist alongside the huge void his death opened up; what choice did she have? She's found precious comfort in the parts of him that have survived. Today's been a prime example: the best part of her, the part that made her go to Lauderdale rather than stay under the covers, comes from her father's voice telling her to always be kind.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Highgate Cemetery's near me."
"I'm hoping to be there myself, in a week or two."
"Oh, on one of their cemetery tours?"
"No, dead. In the ground. Mortal coil: shuffled off."
"Okay, then," says Kate, grabbing her handbag and swinging it onto her shoulder. "See you next week, Mrs. Finn."
"Not if I'm dead," says Cecily.
"If you are, I'll swing by Highgate and pay my respects."
"Touché," says Cecily, and although Kate doesn't turn around, she could swear Cecily is smiling.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“This burger has taken time, but it's worth the wait: six ounces of minced steak, crowned with bacon and a perfect square of melting, tangy cheddar; delicate concentric bangles of red onion, tomato, and lettuce; and Magic Sauce--- a mixture of Tabasco, mayo, and ketchup, to add heat, creaminess, and tang.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“I’m not afraid of dying, Kate. I’ve been ready for years. And I learned not to be afraid of living. Fear is a terrible thing. It paralyses you far more than being stuck in an old body.” Cecily looks at her thoughtfully. “Emerson said it best: ‘What if you do fail and get fairly rolled in the dirt… Up again, you shall never be so afraid in a tumble.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“It means find what nourishes your soul, discover what you’re capable of—live life well.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“That’s one of the worst things about the whole indignity of getting old—things are taken from you constantly: your possessions, your hips, your eyesight.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“First you are young, then you are middle-aged, then you are old, then you are wonderful. Kate will be delighted if she gets to eighty-six looking as wonderful as these women do.”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies

“Tis seldom or never the good and the clever Hit it off as they should; The good are so harsh to the clever, The clever so rude to the good!”
― Vicky Zimmerman, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies