gift guide
for the booklover in your life sarabiren.com
contents
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About Sara Bend in the Road Gift Ideas Leona's Sour Cream Coffee Cake Cold Day in the Sun Gift Ideas Maple Bacon Blondies An Excerpt from Cold Day in the Sun The Last Thing You Said Gift Ideas Gifts for Book Lovers Holiday Simmer Pot This is For Tonight by Jessica Patrick How the Light Gets In by Katy Upperman Favorite Small Businesses Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Stone & Wool Farm Chili Book Recs The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
about sara Sara Biren lives in eastern Wisconsin near the shores of Lake Michigan with her husband, their two children, and a super cute schnoodle named River. A true Minnesotan, she is a fan of hockey, hotdish, and hanging out at the lake. She enjoys seeing live bands, watching movies with her family, and drinking coffee. Her love of cheese knows no bounds, so moving to "America's Dairyland" wasn't a horrible idea. Sara is the author of three young adult novels and also writes adult romance. She loves to talk about books and is always happy to recommend favorites.
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bend in the road gift ideas
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Dig Me Under CD or Vinyl* Teapot + Loose Leaf Tea Haribo Happy Cola Gummies Northern Lights Calendar Emerson Desk Sign (DaisyThirteen on Etsy)
Wool Felt Hearts
(ThePeaberryStudio on Etsy)
Honorary Donation to The Production Farm *email sara@sarabiren.com for info!
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leona's sour cream coffee cake A Bend in the Road Recipe INGREDIENTS 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 2-3/4 cups sugar, divided 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups regular sour cream 2 tablespoons cinnamon or baking spice blend Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 10" tube cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Using a stand or hand mixer, cream butter and 2 cups of the sugar on medium to medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after adding each egg. Beat in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Alternate adding dry mixture and sour cream to the butter and sugar mixture, beating after each to keep batter smooth. Pour a third of the batter into the tube pan and level it out. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and remaining 3/4 cup of sugar. Sprinkle one-third of the cinnamon sugar mixture over batter in pan. Repeat layers two more times, alternating batter and cinnamon sugar, ending with a layer of cinnamon sugar on top. Bake 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 30 to 45 minutes. Cut around the pan edges with a knife and remove cake from pan to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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cold day in the sun gift ideas
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Hot Sauce Variety Pack
Flavored Popcorn (haywardgourmet.com)
Concert Tickets Band T-Shirt Winter Keep Candle
(frostbeardstudio.com)
Inspirational Magnet (papersalt.com)
Atomic Fireballs Paul Bunyan & Babe Hockey Sticker (NiceEnoughStickers on etsy)
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maple bacon blondies
A Cold Day in the Sun Recipe INGREDIENTS
4 pieces of thick cut bacon 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 10 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 large eggs 4 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray with flour. Cook bacon. While bacon cooks, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Once the bacon has finished cooking, take it out and set it on a paper towel lined plate, patting it dry. Pour the bacon fat into a glass measuring cup, removing it from the heat, but reserving it. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup. After the bacon fat cools slightly, take 2 tablespoons off the top. Whisk it into the butter and sugar mixture. Whisk in the two eggs and the vanilla until completely combined. Slowly add the flour, stirring it in until only fully combined. Chop the bacon into small pieces, pulling out any large chunks of fat. Stir the bacon into the batter. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until the edges are golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
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an excerpt from cold day in the sun Wes charms the hell out of my parents. We’re sitting around the kitchen table, a plate of Mom’s maple bacon blondies in the center. “I know that I haven’t lived in town very long,” Wes says, “and you don’t know much about me or my family, but I want you to know how much I enjoy spending time with Holland. The more time we spend together, the more we learn how much we have in common.” He grins at me. “And I also want you to know that my intentions with your daughter are honorable.” I almost laugh. Is he serious? His intentions? What intentions could he possibly have? Personally, I intend to suck on his bottom lip the next time I get him alone, which I hope will be shortly after this uncomfortable conversation, when I walk him out to his truck. “Huh,” Dad says, reaching for a bar and biting off half of it. He chews and looks from Wes to me. “I thought you couldn’t stand the guy.”
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the last thing you said gift ideas
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Maple Fudge Balls
(tremblayssweetshop.com)
Cute Flip Flops
Watermelon Candle
Root Beer Barrels
S'mores Hot Chocolate Gift Set (PikesPeakLemonadeCo on etsy)
Lake Superior Agates
It's a Good Day to Have a Good Day Sticker (JustAddSunshineInc on etsy)
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gifts for booklovers
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Scented Candles inspired by favorite books, characters, or settings
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Self-Care + Relaxation Bath salts, bath bombs, and herbal tea
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Handmade Mugs for curling up with a hot drink + a favorite book
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Book Sleeves Cute, handmade designs to protect books + e-readers
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Books, Obviously Support your local indie or order at bookshop.org
holiday simmer pot
INGREDIENTS
2-3 lemon slices 2-3 orange slices Handful of fresh cranberries 1-2 cinnamon sticks 1-2 teaspoons whole cloves 1 teaspoon whole allspice (optional) 1 / 2 - 1 t e a s p o o n p u m p k i n p i e s p i c e o r c in n a m o n b l e n d 1 vanilla bean (optional) 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme 1-2 bay leaves (fresh or dried) Enough water to fill the pot A d d a l l i t e m s t o a k e t t l e o r s l o w c o o k e r. S im m e r an d add water as needed.
simmer pots
Create a stove-top or slow cooker simmer pot to fill your home with the delightful scents of the season.
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this is for tonight Jessica Patrick
Gift Card to Local Pizza Place or Make Your Own Pizza Kit
Concert Tickets
Ring Light
Friendship Bracelet Kit or Other DIY Craft Kit (StitchingMeSoftly on etsy)
Also by Jessica Patrick (writing as Jessica Love)
In Real Life
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how the light gets in Katy Upperman
Oakland Overalls (revolve.com)
Hala Pink Beach Towel (tillys.com)
Seashell Frame
Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 Mirrored Goggles
I’m Looking Through You (Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir) by Jennifer Finney Boyland
Haim - Something To Tell You (haimtheband.com)
Rainbow Dot Sherpa Robe (pbteen.com)
Also by Katy Upperman Kissing Max Holden The Impossibility of Us
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favorite small businesses
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Candidly K Handmade Woodbury, Minnesota Handstamped gifts with sass candidlykhandmade.com Frostbeard Studios Minneapolis, Minnesota Book lovers' soy candles frostbeardstudio.com
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Urbal Tea Milwaukee, Wiscosin Loose leaf urbal infusions urbalhealth.com
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RJM Pottery Hastings, Minnesota Minnesota-made pottery rjmpottery.com
Rapha Farms Greenfield, Minnesota Natural goat milk soap + more raphafarmsmn.com
Serious Jam Minneapolis, Minnesota Small-batch jams + preserves seriousjam.com
Copper + Crone Brookfield, WI, and Carpentersville, IL Women-owned brands that celebrate creativity and positive change. copperandcrone.com
anna and the french kiss Stephanie Perkins
French Ticking Linen Napkins French Press Coffee Maker + Beans Macarons Eiffel Tower Pendant Gift Certificate to French Bistro
hardcover collector's edition Also by Stephanie Perkins
Lola and the Boy Next Door Isla and the Happily Ever After There's Someone Inside Your House The Woods Are Always Watching
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stone & wool farm chili A Bend in the Road Recipe
INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey 1/2 large onion (chopped) 8 cloves garlic (minced) 2 cans chili or kidney beans (optional) 2 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes (with liquid) 1 6-oz can tomato paste 1 4-oz can green chiles (with liquid) 1/4 cup chili powder 2 tablespoons cumin 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon or cinnamon blend 1-2 tablespoons regular or spicy honey 2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 medium bay leaf (optional) SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS H e a t 1 t a b l e s p o o n o l i v e o i l i n a l arg e s k ille t . A d d o n i o n a n d c o o k 5 - 7 m i n u t e s u n t il s o f t an d translucent. A d d g r o u n d b e e f o r t u r k e y a n d c o o k t h ro u g h u n t il browned. T r a n s f e r b r o w n e d m e a t a n d o n i o n m ix t u re t o a s l o w c o o k e r a n d a d d r e m a i n i n g i n g re d ie n t s ( e x c e p t b a y l e a f ) . S t i r u n t i l c o m b i n e d . P lac e b ay le af in center. C o o k f o r 6 - 8 h o u r s o n l o w o r 3 - 4 h o u rs o n h ig h . Remove bay leaf before serving. Suggested toppings: Sour cream Avocado Cheddar cheese Corn chips Croutons Jalapeños Regular or spicy honey
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book recs
middle grade From the Desk of Zoe Washington A Soft Place to Land by Janae Marks
Alone in the Woods by Rebecca Behrens
young adult
Underwater Aftershocks A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt The Assignment Hello? by Liza Weimer Gray Wolf Island by Tracey Neithercott Now is Everything That Night by Amy Giles other favorite authors Marci Lyn Curtis Karen McManus Robin Constantine
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Support your local i n d i e a t b o o k s h o p . o r g.
fiction + romance
Beach Read People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Float Plan by Trish Doller
This Time Last Year Just Haven't Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens
One Day in December The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
One True Loves Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Red, White & Royal Blue One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
preorders
Horror Hotel by Faith McLaren & Victoria Fulton February 1, 2022
In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker Fall 2022
the hating game Sally Thorne
The Hating Game Movie Tickets (in select theaters + streaming December 10)
Smurf Figurine
Chocolate Covered Strawberries (from your favorite confectioner)
Eiffel Tower Pendant
Joshua Templeman Candle (novellyyours.com)
Matchbox Car
Also by Sally Thorne 99 Percent Mine Second First Impressions
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2021 Holiday Gift Guide | sarabiren.com