Not a cookbook.

Grace D’Angelo is a woman at her wits' end, trying to create a life from broken pieces. She has recently divorced her high school sweetheart and moved from her Midwestern roots to Los Angeles with her daughter, Emma, in an attempt to start over. Grace is barely managing her job as T.V. production stylist, her rebellious teenager, and the horrifying fact that her lifelong best friend Leeza is dying of cancer back in their hometown of New London, Wisconsin.

When Leeza succumbs to her battle with cancer, it is a bittersweet reminder that you don’t get a second chance at life. The ghosts of Grace’s past and present converge at Leeza’s funeral, including Brian, her ex-husband, and Von, a wealthy European flame from high school days, both of whom re-ignite old feelings and conflicts as she struggles to come to grips with Leeza’s death. But, perhaps, the biggest complication of all is her relationship with her own mother, Lorraine, from whom she’s been estranged since she was 16 and opened an heirloom recipe box which held a life-shattering secret.

Grace realizes she must take drastic action to get her life back on track and repair her most precious relationships. She and Emma move back to New London, where she comes to terms with the past, re-discovers the healing power of cooking, and connects with old friends and new.

The Recipe Box is a one of a kind novel that celebrates mothers, daughters, and friendship and features delicious original recipes from Sandra Lee--a book that will nourish readers' appetites on many levels.