Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Sandra Byrd & Heirlooms

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m delighted to have Sandra on the blog today with a recipe from the book!

HEIRLOOMS by Sandra Byrd
GENRE: Inspirational Dual Timeline Fiction
PUBLISHER: Tyndale
RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2022
PAGES: 464

Answering a woman’s desperate call for help, young Navy widow Helen Devries opens her Whidbey Island home as a refuge to Choi Eunhee. As they bond over common losses and a delicate, potentially devastating secret, their friendship spans the remainder of their lives.

After losing her mother, Cassidy Quinn spent her childhood summers with her gran, Helen, at her farmhouse. Nourished by her grandmother’s love and encouragement, Cassidy discovers a passion that she hopes will bloom into a career. But after Helen passes, Cassidy learns that her home and garden have fallen into serious disrepair. Worse, a looming tax debt threatens her inheritance. Facing the loss of her legacy and in need of allies and ideas, Cassidy reaches out to Nick, her former love, despite the complicated emotions brought by having him back in her life.

Cassidy inherits not only the family home but a task, spoken with her grandmother’s final breaths: ask Grace Kim—Eunhee’s granddaughter—to help sort through the contents of the locked hope chest in the attic. As she and Grace dig into the past, they unearth their grandmothers’ long-held secret and more. Each startling revelation reshapes their understanding of their grandmothers and ultimately inspires the courage to take risks and make changes to own their lives.

Set in both modern-day and midcentury Whidbey Island, Washington, this dual-narrative story of four women—grandmothers and granddaughters—intertwines across generations to explore the secrets we keep, the love we pass down, and the heirlooms we inherit from a well-lived life.

“This is women’s fiction as it is meant to be written with intriguing characters making decisions that ripple through generations.” – Library Journal, starred review

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Sweet as a Cherry Hand Pie

by Sandra Byrd, author of Heirlooms

When I was a kid, our next-door neighbor baked a killer cheesecake. It was the Goldilocks of cheesecakes, not too heavy, not too light; it was just right. When asked to share the recipe, though, she politely declined. It was a family recipe she’d changed to make her own and her signature dish. “I’ll make one for your any time you ask, though,” she promised. And she did! That was better than having the recipe.

Decades later, I baked my signature chocolate chip cookies for my daughter’s work crew. “They said they’ll pay you if you bake them every month,” my daughter told me. But I didn’t want to bake them for pay. They come from my heart, and my heart is not for sale.

In my new book, Heirlooms, Cassidy Quinn sets her mind and heart on finding a way to keep her family’s property. Everything on the grounds is an heirloom – the house, the barn, the plants, and the delicious food that comes from them. She bakes fabulously flaky and fruity hand pies – her signature dish – but balks at charging for them. When she was growing up, she and her Gran had made them together from the fruit of their land. Cassidy would bake them any time someone asked—but not for money. They came from the heart.

Other women in Heirlooms have recipes that are their signature dishes, too. Johanna and her Sin Rolls (recipe and its history are in the book) and Eunhee’s Seaweed Soup. When Cassidy delivers a gift to the mother of the man she once thought she’d marry, his mom hands something to her. “Greek walnut cake. You’ll love it. I only make it for family.” Her eyes watered, and so did Cassidy’s. It was not at all clear that they’d ever be family.

Do you have a signature dish, or do you crave one that someone you love bakes or makes? Need a little time to think about it? Okay. While you do, why not bake these delicious cherry hand pies, courtesy of Cassidy, me, and Heirlooms?

Cherry Hand Pies

Ingredients

4 pie crusts. You can buy premade or use whatever recipe you like.
4 Cups Sour Cherries, pitted and, if frozen, thawed and drained (save some of the draining juice)
¾-1 C white sugar. Start low and add to taste
1\2 C King Arthur Pie Enhancer (Once you try this, you’ll never bake pies without it!)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 C of the cherry juice, from draining, or water, if the cherries were fresh

Demerara Sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Mix everything but the pie crusts and Demerara sugar over medium heat, constantly stirring, for 5-6 minutes until it’s all jelled and tastes as sweet as you like. The KA Pie Enhancer doesn’t require cooking, but this turns out better if you do, just a little.
2. Roll out the pie crusts. Cut out circles using a 4”-5” biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass. Or, you can cut 3” squares out of the pie crust if you prefer that shape.
3. Place about 2 Tbs pie filling in the middle of the circle or the square. You want about ½ inch margin around the center cherry filling. Fold the crust over the cherries (circle) or place a second piece of crust atop the first (square).
4. Crimp all of the edges, then sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.
5. Bake on a parchment-lined sheet in an oven preheated to 425 degrees for 16-20 minutes, till golden brown. Cool completely before eating.

Bestselling author Sandra Byrd continues to earn both industry acclaim and high praise from readers everywhere. The author of more than fifty books, her work has received many awards, nominations, and accolades, including the Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choice award, two Christy Award nominations, Two Library Journal Best Book selections, and inclusion on Booklist’s Top Ten Inspirational Books of the Year list. Her traditionally published books include titles by Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, Tyndale House Publishers, WaterBrook Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and Bethany House. She’s also an independent author.

Sandra loves walking, the beach, cooking and baking, photography, watching Escape to the Country, Fake or Fortune, and Chef’s Table, as well as spending time with family and friends – real and fictional!

Connect with Sandra at www.sandrabyrd.com, www.sandrabyrdbookcoach.com, or through social media platforms.

CONNECT WITH SANDRA: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

(1) winner will receive a King Arthur Cinnamon Roll Kit, including the heavy-gauge pan, plus a $25 Starbucks card!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight July 5, 2022 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on July 12, 2022. US only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

This giveaway is hosted by JustRead Tours, not RimSP
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

What about you? What makes you want to read Heirlooms by Sandra Byrd? Do you have a signature dish that you make – or someone else’s that you crave?