Let me introduce you to little Maureen - a tiny girl with glossy dark hair and big dark eyes - sitting on the counter of a kitchen on Maple Street, USA. She's sipping a root beer float, watching the house buzz with cousins, aunts, and uncles, their laughter and teasing filling every corner. The smell of nutmeg drifts through the air; rhubarb simmers in a pot. And at the center of it all stands an older woman - though not nearly as old as you might imagine when you hear the word Grandma - effortlessly making a Lebanese feat for all of them.
Not very many years later at all, little Maureen tiptoes into another kitchen - her own. This time, a young woman - much younger than you might imagine when you hear the word Mother - stands quietly. That same smell of nutmeg fills the air, warm and familiar, but now mingled with something tender, something sad. A handwritten recipe lies open on the counter, its corners soft from years of use. This young mother is making her mother's favorite cookie, the one everyone calls Grandma's Best. And though she doesn't say it aloud, she's remembering.
Later, little Maureen and this young, beautiful mother sit at the table with their teacups and a single cookie on each napkin. And now, mother does remember out loud. She talks, Maureen listens, and in that quiet moment, Alice's gentleness passes down another generation to today's guest, marvelous Maureen, author of the best baking cookbook I've ever used, Lebanese Baking.
Today's episode is an exploration of grief - and creating as a response to grief - but also a celebration of three generations of highly skilled Lebanese American women who held the highest standards for themselves and the gentlest postures toward others.
This was meant to be an episode about Grandma Alice - and it is. But perhaps nothing would please her more than knowing that, in the end, we couldn't tell her story without telling her daughter's and her granddaughter's. It turns out, it's all one story.
Through their lives, these cookies, and Maureen's cookbook, Alice's spirit, sacrifice and skill continue to shape not just her expansive family, but all of us as well.
Listen to Maureen Now
Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
Maureen's Storied Recipe: Apricot Walnut Cookies
Buy Lebanese Baking
Buy Lebanese Baking at Schuler Books
Connect with Maureen
Visit Maureen at her website www.MaureenAbood.com
The Storied Recipe Newsletter
The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!)
The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help!
Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here!
This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you!
The Storied Recipe Print Shop
Where every print tells a story.
High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately.
Recent Episodes
More Cake Recipes From Around the World
- Hungarian Walnut Cake with Mocha and Espresso Icing
- Hanukkah Desserts: 17 Traditional Treats to Celebrate the Festival of Lights
- Simple Pineapple Coconut Cake
- Moist Brazilian Carrot Cake with Chocolate Marbling
- Golden Sfouf {Egg-Free Lebanese Turmeric Cake}
- Clifton House Tunisian Orange and Almond Flour Cake
- Vasilopita: Greek New Years Cake (Slow Cooker or Oven)
- Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes Recipe
Would love to hear from you!