The Storied Recipe

Step back into the kitchen of your childhood. Can you remember? What color were the cabinets? Was their linoleum on the floors and laminate on the counters? Or tile and granite? Was it warm or cold? Cluttered or clean? Was it a happy place? A lonely place? Now put yourself back into that kitchen - can you recall the first dish you made? And that feeling you had when you made your first dish — that pride in feeding yourself, the confidence that came from doing something so grown-up, the joy of sharing it with someone else? I think about my own first memory in the kitchen, and my mom is there. Likely the same with you. Certainly the same with today's guest, Erik Fabian. Erik's mom is, by his own description, a curious, caring, deeply intelligent woman who poured a remarkable amount of herself into her home and her kids. A nurse. A cook of Midwestern classics — chili, spaghetti, chicken soup. Just an American mom. But of course, there's no "just" about it. Whether it's Erik's mom, your mom, or mine — it is not an ordinary thing to have a parent hand you an egg and say: you can do this.   When Erik's mom taught him to make an egg in a hole — a simple piece of grocery store bread, a hole cut out, an egg cracked right in — she opened a door to competence, to satisfaction, and to a lifetime of feeding himself and others. Today, that egg in a hole has grown up a little — eggs sunny-side up, avocado, and microgreens layered on a thick slice of sourdough, made with the help of tools from Erik's own company, Sourhouse. But whether we make our first dishes now as we did way back then, today’s episode is a wonderful timeto remember and appreciate that what is wholesome and universal — like bread, eggs, and moms — are no less precious because they are common . Listen to Erik Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Erik's Storied Recipe: Connect with Erik Fabian Visit Sourhouse.co Download the free Sourhouse Sourdough Cookbook Bake the Book on Apple Podcasts 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! Recent Episodes 201 The Midwestern Mom and The Coming of Age Breakfast 200 The Vindicated Mother and Her Lebanese Lamb Chops 199 The Foremost Wild Food Authority and His Favorite Taco 198 The Magnetic Thai Grandma and Her Soothing Breakfast Jok 197 The 5th Annual Christmas Pudding Episode 196 The Tireless German Oma and Her Creamy Quark 195 The Honest Magiría and Its Humble Chickpea Soup 194 The Best Mother-in-Law and Her Hungarian Walnut Torte 193 The War Bride, The Baker, And Their Apple Dumplings 192 The Gentle Generations and Their Best Cookies 191 The Creative British Nan and Her Cake That Came Full Circle 190 The Boisterous Landlady and Her Transformative Rajma Chawal 189 The Unflappable Farmer's Wife and Her Daily Bread 188 From French Wine Country: The Henriot Family Revives History in Champlitte 187 A Meal by the Fire: French Soup and Stories in Selina's Country Castle 186 Towards a Better Listener Experience: Join Me for a Call in 2025 185 Global Harvest Festivals: The Rare and Elusive Jubilee Phenomenon with Chase Matthews 184 Global Harvest Festivals: The Ancient 8 Day Festival of Sukkot with Susan Barocas 183 Palacinke & Cheesemaking: Nick’s Quest to Honor Baba Saveta’s Legacy 182 A 3 Minute Update: Big Announcement and Call for Feedback! 181 The Disappearing Farmer: Brian Reisinger’s Noble Fight to Secure America's Food Supply 180 The World’s Only: Dr. Menna’s Singular Mission to Unearth Egypt’s Food Legacy 179 What Happens After Happily Ever After? Alison Kay Returns 178 Jamaican Cuisine Goes Global: The Scotch Boyz Journey with Neil Hudson 177 From Liberia with Love: Frances & Jah's Culinary Mission and Famous Potato Salad 176 Riding Waves and Whipping Up Kaiserschmarrn with Anna and Marco at Mellowmove Surf Camp 175 Food, Feminism, Fury (and Family!): Geraldine DeRuiter's Tale of the Nesselrode Pie 174 Onsite Interview: Exploring 500 Years of History at Auerbachs Keller in Leipzig, Germany 173 A Holocaust Survivor Shares Her Story 172 The Heady Scent of Coffee Blossoms with Accamma Nanjappa 171 Warriors and Children of Nature with Accamma Nanjappa 170 A Cookbook Worth the Wait with Murielle Banackissa 169 Fermentation as Art, Science, and Life Philosophy with Larry Nguyen 168: A Wedding Feast to Last a Lifetime With Ruth Newman 167: Trauma, Mental Health, and Spritual Healing with Alda Sigmundsdóttir 166 Whale, Puffin, Horse and Icelandic Fish Stew with Chef Stefan of Þrír Frakkar 165 Recipes for Nurturing Joy with Deborah Johnson 164 Updates from My 4 Favorite Guests in 2024 163 RE-RELEASE The Christmas Story 162 RE-RELEASE The 4th Annual Christmas Pudding Episode 161 Christmas in Indonesia with M. Aimee Tan 160 Christmas in Bruderhof with Diana Rutherford 159 Christmas in Ecuador with Sofia Alarcon 158 Memories in the Dough: 70 Years of Montana Ranch Life 157 Brazilian Carrot Cake, German Chocolate, and Italian Art with B Santos 156 Lessons from Cameroon with Agatha Achindu, Author of Bountiful Cooking 155 Slavic Folk Tales & Childhood Memories in The Bone Roots with Gabriela Houston 154 Savor! An Interactive Celebration of Sephardic Culture Through Food & Music 153 "We Were Raised on Love" with Auntie Mary 152 Paradise in Palestine with Auntie Mary 151 The Heirloom Project with Sri Bodanapu 150 How To Find Meaning After Pain with Natasha Levai 149 Mythology, History, and Irish Stew with Shauna Lawless, Author of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men 148 Vanishing Things: Mushrooms, Monsoons, & Cultures with Author Kaveri Ponnapa of The Vanishing Kodavas 147 A 2023 Update: Why It's Been So Quiet Around Here 146 Christmas in Norway with Alexandra Taylor 145 Christmas in South Africa with Kate Jack 144 Christmas in the Valley of the Kings, France 143 Christmas in Alicante with Mar Lozano 142 Christmas in Palestine with Mai Kakish 141 The Gratitude Episode 140 Why This Revolution in Iran Can Succeed with Swarnika & Saeid 139 Habibi, What’s Cooking? Sfouf! With Amale Chamseddine 138 One in 6 Million Refugees: A Venezuelan Story from Anonymous 137 The 5 Days of Diwali with Lopamudra Mishra 136 What is Ancestral Eating with Alison of Ancestral Kitchen 135 Chosen for This? With Elizabeth Coulter, Special Needs Warrior 134 Honoring the Women of Palestine with Mai Kakish 133 The Diversity of Kazakhstan with Marina Lukyanchuk 132 Sunset, Moonlight, Cassava & Community with Sophie Musoki of A Kitchen in Uganda 131 All About Appalachia with Lauren of Must Love Herbs 130 A Bold, Brave Tour of India and Beyond with Dyutima Jha 129 A Sacrificial Lamb & A Critique of the West with Saima Ateeq 128 Mariupol: Memories, Warfare, & the Future of Ukraine with Olia Koutseridi 127 The US has 90,000 Miles of Shoreline. So Why Does It Import the Majority of Its Seafood? with Craig Fear 126 Update From Me, June 2022: A Favorite Story, Some Precious People, & An Invitation To You 125 Why Taiwan Is Not "Chinese Taipei" with Yone 124 A Love Letter to Poland with Zuza Zak, Author of Polska 123 The Feasts of Ramadan with Syrian-American Omayah Atassi 122 "A Peanut Never Forgets Its Shell" Life as a Third Culture Kid with M. Aimee 121 What Makes You Feel Rich? A Conversation with Alicia Akins, Author of Invitations to Abundance 120 Insights from a Russian Political Refugee With Anna Kharzeeva, Author of The Soviet Diet Cookbook 119 All About Baking Science with Author Dikla Frances 118 Happy Holi! All About The Festival of Colours with Rai Mukhopadhyay 117 Emergency Episode - Cook for Ukraine, An Opportunity Presented by Zuza Zak 116 Siberia, Diamonds, and Clowns! The Story of A Jewish Ukrainian Refugee 115 FOLLOW-UP Interview with Liz Zunon, Author & Illustrator of Grandpa Cacao (Retrospective Interview) 114 How To Give Without Regrets with Quiara Pinchina 113 NEW PODCAST ARTWORK! A Discussion About The Process With My Graphic Designer, Sara Sullivan 112 Tunisia, Couscous, and The Oula Ceremony with Elyes Taleb 111 How To Do Hard Things in 2022 - Multiple Sclerosis & Food with Theresa Korte 110 My Private & Personal Christmas Tradition 109 The 3rd Annual Christmas Pudding Episode 108 3 Sisters, 300 Pounds of Chocolate, & The Mom Who Started It All (+ The Best English Toffee) 107 The Best Thanksgiving Podcast Ever 106 A Personal Update Nov 17, 2022 and a Quick Request (Fill Out a 2 Min Anonymous Survey) 105 A Turkey Fit for The Queen with Paul Kelly of Kelly Bronze Turkey 104 A Heavenly Cause With Liam Elkind, Co-Founder of Invisible Hands Deliver 103 "What If We Weren't All Chicken?" With Haitian-American Kathiana LeJeune 102 Want Something to Change? Start Here. (With Marybeth Wells) 101 I Thought "Authentic" Was a GOOD Thing!? with Shayma Saadat 100 A Nomad Puts Down Roots with Garden Coach Carilyn Mae 099 RE-RELEASE with Daniela Wilson 098 Bringing Naples To Baltimore: Featuring Tony Scotto, His Family, & THB Bagels 097 Curing Land & Restoring Tradition with Afia Amoako, The Canadian Vegan 096 Turning the Tables! - An Interview with ME 095 A New Book, Sweets for Breakfast, Perception vs. Reality of an Author (Summer Retrospective Series 5) 094 Another Listener Request! Juan Salazar Grows La Coop Coffee Amid Pandemic, Threat of Illegal Eviction 093 This Former Guest Starred in a Commercial!! - And She's Having a Baby!! 092 I Hired THIS Former Guest to Help Me Grow the Podcast! (Summer Retrospective Series) 091 National Geographic Tagged THIS Former Guest to Write a Book! (Summer Retrospective Series) 090 Travel Tips, Kimchi, and A Home Culture For All with Esther JuLee 089 Two Minute Test Message and 1 Big Question for YOU! 088 A Complicated Father's Day with Anita of Wild Thistle Kitchen 087 Djiboutian Food at the Crossroads of Culture and Religion with Rachel Pieh Jones 086 RE-RELEASE Leprosy, Loyalty, Loss, and the Love of 3 Mothers with Suwanee Lennon 085 Plot Twist! When It's NOT About the Story with Christine Pittman 084 A Jamaican and An American with Ashley and Her Mother Precious 083 "We Learned To Trust Each Other" with Lexi & Beth of Crowded Kitchen 082 Choosing Freedom with Fatima Mortada 081 Soul Food, The White House, and Icebox Pie with Adrian Miller, the Soul Food Scholar 080 Eva Kosmas Flores on Looking for Lessons 079 A Conversation with Adina Bailey, Take Them A Meal Founder 078 A Passover Episode With Challah Champ Marissa Wojcik 077 Arabic Feasts with My Husband, John Hadeed 076 RE-RELEASE "They Knew I Belonged To Them" with Lydia Cottrell 075 Creativity vs. Productivity with Monique Chan (BONUS Episode) 074 A Conversation with Michelin Starred Pastry Chef Monique Chan 073 A Sacred Conversation With Diana Silva (Molé Mama) 072 Making Bread the French Way with Danielle Ellis, World Bread Awards Judge 071 Food in the Real Life Coming-of-Age Story of Helen Au 070 A Conversation with Dorina Gilmore-Young, Author of Cora Cooks Pancit 069 A Recipe for Fearlessness with Kimberly Espinel of The Little Plantation and Eat Capture Share 068 Food and Theology with Father Leo, The Priest Who Beat Bobby Flay 067 A Wild Idea to Bring the Slow Cooker to Greece with Entrepreneur Eleni Vonissakou 066 RE-RELEASE The 2nd Annual Christmas Pudding Episode 065 From Benin to Bakeoff: Hermine's Journey to GBBO Semifinalist 064 A Caribbean Canadian with Eartha Lowe 063 A Wanderer Through Life and a Lover of Spice with Nadia Bandukda 061 Jollof Rice and Other Traditions with Nigerian-Canadian Ify Ogbue 060 "I Wanted to Encourage People" Letitia Clark, Author of "Bitter Honey" 059 The Year 2020 According to My Kids 058 "I Wanted Something Different" with Juan Salazar of La Coop Coffee 057 No Beaches in Berlin with Lenka Salinger 056 What is Home? with Haniyeh Nikoo 055 "Who is This Guy?" with Andy Anderson of @manmakecoffee 054 Personal Episode: 4 Things I Lost, 8 Things I Gained, and How YOU Can Benefit From My Hack 053 "Women Are the Makers" with Karishma 052 "You Never Know Until You Try" with Britney Breaks Bread 051 Venezuelan Arepas via Holland with Yessica Duques 050 Mia Kouppa and The Greatest Love Story 049 Shakshouka, Struggle, and Success with Jordan Syatt 048 I'm a Victim of the ISIS Flag Hack on Facebook 047 Personal Message from Becky: HACKED! 046 Granny Octavia with Stefani Renee 045 BONUS EPISODE: Leveraging the Power of Food Stories to Start a New Life with Nermine Mansour 044 The Art of Forging Bonds Through Culinary Diplomacy with Nermine Mansour 043 BONUS EPISODE: Moy's Tips for Going Gluten-Free 042 The Street Food that Connects All Trinis with Moy 041 Time in The Kitchen: What We Will Remember Always with John and Rebekah Leekley 040 A Primer on Persian Culture with Nazli Bashi 039 "I Thought My Mother Was the Strongest Woman in the World" with Cheryl Norris 038 Mornings With Mother, Math, and Chai Masala (with Karthika Gupta) 037 "From France, Where the Air is Full of Lilac Scent" with Selina Goeldi 036 "Food Is Political" (But What Does That Mean?) with Anela Malik 035 One Bread, Four Generations, Three Continents with Shakila Majid 034 Carryout in COVID One Decision That Changed Everything with Vegetable & Butcher 033 Carryout in COVID: Connecting Communities with Fresh Farms 032 Carryout in COVID : "Order Delivery and Tip Well" with Restraunteur Josh Sapienza 031 Carryout in COVID Series: Pivoting, Partnering, Providing with Emma Jagoz of Moon Valley Farms 030 Carryout in COVID: Howie Kahn "Eating is Complicated Right Now" 029 Carryout in COVID: Fish Scale with Brandon Williams 028 Every 100 Kilometers in India with Pradeep Javedar 027 A Conversation with Tina Zaccardi, Great Amerian Bakeoff Winner 026 Tales from the French Countryside 025 Going Vegan: Bonus Episode with Murielle Banackissa 024 From Sunny Africa to Snowy Canada with Murielle Banackissa 023 Purim Traditions: Honoring a Mother's Legacy of Love with Lauren Kandel 022 "I am Piotr's Granddaughter" with Lydia Cottrell 021 A Fat Tuesday Semla Competition with Norwegian Chef Mikko 020 Lessons From an Iconic NYC Bakery with Seth Greenberg 019 "We Were Not Leprosy" with Suwanee Lennon 018 All About the Lunar New Year with Anonymous 017 Lunar New Year Memories with Emily Ho 016 Grandmother's Hungarian Friday Meal with Dora Hurley 015 Bonus Episode: All My Questions About British Food Culture 014 "We'll Fight 'Em On The Beaches" with Tilda Bourne 013 The Christmas Pudding Episode with Robert & Lisa Stewart 012 Festive Ecuadorian Pastries with Melissa Sampero 011 Grandpa Cacao's Granddaughter with Artist & Author Liz Zunon 010 Thanksgiving In Italy with Laura Clark 009 In Praise of Simple Cooking with Lori Gamble 008 Bonus Episode: Dee's Baking Tips for Beginners 007 Jewish Flavors, The World's Flavors with Dikla Levy Frances 006 Halloween 2019 - 3 Perspectives 005 Baking Bread with Grandmother In The Old White Farmhouse with Liz Mulligan 004 Bonus Episode: Czech Heirloom Pieces 003 Rejection, Defection, and Redemption with Daniela Wilson 002 Storied Recipes According to My Kids 001 Food as A Culinary Bridge Between Ghana and the US with Adjwoa Acheampong More Bread Recipes

I like to think that Mama Issa had breakfast at her favorite place this morning—right on the edge of the Mediterranean. Imagine the soft clatter of dishes, waves gently splashing against the thick rock wall separating Mama Issa from that turquoise water. She sips that good, strong Lebanese coffee and breathes in the scent of warm manouche bread mingling with the faint salt from the sea.  Maybe the electricity went out last night, maybe there will be strikes in the city this month. It doesn’t bother Mama Issa; she’s at peace. She’s been through worse, and after all, her life’s work is an unmitigated success. Her phone buzzes on the table beside her. Maybe she doesn’t even hear it at first, as a large wave hits the wall and mist swirls around her, kissing her face. But as the wave recedes, she picks up the phone and sees it’s her daughter, Fatema, today’s guest. Decades ago, not far from this very spot, Mama Issa cradled Fatema close at Beirut airport, guiding her other children as missiles exploded around. She was leaving her home, her heart language, her husband, her community, and her friends. They escaped the war, but life didn’t get easier. However, with the support of her own mother and siblings, and driven by a vision for her children, she persevered. She gave them a life, a future, hope, education, worldly success—and more than anything, she gave them the lifeline she had received: an unbreakable bond with family. Today, Fatema works with her brother, a restaurateur, at their newest venture in Washington, DC—Vera Cucina, a restaurant that celebrates a fusion of Lebanese and Mexican cuisines. The cultures share values of family and warm hospitality, a similar vibrancy in art and beauty, and the merging of their cuisines began with a wave of Lebanese immigration to Mexico in the late 19th century. Fatema’s recipe is a prime example of this fusion, developed side by side in the kitchen with Mama Issa and the chef of Vera Cucina. And in that collaboration, you see Mama Issa’s dream fulfilled: her children working together, staying close, honoring their heritage, and creating something meaningful that carries their family forward. So I imagine Mama Issa smiling as Fatema shares how guests are coming far and wide, asking for her lamb chops, tasting them, experiencing home—Mama Issa’s home—and above all, family. Listen to Fatema Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Fatema Issa's Storied Recipe: Mama Issa's Lamb Chops https://thestoriedrecipe.com/lebanese-mexican-lamb-chops/ Connect with Fatema Issa Eat at Fatema's Restaurant Vera Cucina in Washington D.C. 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! Recent Episodes More Middle Eastern Recipes

Typically, I introduce episodes with a nostalgic story, inviting you all on an emotional journey with me - but I’ve opted out of that today as it doesn’t quite fit. Today’s episode isn’t about the past or the bittersweet memories of loved ones lost -  Rather, it celebrates a friendship rooted in mutual respect and action - action to preserve the skills, wisdom, and cuisine of past generations.  Today, Hank Shaw, owner of the world's biggest wild food site, is sharing a recipe made by his great friend, Patricio Wise. Patricio is a former finance professional, successful serial restaurateur, and immigrant from the Nuevo León region of Mexico to Sacramento, California—and the spontaneous creator of today's recipe: the Deathbed Tacos, so named because Hank would choose them for his last meal and “die happy”.  As for our guest, Hank - well, Patricio himself shared these words about Hank in an introduction to Hank's latest book, Borderlands: Hank used to work as a political reporter, underpaid by his own accounts, and would for years live off the fish and seafood he could catch himself. He has since become, in my not-so-humble opinion, the foremost authority on wild food in the United States. His blog won a James Beard Award in 2013 and if you've ever heard him talk about foraging, fishing, or hunting, you know the man doesn't just read about things—he does them…. But what really sets Hank apart isn't just the encyclopedic knowledge—it's the storytelling. He has this way of weaving personal experience with fact, of grounding hard research in soft dirt. And nowhere is that clearer than in Borderlands. One of the things that struck me most is how he managed to capture the spirit of the people who live in this liminal space between the U.S. and Mexico. People like me, who grew up in Monterrey with Sunday carne asadas… People who know that food isn't just about sustenance—it's about identity. Culture and story. Hank gets that. He gets us. Now, having heard from Patricio about Hank, we welcome Hank to tell us more about Patricio and these birthday tacos that Patricio invented one sweltering night in Sacramento. Listen to Hank Shaw Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Hank Shaw's Storied Recipe: Favorite Tacos with Ribeye or Venison https://thestoriedrecipe.com/hank-shaws-favorite-tacos-from-mexican-american-chef-patricio-wise/ Connect with Hank Shaw Hank's website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook Order Hank's new cookbook Borderlands Listen to Hank's podcast episode with Chef Patricio Wise as they talk all about Mexican Cuisine. 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! Recent Episodes More Central and South Amerian Recipes

What was your first moment of consciousness this morning? The sound of an alarm clock? The feeling of a toddler whose presence you felt before you even opened your eyes? If you’re really lucky, maybe it was the sun in your eyes? For Dom, it was the smell of garlic, gently frying outside. Then sounds - a burner catches, the scrape of an aluminum pan, the soft shuffling of small feet, rain on the roof of their home harmonizing with the sound of rain on the roof of their small outdoor kitchen in Thailand.  Still bleary-eyed, but now awake enough to put his feet on the floor, Dom follows another scent  — jasmine rice, steaming, floral and comforting - through a doorway and into the morning light.  Predictably, she is already there. Dom’s grandmother squats near the burner, reaching for the soy sauce in its place in line with the other small glass jars of cooking essentials.  When she turns and sees Dom, her beloved grandson - her precious son - her face opens into a smile and the beauty of her youth, a beauty that lifted her from poverty, glows undimmed.  Years later, Dom and Sherri’s kids come home on Friday evenings in their suburban North Carolina home to the same smell - but much more significantly, to the same stability, the same predictability, the same safe assurance of a loving home where they are cherished and prioritized - that Dom awoke to a generation ago. This is the story of a woman who changed the future of generations. Tiny as she was, she stood in the path of generational addictions and said, like Gandalf to the Balrog, “You shall not pass.” Because of the way she loved and raised Dom, her grandson turned son, a legacy was changed for generations. Listen to Sherri and Dom Now Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Sherri and Dom's Recipe: Thai Breakfast Rice Porridge with Crispy Garlic & Pork https://thestoriedrecipe.com/thai-jok-thai-congee/ Connect with Sherri Pengjad Read more about Sherri on Thai Foodie.com Email Sherri at [email protected] Learn about Sherri's cooking classes 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! Recent Episodes More Southeast Asian Recipes

If I had to pick a word for my 2025, it would be bittersweet. This is now the 5th time I’m releasing the Christmas Pudding episode - I love it that much! But this year, it’s hitting a little bit differently.  I’ve always loved this episode because it’s fun and funny and full of laughter. The conversation was a cherished opportunity to connect with a friend from my youth that lives across the world from me.  But in light of our experiences this year, it’s landing a little differently for me. This year, I found myself tuned in to a note that’s been right there all along, underneath the humor — the tenderness of Robert and Lisa’s memories.  And I’m wondering - How didn’t I hear it before? The way these traditions didn’t just hold joy for Robert and Lisa, but also the pain of absence and loss?  Like the thestrals in Harry Potter, the truth is, we can’t see what we can’t see.  But sooner or later, the events of life will afford all of us, hopefully, an ever expanding vision.  And here’s that word, bittersweet, again - In a dish, bitterness doesn’t cancel the sweet. Rather, orange zest will balance - more than, it will sharpen and amplify the sugar in a dish, allowing us to taste it more fully.  And so, as life changes us, expands us, and makes us more attuned to other notes, may we not forget the purity, the clarity, the melody of life’s sweetest moments, which are so often found in our traditions.  But with some pain and in some seasons, this is not reasonable or respectful  And in that case, may the bitterness of this broken world point us — as Robert and Lisa do at the end of this episode — to the eternal love of God. Emmanuel, God with us - So gloriously on display, each and every Christmas. Listen to Robert and Listen Now The Christmas Story According to the Gospels of Luke and Matthew Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player More Christmas Episodes 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. 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!)

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the soft rattle of a bicycle coasting over cobblestones, weaving past tractors and farm fields on its way toward a small German village kitchen.  A little girl, Heidrun, is on that bike and, as her hair streams behind her in the wind, she can hardly hear anything herself. Her head is full of questions about what she’ll gather or forage with her Oma today - and what they’ll bake when they return to her kitchen - and hoping that, earlier this morning, while the moon was still high, Oma made her perfect yeast cake with soft streusel crumbles.  When she walks into the kitchen, Heidrun is delighted to see that - yes! Oma’s yeast cake has already risen, baked, and is now cooling in the window. And she’s comforted by the familiar sight of fresh quark wrapped in a muslin cloth, dripping its healthy whey slowly into a bowl below, where it will be saved and later added to bread.  Heidrun’s Oma was steady, disciplined, neat, tidy, and hardworking. She wasn’t talkative and she never used a scale. Nevertheless, she managed to teach generations, Heidrun included, the precise art of German Baking, an art which Heidrun has now put into book form with images, explanations, careful instructions.  And at the center of today’s story - and so many recipes in this book - is a cornerstone of German baking. Quark is a soft, rich, creamy, protein and calcium-rich, slightly tangy cheese essential to both sweet and savory German dishes.  To be honest, when I started the process of creating this episode, I thought quark was too technical, difficult, or time-consuming for me and thought, “Well, quark will be fun to talk about, but I’ll just use the substitutions that Heidrun mentions.”  However!    Much like her Oma did for her, Heidrun drew me out of my comfort zone through her quiet enthusiasm, empowering knowledge, and gentle insistence that it's always worth learning a new skill and making a recipe the right way. Listen to Heidrun Now If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Heidrun's Oma's Village: Stierstadt Screenshot Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Heidrun's Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake Made from Creamy German Quark https://thestoriedrecipe.com/german-pumpkin-cheesecake/ Quark Essentials Mesophilic Cultures Calcium Chloride Connect with Heidrun Metzler and Her Work Buy German Heritage Baking Listen to Nick Campbell's Episode on Cheesemaking https://thestoriedrecipe.com/183-nicks-quest-to-honor-baba-savetas-legacy/ 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! Recent Episodes More European Recipes

For many of us, Athens is inseparable from ancient—towering colonnades blinding white in the Mediterranean sun, rowdy crowds packed into massive amphitheatres, then those same crowds dispersing into balmy evenings washed in golden light, the 195 The Honest Magiría and Its Humble Chickpea Soupsmell of olive oil and roasted chickpeas drifting through the air. But what about the Athens of the last eighty years? The last thirty or ten? A city shaped by occupation, migration, rebuilding, prosperity and globalization, then crisis and austerity? Today’s guest, Diane Kochilas, has written a cookbook that does what I now consider essential for any cookbook I recommend: it is a book only she could have written. Part memoir and part modern history of her adopted city, Athens, she writes with the authority of the food journalist she once was, sharing dishes from over 100 Athenian restaurants (and modern home kitchens). The book contains the fresh recipes of today’s Athens, shaped by new arrivals and new ideas. But in this episode, as in her cookbook, Diane honors Diporto—a restaurant that has steadfastly weathered all of these changes, remaining a constant for every class and community in Athens. And we celebrate Diporto’s simple five-ingredient soup made from  those staples of ancient Athenian cuisine, chickpeas and olive oil. It’s a dish that reminds us again of the power of food to connect every version and every iteration of a city into one continuous and beautiful story. Listen to Diane Now If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Diane's Storied Recipe: Simple Classic Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithia) https://thestoriedrecipe.com/simple-classic-greek-chickpea-soup-revithia/ Connect with Diane Kochilas and Her Work Diane's Website: www.DianeKochilas.com Buy her latest book Athens 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! Recent Episodes More Mediterranean Recipes

Today’s guest Lynn describes Maria — just like a glowing fairy come to life: barely five feet tall, vivacious, chatty and outgoing, and as charming as they come. So imagine this tiny Maria 100 years ago, just a teenager tripping over the cobblestone streets of Budapest, chatting with her friends, then opening an heavy, ornate and entering a cafe -  And quickly, let’s replace our images of a “cafe” - the cafes of 20th century Budapest were grand, glittering spaces.  Picture soaring ceilings multiple stories high, crystal chandeliers, marble pillars, rich, heavy window treatments, carved staircases, and waiters in tuxes. Tucked in the corners were the who’s who of Budapest - poets, intellectuals, and artists.But Maria and her girlfriends were simply there to do their homework — giggling, whispering, and flirting like any teenagers over the clinking of silver spoons against porcelain coffde cups.  Maria, the daughter of a cafe owner herself, knew and loved all the famous cafes - and they loved her. In fact, as family legend has it, she charmed the pastry chefs into sharing their best recipes for tortes and cakes. A century later, Lynn opened a nondescript box and discovered fifty-two of Maria’s recipes, handwritten in Hungarian. Well — fifty-one of Maria’s recipes. There was one, a simple Walnut Torte, just like what would have been served in those grand cafes, written in English - not by Maria, but by Maria’s daughter-in-law, Janice, who is Lynn’s mother-in-law.  That recipe card from became the basis of the cake Lynn has dubbed “Mother-in-Law Cake” and she shares with us today. Listen to Lynn Now Images of Maria! Around a year. In front of the Pariament buiding. The street behind with the trolley is Falk Miksa street. Screenshot Screenshot If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Lynn's Storied Recipe: Walnut Layer Cake with Mocha Frosting https://thestoriedrecipe.com/hungarian-walnut-cake/ Contact Lynn Lynn's Website: Family Tree Foodie Lynn's Hungarian Heirloom Walnut Torte on her website Email Lynn: [email protected] Lynn's Instagram: @familytreefoodie 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 Eastern European Recipes

The Second World War has started and teenage Dolores stands over a small suitcase laying open on her bed in Columbus, Ohio. She slept in this room through her mother’s three years of illness and the tragic night her mother died, when she was just fifteen.  Some nights, Dolores falls asleep quickly after long days of managing school and a home at that tender age. Other nights, she can't sleep, thinking of her handsome fiancé, Bill Wood — a very young man himself, standing on the brink of battle. But tonight, after Dolores tucked a small white New Testament and a white handkerchief on top of her modest clothing and clicked the suitcase closed, she sat down on the bed and looked around the room as if to say goodbye - not to the room, but to her girlhood. For tonight she may not sleep at all, as she cherishes a very secret hope in her heart - the hope that she will return home to this room as a married woman. Because if all goes well on her trip to Washington State, she will marry Bill. He will go to war as a husband, while she waits, prays, and works for Victory Day. Today, we hear from the youngest daughter of Dolores, who was always a homemaker first, and Bill, a career baker. Through their many kitchens - her mother's home kitchens and her father's bakeries - Melissa traces her parent's life of steadfast love and deep devotion: to one another, to their God, and to an institution that, at times, threatened to take advantage of that devotion. And in that crisis, it was Dolores and Bill’s love for one another — steadfast, selfless, and always protective — that preserved their hearts and family. We start with a recipe in Dolores’s handwriting, but titled “Dad’s Apple Dumplings”. For what God joined together in Washington State more than 80 years ago, Melissa could not separate — not even when choosing a recipe. 🙂 Listen to Melissa Now Images of Bill, Dolores, and Melissa If you can't see these in your podcast player, visit TheStoriedRecipe.com to see them. Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player Melissa's Storied Recipe: Apple Dumplings https://thestoriedrecipe.com/apple-dumplings-pastry-wrapped-apples/ 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

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 https://thestoriedrecipe.com/apricot-walnut-cookies/ Buy Lebanese Baking Buy Lebanese Baking on Amazon 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