By Helen R. Zanone
If God had intended us to follow recipes,
He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.
~Linda Henley
Many years after my grandmother passed away, I received a gift in the mail from her. I was about to turn thirty and my mother sent me an envelope. "I know this isn't her famous lemon pie," my mother wrote, "but it is the next best thing."
If God had intended us to follow recipes,
He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.
~Linda Henley
Many years after my grandmother passed away, I received a gift in the mail from her. I was about to turn thirty and my mother sent me an envelope. "I know this isn't her famous lemon pie," my mother wrote, "but it is the next best thing."
Everyone eats cake for their birthday, right? Well, not our family. All we asked for was Grandmother's famous lemon pie. This was the one thing she wouldn't teach anyone, not even me. She was tight-lipped with this recipe. When asked what was in it she would say, "A little of this and a little of that."
Inside the envelope was a small index card. My throat tightened as I viewed the handwriting. "Famous Lemon Pie" was the title. Measurements were scratched out and rewritten. Clutching the card, I went to the kitchen to call my mom.
"Where did you get this?" I asked when she got on the line.
"I was cleaning out the attic and found a small box of her things. From the looks of it, she wasn't even sure what she put in that pie," my mother said.
My grandmother was famous in her circle of friends. She was known for her handmade crafts, her acre garden that all the neighbors helped with, but most of all she was famous for her baked goods that she shared with everyone. The best thing about my grandmother is that she taught me everything she knew, almost everything.
When I work on a craft, I feel her words of approval tickle my ears. Tending to my small but rewarding garden, the sun kisses the top of my head and I can feel her happiness wash over me. However, I never feel her presence more than when I am in the kitchen whipping up one of her favorite desserts.
Now I was determined to have her lemon pie for my birthday. I lined up all the ingredients on the counter and began to work. The first pie was soupy and sloshed in the crust when I pulled it out. The second pie began to burn even before it was cooked through.
I made lemon pie over and over, observing every little thing she scratched out and recalculated. By the time my husband got home from work, the kitchen was a minefield of defective pies. It looked as if each and every ingredient had abused me. I lost control when I saw the look on his face.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"I just want lemon pie for my birthday!"
"I will buy you a lemon pie."
He didn't understand. I left the kitchen and ran upstairs with a dusting of flour trailing behind me.
I went to bed that night with the feeling of defeat. Why did my mother have to send me that recipe? I drifted off to sleep with pieces of crust still in my hair and lemon scent on my hands.
My dreams were filled with memories of my grandmother and that pie. I kept trying to see what she was putting in it but she hid it behind her back. "Please tell me what is in that pie," I begged. She smiled as the dream dissipated.
I trudged to the kitchen the next morning and all the pies had been carted out to the garbage. The counters were spotless. It was as if the pie incident had never happened.
The next day would be my birthday and all I wanted was lemon pie. I pulled the ingredients back out of the cupboard. "I can do this," I whispered to myself. There are two things I pride myself on. First, I am the best baker in my circle of friends. Second, I don't give up.
I started mixing the ingredients and when I got to the cornstarch I couldn't scrape enough out of the box for the pie. Doubt was creeping into my thoughts. "I can do this. I can do this," I repeated to myself as I grabbed my car keys.
I stood in the aisle looking at the multiple brands of cornstarch. What was I doing? I felt like I was having a mini meltdown over a pie. I pulled a box off the shelf and rolled it around in my hands as I walked to the register. My eyes settled on the recipes on the back. Lemon pie. Maybe I should use this recipe. I looked closer. It couldn't be.
I rushed home to view the precious index card sitting on my counter. I scanned the ingredients as I looked from card to box and back to the card again. Impossible! Was it this easy? I could see my grandmother smiling as I figured out her secret recipe. It seems it wasn't a secret to anyone who had bought this brand of cornstarch.
For my birthday, I made not one but two lemon pies. I was so pleased with myself as everyone inhaled the pie and dished out the compliments. Now I have a famous lemon pie recipe, but I'm not sharing!
Inside the envelope was a small index card. My throat tightened as I viewed the handwriting. "Famous Lemon Pie" was the title. Measurements were scratched out and rewritten. Clutching the card, I went to the kitchen to call my mom.
"Where did you get this?" I asked when she got on the line.
"I was cleaning out the attic and found a small box of her things. From the looks of it, she wasn't even sure what she put in that pie," my mother said.
My grandmother was famous in her circle of friends. She was known for her handmade crafts, her acre garden that all the neighbors helped with, but most of all she was famous for her baked goods that she shared with everyone. The best thing about my grandmother is that she taught me everything she knew, almost everything.
When I work on a craft, I feel her words of approval tickle my ears. Tending to my small but rewarding garden, the sun kisses the top of my head and I can feel her happiness wash over me. However, I never feel her presence more than when I am in the kitchen whipping up one of her favorite desserts.
Now I was determined to have her lemon pie for my birthday. I lined up all the ingredients on the counter and began to work. The first pie was soupy and sloshed in the crust when I pulled it out. The second pie began to burn even before it was cooked through.
I made lemon pie over and over, observing every little thing she scratched out and recalculated. By the time my husband got home from work, the kitchen was a minefield of defective pies. It looked as if each and every ingredient had abused me. I lost control when I saw the look on his face.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"I just want lemon pie for my birthday!"
"I will buy you a lemon pie."
He didn't understand. I left the kitchen and ran upstairs with a dusting of flour trailing behind me.
I went to bed that night with the feeling of defeat. Why did my mother have to send me that recipe? I drifted off to sleep with pieces of crust still in my hair and lemon scent on my hands.
My dreams were filled with memories of my grandmother and that pie. I kept trying to see what she was putting in it but she hid it behind her back. "Please tell me what is in that pie," I begged. She smiled as the dream dissipated.
I trudged to the kitchen the next morning and all the pies had been carted out to the garbage. The counters were spotless. It was as if the pie incident had never happened.
The next day would be my birthday and all I wanted was lemon pie. I pulled the ingredients back out of the cupboard. "I can do this," I whispered to myself. There are two things I pride myself on. First, I am the best baker in my circle of friends. Second, I don't give up.
I started mixing the ingredients and when I got to the cornstarch I couldn't scrape enough out of the box for the pie. Doubt was creeping into my thoughts. "I can do this. I can do this," I repeated to myself as I grabbed my car keys.
I stood in the aisle looking at the multiple brands of cornstarch. What was I doing? I felt like I was having a mini meltdown over a pie. I pulled a box off the shelf and rolled it around in my hands as I walked to the register. My eyes settled on the recipes on the back. Lemon pie. Maybe I should use this recipe. I looked closer. It couldn't be.
I rushed home to view the precious index card sitting on my counter. I scanned the ingredients as I looked from card to box and back to the card again. Impossible! Was it this easy? I could see my grandmother smiling as I figured out her secret recipe. It seems it wasn't a secret to anyone who had bought this brand of cornstarch.
For my birthday, I made not one but two lemon pies. I was so pleased with myself as everyone inhaled the pie and dished out the compliments. Now I have a famous lemon pie recipe, but I'm not sharing!
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