My wonderful mother, Alice Medwar, was born here in America and has Middle Eastern roots. Her parents, Sarah and Michael, moved to the United States in the 1920s for a new life. Michael was the proud owner of a small grocery store in their neighborhood, while Sarah was busy raising their lively family of four sons and three daughters, including my amazing mom. Alice graduated high school in 1945 and cheered for Medford High School in Massachusetts!

As I was growing up, my awesome mom, Alice, explored various jobs and picked up a treasure trove of cooking secrets from her mom, Sarah, my beloved grandmother. She even worked at a cozy Chinese restaurant and also alongside some talented folks at a local French pastry shop. Family gatherings were always special, filled with scrumptious meals that she enjoyed preparing for us. Her cooking truly stole the spotlight! With a large freezer in the basement packed full of Kibbee, rolled grape leaves, and delicious ethnic dishes, she was always ready to whip up something amazing immediately.

Alice was enthusiastic about teaching anyone who wanted to learn her cooking secrets. I remember stepping into her cozy home and finding a small group of people happily mixing ground lamb in a big bowl to create Kibbee and Kibbee Nayee. I was so excited to taste everything her students made and felt lucky to be their taste tester!

Our backyard had a lovely grapevine that my dad started before he passed away in 1974. To keep his memory alive, I took over caring for it. Whenever the grape leaves were nice and tender, my two sons and I would pick hundreds for my mom. She would then clean and freeze the leaves until it was time to roll and stuff them to make delicious stuffed grape leaves. She always ordered the right lamb bones from the butcher at the grocery store, as they would simmer perfectly alongside our stuffed grape leaves. It's an excellent way to keep our family traditions alive!

*Alice kept some delightful logs and notes about her cooking adventures, and I can't wait to share them with you!