The Joy of Unexpected Surprises (Recipe Version)

The other day, I had a bunch of apples that I was desperate to use up because I didn’t want to trash them.  Now usually, I make an apple crisp, because it’s easy, all my children like it, and it’s pretty health conscious too.  But after the apple crisp was made, I still had apples left.  And so, I decided to try “Bavarian Apple Torte.”    It looked easy enough and I love things that are rated five star by users on allrecipes.com (my go to site for when I have ingredients that I like to use up – just enter the ingredient in the search bar and sort by rating).

Anyhow, I actually didn’t expect much from it.  I’d never tried the cookie bar, cream cheese, and apple combo - and frankly I thought it would taste bland - but having a sense of adventure can be a good thing.  The torte was fantastic!!!  SubhanAllah, it was a perfect combo, and all my children abandoned the apple crisp (which actually turned out good too, alhamdullulilah) and DEVOURED the apple torte.  They’ve all agreed that this is now their favorite dessert I’ve ever made and can’t wait until I make it again.

Totally unexpected.  Totally unexpected taste.  Totally unexpected reaction.  Totally joyous surprise.

And joy is all around us.  There are little nuggets of it everywhere you look.  But you gotta look.  Even in the storms, their are blessings.  But you have to gather them up.  Joy in a smile, joy in an email, joy in the pebbles alongside the road, joy in 2 extra rakahs you offer before anyone awakes, joy in your friend’s gift or your father’s dua for you.  Joy in a recipe. 

We have to choose to embrace the joy and let that color our personalities – let the joy and gratitude make us who we are, give us inner peace and contentmet, connect us to that which matters.

Joy is spread through family, friends and the ones we care about – in the ordinary and the routine, we might forget about finding joy in the tasks we do for them.  But it can creep up on us, like a child embracing your legs in a hug when you’re in the kitchen or a husband expressing gratitude for a supper that “hit the spot.”  Unexpected suprises, there’s joy in that.

In many ways our recipes are tributes to the people who have shaped our lives.  I can’t make mousakka (Egyptian style) without thinking of my grandmother, or dolma (lebanese style) without thinking of my best friend growing up, or cous cous (Moroccan style) without remembering a favourite aunty.  Each of these people left an impact on me, taught me something about life and living.  And, I could literally write a book about my own mother’s commitment in the kitchen, the recipes (and lessons) that literally shaped who I am and will trek down through the generations to come inshaAllah.  And while I can’t lie to you and say I love to cook (like she still does), I can say that I’m open to the idea, especially when unexpected surprises reveal themselves.  When a cake tastes better than you thought it would.  There’s joy in that. 

And as I’ve said a fewhundreds of times before, where there is joy in the sense of purpose, every task seems like a piece of cake.  Or a slice of bavarian apple torte

What memories do you bring to the kitchen when you cook?  What joys await in your recipes?