Turning My Family Holiday Tradition Into Radio (And An Accidental ‘Delicious Dish’ Outtake)

It’s not Christmas at my house until there’s a plate of Russian Teacakes sitting on the counter.

These buttery, confectioners sugary, walnut-y, one-bite cookies have been a holiday staple at the Ritter house since before I could remember. The cookies come from an old family recipe, passed down from my mom’s mom, to my mother, and to me.

Back in 2008, when I was a reporter at Montana Public Radio, we all decided it’d be a fun Christmas-eve show to each interview a family member about that one recipe Christmas just isn’t the same without.

My grandmother died several years ago, so I interviewed my mom about Grandma Boland’s Russian Teacakes.

Now, this radio project had the potential to end up sounding a lot like SNL’s Delicious Dish — and mine would have inched closer to that spoof had I kept in this (sorry Mom, it’s too good not to share) gem: