Breaking Bread Part II – The Language of MIlitary Spouses

Breaking Bread - The Language of Military Spouses

Part II - The Modern Military Spouse

While Part I of this series looked to the past for inspiring stories of historical military spouses and some retro recipes. Part II looks to the military spouse of today. Not unlike their predecessors, modern military spouses are in their kitchens creating memories through delicious dishes. Today's modern spouses are telling their remarkable family and friendship stories through their recipes. From using modern technology to the science of super foods, each spouse has a story of the victuals they share. We can relate to the stories behind the recipes and reasons they share them. Whether it's to make an impression, empower others, keep a tradition or start a conversation; military spouses have started a dialog about themselves with food. Making Friends - Military Child Way Dana Ferland is an Air Force spouse of 15 years, a speech therapist and mother to three charming children. Her teenager, middle and elementary school-aged kids have only known life as a military child and the adventure it holds. With each new location, Dana knows her children must forge new friendships and support systems. As a way to impress "new" friends at play dates and sleepovers, the kids request "Crazy Pancakes" for their newfound buddies. The dish is a showstopper! The Ferland home is forever known as the place that serves Crazy Pancakes and where friendships are made! Crazy Pancakes 1 cup of milk 1 cup of white flour 4 eggs 1 tsp of salt 1 tsp of nutmeg a dash of vanilla (optional) ½ stick of butter. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Excluding for butter, mix all ingredients to together in a medium size bowl. Place ½ stick of butter in a 9x12 pan and place into oven to melt thoroughly. Once the butter is melted, pour wet mixture into pan and return to oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until brown and edges are like mountaintops. Remove from oven and sprinkle powder sugar on top. Cut in squares to serve. (It will flatten when cut) The Recipe for Blogging and "Berry" Special Friendships Conni Dahl Smith has been an active duty Army wife for more than 22 years and now lives at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama with her husband and 3 children. She's a modern day spouse that has a tremendously success food blog. She originally began with a "home page" in 1998 to share family photos and stories with friends & family. Later on, she was part of a homemaker's yahoo group, and found herself sharing recipes over and over again. In 2006, a friend introduced her to a new way of sharing information called a "blog" and she thought it was the perfect place to share recipes. She has since completely integrated her love for cooking and military life through this venue. She has thousands of followers where she shares recipes and her Army wife adventures. When asked to share a recipe, she immediately thought of her Orange Cranberry Quick Bread . Because she spent 12 years at Fort Bragg, she knew of every "secret berry patch" of blackberries in the area. Each summer, she would make blackberry jelly, preserves, gobs of cobblers and other desserts. When she moved to Alaska, she discovered the area had an abundance of wild blueberries and raspberries along with military other spouses who shared her love for baking. Together they would make blueberry muffins, homemade cranberry sauce, jellies, orange cranberry bread, and other goodies with the fresh berries they would find. Every time she makes these desserts, she's reminded of the sweet influence of military friendships. You can read more about Conni and her great recipes at TheFoodieArmyWife.com Orange Cranberry Quick Bread 2 cups Flour 1 ¼ c Brown Sugar 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder ½ tsp Baking soda 1 tsp Salt 1 egg, beaten ¾ cup Milk ¼ cup Butter, melted 1 Tb vanilla zest of an orange ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1 cup (generous) dried cranberries 1 Tb raw/Demerara Sugar Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, with oven rack in the lower-middle setting. Grease & flour a 9x5 loaf pan, set it aside for now. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set it aside. In another bowl, mix together the egg, milk, butter, vanilla, brown sugar and orange zest. Add the liquids to the dry mixture, and stir it together until it just combined. Fold in the nuts and cranberries. Pour the batter into the loaf pan, smoothing the top with your spoon or spatula. Sprinkle the raw sugar over the top of the bread. Bake this for 75-80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Run a knife around the edge, and then remove the bread from the pan. Cool it on a baking rack. A Taste of Home Becky Harris has been a military spouse for more than 14 years. She hasn't lived in her hometown since she left for college more than two decades ago, but she still misses it. Home is Western New York, the birthplace of Buffalo Chicken Wings. It wasn't until she made a visit home to see friends and family that she discovered the perfect dish that tasted like home - Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip. It had the same delicious flavors as Buffalo Chicken Wings without the need to eat the actual wing itself. The dish is an "ice breaker" or conversation starter that she uses at social gatherings to start new friendships. Thanks to her hometown best friend, Missy, who passed her the recipe, she now has the perfect dish to serve at potlucks, socials and special occasions -that reminds her of home - while living this military life.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip Ingredients: 1 lb. chicken breast 10 oz. buffalo wing sauce (add as much as your palate can take) 8 oz. soften cream cheese 8 oz. Blue Cheese Dressing 8 oz. Mozzarella Cheese Cook Chicken (boil, steam, grill, saute) and cut into small pieces. Buying precooked chicken works just as well. Combine cooked chicken and buffalo wing sauce in a pan until the chicken absorbs most of the wing sauce. (20 minutes) In a 1-quart casserole dish layer: cream cheese, chicken mixture, blue cheese dressing, and mozzarella cheese.Bake in 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes, until cheese on top has melted.Serve with carrots, celery, tortilla chips, or just grab a spoon and enjoy. The "Start" of Many Friendships Alicia Hinds Ward is an Air National Guard Spouse, Key Spouse, mother of three boys and ...oh, yeah, she's the 2013 AFI® Military Spouse of the Year ! When asked to submit a recipe for this article, there was no need to thumb through her recipe box. She knew the perfect recipe to share with other military spouses. She's had lots of practice sharing this dish. As with every great friendship, it all begins with a "start". Then you send time cultivating it and adding experiences together to form wonderful friends. The same goes for Alicia's Friendship Bread - you need a "starter" to begin, take care of and then share. Alicia first shared her bread and it's starter at a few bake goods socials at Joint Base Andrews. It was then that the full impact of military spouse friendships was realized. The results were life altering for Alicia because because she met so many women who became her "sisters" and apart of her military family to this day. She believes it makes a closer community when we can share "bread" together. Alicia says she likes to make multiple loaves of this bread to share with her fellow spouses in the spirit of friendship and community. She believes this is how we show love. So, what can possibly be better than Friendship Bread to bring 1.1 million of us together? Friend Bread Starter Mix 1 cup of each of following Milk Flour Sugar Using a clean wooden spoon, place in glass container with cheesecloth draped over it. This is necessary because the ingredients can't touch anything metal, and the air coming through the cheesecloth allows the mixture to "culture" - in other words ferment and become bubbly, gooey and alcohol based. Make sure to put this container in a warm spot of your kitchen. Like good friendship, this starter takes a little extra effort. It takes 10 days for this process. Pay close attention, because it can be tricky. Every odd numbered day, you add 1 cup each of milk flour and sugar. Add in ingredients on days 3, 5, 7, and 9 Every even numbered day: you stir with the clean wooden spoon on days 2, 4, 6, and 8 you stir. Day 10 you divvy it up your "starter" into 10 pieces to share with your military spouse friends. You give away 9 of them, because you are an amazing, generous and fantastic Military Spouse, and then start a new batch of starter. Friendship Apple Coffee Cake It's time to bake! Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Get two medium loaf pans and spray with oil. Mix 1tablespoon of Sugar with 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon and sprinkle that on the bottoms of the pans. Then gather your ingredients in the following order putting them in a large bowl: 1 cup of starter ½ cup Vegetable Oil (this can be substituted) ½ cup Applesauce ¾ cup of Sugar ½ cup Milk 1 tsp Cinnamon 2 cups Flour 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder ½ tsp Salt 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 3 Eggs 1 Large box of Vanilla Pudding Stir it all up until it looks smooth and any lumps are gone. Alicia likes to add apple slices (thinly sliced) in the bottom of the pans before adding the mixture on top. It gives the bread a slightly different taste and makes it apple pie bread. Then, pour it equally between both pans for even baking and brush with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake for 55 -60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. When cooled, slice and enjoy. It's very versatile and great paired with coffee, tea, and wine. I Don't Have a Hometown, I'm a Military Brat. Meg Lumpkin just celebrated her 50 th birthday! She is an Army Brat and long time Air Force Spouse. She can barely remember a time when she lived in the same house or town for more than just a few years. When asked the question, "Where are you from?" She responds with tilted smile, "I hate that question." Meg is a product of the military; both her parents were active duty Air Force and she spent her entire life making the rest of country her home, not just one location. Her military life didn't end after childhood. At a young age, she married a bright, newly minted airman, and together they moved across the globe for more than 30 years. Without a hometown to speak of, she refers to the place her parents are from as her home, something most military children can relate to. Her parents are originally from Pennsylvania - home of Whoopie Pie! Instead of making cupcakes or cake for her children to celebrate birthdays with friends, Meg would make Whoopie Pies - a reminder of home, albeit not theirs, but their family. She believes the recipe kept them connected and gave them some form of roots. Whoopie Pies Pies 10 tbs Cocoa 4 cups of flour 2 cups of sugar 3 tsp. baking soda 2 cups milk 10 tbsp oil 2 eggs Place all dry ingredients in large bowl and blend. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 7 min and remove immediately from sheet. Filling 2 cups shortening 1 jar marshmallow fluff 4 tsp vanilla 2 cups of confectioner sugar Place all ingredients in large bowl. Beat with mixture until light and fluffy. Spread generously between 2 pies. Wrap each one in separately in plastic wrap to keep from sticking together. YUM! Finding the Silver Lining in Deployments Cynthia Rios-Myers is a Navy spouse. She loves experimenting with new recipes, discovering new flavors and techniques. Cynthia happened to find a delicious recipe on Pintrest (the modern military spouse cookbook) and tried it out at home. However, her husband, is a creature of habit and wasn't a fan of the new flavors. To the contrast, Cynthia and her son loved it and have since deemed it their favorite meal On the sad occasion that her husband goes "out to sea" on deployment, Cynthia and her son secretly celebrate at the dinner table with a meal that they both relish. It's way to find the silver lining in an emotionally charged occasion. Creamy Bacon Carbonara 2 eggs ¼ cup Cream or Heavy Cream (Whipping Cream) ⅓ cup Parmesan Fresh diced Parsley or dried flakes ¼ tsp. Salt ½ tsp Red Pepper flakes *(I doubled the Sauce recipe, and it was perfect) ½ lb. bacon fried crisp then crumbled 1 small onion, chopped (opt) 3 mushrooms sliced (opt) ½ lb. Pasta Beat the eggs, cream, Parmesan, parsley, salt and the red pepper together in a bowl. I just used a fork. Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble and set aside. With 1 -2 Tbsp. bacon grease, saute the onion and the mushrooms until the onions are translucent and golden. Drain the pasta and while still warm, add to the onions and mushrooms. Pour cream mixture into the pasta, and stir over low heat for one to two minutes. Empowering Yourself Lana Simmons is an Air Force spouse, mother of two beautiful children and an inspiration to many. Like many woman, Lana has struggled with her weight for most of her life. While she was stationed in Germany, she weighed her heaviest at 275 lbs. She elected to have Lap Ban Surgery, which is surgical procedure to have an inflatable silicone device placed around the top portion of the stomach. This was nothing but a temporary ban-aid for Lana. She ended up gaining all the weight back and then some to finally weigh 290 lbs. Lana had hit a wall and hoped to find a solution to weight at her next assignment in Hawaii. Things seemed different in Hawaii. Her husband deployed while stationed there and she knew she needed to make a change for herself and for her children. She'd given up on losing weight and focused more on being healthy. She became more comfortable in her own skin, motivated for the right reasons. After two years, she lost 100 lbs. - all by healthy eating and exercise - no diets, no surgeries. Lana completed a half marathon and became President of the Enlisted Spouses Club where she began the process of empowering others in their weight journey. Today Lana is certified Personal Trainer and Yoga Instructor. She loves working with larger women because she understands the obstacles they face. She hopes to soon publish a cookbook and exercise guide for military spouses hilariously named If I Were Just A Few Inches Taller, I'd Be A Size Six. To find out more about Lana Simmons look her up on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BadMotherFitness Power Chili (Rawwwr) 1lb of 96% lean ground beef (or ground turkey or ground chicken) 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes 1 6 oz can of tomato paste 1 15 oz can of kidney beans 1/2 red onion chopped 4 oz can diced green chilies 2 green bell peppers chopped Sliced jalapeños (from a jar) to taste (I use about 1/4 - 1/2C) Cumin to taste (I use about 1/2 tablespoon) Chili Powder to taste (I use about 1/2 tablespoon) Garlic salt or salt Throw everything in the slow cooker. I use my hands to break up the ground beef. Put slow cooker on Low and let cook for about 8 hours. Top with diced avocados, a dollop of greek yogurt or 1 serving of cheddar cheese. A Family Tradition Tim Blake is the face of the modern military spouse. He's a stay at home dad to four amazing children, teacher by trade, accomplished bass player and husband to an amazing women - who just happens to be Lt. Colonel in the Army. He's also writes for Military Spouse Magazine and has a popular blog about his life as a proud Army dad. www.armyspouseami.blogspot.com When asks if he would be willing to share his story and recipe with us, he immediately jumped to memories of his childhood. Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas his family ate a big meal together. And at every one of those meals, his grandmother would make her banana pudding. It was something they all looked forward to. After she died in 1999, the recipe was passed on to his aunt. She passed away in 2009. But before she did, she passed the family recipe on to him. As far as he knows, he is the only one in the entire extended family that still has the recipe - until now. Whenever his family has the opportunity to invite single soldiers and military families over for a meal, he always shares Grandma Harley's banana pudding with guests. It's their Army family tradition. Grandma's Banana Pudding 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 tblspn flour 2 cans evaporated milk Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Put in lots of vanilla wafers. Cool. Once cool, cut up 5 bananas into the mix. Refrigerate until cold. Add whipped cream to top when cold. Empowering Others Christina McBride is a mother of two little girls, military spouse, clean eater and super athlete. She's a certified USA Triathlon Coach, USA Cyclist Coach, personal trainer and spin instructor. Her list is long of sponsorships and medals. Christina has a gift - she inspires others. She lives a life of servitude when it comes to being healthy. She recently reached into her local community to start a High School Mountain Bike Team. She wanted expose teens to the sport she loves. She pulled kids from all over the community, but really concentrated on military teens struggling to fit in to their new assignment. She started with only two riders, but has since grown the sport into a recognized high school sport in her community. She's coached these military teens every week - taking them off the couch and into the great outdoors. Together, they are camping and racing, giving them the confidence they need to become high performance athletes. When asked to give us a recipe that best represents her, she submitted one of her favorite power green smoothies. She calls it Energy in the Glass! Energy in a Glass Ingredients 1/2 cup water 1 cup green grapes 1 orange, peeled, halved 1/2 ripe Bartlett pear, seeded, halved 1 small to medium size banana, peeled 1 tbs spoon of greek yogurt 1 cup (70 g) kale 2 cups (480 ml) ice cubes Directions Place all ingredients into the Vitamix or other blender container in the order listed and secure lid.Turn machine on and slowly increase speed. Blend for 45 seconds or until desired consistency is reached. SOS (Creamed Beef) We couldn't end this article without adding a recipe for the most common dished served in military service. Thanks to Conni at www.TheFoodieArmyWife.com for digging up this recipe. Every branch of service has a different variation of this, but for the most part, the basics are the same! Want to stir up a memory for your spouse? Make this for breakfast! This is the dried beef version of SOS. It can also be made with a lb of ground beef that has been browned and drained. That is the version you see in the chow halls more often ;) If you make it with the ground beef, add a little salt to taste.

1 jar Dried Beef (about 4 ounces) 5 Tb unsalted butter ½ c flour 4 c milk pinch of black pepper Several slices of toast To begin, open your jar of dried beef, and rinse it under cold water. Dried beef is highly salted, and you really don't want all of that in your food. Place the rinsed slices on a cutting board, and give it a rough-chop. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for a minute until the mixture bubbles. Whisk in the milk, and heat this while continually stirring, until it comes to a boil and is nice and thick. Remove it from heat, and stir in a pinch of black pepper and then stir in the chopped dried beef. Serve over toast. We hope you've enjoyed this series on food and military spouses. We have an amazing heritage of spouses who came before us. But what inspires me the most, are the spouses we have today! Bon A Petite! Recipe for a Military Spouse 1 1/2 cups Patience 1 cup Courage 3/4 cup Tolerance dash of Adventure 1 pound of Ability Add 2 tablespoons elbow grease and let stand-alone for one year. Marinate frequently with salty tears. Pour off excess fat and sprinkle ever so lightly with money then knead dough until payday. Season with international spices. Bake 20 years or until done. Makes unlimited servings -unknown Did you know that Julia Child is considered a spy for the United States in World War II? She worked as a "clerk" for many years at the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA. Throughout World War II, the OSS ran America's intelligence operations and controlled a network of spies around the world. "People who love to eat are always the best people." ― Julia Child