Saturday Morning Message: Favorite Recipes

Good morning,

This is a picture of the main course of the dinner at the Grand Banquet at the TAPS 24th National Military Survivor and Good Grief Camp. I thought it would be a good picture to use as an opening for this week’s message. There were many responses to this week’s question, so I will keep my comments brief today.

I would love to gather some questions you might have for future Saturday Morning Messages. You can also submit favorite songs that are meaningful to you. I encourage you to respond to the question of the week by emailing me at online@taps.org. In order to have your reply included in the next week’s message, it is best to send your answers to me by Tuesday of the following week.

Hugs,
Carol Lane
Mother of Bryon

Question for Next Week’s Saturday Morning Message 

I know this question has been used before, but I thought it would be good to share strategies. The question this week is: How do you practice self care in your life?  When stress comes into our life, it is important to have some ideas on reduction. We look forward to your ideas.

Song for the Week

John Schneider was a guest singer this past weekend. One of the songs he sang seemed very appropriate for this week’s song. It is called I’ll Still Be Loving You.  I am warning you that it may bring tears to your eyes.

Answers from Survivors

Responses from Survivors to last week’s question: What is a favorite recipe that comes to mind when you think of your hero?

If you would like to send a message thanking one or all of those who participated in this week’s Saturday Morning Message, send it to online@taps.org and I will make sure your thoughts are passed along to them. 

From Samantha, fiance of Preston: Preston LOVED to bake. Anything from homemade pies to French macarons, he made perfectly. I’ve never met someone so talented. He had all of the cool kitchen gadgets and two Kitchen Aid mixers. It was amazing to see him in the kitchen. My favorite thing he made was chocolate chip cookies. I’ve never had a more perfect one. He baked them for all of the family events we had. If I was having a bad day, he’d always let me have some of the cookie dough off the spoon. He normally baked at night and I would always go to bed early. He’d wake me up to let me try whatever he had made. It made him so happy knowing I liked it and it made me happy seeing him smile. 

From Samira, mother of Andres: My son, Andres, was a picky eater before going into the Air Force. Of course, after going to Germany and Japan, he ate food like he never had before. My son loved rice and chicken (arroz con pollo) Spanish style! 

From Lolieta, mother of Evan: I love that this question that came May 19, Evan's 34th birthday. Our family recipe is a chili relleno casserole with green chilies, eggs, and cheeses. All of us love this recipe. Evan would make it for friends wherever he traveled around the country. He would experiment with it, adding chicken or other ingredients. He would say, "Mom, it just wasn't as good." The aroma as it's baking fills our home with lovely memories. My older son's family is vegetarian so the dish has become one of their favorites also. We have it on the date we lost Evan, his birthday, and my late husband's "days" also. We have it other days too. It's our family's dish! 

Elsie, mother of Daniel: Daniel loved to cook and he had many specialties. But the first one that comes to my mind is his polenta vegetarian lasagna. He made the seasoned polenta the night before, then used it instead of noodles. He also added green olives to the lasagna. I must add, his red velvet cake and his rème brûlée were always a special treat. 

From Leslie, mother of Eugene: I had a little tan notebook...size of an assignment notebook...I started to keep recipes when it was clear we were going to get married. My mother couldn’t cook. However, my mother-in-law and her mother were incredible. One recipe was for an apple pie that was insanely delicious. When my son graduated college and moved to Annapolis, I gave him the book, amongst other things. The first thing he made was the apple pie. He called me from the store to make sure he got the right apples and a few of the other ingredients. I got photos. He was proud of himself! The pie he made was delicious. My surviving son has the book. 

From Bonnie Jo, mother of Andy: A favorite recipe of my son Andy was probably spaghetti and meatballs, and Andy always included a big salad because his father HAD to have salad every night. Of course we tackled the garlic bread, or should I say Andy did ( he was better than me at the broiler). The twins at 9 years old or so each had to prepare one dinner a week, and this was Andy’s choice. I took them to the grocery store to buy the ingredients they needed. After about three or four weeks, he said, “Hey Mom, I need to branch out here in my meal, can I make ravioli next week?”