Army Wives Do It In The Kitchen: August 2012

written by MAW Steve

I can remember when I was a kid how my parents would celebrate my birthday. When that time of year would roll around, Mom would ask what I would want to do. Sometimes, I chose to have a party either at the house or at McDonalds or some local pizza joint. Sometimes, I would choose to do the low key dinner at a restaurant thing with the parents and grandparents. Sometimes, I would choose to stay home and have Mom make one of my favorite meals. Usually, that was lasagna, but I am sure hot dogs, grilled cheese or pizza also made that list.

No matter what I chose though, one thing always had a place at my birthday parties. Food! It was rare that all I had on my birthday was cake and ice cream. Looking back, it might have been a better idea, but let's face it, that just isn't going to happen. Food, is an important part of the birthday celebration just as it is almost every other celebration in which we participate. Think about it. You can't have a wedding without the wedding cake. You can't have a Halloween party without the candied apples. You can't have a Super Bowl party without a ton of food that will make you overfull, gassy and ready to blow. You just can't do it, and you shouldn't!!! Food is a part of our celebration process.

This can not be more true that with those of us in the military. Promotion ceremonies, award presentations, hails and farewells are all food events. We do formal balls complete with fancy dinners. We have Company holiday potlucks that expose us to dishes with names we can never remember. Battalion or brigade family days come complete with Bar-b-q done by the gruffest of old 1SGs who have perfected their secret sauce over many years of deployments. We love food. We employ it in almost every event. It is necessary and important and I for one and so happy about that.

For my part, cooking for Soldiers at almost any of these events is one of the highlights of my life. I love cooking for my wife, who is, of course, the most amazing Soldier ever. (I understand opinions may vary) But, I also love cooking for any and all other Soldiers too. When Heather was Company Commander at Fort Riley we had our family thanksgiving potluck and I did the Turkey, a ham, and a couple other side dishes. Cooking for 15 hours didn't even phase me, because I knew that more than 50 Soldiers and their families would be enjoying the fruits of my labor.

It is for this reason, the fact that food is so important, that me and my Army Wife friends have started this blog. Army Wives Do It In the Kitchen every day, not because they have too, but because they love their Soldiers and their families. They do it in the kitchen because it is the place where magic is made. They do it in the kitchen because one of the things our Soldiers miss most while deployed or training or away on another TDY is the dishes we make. Sure they miss our love too, among other things, but I guarantee each Soldier has a favorite dish they dream about coming home to.

I can't wait to share some of these favorites with you, and to read about, cook and try some of your favorites as well. Together, we can keep America's fighting men and women fully fed and strong. We can also keep them happy, healthy and loving life through our food. I want to help you do that for your Soldiers and I hope you will help me do that for mine. Someone once told me, "The day you marry a Soldier, is the day you join the Army." There is a lot of truth to that. Let's do our duty to America by keeping our Soldier's belly full of food they love and will dream of coming home every day they are gone.