The AMSE Team welcomes you to pull a chair up to the table and gather with them to share memories, traditions, recipes, and more!
After all, you are the reason for this season of gratitude. We couldn’t do any of this without you. You are a part of the team of military spouse entrepreneurs who understand the burning desire to create and cultivate a business while igniting the fire and passion in others.
Thanksgiving stirs up memories of traditions, plus guides us to finding gratitude even in uncertain times. Military spouse entrepreneurs are resilient and know firsthand how to change course when needed. While you sit at the table with us and read our stories, feel free to share yours.
Rachel Carpenter, Copy Editor, has a super-secret stuffing recipe that she won’t share with anyone, but she will make and share that with you! And when she’s near her mother and family, they get together the night before Thanksgiving and prepare the turkey together. Military life being what it is, she doesn’t get to always be with her family. But she is grateful for technology because it enables her to be a part of the tradition she loves.
Selena Conmackie, Ft. Hood Chapter Leader, is from Hawaii and for her, pumpkin crunch, also called pumpkin dump cake, is her must-have Thanksgiving tradition. But the funny part about this tradition is every year she asks her friend for the recipe. Just asking her friend for the recipe has become a part of the tradition around the yummy dessert! Here is the recipe, for those of you wanting to try this: Pumpkin Crunch Recipe
Kat Calvo, Partnerships Manager, is all about the pumpkin crunch, too! And traditionally, her family also makes it. And around noon, she usually starts drinking Coquito. Plus, she wraps and stuffs her turkey with bacon.
That’s right, bacon.
She said it’s her husband’s favorite way to eat it: Bacon-Wrapped Turkey
Adam Evans, Luke AFB Chapter Leader, always hosts a Friendsgiving at their house the Wednesday before thanksgiving. They have a game they play called Play it Forward. That day, they all arise very early to begin the game. The game requires a deck of cards, with each card having a specific task. Such as take a selfie with a stranger, complete this riddle, overtip your server, and so on. The tasks are straightforward, and part of the idea is to go to every local business throughout the city. Once the task is completed, the player logs in their deck of cards with the number on the bottom of the deck into an app to keep track of the card. Next, the player leaves the card they have completed with that person they met, and that person can enter the card’s number into the game. They’ve been playing this game for the past six years. Some of the cards have traveled 1.2 million miles! Check out the game: Sneaky Cards Game
Christinna Kitchaiya, Social Media Strategist, says that she used to be traditional in her meal, but her husband is from Thailand, and now they have traveled the world. Their dinner consists of all sorts of flavors from around the globe! Plus, they like to invite people who don’t have a family to share the holiday with their home.
Moni Jefferson, Co-founder and CEO, used to have a very traditional meal and still does, but now she likes to order out. However, she does make traditional Puerto Rican rice called Arroz con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas). Traditionally, her family used to get all dressed up for Thanksgiving, but now they wear Christmas pj’s all day and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Moni’s Mom’s Recipe: Arroz con Gandules Rice with pigeon peas
2 cups of rice (follow the water instructions of the rice you are using, replace with the chicken broth)
I can of gandules (drained)
chicken broth (substitute for water as instructed on the rice you are using)
2 tablespoons of oil or bacon fat grease
2 tablespoons of sofrito (use your own or use sofrito Goya)
1/4 cup of Spanish olives with pimientos, use about 1 tablespoon of the juice as well (optional)
1 fresh garlic minced
1 package of sazón con culantro
I cup of diced ham or seasoned pork chop (I use adobo Goya)
Heat the 2 Tbs., of oil or bacon fat; add the ham or pork chop, cook until a little brown.
Then add the sofrito and garlic, fry for a few minutes
Add the sazón, olives and gandules.
Once it starts to boil add the rice, mix well, add the chicken broth, mix well.
If using a rice cooker, cover and let cook.
If using a “caldero”, heavy-duty pot, or nonstick pot, bring to a boil on high heat, let the water evaporate some. Once the water has evaporated some stir the rice, cover, and reduce heat to medium once the rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed your rice is ready.
FYI: adjust the seasoning to taste.
Optional: add cilantro before serving.
Anna Larson, Ft. Hood Chapter Leader, has a huge extended family. We’re talking sixty 1st cousins, and they always got together for Thanksgiving. Her uncle was a gym teacher at a high school. When she was younger, the entire family would meet at the gym and use the commercial kitchen to prepare the meal. And for some reason, because she’s not sure how or why it started, there would be homemade piñatas for the children and the teens. The ones for the teen were always harder to get open. But by the end of the day, there would be piles of candy everywhere! The piñata tradition has stayed with her.
Caroline Schafer, the podcast editor, grew up with the regular traditional foods and loves to make and serve them, but having a son with celiac means she has learned to tweak as many recipes as she can. Plus, even though it’s not Christmas, she likes to eat on her Spode Christmas china because it reminds her of her Mimi, who is no longer with her, and Spode was the china she used for the holidays.
Flossie Hall, Co-founder and COO, grew up in a very small town with very traditional foods. It wasn’t until she became a military spouse and was introduced to all the diversity within the Thanksgiving holiday that she realized all the good food she could add to her meal! She still serves traditional dishes but enjoys other dishes as well. As the neighborhood cook, she enjoys inviting others over, especially soldiers with no one to share the holiday with, to share with her family of 6 for the holiday.
This was a fun episode for all of our team to share, laugh, and talk about this year. We invite you to listen to the episode now - find it wherever you listen to podcasts or here.
Moni, Flossie, and the AMSE Team want each of you to know how grateful they are to each of you. Your continued support and encouragement are inspirational on multiple levels! We wish you a very Happy Holidays!
Caroline loves to surround herself with wonder and creativity. Naturally curious, she enjoys adventures, whether through a nice walk or a good book. Her time is often spent recording voiceovers, preparing for interviews, writing articles, or editing audio. As a military spouse of 18 years, she will be the first to tell you that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, especially when you have a team of other military spouses to lean on and turn to.
Caroline has a certificate in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She believes gratitude is the most important value to help someone when they aren’t feeling positive; plus, when you’re feeling down, she will hug your neck, listen, cry with you to remind you of your worth and purpose.
Caroline has been an active force within the military community. Receiving multiple volunteer awards, including the Iron Mike Award. She loves the diversity and uniqueness within the military spouse community and gives credit to anything she is successful at to those who surround her.
You can find her dreaming (and waiting) for her next trip to Disney World, practicing voices for her voice acting dream, writing essays and poems, taking classes to learn something new, reading books by Stephen R. Covey or Brene Brown, or spending time with her family.
You can keep up with Caroline on IG @carolinekschafer.
