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Remembering When My Brother Served: #ComfortsFromHome

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This post brought to you by Marie Callender’s. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ll never forget the day my older brother called me to tell me that he had to go overseas and that he couldn’t really tell me any details. It was 2003, and I was in my teeny tiny bedroom in Somerville, Massachusettes, getting ready to walk out the door to head to class (for graduate school). The world was still raw from 9/11. The war was new. But already, our troops were over there. And some of them were dying.

I knew the news was coming. I knew it from the moment I saw that second tower fall on live television. You see, my brother was in basic training during 9/11. The attacks happened on a Tuesday, and he was scheduled to graduate that Friday. I knew he would have to go fight before I knew anything else, at all. And yet, it was still such a blow to hear it. 

I was absolutely terrified and grief-stricken for my brother. I feared the worst, and failed to understand just why it all was happening. I think many of us felt, and still do feel that way. War is such a horribly complicated beast. 

I think one of the worst feelings for people with loved ones overseas is the feeling of helplessness. What can we really do, besides Skype, email and pray? Not too much, honestly, though perhaps we can help in a few small ways that can actually have quite an impact when we all chip in just a little bit.

I’m pleased to see Marie Callender’s taking some initiative to support our members of the military through the #ComfortsFromHome program. 

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Simply look for specially marked packages of Marie Callender’s frozen entrees in your grocer’s freezer section. After you get your food home, log on to the Comforts From Home website and enter the 8-digit code you’ll see on the back of the product. It takes all of 10 seconds to do it, which is awesome! 

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For every code from participating products (U.S. only) submitted between now and 01/31/2015, Marie Callender’s will donate .50 to the USO2GO program. They have guaranteed a minimum donation of $100,000, but they are ready and willing to donate up to $250,000, with just a little bit of help from us! There is a limit of 5 code entries per person/computer each day. But that’s a lot of Marie Callender’s! 🙂 

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I like to support companies who support our troops. I am thankful for programs that help veterans, like my brother, and like hundreds of thousands of others who have served and are currently serving. And I’m glad to have the opportunity to partner with a company my family already likes to give back. These .50 donations will add up quickly if we all make at least 1! And bonus? Dinner looks like this:

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For more information on the #ComfortsFromHome program, or on Marie Callender’s, but sure to check out the Marie Callender’s Facebook page. 

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Honestly Better Than Homemade: Marie Callender’s Pot Pies

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There are certain dishes that I have learned it is far better to pay someone else to make for you than to attempt yourself. My list of such foods consists of the following:

  • fried chicken
  • catfish
  • anything that is deep fried
  • Indian food
  • crab cakes
  • steak (I don’t have a grill….we ALWAYS overcook it on the stove or in the oven)

What am I leaving off? I’m sure there are several other things that you can think of that are best left to the experts (by the way, if you DO know how to successfully make any of the above items, you are invited to my house for dinner…bring the food!).

Then there are the things that I promise you can make on your own and they will taste just as good as the restaurant or store bought versions. Here’s my list of such foods:

  • biscuits
  • pizza (yes, sometimes the convenience is worth it, but the taste CAN be replicated!)
  • baked potatoes (secret weapon: the crock pot)
  • applesauce
  • meatball subs
  • pot pies

Today’s post is going to address the last item: pot pies. When I was growing up, I was a HUGE fan of pot pies…the frozen ones you could buy for virtually a song. I ate them on a weekly basis. One day I took a big bite out of one and the center was stone cold. It RUINED me on pot pies for several years.

As an adult, I still couldn’t bring myself to buy those frozen pot pies, but I decided to try my hand at making my own. I had great success with a few different recipes, and decided that what I made at home was so much better than anything in the frozen food section. Plus, it was hot all the way through! 🙂

And then I went to the Blissdom blogging conference and I got a coupon for a free pot pie from Marie Callender’s. I’ve eaten at this restaurant chain before, and I knew the food quality there was excellent, but I had never purchased her frozen food. Most frozen food is disappointing, so I need a compelling reason (like a free coupon) to even try it. And so I did.

CUE THE ANGELS SINGING, HERE!!!

This pot pie would make you slap your mama (if you have a mama who makes excellent pot pies, that is….my mom makes excellent Jell-o, and that’s about it). The chunks of chicken are huge and moist. The filling is thick and seasoned perfectly. And the crust….it tastes like it is made from scratch and filled with love. It puts my formerly awesome homemade pot pies TO SHAME. Seriously.

So the pot pie is coming off the, “homemade is best” list and getting moved to the, “let someone else do the cooking for you” list. Evidently I’m not the only one who has this opinion of the Marie Callender’s Pot Pies. Check out this article called “8 Grocery Store Products that are Better than Homemade (really).”

Since my first “Marie Callender’s Pot Pie Encounter,” we have purchased them quite a few more times, which is saying something, because we really do avoid frozen food (other than pizza and ice cream, of course!). FYI, they sell these in packs of 8 at Costco. Trust me, you’ll love them enough to get that many! You can also pick them up at grocery stores nationwide. I think the price for mine was a very reasonable $2.50. I would easily spend twice that amount making my own, and it wouldn’t taste anywhere close to as good as this does. I’d also be in the kitchen for an hour putting it together and baking it, and this pot pie goes from frozen to on the table in 10 minutes. You save time, effort, energy AND money, and the end result is tastier than homemade. I’m so glad to be a fan of pot pies once again. But only Marie Callender’s!

Disclosure: I have been compensated by Marie Callender’s and TheMotherhood for my time writing this post and reviewing the product. The opinions are 100% mine.