Mom's Special Recipe Means More This Year

Three weeks before Easter, my family and I stood in the hallway talking to a team of doctors whom we had flagged down. We were anxiously inquiring about my mom, who was in the ICU on life support. We hadn’t been able to connect with the doctors for over 48 hours, so it was important for us to check in and see what was going on. The head doctor began discussing everything they had observed in the scans and what it meant for my mom’s quality of life. Every word made our hearts break. The doctor continued to talk about the realities he saw in recovery and started preparing us for the end of life support.

My dad told him we wouldn’t be making any decisions that day. After visiting my mom, we decided to take a break outside the hospital. My mom was on 100% life support, unable to open her eyes or communicate in any way. My sisters and I processed the situation in our own ways. One sister went back to the hotel room and slept, and one went to the chapel to pray. My dad, another sister, and I went out to eat. At the restaurant, we ordered our food and waited in the waiting area. We discussed funeral plans, the doctor’s information, and tried to steer the conversation to something, anything else, to distract us for a few minutes.

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We talked about how Easter was three weeks away. We reminisced about how my mom always prepared the best stuffing. I had helped her make it one or two times before and then had attempted to make it on my own, but it was never as good as hers. At that moment, I realized we hadn’t written down the recipe, and I hadn’t spent enough time with my mom learning how to make her best dish for the holidays. I thought about how no one would ever experience her presence in the kitchen again. My heart sank, broke, and was filled with sadness.

When our meal arrived, no one ate any of it. We pushed our food to the side and then returned to the hospital. We continued to sit with my mom. Easter came and went.

Almost a year later, and against all medical odds, my mom is still with us. We celebrated Thanksgiving, and my sisters and I helped prepare the meal. My mom sat in the kitchen, made a list of what needed to be done, and put us to work. I also put my mom to work.

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While I was preparing the potatoes, ham, and all the other holiday items, I asked my mom to go step-by-step and teach me how to make her perfect stuffing. It was not an exact science, and it was evident that she changed her recipe almost every time, making writing it down a bit difficult. She showed me and taught me how to get it just perfect.

I now have that recipe, and we’re getting closer to Easter. I’m so very thankful I had the opportunity not only to get the recipe but also to experience being in the kitchen with my mom again. If I have one piece of advice, it’s not only to get those special recipes but also to spend time with those you love making those special dishes together. Those times matter, and they are not guaranteed.

Mom’s Stuffing Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 packages (12 oz) of Brownberry seasoned stuffing mix (my mom likes onion and sage)

1 stick (½ cup) salted or unsalted butter

1 cup diced yellow onion

1 cup cut up celery

1 pound mild ground Italian sausage

64 ounces of chicken broth

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or better yet use a black speckled roasting pan).

2. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes, or until celery and onion are soft.

3. At the same time, cook the sausage into little pieces.

4. Place the stuffing mix in your baking pan.

5. In the baking pan with stuffing, mix in the sausage, celery, and onion. Top with the chicken broth. If it looks dry, then add more chicken broth.,

6. Bake for 65-75 minutes, uncovered, until slightly crispy on top.

7. If you are my mom, during this time you will have 10 other dishes somehow being cooked.

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Charissa Bates

Charissa is a Triple Negative Breast Cancer survivor at the age of 33. She has three beautiful children and works part-time as a mental health therapist. Writing has become empowering and therapeutic. Standstill: A Young Mom Conquering Triple Negative Breast Cancer will be available on her "Cancerversary" on December 12, 2022. Two other children’s books will be coming soon: We Find Joy (Cancer Messed with the Wrong Family) & The Traveling Book. Charissa runs https://www.facebook.com/FindingJoyPress and Salt Shaker Ministries. Also operates Busy Moms Need Jesus (facebook.com/busymomsneedjesus) with her friend, Abbey.