In celebration of Memorial Day, in memory of great American heroes who have given their lives in service to this country, and in honor of those currently serving, we are sharing a special episode from our Great Stories and Recipes from Great American Heroes series. And what better day than Memorial Day to share a recipe that would be perfect for a Memorial Day gathering: Bacon Explosion!
The Heroes
We are honored to welcome two guests today, Lieutenant Commander Kurt Celis and his wife, Alison Celis. LCDR Celis has served in the United States Navy from 1995-2003, in the Army from 2003-2007 and from 2007 to the current time in the Navy again.
The Stories
Alison served as an Army Major from 1998-2009, first as a military resident, then a trained flight surgeon following her Emergency Medicine residency. Serving in the military was something she had always wanted to do. Her Great Grandfather and Grandfather had both served in the Navy and her Aunt went to medical school on an Army Scholarship. This, along with a deep desire to serve her country, is what inspired Alison to follow the same path.
But not only did she receive her education through serving in the Army, she also met the man who became her husband.
You are going to love hearing how they met, along with a story from LCDR Celis’ experiences in combat which included a very brief conversation that changed his life forever and how their love story has led to a new venture, called Hero Matchmaker.
Listen to Part 1 of the podcast here for those stories:
[Part 2 is a favorite recipe they shared. See below for more details on that.]
The Recipe [Bacon Explosion]
LCDR Celis shared that one of his favorite recipes is called Bacon Explosion, which is actually a trademark of BBQ Addicts.Â
They gave us permission to share the recipe with you in the podcast:
With permission, we also are sharing some photos of the Bacon Explosion:
 
See those share buttons below the post? Share, share, share for the Bacon and BBQ fans in your life! They are sure to love it!
As I mentioned in the podcast, the instructions for the recipe are pretty lengthy and detailed. Please visit BBQAddicts.com to make sure you have the instructions handy if you want to try making one.
Their Life Together Today
LCDR Celis and his wife, Alison, enjoy life together today with their beautiful daughter, named Freedom. As you heard in the podcast (part 1), they also have begun a new endeavor, Hero Matchmaker, to help heroes find the perfect match with someone who is either a hero as well or who understands and has what it takes to share life with a hero.
As Chef John mentioned in part 2 of the podcast, he is a former police officer, so we know the stresses that LCDR Celis referenced when speaking about the type of environment those who serve are in each day on the job. Honestly, there were definitely days I did not feel “cut out” for the role of “wife of a police officer”! I admire those who fulfill that role well each day, loving and supporting those who do so much for America.
Maybe you or someone you know would be interested in learning more about Hero Matchmaker. If so, there is much more information on the Hero Matchmaker website.
Honoring Our Heroes
As I have spoken with those we are featuring in this series, one common “theme†I have found is, not surprisingly, deep patriotism. I have asked each guest if they ever had an experience that made them especially proud to be a part of America’s military, and the answers so far have made me realize just how important it is for those of us who are civilians to show appreciation to our heroes.
Here is what LCDR Celis shared:
Every day I put on the uniform I was proud. But the day we returned home from Iraq and landed in Dallas, the plane was showered with fire hoses, the crew thanked us for our service. It was a time to reflect on a lot of the things that had transpired over the year. When we deplaned there were Veterans there clapping for us and there to greet us and shake our hands. It was quite surreal and humbling, after all we were just doing our jobs, in a country that had a varied desire for us to be in Iraq at all. It was a moment that made me more proud to serve than I had come to feel on any one day or at any other moment.
Please take time to express your appreciation to the heroes whose paths you may cross, especially on days like today (Memorial Day)!
If you would like to share a message with any of the heroes we are featuring in this series, you can do that in our Facebook album here (<- click to visit the album on our Facebook page where you can leave comments).
God bless our heroes.
You can meet the other heroes featured in this series and read their stories and recipes here!
Linked with other great recipes and more at:Â Titus 2sdays, The Mommy Club, Works for Me Wednesday, Women Living Well Wednesday, Foodie Friday, Tatertots and Jello, Recipe Roundup
About the Author
Adopted at age 2, grew up in the Charlotte, NC area. Obtained Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Loves being a Mom of two and taste-testing Chef John's culinary creations and sharing them with readers.
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