Mother's Day

I have the best mom...she is smart, driven, compassionate, considerate, loving, nurturing, passionate, an amazing cook, beautiful on the inside and out, and she is probably my biggest fan.  I love you Mom!  Thank you for ALL that you are.

 Here I am with my mom on the day I became a mom.

Being a mom is truly a dream come true for me.  Graham brings me more joy and delight than I ever imagined was possible. Each day is a treasure.

Lord thank you for blessing me abundantly with a wonderful mom and this special journey of being a mom myself.

Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Cream Sauce

You HAVE to try these....Plain and Simple.

Fish Tacos with Jalapeño Cream Sauce 

Yields 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tilapia fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

For the jalapeño cream sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

• 3/4 cup sour cream

• 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

Drizzle fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook in a counter top grill (I used my panini maker) for 3-4 minutes.  You could also cook the fish in the oven or on the stove top.

Remove from grill and let cool before chopping into bite-size pieces.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrot, spinach, oregano and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add the fish and gently toss to combine.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream. Add the jalapeños and garlic powder and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.

To assemble the tacos, lay the tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/3 cup of the shrimp mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and fish mixture.

Pour half of the jalapeño cream sauce evenly over the top. Place into oven and bake, covered, until lightly golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Serve immediately with remaining jalapeño cream sauce, garnished with cilantro.

Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like the 2010 SEC Championship Game. Recently (last night), I watched my DVD copy of the 2010 SEC Championship Game, one of 4 special DVDs that I purchased to commemorate Auburn’s national championship season. This particular DVD is my favorite because that was my favorite game of that season. Auburn’s offense was relentless against South Carolina that day and, other than a poor opening drive and some breakdowns here and there, AU’s defense played well too. Watching this DVD brought back a lot of great feelings – feelings that I haven’t associated with Auburn football for the past two seasons. I don’t know if Auburn will play that well ever again but it was neat to travel back in time and make mental notes of things I couldn't have possibly known back then.

• There’s not a lot of sense in getting worked up with college football recruiting. Two star freshman running backs from this game (Michael Dyer and Marcus Lattimore) left their schools before graduating, under very different circumstances. I would argue that neither lived up to their hype. 
• Ellis Johnson (South Carolina’s defensive coordinator at the time and Auburn’s current DC) apparently worked wonders with the South Carolina defense that year. They led the conference in sacks and were the best against the opposing rush. One would think that he could do the same with Auburn’s talent. Still, his abysmal record as Southern Miss’s head coach last season keeps me from getting my hopes up too high.
• A lot of Auburn players from this game are no longer on the team, and it ain't because they graduated. Same goes for coaches. While watching the DVD, it was easy to notice that Trooper Taylor’s antics hadn't reached a level of annoyance yet and Chizik’s slow, back-and-forth pace on the sideline masked his ineptness. With Cam Newton running the show, third-and-long didn't scare the heck out of me because Gus Malzahn’s offense was unstoppable. Everyone was happy.

I’ve always said that every...single...last star lined up perfectly for Auburn that season. The favorable road schedule, Cam’s legendary season and some lucky breaks along the way all contributed to the magic – nothing could stop it. Let’s hope for a repeat of that season soon! 

This week, I love family walks. Despite a recent cool snap, the weather has been a little warmer, which goes well with the longer days. Julie and I have recently developed a nice routine of taking Graham for a stroll around the neighborhood after dinner each night. Graham loves, loves, loves riding in his car, a wonderful gift from my coworkers. We like it too because it seems to zap any leftover energy from Graham before he takes his bath and goes to sleep. I like these walks for other reasons too. Julie and I have great walk-n-talks and they give me a good reason to move around after eating as opposed to hitting the couch.

"Stop looking and start pushing."

The only bad part about these walks is the nightly fit Graham pitches when it’s time to come inside!

This week I don’t like email elitists. I created my Hotmail account in 1998 and had no security issues with it up until last year, when it (along with my bank account) was hacked after linking it to my iTunes account (coincidence??). In college I had an Excite account and a Yahoo! email address as well. Within the last year or so, I opened a Gmail account and, more recently, I created an Outlook account, which is what all Hotmail accounts have been converted to – at least in appearance. Through it all, I’ve gathered that email is email is email. There wasn't a lot of communication about this Outlook conversion and it left a lot of people confused. It really gave Gmail elitists (who don’t want you to know that they also use Hotmail) an opportunity to proclaim Gmail’s greatness, with no facts to back it up. The same people have been quick to blame Hotmail for spawning of SPAM and they make sarcastic comments about Hotmail’s longevity. What they overlook is Hotmail’s worldwide use – up until LAST NOVEMBER, Hotmail was the most-used free email provider on the planet.

To all the keyboard warriors out their bashing Hotmail: get over yourself and please realize that you’re making an argument about two providers of an EXACTLY IDENTICAL service. Email is email is email.

He is Risen Indeed!

Easter is always a very special day.  It is a beautiful reminder of the mercy, grace and sacrificial love of our Savior.

We stayed in town this year and enjoyed spending the day with Nick's parents and sister.  These were our attempts at family pictures...FYI 15 months olds are not the most cooperative when it comes to taking pictures.

Taking a little ride before opening his Easter basket.

The Easter bunny came!

Time to eat!

After a good nap the rain finally stopped and we went for an afternoon ride.  This kid LOVES to be outside.

After such a fun filled day the boy passed out!

This week we have been getting ready for a visit from these two precious girls!  They are stopping by for a quick visit on their way to the beach.  They live in St. Louis, and we definitely don't get to see them enough.