Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there…you know who you are!  Just remember that you mean the world to someone, and you’re the only mom they’ve got.

I’m missing my own mom today.  She passed away very quickly of lung cancer last year on March 28, 2014, just 6 weeks after diagnosis.  It felt so odd to sense the approach of this special day and not be shopping for something special for her, picking out a card, and writing a heartfelt message about how much she means to me.  Oh, well.  She is with me in my heart and mind, and she knows I will love her forever.  I know she’s with my dad and brother, my grandparents, and all of her siblings…all the ones who went before her.  She had a lot of love to give, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her tremendously.

My kids made me cards this morning.  My husband greeted me with a hug and a kiss, some flowers, and a delicious breakfast sandwich.  He’d already made my pot of tea (my one requirement to function in the morning), and I feel relaxed and happy.  He also gave me a beautiful card that made me cry.

My daughter says she is taking over the cooking today (with a little help from dad).  I bought a big pork shoulder roast to put in the rotisserie to make it a bit easier for them.  It’s nice to not have to cook for a day.  Now we’re getting ready to head off to church services.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Mother’s Day, too!

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Cinco de Mayo was this Tuesday.  I had tried out a new recipe the week before, and it was such a hit with the kids that I made it again for Cinco de Mayo.  It was delicious and so easy to make!  It’s called Cheesy Chicken and Bean Quesadillas, and I found it at BetterCrocker.com. 

I mixed the ingredients together in a bowl…organic black beans, Southwest-style rice for extra flavor, chopped fajita-marinated chicken strips for a little zip, chopped red pepper, and diced spring onions. 

  

Instead of cooking them in a pan, I got out my trusty Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker, which I absolutely love.  It makes perfect quesadillas every time and is so easy to wipe down and clean.  It only takes 4 minutes to cook in there, so it’s much faster than the directions call for in a pan.  And you get the added convenience of having the sections pre-scored so they are easy to cut apart into little sealed sections.  That’s nice and easy for the kids to eat, too.

Then I served them with a little tub of Pace Chunky Salsa and some sour cream for dipping.  Yum!  Everybody liked this so much that it will be added to our regular meal rotation on my menu board that I made last summer.

Enjoy, and have a wonderful Mother’s Day!