Dancing

Raising a kid is hard work. More for Kristen than for me. Scarlett is very demanding, and doesn't take very good naps. As a result, Kristen doesn't usually get to shower in the morning (I try to come home from work for lunch, and give her the chance), let alone really get ready for the day, poor dear.

Tonight, while we were making dinner, she left to feed Scarlett. When she came back to the kitchen and put Scarlett in her swing, she just seemed very tired. We had Spotify playing some Brad Paisley, and the song "New Favorite Memory" came on.

I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She started swaying back and forth a little bit, and I turned her around and kissed her, then pulled her close and we danced. I was suddenly overcome with gratitude that I am married to this beautiful woman who gives of herself and her time so selflessly to take care of our tiny little girl, and I offered a prayer to Heavenly Father, that He would always help me remember what's most important, and how blessed I am.

Day Zero 101

A few years ago, I started an experiment called Day Zero: 101 in 1001. The idea was to come up with 101 goals I wanted to accomplish, and to do them in 1001 days (roughly 2.75 years). I didn't quite accomplish all I'd set out to do, so I've decided to make another go of it. If you'd like to track my progress (and give me encouraging words of advice as I go), feel free to check it out here.

2011 Letter

Merry belated Christmas and Happy belated New Year! Here is a link to our 2011 Christmas letter. Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms, a la Adam

So New Year's Eve, I tried out making my own stuffed mushrooms. We love stuffed mushrooms, and get them all the time at restaurants. Funny enough, I think my favorite are actually Olive Garden's.

I based my recipe off of a couple of other recipes I found, but added my own twists. Kristen's words after eating these were: "Home run babe. Home run." Most stuffed mushrooms have some kind of seafood in them (crab, clams, etc.), but these use the much more accessible bacon, and are super easy to make. I hope you enjoy them!

Ingredients
About 1/2 lb. (20-30) whole mushrooms
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
Dash of cayenne pepper (about 1/4 t.)
Dash of onion powder (about 1/4 t.)
6 slices bacon
1 medium clove garlic, minced fine
Italian bread crumbs (I use Progresso - only about $1-2 at the grocery store)

Cook the bacon slices in a pan until crispy. Wipe out the pan with paper towels, retaining a little of the bacon fat in the pan. Chop (or crumble) the bacon very fine.

Remove the stems from mushroom caps, and rinse both stems and caps well, then dry with a paper towel. Chop up the stems fine, then fry them with the garlic in the retained bacon fat. Once any moisture has evaporated (about 5 minutes - careful not to burn the garlic), mix them with the cream cheese, parmesan cheese, bacon, and spices.

Fill the mushroom caps with the cheese/bacon mixture (you can fill beyond the top - just don't add too much, or they will bubble over). Then dip the cheese-filled end in bread crumbs. This will help keep the filling from bubbling out of the mushroom.

Place the filled mushrooms (not touching) filling side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 about 15-20 minutes, until the mushrooms are piping hot (the liquid from the mushrooms will start to pool under them). Enjoy!