Pimento Cheese BLT Sandwich

I'll get to the recipe in a minute, but I wanted to first of all thank the many of you who sent texts, emails, and phone calls, encouraging me as a mother (and in my energy levels of pregnancy!).  It truly means so much, and I'm so blessed with a community of godly women who want to build me up and encourage me.  Thank you thank you thank you.  (And for the record, week 14 is thus far much better.  In fact, before 8 a.m. today, I had eaten breakfast, cleaned windows, baked banana bread, vacuumed the floors, scrubbed down one bathroom sink, and fed Jackson.  That's a record compared to how I've been all 1st trimester.)

Now, here's my inspiration for this delicious sandwich, inspired by Gilchrist, the local drug store eatery in town.

Check out that bad boy.   Yum-O!  (And made with fresh tomatoes from our garden, even better!)

Okay, so the recipe is from Southern Living's "Homestyle Cookbook," an excellent cookbook if you don't already own it. 

Spicy Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pimento Cheese

1 1/4 c mayo
1/2 (12 oz) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
2 tsp finely grated onion
2 tsp coarse grained Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
2 (10 oz) blocks sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

**Note, I use the whole jar of red bell peppers, but I'm not sure if my jar is 12 oz?  Also, I usually just use the 16 oz "bar" of Cheddar cheese.  It truly does taste best if you grate your own.  And I use just regular Dijon mustard.  I also omit the grated onion. And mine tastes just dandy.

1) Stir together first 5 ingredients until well blended; stir in cheese and black pepper to taste. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Southern Living has a lovely picture of the pimento cheese stuffed in celery stalks, and I have to say, it makes for a pretty presentation and tastes great.  The crispness of the celery buffers the slight spiciness of this recipe.

I, however, had some thick sliced bacon to use up, and some fresh tomatoes from our garden, so I opted for this beautiful and tasty sandwich above.

**Another note, can you believe I'm a pimento cheese lover of only about 2 years? Nabeel's pimento cheese won me over, and since then, I've been on the hunt (until now) for a good recipe!

Enjoy!

Today

Today was a great reminder of God's truth to me:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  II Corinthians 12:9

I know blogs can, for the most part, feel cheery and happy and blissful.  Happy smiling couples who never fight or argue, happy smiling children who never whine or cry or grumble. Happy perfect homes with never a pillow out of place nor a crumb on the counter top.

While I would say I'm a fairly contented person with life, and with this life God has given me, today just wasn't those "full of contentment" days.

I now understand why women say that second pregnancies can make you really tired.  And I don't mean take a brief nap and then you'll have tons of energy.  I mean REALLY.TIRED.ALL.THE.TIME.  Maybe that's a combination of me working 2 jobs (NICU and now Lactation), trying to clean up our home, feed our family (cooking is low low low on my priority list these days), being a single mom while Andy is out of town for work (for what seems like every day, but it's not that often.  Just these past two weeks).  It can be hard and tiring, and today was just one of those plumb tired days.  A day where Jackson napped from 10-11:20 a.m.  That's it.  Our day then consisted of an overwhelming but fun visit to the McWane Science Center where I had to physically pry him away from the building because he didn't want to leave.  A loud trip to the library.  Chasing chasing chasing my fearless but fun runner.

YET...

God is faithful in reminding me of His truths.  Just now, because I was too tired to read to him while Jackson drank his milk before bed, I turned on the Christian television station, and God was so faithful in providing Chris Tomlin's lyrics to me:

"I Will Rise"

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"

With tears slightly streaming down this tired momma's face, I had my own quiet worship service, holding one hand up in praise and surrender, and the other arm holding a smiling toddler, content to be snuggled up with his mommy.  I wouldn't trade my "tiredness" or my long day for anything.  God has placed me on this earth right where I am, right now, and even when life seems overwhelming at times, if we just look up, He'll guide us, He'll give us encouragement, He'll strengthen us.

I apologize for what could appear to be a blog of complaining (for after all, I have nothing to complain about.  I have not vomited in this pregnancy; toddler #1 and baby #2 are healthy; I am healthy; I have a car with wonderfully working A/C to drive; I have a home over my head; a husband who works hard to provide; a job of my own that I enjoy; plenty of food to eat, etc.)...

I just wanted to have a moment of "real-ness."  Am I crazy?  Other moms...thoughts???

 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  II Corinthians 12:9

Jackson

 For my own memory record, I'm writing some things about Jackson that I don't want to forget at this stage in his life:

 1) Jackson is really into snuggling and giving hugs these past few months. You never know when he'll cozy up right next to you. Melts.my.heart.

2) He's really into taste and texture of food. If he likes a food he opens up his mouth for more like a little bird. If he doesn't like his food, he opens his mouth, propels out his tongue, and out drops the disliked food.

3) Jackson has always slept with his Wubbanub pacifier and two Loveys. His sweet bald head must like the feeling of soft things against it because he's often holding up both soft Loveys to either side of his head. And he loves his super soft bumper pads and frequently uses them as his pillow.

4) He loves Tucker and will often lay the side of his head on any part of Tucker's body, look up at you, and grin and giggle. Poor Tucker stands it because he's hoping for dropped food.

 Acting like a "big boy" at the computer station in the library.  Loves the headphones.

5) If you cant find Jackson there's a good change he's sprawled out hiding on Tucker's dog bed. Once you spot him, he grins and giggles and scampers off.

 Sprawled out sleeping little man. I love the video monitor.

6) He runs like a "fledgling duck."  That's right, arms bent up at elbow and wrists out, running full speed ahead.  Fast and fearless.

7) When you're putting Jackson down for nap or night night, he'll lay his head on your shoulder.  A sweet ending to my day.

Happy Father's Day and A Surprise

Happy Father's Day to this great daddy!  Jackson and I love you so much and appreciate you!

AND...

Andy will be a Father to TWO children on Christmas Eve 2012!!!

We're thrilled to announce that Baby York #2 is on his/her way, debuting 12-24-12. (And we have a good guess on the gender but won't announce to the "Internet world" until my  next ultrasound in four weeks.)

Hope you all are having a blessed day, appreciating our fathers, and more importantly reflecting on our Heavenly Father's unconditional love for us.

Deuteronomy 7:9  
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

Vegetables and Toddlers?

Is the title of this post an oxymoron?

In my life, it is an oxymoron.  I'm open for suggestions for how to overcome a toddler's picky moods and get some veggies in my boy! So send thoughts and ideas my way!

I have been opening up my Juice Plus capsules in his cottage cheese on a rare morning.  And we're obsessed with these organic fruits and vegetable packs.

 They can be pricey, but Babies-R-Us is having a mega sale on them now, and I stocked up. They are perfect to take to a restaurant, when you're out and about and on the go, and you're ensured your child is getting "butternut squash and pear" or "quinoa, plum, and apple" mixture.

When we were at Nabeel's today with Katie and McNeill, I ordered their fabulous hummus to appease Jackson (and myself) until our Grilled Chicken Feta Wrap came.  Jackson gobbled it right up, and I realized it was time to make the good ole' faithful Black-Eyed Pea Hummus. Maybe he'll eat it with our first summer produce from our garden?

 Jackson and McNeill at lunch today (one month apart in age). They were so cute together.

Stud muffin, sporting his new sunglasses that I couldn't resist buying at Babies-R-Us.


Cooking/baking is not on my radar these days, as it's really hard chasing a toddler, keeping him away from the burners on the stove (on the rare nights I am cooking), etc,  and so I've saved this baking recipe for after he went to bed.  I'm trying out a new recipe for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread  to take to a friend who just moved.  And you'd better believe I'll be taste testing the second loaf this makes.  It smells so good in the oven now!

Happy Weekend!

Family Photos

We recently had Lynze Prater take these great family photos of us at the Botanical Gardens.  I was really pleased in how they turned out!  (And if anyone in my area is looking for a great, reasonable, quick & efficient photographer, let me know and I can get you her contact info).  Also note, Jackson skipped his morning nap this day, so I am very impressed in how these turned out   :)

Celebrating in Atlanta

This past weekend, I planned a quick surprise getaway trip for Andy's 30th Birthday.

My parents were awesome and watched Jackson for us, which we really appreciated.

I chose Atlanta because it is a quick and easy drive, and because

was being performed at the Fox Theatre. Andy and I had always wanted to see this in NYC, but we never had time to go watch it.  We really enjoyed the performance, and I'm glad I was actually able to surprise Andy :)

We also enjoyed an AMAZING Italian meal at Ecco.  We feasted on everything from fried goat cheese slathered in honey, to a tasting of meats and cheeses from around the world, to a fabulous pasta and for me, a grilled flatbread pizza with arugula.  Delicious.  And we topped it off with olive oil ice cream, with bits of chocolate chips and sea salt.  Simply amazing.

I'm sad to say the one picture I remembered to take turned out incredibly blurry, and the wind was blowing our hair (and my dress) in all sorts of crazy directions. I'll spare you the dreadful blurry picture.

We topped off our weekend with the Jamisons, eating a wonderful lunch at their country club, and hanging out with their two precious kiddos.

 Throwback pics from Will and Margaret Gaither's wedding 2 years ago. Peyton to the right of Andy.  Megan below to the right of me.

Needless to say, we had a fun and much-needed getaway, and we enjoyed celebrating Andy's 30th.