Three Months

I don't remember a time before her, but yet I know she has only been here for three months.

Three months.

In three months, she has learned to hold her head high. She can light up a room with her giant toothless grin. She wraps hearts around her little finger just by wrapping her little fingers around yours.

Then there are her eyes.

Mila's giant blue eyes captivate and delight even as they reflect her view of the world. She sees everything. That's obvious in her reactions. If you stop and watch her reactions, you'll trip into her world. Her eyes are so bright and so blue that they act as mirrors, so you're left seeing yourself as she sees you.

All of your flaws. All of your imperfections.

All of those things that you do wrong.

But you also see your own smile, your own joy, and all of those things you do right.

With just a glance, she makes you want to be the better version of you.

Happy three months, Mila.

Tex Mex Zucchini Boats

So, this was a really good idea.

It was the kind of good idea that makes you wonder how something so healthy could taste so good.

I try not to ask too many questions about these things, though. I'd rather just eat.

Tex Mex Zucchini Boats

6 medium zucchini
1 16-oz jar salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 pound ground beef, browned (Totally optional, of course. I made these for friends, so half had meat in them and the rest did not.)
Additional shredded Mexican cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Pull out a large cookie sheet.

3. Clean the zucchini then cut the ends off. Now cut the zucchini in half so that you have two pieces that are about 4 inches long. Now cut those halves in half lengthwise. The goal is to end up with something like this:

Which means you are going to have to scoop the middle out of those zucchini halves. A teaspoon works well for that project.

4. Chop up the zucchini that you scooped out.

5. Place the chopped zucchini in to a large bowl. Add the salsa, corn, black beans, shredded cheese, and ground beef (if you're using it). Stir everything up.

6. Place the hollowed out zucchini shells on a cookie sheet. Heap the salsa/zucchini mix into the middle of each zucchini boat.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the zucchini boats soften. You don't want them mushy, so check them before going past 30 minutes.

8. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of everything. Place it back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

9. Yum.

By the way, these reheat really well, so don't worry about making too much.

Music Makers