Well now the serious business...

After a wonderful weekend with my family, Jace and I went to the dreaded appointment at MD Anderson. Yes I know they are great there, but lately we have not been getting many good news therefore I dislike it! After we arrived, the first huge sign we both saw at the airport was MD Anderson Making Cancer History. It was like someone was saying "wake up, remember you have to go to MD tomorrow!" I reacted with "Thanks for the reminder!"

We have been pretty calm despite the tough challenge we could be facing, whether Jace's new chemo would work. There were two options on the table if the chemotherapy worked, Jace would probably have to receive more chemo. If the chemo did not work then Jace's right lung would be removed followed by 6 weeks of radiation. So yesterday after being in the hospital for 6 1/2 hours we saw the oncologist. She said that the tumors had stayed stable, but there had not been a reduction in the size of them. These were definitely NOT the news that I wanted to hear, because then she quickly followed with "me and the surgeon spoke and we will have to go ahead and remove the right lung and part of the pleura." My heart dropped and I definitely didn't know what to say, except feel like I wanted to run away like a six year old crying. Neither one of us ran away and yes we were able to ask a few questions. Today I feel like I should not think about it too much, because I may open some floodgates that are not going to close any time soon. But I am truly telling myself "it is going to be ok, we will get through it." I am not quite sure if currently I have some denial or I am just doing a great deal of avoidance, but I keep on thinking one step at a time I have to take care of today, don't think of what could happen.

For now I think one thing that I will truly appreciate from everyone is thinking and praying that Jace will do amazing and that we will get through it!

Albuquerque and Family Time

The past week was AWESOME! I was in Albuquerque spending some major time with my lovely family. It was about 85 degrees the whole time I was there and there was no HUMIDITY! I love it there! It was the first time back since December to be back, which believe me is extremely very hard. I did see all of them during my wedding in March, but I still have a hard time not seeing them every day, opps I meant to say every couple of months (Jace says I am crazy and he does not understand how I talk so much with my mom, but I guess I have a lot to say).

Here is a picture with my lovely mom during the wedding, hopefully soon I can post a little more about the trip.

What is cooking?

I have always had a love for cooking. For me it has always been a time to relax and try new things. After Jace and I met it also became a time when we both could share our day and could try a million different foods. Yes, you have guessed it we loooove food. Let's be real cooking at home is much cheaper and healthier than going out. After Jace started chemotherapy, I started cooking non-stop but these meals were very bland :( Things have changed a little since the middle of May when he started the new chemo cocktail, now we are back to cooking all kinds of meals. This past week, we were able to share a few meals with some lovely friend and they loved the following, so here are a few pictures and recipes for you to try!

Stuffed Bell Peppers
 

What do I need?
4 green or red bell peppers
1 lb flank steak
1 medium onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
Provolone or mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper

How do I make it?
1. Cut a side of each of the bell peppers, take out all the seeds (I take out pretty much everything from the inside to have as much space for the meat). 
2. Mince the onion.
3. Cut the meat into small strips, season the meat with salt and pepper (if you want more flavor use a spicy rub from any grocery store).
4. In a pan (medium to medium high heat), saute the minced onion in the olive oil, add the flank steak and cook for a few minutes.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
6. Put a little cheese in the bottom of the hollow bell peppers, add the meat mixture until they are pretty full, and then add another layer of cheese on top.
7. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Greek Style Tomato and Feta Tart

What do I need?

Phyllo pastry sheets (5 to 10 sheets per tart)

Red and yellow cherry tomatoes about 1 cup.

Feta cheese, crumbled

1 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Melted butter

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

How do I make it?

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Follow the instructions on the phyllo pastry sheets package to thaw it.

3. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

4. Use about 5 to 10 sheets of phyllo per tart. As the package explains you must use one sheet, then brush melted butter on the sides of the dough, then add another sheet until you are done with the amount of layers you would like.  Then brush melted butter on the top of the whole last layer and fold the sides.

5. Put the dough in a baking sheet, sprinkle the tomatoes, oregano, feta cheese, sprigs of thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder on top of the phyllo dough.

6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. 

**This recipe is great for a summer night, because it is very light.  

I hope you enjoy making and eating these recipes!!!!

  

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