I think many of us feel like we are currently living in a defining moment. Years from now we will still be talking about how the pandemic of 2020 impacted our lives. And I in no means am trying to take away from that because this is epic.

That being said I have also been thinking about the many defining moments that make up our lives. Some of those are the happiest days of our lives, maybe the day you gave birth to your child, graduated from college, got married, got the job you wanted, or moved into your dream home. And maybe some of those were the most heart breaking moments of your lives such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, or the day you lost your job.

But what I have recently been reminded of is the fact that one minute can change your life, just one minute. And often it is those "one minutes" which are the defining moments that when added together makes a legacy, a lifetime, an adventure and a journey. And I for one feel so blessed to have had so many minutes, so many defining moments, so many celebrations and so many devastations because at the end of the day that is what has made and given me this incredible life.

I would like to take a moment to celebrate those defining moments in my life-the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly...because right now we have been given a minute as we sit here sheltered in place to consider our lives, to consider our new normal, to consider how we want our lives to change when we get out of this.

So here are a few of my defining moments:

1. The day I broke my neck in a car accident. Obviously traumatic, but also the most incredible gift as it forced me to reevaluate my life, look my mortality in the face, and decide I wanted to live and love differently.

2. The day I saw the man I love and no we are not together and this is not a romantic confession of quarantine love. But I will never forget that day and the lessons that I have learned from this experience as it has taught me how to open my heart and love in ways I hadn't allowed myself to feel previously. The heart breaks so it can grow bigger.

3. My abortion when I was 19. It was one of the hardest decisions of my entire life, but it was the right choice for me at that time. That being said it has shaped the rest of my life and has impacted my decisions in regards to having a family and it has been a decision I have questioned and thought of ever since.

4. The first time I heard 11-99 or shots fired on the radio, which means an officer has been involved in a shooting.  I knew the  day I was sworn in as a 911 Dispatcher the responsibility that came with the profession, but until you hear the voice of someone you care about desperate for help....the profession becomes a completely different ballgame. That voice on the radio haunts me, makes me celebrate life, and makes me remember how quickly that can change in a minute.

5. The day I sat at the airport in Flint, Michigan talking to my Uncle and I decided to move "home." It has brought me back to where I grew up, helped me come back to my roots, mend relationships, make new ones, spend time loving my family and friends, and learn how to love myself, unapologetically.

There are countless other defining moments in my life, but these are my top 5 or at least the top 5 in this minute. And I don't tell you these to overshare, but to remind all of us, myself included, that this moment is a defining moment...but we have others before this and we will definitely have others after this. For years we have talked about 9/11 and it has been a common question to ask where were you when the towers came down? But I have noticed that as time has elapsed that question has been asked less and less frequently. Last year when I was teaching at the Dispatch Academy there were some people in my class who were too young to remember 9/11 and it was not a defining moment for them. That put a lot into perspective for me.

And so I am confident that we will all get through this together especially the more we band together, support each other, love each other, and try to keep our chins up.

Now to move onto a slightly lighter topic. I also have to say that we have all had defining moments when it came to food. For me, one of those defining moments involved the first time I had potato tacos in Atlanta, Georgia. I was a kid in the ATL visiting one summer and I was taken to a hole in the wall Mexican place that had potato tacos. I was encouraged to order them and although I thought the idea was super strange I went with the program. And my life was changed FOREVER!

However, that Mexican restaurant has since closed and I have been on a quest to find those tacos or a recipe that replicates those tacos ever since. I found this recipe in Cook's Illustrated for Chorizo and Potato Tacos and so of course I had to try it. And....welll….they are damn good tacos....but they are not THE childhood tacos of my dream.

I put a pig in this pic because they are pork tacos...get it!

I absolutely loved the avocado and tomatillo sauce on these tacos! I could drink that! However, I wish the tacos themselves had a little more spice. And it was great that the recipe had you make your own chorizo so they were a little healthier, but to be honest I would probably use already made chorizo if I made these again. I think the added liquid and spice that comes with commercial chorizo would have given the tacos a little more moisture.  That being said, if you want to try a different take on tacos while you are quarantined at home, I totally recommend you giving these a try.

Chorizo and Potato Tacos

Filling
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
Salt and pepper
3 T vegetable oil
1 T ancho chile powder
1 T paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon ground
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch ground allspice
3 T cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces ground pork

Sauce
8 oz tomatillos, husks and stems removed, rinsed well, dried, and cut into 1" pieces
1 avocado, halved, pitted and cut into 1" pieces
1-2 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 T lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 tsp salt

Tacos
12 (6") corn tortillas, warmed
Finely chopped white onion
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Just in case you needed a reminder as to what a potato looked like. You are welcome!

1. For the filling: Bring 4 cups water to boil in 12" skillet over high heat. Add potatoes and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until potatoes are just tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside.



2. Combine oil, chile powder, paprika, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne, allspice, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper into a skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbling and fragrant. Off heat, carefully stir in vinegar, sugar, and garlic. Let stand until steam subsides and skillet cools slightly, about 5 minutes. Add pork to skillet. Mash and mix with rubber spatula until spice mixture is evenly incorporated into port.

3. Return skillet to medium high heat and cook, mashing and stirring until pork has broken into fine crumbles and juices are bubbling, about 3 minutes.


4. Stir in potatoes, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until potatoes are fully softened and have soaked up most of pork juices, 6-8 minutes. Off heat, mash approximately one-eighth of the potatoes. Stir mixture until mashed potatoes are evenly distributed. Cover and keep warm.





5. For the sauce-process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.





6. For the tacos-spoon filling into center of each tortilla and serve with sauce, onions, cilantro and lime.





Thinking of all of you during this difficult time. I hope we use every minute to the best of our ability because we are never quite sure when that minute will become a defining moment. Cheers!