Black Bean Dip - Cheryl's Food Memories

January when I was growing up, was the month we cleaned out the fridge with after Christmas leftovers and it was also a celebration month. There were birthdays, basketball games (in those days I cheered for IU but I saw the light and was saved of course), and football. I loved watching football with my dad. Monday night was winding down and the playoffs were happening. Now we still watch football bowl games and playoff and whatnot and because I want to watch too we got in the habit of having grazing food so I wouldn’t miss anything thing. Here are a couple of the things I keep premade in the fridge & freezer to warm up as we want them. Black Bean Dip, and Spicy chicken wraps

BLACK BEAN DIP Created because Scott loves the Desert Pepper Trading Company brand but it was expensive and hard to find. After some experimenting we have this.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can refried black beans

• 2 TBS tomato puree

• 1 ½ TBS white vinegar

• 1to 2 TBS chipotle chili powder (Add to taste)

• 1 chili powder

• 1 clove garlic minced or ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder MIX ALL INGREDIENTS in a bowl Store in fridge up to 1 week or to fix for immediate serving transfer to a baking dish to warm @ 300 degrees until warm about 10 minutes. *Sometimes we will put a little shredded cheese on top.

SWEET AND SPICE BACON CHICKEN WRAPS This can be done as an appetizer or on as strips from a of chicken breast just adjust time to accommodate larger pieces of chicken.

INGREDIENTS 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts) 1 (1-pound) package thin sliced bacon 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup chili powder (I add ½ tsp chipotle chili powder as well) PREPARE

• Preheat oven to 350F. • Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes.

• Cut each bacon slice into thirds.

• Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick.

• Stir together brown sugar and chili powder.

• Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture.

• Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack (I prop up with toothpicks in the slits of the rack on the broiler pan.)

• Bake 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp. These are great hot out of the oven or at room temp an hour later. *If you are pre-making to freeze for later. Cook for only 20 minutes cool then freeze. To serve remove from freezer and put directly in oven rack cook for 20 minutes until bacon is crispy and chicken is done. I do test this with a quick read thermometer 165F

Take the Name of Jesus with You (Precious Name) - Marc's Music Notables

Names were important in the Bible. When God called Abram, he changed Abram’s name to Abraham, because “You will be the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:4).

He changed Jacob’s name to Israel (Genesis 35:10), which would become the name of God’s people. The scriptures, especially the Old Testament, often explain the significance of a person’s name, and sometimes tell the story of God changing a person’s name to fit a new calling.

Jesus’ name is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Joshua, which means “Yahweh (God) saves.” The New Testament gives Jesus many titles (Christ, Messiah, Lord, Master, etc.), but Jesus (“God saves”) is his name. Lydia Baxter (1800-1874) enjoyed teaching people the significance of Biblical names— especially Jesus’ name.

She had authored a number of hymns, and in 1870 wrote this one. Of the many hymns that she authored, only this one survives in today’s hymnals. It calls people to take the name of Jesus with them, because it “will joy and comfort give you” (v. 1)—and because Jesus’ name serves as “a shield from every snare (v. 2).

The phrase, “Hope of earth and joy of heaven,” is worth consideration. Hope (which we have on earth) is future oriented.

Jesus gives us the hope of salvation—a vision of a heavenly kingdom which we have attained in part but will attain fully only in the future. Joy, however, is something enjoyed in the present, and heaven has already begun to experience the joy of Jesus’ salvation work. It already knows that we on earth are in the midst of learning.

Hopeful Expectation

Like many, my family gets together on Christmas Eve. Each year we gather and have a meal. After the meal is over, we open presents.

When I was a child, waiting to open the presents until after I ate the meal was hard. It was difficult to look at all of the brightly color boxes wrapped with bows and ribbons. I would scarf down whatever was on my plate. I wanted to finish quickly so I could get to opening presents sooner.

Visions danced in my head of toys and candies, just waiting to be opened. It was hard to focus on anything else.

I doubt that I'm the only child that had those expectations and for whom waiting for Christmas was hard. I was ready to rush through the traditions and get straight to the main event.

However, the traditions necessitated that I wait.

I had to wait before I opened my gifts. I had to wait until Christmas came.

Many of our Christmas traditions place an emphasis on waiting with hopeful expectations.

That is largely what our Advent season is. It is a season of hopeful expectations. We wait and build up anticipation for the coming birth of a Messiah. We sit at the edge of our seats, waiting for that final moment when Christ comes forth.

This year, as we start our Advent season once again, it is no different. We are waiting, hopeful for what is to come.

We don't just sit idly bye. We live into those expectations. We make the world into the world we hope for. We share our love with those people around us and we brighten their hearts, their minds, and their spirits. The hope that we look forward to is not a hope of the presents we will receive, but the hope of the gifts that we can give.

Those gifts are hope, peace, joy, and love.

This Advent, I invite you to come with us in hopeful expectation of what the coming Messiah will bring, not only in your life but in the lives of all of God's children.

Chicken Enchilada Pinwheels - Cheryl’s Favorite Food Memories

Christmas and Family celebrations My family is huge. Mom has siblings, Dad’s had 5 kids, and everyone had kids and so on and on. So when we would gather there would be food and more food. Scott and I moved away and we rarely got to go back for these massive celebrations but we gathered more family (by friendship) and shared the seasonal celebrations and feasts. One year I was looking for easy finger food for one of these gatherings and came across these chicken enchilada pinwheels. My boys loved them, especially my oldest. He would not merely eat them as a snack, he would make his own “burrito” out of the filling and make it a meal. There was a point that I made him his own bowl so that I actually had the ones for the party. They are so simple and yummy. They bring back times with family by friendship and little boys running a muck in the house. I hope you enjoy them too!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PINWHEELS INGREDIENTS 

3 whole chicken breasts 

4 ounce chopped green chili peppers 

4-ounce can shopped black olives chopped 

A couple tablespoons of salsa (We like VERDE) 

16 ounces cream cheese softened -I use the whipped cream cheese 

1 ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar (I use Vermont extra sharp) 

1 cup shredded pepper Jack (the jalapeño type not bell) 

1 to 2 packages 10 inch flour tortillas

CHICKEN PREPARATION: Rinse the chicken and pat dry. 

Poach in water just covering chicken in a saucepan until tender; drain. (We’ve also use oven baked chicken breasts or sometimes leftover grilled.) 

Chop in small pieces (these can be large if you are using a food processor to combine) COMBINE IN A MIXER BOWL (OR FOOD PROCESSOR*): 

Cream cheese , chilies, olives, & cheeses (mixer on stir setting)  add chicken: mix until somewhat smooth  spread the mixture in a thin layer on the tortillas. *If you are using the food processor add chicken first then cheese, then other ingredients to keep them from getting too small) OPTIONS FOR BUILDING: • Roll the tortillas to enclose the filling.

• Cut tortilla rolls into ¼ inch slices serve as pinwheels or layer on a plate with spread on each level about tortillas each group (I do this with 3 tortillas per stack)

• Spread layer repeat the place tortilla on top

• Cut like a pie for wedges to serve Store in Ziplock without cutting until ready to serve. As an appetizer or with any traditional Mexican accompaniment such as guacamole, sour cream, or salsa My family loves these and I make a large bowl and leave it in the fridge for them to smear on tortilla when they want.

Silent Night - Marc's Music Notables

There are several variations on the story of the writing of this hymn, but they all center on the little Church of St. Nicholas in Obendorf, a village near Salzburg, Austria, on Christmas Eve, 1818—and they all recount a church organ that wouldn’t play and a priest who was determined not to let the broken organ spoil the Christmas Eve service.

In one telling of the story, a band of roving actors came to Obendorf with their Christmas play, which so inspired Fr. Joseph Mohr that he wrote this song. In another telling of the story, when Fr. Mohr discovered that the organ was broken, he remembered a poem that he had written two years earlier. He took the poem to the church organist, Franz Gruber, who set it to music.

But the story most frequently told has Fr. Mohr discovered that the organ was broken. Distraught over the possibility that the Christmas Eve service might be ruined, he sat down and quickly wrote these verses—and then took them to Franz Gruber, who composed the music.

At this point, the facts are lost in antiquity—and the variations all support a central theme of adversity and inspiration and determination to save the evening. From that point the stories merge into one. Fr. Mohr did write the words for this carol. Franz Gruber composed the music. It was first sung on Christmas Eve, 1818, in the Church of St. Nicholas in Obendorf, and the original accompaniment was a guitar. All the stories agree on those facts.

Later, when Karl Mauracher came to repair the organ, he heard the story and obtained a copy of the song. As he went about his business, he made the story and song known to other churches in the region. Then a family of glove makers— the Strasser family—came into possession of a copy of the song. As they traveled through the villages in the area selling their gloves, their children would sing songs to entertain passersby and to draw attention to their merchandise—and they added this song to their repertoire. They also sang the song at the Leipzig fair, which spread its fame further.

Then, in 1838, “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!” was published in a German Catholic hymnal— and in 1839 the Rainers, another musical family from Austria, traveled to New York City, where they sang “Stille Nacht!” at Trinity Church—and German immigrants brought the song with them and sang it in their churches.

By the time of the Civil War, “Silent Night” had long since been translated into English, and was a Christmas favorite in both North and South. Today it is the best known and loved Christmas carol around the world.