Small Group

Tonight was our small group's Christmas Potluck, hosted at Dora and Gilbert's house. Great food and conversations. I miss going to small group. This is one area that James' has impacted our lives...he goes to sleep 6:30/7ish, so I stay home with him instead of going to small group. But I sure miss going. That is where church occurs, more so than what happens on a Sunday. Life on life, learning, praying, sharing our lives with one another....this is the body, this is church.

I made a soup for the potluck, and it was a hit. I adapted it from one of the recipes from http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/, a blog I am really enjoying and has brought the crockpot back into use again at our house.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 pound chicken breast – frozen works
2 cups dried black beans
3 cans or 1 large container chicken broth
1 can corn, drained, or frozen corn
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz), medium
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (to stir in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

Soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans. Put beans in the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element. Cover and cook on high for 9 hours.
Remove chicken and fork shred on a plate. I left the lid off while I was doing this so that it would thicken up a bit. While chicken is out, scoop out 4-5 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot. Add shredded chicken back. Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream/plain yogurt before serving. Garnish with shredded cheese, avocado slices or cilantro. This is yummy with cornbread.