Merry Christmas!

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the whole year! Here are some pictures that highlight my season so far!

 A disterous day - but we finally cut and rigged our tree so it won't fall down anymore!

You can read about that here if you missed it earlier!

 Our happy family of four - hubs hates these pictures with our dogs but I adore them!

 Coy with our niece Eve at our first family holiday party this past weekend.

Emma and Keira decked out with their Christmas gear! (My Grandma, their great GiGi

got these aprons for them) So sweet!

I hope that your holiday season has been as festive and filled as mine has been so far!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Recently I have been making several recipes with enchilada variations. This one needed a little more work (than my typical throw it in the crock pot and come back later when it's done) but it was REALLY good! It tasted like enchiladas in a bowl and combined two of my favorite things - Mexican and Italian food!

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (as always, I threw it in the crock pot on low when I left for work with some water and came back later - it falls apart with a fork)
2 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cmin
1 (10 oz) can green chili enchilada sauce
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
1 cup sour cream
Penne pasta (I used one box of whole wheat)

Boil pasta.
Add cooked chicken,m green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and enchilada sauce. Let sauce simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir constantly until the cheese has melted and is heated through.

Toss in the sour cream. DO NOT bring to a boil - this can cause the sour cream to curdle.

Cook on low heat until the sour cream is blended and heated through.

Drain pasta and mix with sauce thoroughly.

Garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and sour cream.

Kiddie Basketball

Last Saturday Coy and I spent the morning watching my seven year old nephew Elliott play basketball! It was adventurous to say the least! I am one of the biggest supporters of my nieces and nephews and watching this basketball game was no different! The kids were all so fun to watch...double dribblng left and right, running with the ball without dribbling, running to the wrong end of the court...the list could go on and on! Then there was the issue of the other boy guarding Elliott...he was holding both of the Elliott's hands behind his back, giving him Indian burns on his arms, and pushing him. I was about to lose it, when luckily this little boy got removed from the game and when he returned later was guarding someone else! (Luckily...because Aunt Missy would have had to step in).

Although there was some humor involved, Elliott did such an amazing job and I think he may have a future in basketball. He made four baskets on Saturday - and everytime I nearly had to be restrained because of my excitement!

Coy and I did learn however that it will need to be many, many years before any of our own future children can play sports because we are just WAY to into it and will need to calm down before our own kids are our there doing awesome OR being picked on by someone else!

 (the little boy in the blue was the over aggressive one

blocking Elliott for the first quarter!)

(we were all decked out in our Indiana gear for the IU vs KY game later that day! Which was one of the best games I have witnessed in my entire life!)

White Chicken Chili

I warned you a few posts ago, that once winter hits, I become the goddess of soups. I think it is safe to say that winter has officially hit.
Last week I made white chicken chili, Coy built a fire, and we snuggled on the couch watching tv and eating heaven in a bowl.
Coy is a huge chili fan and wants me to make chili every night of the week. Because of this I am extra grateful for chili variations such as this one!

Ingredients:
3 whole garlic cloves
3 TB olive oil
I medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken, cooked and shredded (I leave mine in the crockpot all day on low so it is ready when I get home from work)
1 packet of taco seasoning
3 cans of Great Northern beans, drained
1 jar (16 oz) salsa verde
1 poblano pepper, chopped

Directions:
- Cut off the top of the garlic head and drizzle with 2 TB olive oil. Microwave for 3 minutes. While they are still hot (it is important you do this quickly or it won't work as well) mash the heads of the garlic.
- Saute the onion. Add chicken, taco seasoning, remaining olive oil, and poblano pepper.
- Add mashed garlic heads.
- Add beans and salsa.
- Cook until heated through.

You can top with sour cream and/or cheese. However, this time we decided to eat it plain!

Living out Faith

Recently there has been so much hype surrounding Tim Tebow. People have been so quick to judge him, put him down, and talk against the way he speaks of his faith. People disregard his football skills and question his abilities - even though he is winning games. He is doing things differently than any other pro athete. He doesn't end an interview without thanking the Lord and thanking his teammates. He never accepts all of the praise, but gives praise to the Lord and his teammates, always. He is not ashamed. He is bold. He is a role model of not just how Christians should be, but of how athletes in general should play.

I read something recently where someone was bashing Tim Tebow for 'shoving his religion down others throats.' I feel this is just the opposite of what Tim Tebow is doing. He isn't having an alter call at the end of every interview or challenging others to change their life - he is simply being proud of the Lord and voicing his gratitude for all that the Lord has done in his life. While some might criticize this, I think Tebow is representing Christ beautifully. He is an inspiration to me.

Whenever I read about him I am challenged to live my own life like that; without fear of what others will say or think. To be so proud of my relationship with God that I will not let an opportunity to go by without speaking of my love and thankfulness for that relationship. And to acknowledge God's presence that is with me through all of the amazing and great things in life as well as all of the valleys, questions, and trials that I face.

A little inspiration is needed every so often, and recently that inspiration has been Tim Tebow. Hopefully I can and am living my faith out in a way that glorifies Christ in all that I do!