Green Chile

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6

While living in Albuquerque, New Mexico for 9 years, we quickly learned that the state colors were red and green … along with the state question “Red or green?”  Chile, that is.

It also didn’t take very long for us to become quite the fans of this staple ingredient, which was served in, on, or beside most every dish served in the Land of Enchantment.

As Work and Witness coordinators for the Nazarene Indian Bible College for those years, we picked up on several fun facts to share with our visiting team members, all the while trying to educate them on the popularity, the heat, and the addictive qualities of the chile.

Did you know that one medium green chile has the same amount of Vitamin C as 6 oranges?  Also, more people consume green/red chile in the state of New Mexico than all of the other states combined.

For those of us who were temporary transplants, but acquired the appreciation and anticipation of its flavorful addition to our meals, we do what we can to keep a stock of chiles on hand.  One confirmation that our move from Albuquerque to the Cincinnati area was God ordained was the fact that an international market by the name of Jungle Jim’s was no less than ½ hour away from our home!  They sold frozen tubs of Bueno roasted green chiles, processed in Albuquerque – mild, medium, hot, and extra hot, so we kept our freezer well stocked.  Since we now live in Pennsylvania, a dear friend of ours in Cincinnati fills her cooler full of our ‘hot’ commodity and it makes for a perfect excuse to get to see her and other friends while visiting our family in Indiana.   Green chile chicken enchiladas and breakfast burritos smothered in green chile have both remained regular menu items for our family.

Roasting our green chile

A week ago today, we received a special 12 pound care package full of fresh Hatch green chile from Albuquerque.  The gift giver was our son who had spent 4 days visiting with his high school buddies, playing ultimate Frisbee, making the rounds at his favorite restaurants, and driving by the old campus of Nazarene Indian Bible College.  Before leaving town and heading back to Seattle, he sent us a picture of 2 burlap bags full of fresh chile, captioned with the question “How can I get you one of these?”  We began scheming and Ryan ended up making a quick trip to the post office nearest the airport where he filled a box for priority mail with his treasures … knowing delivery would be 2-3 days.  Sure enough, by Friday evening, our home was filled with the unique aroma of roasted green chile ~ our method was crude, but simple and efficient.  Following an award-winning recipe from an Albuquerque web-site, we treated ourselves to chili rellenos for dinner.   The following day we completed the task of roasting the remaining 11 pounds of chile and storing them away into the freezer … which caused visions and dreams of another shipment… or maybe even a visit of our own back to the place, the people, and the food that we left behind.

Scripture talks about hungering and thirsting after righteousness  ~  To satisfy our own personal hunger and thirst, Tim and I have gone to great efforts this summer to store away fresh fruit and veggies in the freezer, along with some meats and now green chile.  Makes me think about how much effort is put forth to hunger and thirst after Jesus.  Won’t you join me in seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness, with a real hunger and a real thirst for Him?

Until next time,
Debbie

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy;
without holiness no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one misses the grace of God
and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Hebrew 12:14-15

Potpourri

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions,
give it all you’ve got, be resolute,
and love without stopping.
I Corinthians 16:13
The Message

Most of the time, life seems like one great big blur, filled with everyday routines.  Each day is different, depending on the day of the week, the weather, and the schedule.  Just like the other night.  I was at the kitchen sink washing the dishes … all the while peering out the window watching the huge moon rise into the evening sky, it’s fullness being a beacon of light reaching out to everyone all at the same time.  The moon, a hot summer afternoon thunderstorm, a visit to a restaurant, time spent with family, and more … the potpourri that helps bring special moments to the mundane of the everyday blur of life.

I think it’s safe to say that no matter where YOU are reading this from, it’s been a hot summer.  Summer is the season for hot weather, but for some locals, the hot dug in deep with not much intention of leaving.  And not much rain.  For some, that is.  Here in our area of the world, we have been blessed with sufficient showers and thunderstorms that have kept our crops healthy and our yards green.  In fact, our plush green lawn has bluish gray streaks all through it … Google says it’s called slime mold, a symptom of hot temperatures and high humidity.  As the season changes, this oddity will automatically clear up and go away.   In other parts of the country there is drought with lost crops, dead lawns, and thirsty rivers and creeks  … and here there is thick green grass and slime mold…crazy!  Oh!  And the bugs!!  We have a friend who lives in Denver … he made the comment once that due to their near perfect climate, there are “no bugs in Denver!”  I can’t imagine!  Due to our very mild winter that blurred right into a very hot summer with lots of moisture, we have a gazillion bugs!  As I mow the yard each week, I day dream of mosquito netting and how nice it would be to be wrapped in some.  Oh well, this too will pass  ~  in our everyday blur of life, we’ll be shoveling snow before we know it.

If Tim and I were supposed to list a favorite hobby, we would have to say that near the top of the list is eating.  As we get older and our bodies are reminding us of that fact, we have become more conscience of eating healthy.  We have gone out to the u-pick fields this year and brought back lots of tasty strawberries and blueberries, freezing the majority of our finds so we can enjoy them all year long.  It is now peach season … nothing like a bowl of hot fresh peach cobbler with ice cream!  I know…not so healthy.  But the hour of workout at the gym helps to offset the tasty treats!  The Food Network Channel is also another favorite – watching competitions, food preps, and our all-time favorite, Guy Fieri with Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  In a previous blog post, I told all about our DDD trip to Philadelphia.  Well, we have recently been to three other places in Baltimore, another breakfast joint outside of Philly on our way to the shore, where we also ate at 10^th Ave. Burrito in Belmar, NJ.  More potpourri in the everyday blur of life.

Cole Michael at soccer camp

Soccer camp for three-year olds … what fun!  One hour, every evening for 5 days.  Mimi and Papaw drove down in the middle of the week (freshly baked blueberry cobbler in hand) and watched with the parents as Cole ran, kicked, tossed, chased, laughed, and burned off a lot of energy with 19 other little people.  The intention of signing him up for this slight taste of organized sports was to get an idea if he (and they) were really ready for the focus, understanding, and the commitment of time which would be involved in an entire season of the sport.  The conclusion was no.  This week was fun and made for some really good memories, but all of that older-kid stuff will come all too quickly, with the everyday blur of life.

One of Cole’s soccer mates was a young lady whom Cole accidently knocked down.  As soon as he realized what he did, he went over to her, told her he was sorry and kissed her.  What a testimony of love and care this little guy has been taught at home … which now the parents realize needs to be tweaked just a bit.  Kissing his classmates at school each time he needs to apologize to them will not go over very well.   What a blessing it is to be Mimi and Papaw to two precious little lives.  At three months old, Lillianne just went to the doctor the other day and now weighs 13 lbs and 5 oz.

Mimi and Lillianne

Wildfires in Nebraska, Aurora Colorado shootings, the Olympics, Chick Fil-A …  news and happenings that contribute to the potpourri in the everyday blur of life.  Today’s headlines will be old news next week, for life doesn’t slow down for anything or anybody.  We’ve all heard the saying … “Seize the moment!”   I think of that often in the busyness of life, as a reminder to not be SO busy that I miss out on the blessings that are hidden and only revealed if we slow down.  Just a couple evenings ago as Tim and I were sitting down to supper with Cole at the head of our table, he was his usual distracted and pokey eater.  After taking a bite of my own food, I was just getting ready to turn to him and fuss at him to start eating his chicken nuggets.  As I looked his way, I quickly noticed that he was already very intent at watching me.  Instead of opening my mouth to speak, I simply sat there and smiled at him.  His little face lit up in the biggest grin as he reached over to lovingly hold my hand as he began to eat the rest of his dinner with the other.  I would have missed that very special moment with my grandson had I not been paying attention and had just swooped in to hurry him along.

Today is a potpourri day of birthdays in our family.  My husband turns 51 and our daughter shares his special day by turning 29 years old.  Born an hour and 45 minutes before our daughter Kim, was our niece Joanna.  Tim’s baby sister, Becca, also shares in the occasion of August 5 by turning 36 today.  Mimi and Papaw are celebrating this year by having Cole and Lillianne with them at the beach in New Jersey.  Oh … their parents are along, too!  We are enjoying sunshine, ocean waves, sand, tasty food, and the blessings of family … on this on-purpose, not-so blurry day of life.

Won’t you join me in not allowing the blur to detract and take away from embracing as many moments as we can? … for there just might be a smile to melt your heart and a hand to hold.

Until next time,
Debbie

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith;
be men of courage; be strong.  Do everything in love.

I Corinthians 16:13
NIV

 

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions,
give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.

I Corinthians 16:13
The Message