Christmas With the Group

Our first Christmas party of 2011 was a huge success. The Bunyards hosted our life group Christmas party this year. Mina made Chili Blanco (or white Chili for those of you less fluent in Spanish)

She is an amazing cook! She put out a cookbook a couple of months ago to sell for Lubbock Impact. I got one for myself and one for someone on my Christmas list. Here is the super easy recipe from my cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 can(s) Campbell's family size cream of chicken soup
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 bx Swanson's chicken stock
4 can(s) bush's great northern beans
2 can(s) ro*tel Mexican tomatoes and green chilies
2 can(s) ro*tel original, mild tomatoes and green chilies

Empty the two cream soups, all rotel and mix well in the crock pot, add all the frozen chicken breasts whole.Start on high then lower to low after it starts to boil...but if you have this cooking while gone all day, place on low and leave it.When you get back, scoop out the chicken and put each one in a bowl.

Take one at a time out and chop to tiny bite size or use the Pampered chef chopper or Tupperware chopper to chop to the right consistency. When you get all the chicken chopped, place back into the crock pot.

Now open the 4 cans of great northern beans, rinse the goo off and put into the crock pot and stir. It should only take a few minutes for the beans to heat up.

After we ate, we played a version of the "Newly Wed" game. Randy gave us a heads up about a week ago so some of the couples said they had been drilling each other & training for the game. It was hilarious to hear some of the answers and watch the reaction of the other person.

"Joe do you even know me?!?"

Bryan trying to explain himself...

Sara & Andrew won almost with a perfect score. Andrew even knew the place he had first tooted in front of Sara. That's true love.

We also had a gift exchange. This was not your ordinary Chinese gift exchange. At this gift exchange we were given instructions to give away something that was meaningful to you & you couldn't buy it- you had to already own it. Chris and I walked around the house for days trying to find something to give. Chris decided on a book "The Riches Man in Babylon". Chris drew Michael's name.

This book meant a lot to Chris because his granddad read it, liked it and passed it to his dad. Who liked it and passed it to him. Chris also gave a bonus gift :His head on a stick {it was left over from the auction State Farm had} Michael assured us he would put Chris's head in his front yard next to his security sign.

"This house is protected by Century and Chris Prather State Farm"

Here is Adriene taking a bite out of Chris

The gift exchange was my favorite part of the evening. Everyone really put a lot of thought in what they wanted to give. It's a true blessing to get to meet with these guys. I look forward to meeting every Wednesday. Cathryn's baby is due any day now. I can't wait to meet baby Harper!