Here’s a great Mexican soup recipe for left over turkey:

Turkey and Black Bean Soup

2 16-oz cans black bean, drained and rinsed

3 c. chicken broth

1 TBL olive oil

2 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped red bell pepper

1 can diced Rotel tomatoes (or 1 cup favorite salsa)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBL ground cumin

1 c. cooked turkey meat or chicken breast  (cubed)

1 TBL minced seeded jalapeno chili pepper

Puree 2 cups (not all) black beans in 1 c. chicken broth in blender.  In large soup pan, heat oil.  Sauté onion and red bell pepper in oil, until soft.  Add garlic and cumin, sauté 1 minute more.  Add bean mixture, Rotel tomatoes, remaining beans and remaining 2 cups of chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.  Just before serving add chicken meat and jalapeno peppers.  Simmer until meat is heated.  Serve with tortilla chips (homemade tortillas) and sour cream. (Can also be made with stewed chicken breast meat)

Serves 4 – 6

Yesterday I went out shopping with mom and Rachel. On our way back home in a taxi mom stopped to put money on
her phone. Rachel were sitting in the taxi talking to the driver while I was playing on my ipod. I returned home watched a movie and was about to go to bed when I needed my ipod. I searched everywhere and couldn’t find it so I prayed about it and went to bed. The next morning I got dressed and searched again but found nothing. I was thinking that I had left it in the taxi and there was no way to get it back. Me and my family prayed again about it and then went to church. When I got home I searched once more just in case I might have forgotten to look somewhere. I looked all over the house and then finally looked under a couch cushion, there it was! lying under the cushion was my ipod. What an amazing God! In conclusion to this whole experience I learned a couple of lessons, firstly that I need to be more responsible with my belongings and secondly that God does answer prayers, not always in ways we like it but I know that God has plans and reasons for his answers and we shouldn’t justify them.

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Today after school Megan wanted to tell me her memory verse. I had to get it on video.

Today I decided to help mom prepare for Thanksgiving dinner. Although we are having it tomorrow it's always good to be on time 🙂 While mom was making the Pumpkin Pie I decided to wait till she started the Pecan Pie ( I specially asked to make it with her). First I helped make the yummy whole made crust, and after that I made the actual filling of the pie yummm…..! Now I'm waiting for the pie to finish cooking I can't wait to eat it tomorrow! Thank You God! What would we do without pies on Thanksgiving?!

Yesterday my Chinese helper wanted to show me something. She asked Rachel to come over and translate. She pulled out an old spiral notebook that looked sort of familiar. Upon inspecting the front cover I saw that it was Michael’s old World History spiral from 10th grade. She is very industrious and cannot throw away anything. When she found Michael’s old notebook in the trash with lots of blank pages, she salvaged it and began using it as a journal. She proceeded to open it up to show me the accounting of every mao and yuan she spends each day when she shops for me. Chinese mao are like pennies and yuan are sort of like dollars. She keeps dated, detailed record of every expenditure she makes. I was so amazed! Here is a picture of her accounting. I am so blessed to have such a trustworthy lady to help me as I fulfill my role as wife and mom in a foreign country.

5am — still dark, chilly, and foggy — Susan and I climbed onto the bus for the 45 min ride out to a two-star airport hotel where so many young people gathered for a weekend different from all others. No textbooks, no laptops, no clocks, no cell phones, no studying; with every distraction aside the focus is on spiritual things alone. Parents and friends were allowed just 15 minutes on this Sunday morning to greet, give a flower, a hug to encourage them on.

Michael and Rachel are student leaders and Jessie is participating the first time as an “Amigo”. I can’t easily express my feelings catching glimpses of them serving and ministering; all grown up!

Vida is a youth weekend that aims to concentrate closely on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ — providing to those who attend, opportunities to cultivate a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Christ as they share His love in a dynamic way.

5am — still dark, chilly, and foggy — Susan and I climbed onto the bus for the 45 min ride out to a two-star airport hotel where so many young people gathered for a weekend different from all others. No textbooks, no laptops, no clocks, no cell phones, no studying; with every distraction aside the focus is on spiritual things alone. Parents and friends were allowed just 15 minutes on this Sunday morning to greet, give a flower, a hug to encourage them on.

Michael and Rachel are student leaders and Jessie is participating the first time as an “Amigo”. I can’t easily express my feelings catching glimpses of them serving and ministering; all grown up!

Vida is a youth weekend that aims to concentrate closely on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ — providing to those who attend, opportunities to cultivate a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Christ as they share His love in a dynamic way.

As we walked down the ramp entering the basement bike garage one afternoon, Megan and I noticed a large basin of live fish. (The couple who guard the bikes live in a small room located at the entrance to the garage. There is a bed and a small cooking area and we often see them preparing food as we walk by). Megan was enthralled with the live fish. I asked the bike man if they were going to eat the fish. The bike man said yes, then proceeded to ask Megan if she wanted liked to eat fish. She didn’t quite understand, but shook her head, yes and smiled. Before I knew it, I was carrying a bag of two live fish up to my apartment. I couldn’t say no! I didn’t want to reject a gift, thinking that I might insult the bike man.

When we got home, I put some water in the sink and put the fish in. Megan had fun playing with them, watching them swim around. My helper showed me how to pan fry the fish with a Chinese stir-fry sauce.

Recipe: (I recommend trying this recipe with tilapia fillets)

Heat 1 – 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in skillet.  Dust fish fillets in flour.  Brown on both sides.  Add chunks of garlic, fresh ginger and sliced onion.  Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes. 

Sauce:  Combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cooking sherry (jiu), a small amount of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small bowl. 

Pour sauce over the simmering fish.  Cover and let cook 5 minutes.  Serve with steamed rice

They actually tasted really good, except for picking through the tiny bones. I’m definitely spoiled by my Texas daddy when it comes to eating fish. He always had them nicely filleted before cooking, to avoid picking through bones and he can fry fish better than anyone I know.

I was sure to bring muffins to the bike man the next day, as a thank you for the fish gift.

Compared with the cleanly packaged, frozen, meat that is available in any grocery store in America, we see hanging, slabs of meat… from buying an entire leg of lamb, to purchasing meat “popsicles”, from pigeon meat to pork, or any slimy fish imaginable… you can get it in China.