Don't Knock

It was a casual Sunday night supper. We were celebrating the completion of a project and spending some well-earned time around the table as friends. I made a pot of white chicken chili (recipe below) and set out guac and chips and a tossed green salad. Like I said, casual. I'm learning how much I enjoy having dinner done when guests arrive so I can be fully present with them from the moment they walk in the door. Not always possible when I'm playing around with new recipes but it's a goal of mine. Tonight the chili was happily bubbling away when the first person came through the door.

Without knocking. She just opened the door at No41 and let herself in. The next two friends did likewise. And that colored me all sorts of happy. We've all heard the cliché "There are friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for a lifetime". I'm rewriting it ... "There are friends who knock, and there are friends who let themselves in."

As a little girl, I clocked a lot of hours playing with my Barbie dream house (don't judge). As a teenager, I imagined what it'd be like to live on my own. As a young adult, I dreamed about living in an apartment that didn't have ant problems (which for the record had to do with living on top of what used to be an orange grove; it was not a cleanliness issue!). And as an adult, my greatest wish for my home is this: that God will always provide food to be shared and that friends won't knock.

White Chicken Chili

From Shauna Niequist's Bread andWine (because I don't think y'all have adequately grasped how much I love this book!)

Serves 8 

Ingredients

2 rotisserie chickens - torn into bite-sized pieces
16 oz tomatillo salsa (fresh if possible)
1 small can diced green chilies
4 cans white beans
4 cups chicken broth (additional if too spicy)
Garnishes: sour cream, monterey jack cheese, chopped cilantro, slices of lime 

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a dutch oven or large stockpot. Cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes or longer.

Let guests garnish.

Easy right?!