SUPER BOWL MENU AND RECIPES

Every year on the Friday before the Super Bowl... our church has a special adult night called "Super Bowl Night Out."  We meet for all the yummy food, of course, but the BIG highlight is the board game my husband has created where the two final teams meet in an all "out and out" battle at the kitchen table. It's lots of fun.. but even more funny is...they think they're really playing the game. 

This one is with a Mexican flair. I hope you enjoy them. 

Chicken Quesadillas
Chicken Fajitas
Beef Tacos and Burritos
Spicy Guacamole (new recipe)

Queso Fundido (new recipe below)
Tortilla Chips with Salsa/nacho cheese dip
Taco Salad Dip
Vegetable Tray with dip
Potato Chips
Pretzels
Roasted Peanuts in shells
Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brownies
Ice Cream with cones

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
Ingredients:
2# boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
1 Tbsp. chili powder
Garlic salt
Black ground coarse pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 large onion
Green pepper, optional
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas, package of 10 (smaller size in diameter)
Spray margarine
        In a large frying pan, add just enough oil to coat it. Turn to medium high and add the chicken tenderloins and the sliced onion. Cook until the chicken loses all its pinkness and sauté the onions until they  are  limp. When they are cooked through, add the black pepper and garlic salt to taste along with the chili powder and cayenne. Stir lightly to mix the flavors and turn heat down to simmer and cover. Let cook for about another 10 to 15 minutes. (You don't want to overcook the chicken.)

      Cut the chicken up into bite sized pieces in the pan. In the meanwhile (if you have a griddle or very large frying pan), start it up and get it ready to prepare.

      *Also a note...You noticed I had written green pepper as an option. For those who like green pepper, you may want to slice one up and put it into a smaller pan to sauté and add this to your chicken and onion mixture...*

      Take a flour tortilla and spray with butter spray on one side entirely. Place butter side down onto the griddle or pan to begin cooking. On half of the tortilla put enough chicken-onion mixture and cover with shredded cheddar. Flip the other half of the tortilla over to cover the chicken and cheese...(it should look now like a half moon). Press down with a spatula and allow the tortilla to brown a little. Then turn the tortilla over so the other side can brown. Continue to do back and forth until it is nice and crispy. You can do as many as your griddle or pan hold at a time.

       Place on a plate while cooking the others, or serve them to your family and friends as they are cooked. They can be eaten by hand whole or you may use a pizza cutter to cut into half or quarters. You may also add jalapenos...or dip in salsa or with sour cream. Anyway you like them...But the most important thing is to totally enjoy these wonderful tasty treats from 'South of the border'.

Queso fundido

1/2# Hot breakfast sausage or chorizo
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 whole SMALL Bell Peppers (any Color Combination), Seeded And Finely Diced
1 pound Monterey Jack, Grated (OR Mozzarella), Shredded
Sprinkle Of Chili Powder
3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
1/4 cup Cilantro, Chopped
Tortilla Chips For Serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, cook and crumble the sausage until brown. Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off any excess fat. Add onions and bell peppers to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the veggies are soft and golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

To build the skillet, place 1/3 of the cheese in a skillet. Add half the sausage. Add another third of the cheese, then as much of the veggie mixture as you'd like (you may have a little left over.) Add almost all of the remaining cheese, the rest of the sausage, then whatever cheese you have left. Sprinkle the top very lightly with chili powder.

 Depending on the size of your skillet or baking dish, you may have some ingredients left over. Just build so that the ingredients roughly reach the top of the skillet; they'll shrink quite a bit once the cheese melts!

Place into the oven and start watching it about 4 to 5 minutes in. You want to bake it until the cheese is totally melted, hot, and slightly bubbling...but before the cheese starts to harden.

Remove from the oven, top with the diced tomatoes, sprinkle on the tomatoes, and serve immediately with tortilla chips.

It's best when hot.

SPICY GUACAMOLE

Ingredients:

3 Avocados

1/2 bunch Cilantro or regular parsley

2 cloves Garlic, diced fine

2 Jalapeno peppers, chopped fine

1 Onion, small medium, chopped fine

2 Tomatoes, firm medium, chopped fine

3 tbsp squeezed Lime juice

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt 

• 

CHICKEN FAJITAS

Mix well  and cover and chill till served.  

       In order to make the fajitas, prepare chicken (with onion and green and/or red pepper) just as you would for the quesadillas above and set aside in another pan. When people make their own fajitas, they can place the chicken mixture inside the burrito and add cheese, sour cream, salsa, or hot sauce and roll as they would for a burrito...

CHICKEN TACOS AND BURRITOS
       Just a note about the tacos and burritos:   Use about 2 to 3 pounds of lean ground beef and brown it while breaking it up into smaller, smoother consistency. Add a little water to it and allow the liquid to evaporate. Use any brand of taco seasoning and use 1 packet per pound. Add this and a little water with it as well while it cooks down. Turn to low and let simmer with the lid on to get all the full flavor in it and also for the ground beef to become tender... There's nothing worse than undercooked ground beef that tastes like 'rubber'...

     While this is cooking, chop up tomatoes into small chunks, shred your lettuce and also chop the onions. Put these into separate bowls and cover.

     Have the crunchy corn taco shells available and the corn tortillas and flour tortillas for everyone to choose from. Keep the tortillas in their plastic package and place in microwave for about 30 seconds before serving so they are nice and warm and pliable.

     Sour cream is a nice addition to tacos or burritos as is salsa, hot sauce, and sliced jalapenos.

      If you cup up a little extra lettuce, this gives an option for those watching their calories (or carbohydrates as I am) to make themselves a little taco salad.

TACO SALAD DIP
(You won't need any refs to decide whether this is good or not!!!)

2 - 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sour cream
2 T. chili powder
4 T. mayonnaise
Lettuce (vegetables are all chopped), bunch of green onions (chopped)
2 tomatoes
Black olives
12 oz. shredded cheddar
Salsa
Tortilla chips

      Mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, chili powder, a couple shakes of garlic salt, and the white bottoms of the green onion chopped together and mix well. Spread evenly on the bottom of the tray. Layer with chopped lettuce, tomato, and the green onion tops. The black olives are optional, but pretty. Finish with the shredded cheddar. Serve and scoop up with the tortilla chips and add salsa if you like.

MOM'S SMUCHNA KAPUSTA (Tasty Saurkraut)/UKRAINIAN CUISINE

Ingredients:

32 oz. bag of saurkraut or large can of saurkraut
1/4 # bacon
1 large onion, chopped
3  to 4 tbsp. flour
Black pepper
Garlic salt

Cook bacon in large frying pan until crisp.  Remove bacon, drain and break up into smaller pieces.
Add chopped onions  to bacon grease and saute' until a nice and brown (not burnt).

Add about 3 or 4 tablespoons flour into frying pan and let it coat the onions. Mix well with a fork.

Then add all the liquid from the saurkraut and continue to mix with fork or whisk until it thickens.

You may need to add a little more water if it's too thick (it will look like a thick gravy.  Add the bacon pieces and begin cooking at
medium heat and stir til blended.
Now add the saurkraut and mix it into the onion, bacon, and gravy. Add just a little garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Turn down heat to low and cover and allow to simmer for an hour. If it is too salty, you can add  a few pinches of sugar a little at
a time.

  Smuchna like Mama used to make!!
 
Optional:

  You can cut up and cook kolbassi into small slices and add to the saurkraut along with mashed potatoes for an authentic Ukrainian meal.

EVALUATING YOUR LOVE LIFE/PASTOR'S STUDY

FROM THE PASTOR’S STUDY
Pastor Tom Sawhook
Sunday, January 24, 2010

Fellowship Bible Church

Hamilton, Ohio

 

(Fourth in a new series on the book of the Revelation)
The unveiling or unfolding of Jesus Christ.

EVALUATING YOUR LOVE LIFE
(The Church At Ephesus)

Share 7  features centered around Jesus' evaluation of the church of Ephesus.

1. Before we launch into our study, I want to remind you about a few things in regards to the seven churches.
 
    1. These were real literal churches, but are also reflective of churches in all periods of time with various types of spiritual needs.
    2. While the instruction is to the churches, we must keep in mind the churches are made up of people and there fore we should as individuals make it personal and applicable.
    3. Each message addressed to the seven churches has its own distinctive characteristics, but there are also similarities.
        a. Each message begins with the expression "I know thy works"
        b. Each message offers a promise to him that overcometh
        3. And each message or letter has the same concluding words "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

Revelation 2:1  "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; these things saith he that holdeth the seven
stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands."

I. CHIEF INSPECTOR: The Lord Jesus Christ
    a.  "Angel" = Messenger (leader)
    b.  "seven stars in his right hand" = messengers of the church
    c.  "seven golden lampstands" = seven churches
    d.  As we mentioned last time this pictures Christ as the absolute ruler of the church- The One more
            than qualified to give a perfect evaluation

II.  CHURCH : Church of Ephesus
     1. For the most part formed on his third missionary journey.

   Rev. 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus
    *Paul paid a brief visit to Ephesus on his second journey, leaving his associates Priscilla
         and Aquila there (Acts 18:18-28)
    *He returned to Ephesus on his third journey and remained there for three years.
         (Acts 20:31)
    *He began his ministry in the Jewish synagogue; and when his countrymen rejected his message, he
         moved into the school of a teacher named Tyrannus (Acts 19:9) and preached and taught
         for about two years.
     2. His ministry had a tremendous effect on the city:
        - You had people who practiced witchcraft
    - You had people who worshipped demons
    - You had people involved in astrology
    - You had people dabbling in the occult
    - They had priests, magicians, witches, warlocks, and astrologers
    The church had a great beginning when many turned to Christ and burned their books of magical incantations;
        many people were won to the worship of the true God (Acts 19:17-19)
        - Church was later lead by Timothy
        - and the apostle John
III. CITY: Ephesus
     1. Pergamum was the official capital of Asia Minor, but Ephesus ws it's greatest city.
     2. One Roman writer called it "LUMAN ASIAE"- The light of Asia
     3. It was a prominent city for many reasons
    1) The Center of Commerce
           a. It had a sophisticated system of docks, so that ships could come in and unload their
              goods and easily turn around and go back out to sea
           b. Some merchandise came from the east and went out to sea from Ephesus
           c. Some merchandise also came from the sea to Ephesus - These goods were channeled
              throughout the known world
        2) Ephesus was also a prominent city because it was the hub of four main roads - ultimately
           leading to it's great harbor
           a. One road came from the north - flowing from Pergamum and Smyrna
           b. One road came from the northeast - coming from Sardis, Galatia, and Phrygia
           c. One road came from the southeast - it brought wealth from the Euphrates valley
              through Colosse and Laodicea
           d. One road which came from the south - which ran directly to Ephesus from the Maender
              Valley
         3) Ephesus was also a city of many titles
           a. "The market place of Asia" - by historians
           b. "The highway of martyrs" - when individuals were brought from Asia to be thrown to
              the lions in the arena at Rome, they usually were brought through Ephesus.
           c. "The vanity fair of the ancient world" -due to its debauchery and immorality, primarily
              because of the worship of the Goddess Diana
              Her workshop was vile, attended to by thousands of temple prostitutes, who would engage
              in sexual acts with people of the city as acts of perverted worship to Diana or Artemis.
         4) Ephesus also had political freedom
           a. It was called a "free city" - in that no Roman garrisons were placed there.
           b. Rome felt they were trustworthy to govern their own affairs
           c. Each year the city drews thousands of people - to view the Olympic-like games, drama
              plays, and various pagentries.
IV. COMMENDATION
     Rev. 2:2 I know thy workds, and thy labour, and thy patience
    1) DILIGENCE
      1. In each church he states "I know thy works"
      2. "know" refers to complete and full knowledge.  The Lord of the church knows everything there
         is to know about the church - both good and bad.
   Diligence in relation to:
     1} Plenty of toil "and thy labor"
        1. Labor denotes labor to the point of sweat and exhaustion. It describes an all-out effort
           demanding all that a person has to give---physically, mentally, and emotionally
          Its used to describe:
             Spiritual leaders who labor in the Scriptures
              I Tim. 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they
              that labour in the word and doctrine.
              I Thess. 5:12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you,
              and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you.
               Ex. SS teachers, Jr. church teacher, pastor and elders
              Saints who labor serving others
               Romans 16:6  Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us
               (Many who will put forth plenty of toil and effort in serving others)
 This can be done in the sports realm, in theater or plays, cooking, education..  and sometimes
these people put forth very little toil and effort and labor when it comes to serving others for
Christ.
  
      2} Perserverance in trials
         Rev. 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience
        1. Patience denotes patience in trying circumstances.
        2. It deals with a courageous acceptance of hardship, sufering, and loss
        3. This commendation indicates that despite their difficult circumstances, the Ephesian
           believers remained faithful to their Lord.
   WHAT ABOUT YOU????
      When difficult times come your way, do you remain faithful to the Lord?
        1. That doesn't mean you never have questions as to what's going on
        2. It doesn't mean you always understand it
        3. It doesn't mean you never wonder why this is happening to you.
         (But regardless you remain faithful to the Lord as you persevere through the trial)

       Unfortunately, some believers when trials come their way do three things.
     1) Complain - Why me?
     2) Cave into the pressure - as viewed by their attitudes and actions and profanity
     3) Cease any meaningful relationship with the Lord

      Would the Lord commend you for your diligence this morning in relation to:
        1) Plenty of toil
        2) Perserverance in trials
     2) DISCIPLINE
        Rev. 2:2 "and how thou canst not bear them which are evil"

       1. They held to a high, holy standard of behavior and were sensitive to sin, undoubtedly
          following the Lord's mandate to practice church discipline.
       2. As a church, the elders and myself have had the unpleasant task of doing this.
       3. The church is too valuable to let individuals come in and cause trouble that seeks to
          tear the church apart.
     3) DISCERNMENT
       1. The apostle Paul had warned the Ehpesian church in the past about false teachers
         Acts 10:28-31 
           Jesus also shared Matthew 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
           clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
           John warned about them  2 John 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who
           confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.  This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
       2.  The believers at Ehpesus put these phonies to the test and found them to be liars.
       3.  Their discernment can also be seen in verse 6 pertaining to the Nicolaitans.
       4.  The few references to this heresy in the writings of the church fathers link it to
           Nicolas, one of the seven men appointed to oversee the distribution of food in Acts 6
       5.  Some argued that Nicolas was a false believer who became in apostate, but retained influence
           in the church because of his credentials
       6.  Others suggested that the Nicolaitans misrepresented his teaching
       7.  Whatever its origin, Nicolaitanism led people into immorality and wickedness
       8.  It has been suggested the "the teaching of the Nicolaitans" was an exaggeration of the
           doctrine of Christian liberty which attempted to give people a license to sin.
       9.  In our church, if we want to know if someone is speaking the truth or effor, we discern
           it using the Word of God as our standard.
           Psalm 119:104 "Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way."
       10. Verse 3 is a summary of verse 2
           Rev. 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and
           not fainted.
V. CONCERN
    * Love for Christ was missing
        Rev. 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

       1. Though they maintained sound doctrine and continued to serve Christ, that service had
          degenerated into mechanical going-through-the-motions kind of service.
       2. We know at one time their love for Christ was evident as mentioned by Paul in his epistle
          to the Ephesians
       3. But now 35 years have passed---and their love has cooled off toward Christ and is
          noticeably missing
       4. When your love for Christ is missiong, then it will also be missing in relationship to
          others.
       5. Why is this love issue so important?  Because love is the key thing.
       6. When asked by a lawyer from the Pharisees as to which was the great commandment in the
          law, Jesus responded -
          Matt. 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart
          and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.
          And the second is like unto , thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two
          commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
       7. Point is when you have a true love for God, it will in turn lead to a true love for others.
       8. But the opposite is also true--when you love your love for God, you in turn will lose your
          love for others.
       9.  And the Ephesians had lost their love for Christ
       10. They were busy working FOR Him without a true love TOWARD Him.

        Principle #1
      Being active for Christ will never serve as a substitute for love to  Christ

      1.  You can actively be involved in:
       Teaching, preaching, singing in the choir, playing an instrument, singing special music, cleaning
       the church, serving in the nursery, helping with youth groups, helping in Jr. church, helping
       as an usher, or greeter, cleaning the furnace filters, cleaning up the trash, etc.
      2.  You can do all these things, but if your true motive is not a sincere love for Christ, it's
       all vanity or emptiness
      3.  It's not just doing these things for Him, but spending time with Him developing that love
       relationship. 
      Ex.  Let's say that your wife does your laundry, cooks your meals, keeps the house looking nice,
         does an excellent job shopping, even washes your car or truck.. but spends NO time with you
         or shows no loving affection TO you. 
      These things are nice, but it shouldn't be a substitute for her love to you or vice versa.
      4. And Jesus conveys that same message to the church at Ephesus.
      5. So be very careful while you're serving Jesus, you don't neglect Him in the process.
VI. COMMAND
     Rev. 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else
       I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy lampstand out of his place, except thou
       repent.
    1 - Remember the way it used to be
         With Ephesus is was 35 years earlier.
       1. Let's make it personal--perhaps your love for Christ has cooled off and is missing in
         your life.   Reflect back and remember the way your love for Christ motivated you in many
         ways.
       2. When you would say to Jesus:  I love you soooooooo much.
          a.  Take this area of my life that doesn't please you and get rid of it
          b.  That I can hardly wait to get to the services
          c.  That I'll gladly give sacrificially to help the cause of your work
          d.  And you weren't ashamed to die for me.. I won't be ashamed to talk about you to my
             friends, family, co-workers, or others you bring across my path
          e.   That I can hardly wait for my devotional time with you, as you so faithfully speak
             to me through your precious Word and so patiently listen as I talk to you in prayer.
     2 - Repent  (of the way it is)
        1. Repent means to have a change of mind
        2. So it's one thing to remember the way it used to be, but it does not good if it doesn't
           change the direction of your life now in the present.
     3 - Return (To the way it used to be)
        1. Context is to the Ephesians
        2. Again let's make this personal
     RETURN TO YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS THAT YOU ONCE HAD IN RELATION TO:
     1- souls
     2 - scripture
     3 - supplication
     4 - services
     5 - service to Christ
     6 - singing
     7 - saying 'thank you'
         3. Maybe some of us need to return to our love for Jesus that we once had in relation to
           these areas
         4. Notice the warning He gives if they refurse to heed His commnad
           Rev. 2:5 'and will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent.'
      Principle #2

     A life without love for Christ, is a life without a light for Christ.

      1 - When you lose your love, you lose your light
      2 - When we speak of light, we're talking about influence
      3 - Just as real light has an influence on darkenss, our spiritual light has an influence on
          those who live in spiritual darkness
      4 - It all starts with our love for Christ
           a. When you love Him, you will obey and yield to Him
           b. When yielded to His Spirit, the love flows
            Romans 5:5 ' the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given
                unto us.'
           c. That love, in turn, flows through us unto other people and they will see it, and it
              becomes a positive influence for Christ.
           d. But without that love for Christ, there will be no light for Christ

      Principle #3
 
    In the Christian life, a good beginning does not guarantee a good ending.ALL

    1. The church of Ephesus couldn't influence anybody any more at that time not like it was in the
       begining.
    2. What about you?? Are you simply resting on your past spiritual track record.  Are you
       influencing anybody in the present?
    3. What about us as a church? 35 years from now.  Will it still be standing strong on the Word of God
       and influencing the lives of others?  Or will we be gone?
    4.  This is why keeping our love for Jeuss as the #1 motivating factor for all that we do, is
       is so vitally important.
        Because in the Christian life, a good beginning does not guarantee a good ending.
VII.  CHALLENGE
    Rev. 2:7 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, to him that
     overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

Challenge centered around
    1.  Listening to the Spirit's message
       1 - To the church at Ephesus
       2 - To us individually
          To focus and listen and heed what is said to these seven churches
    2. Looking forward for the Son's Promise     
       1 - "Overcometh" - The term does not refer to those who have attained to a higher level of the
          the Christian life, but identifies all Christians.
          I John 5:4, 5
       2 - The promise to all believers gives us something to look forward to:
           Rev. 2:7  'to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst
            of the paradise of God'
       3 - The tree of life is first referred to in Gen. 2:9 where it stands in the Garden of Eden
       4 - But due to Adam's sin he was forbidden to partake of it lest he live forever in a sinful
           state of being.  It was temporary
       5 - But the heavenly tree of life will last throughout eternity.  The tree of life thus
           symbolizes eternal life.  The paradise of God is heaven
            Rev. 22:2  "in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there
           a tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month."
       That gives us something definitely to look forward to.
   As we've looked at the first church of the 7 churches of Asia, Christ evaluated the individuals in
   that church.  He found they were busy for Him.. .but that key ingredient of love for Him was
   missing. 
   As we evaluate our own love for Christ, may we make any corrections that are necessary so that His
   love is the motivating factor in everything that we do for Him.
   Let our love for Christ shine as the light for Christ as we seek to be an influence in a dark and
   desperate world.