TWO SERIOUS THINGS

Today we are going to talk about two serious things.

The first one is chili.

I was never serious about chili until my friend Jenny changed my life with this recipe:

CREAMY WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 lb. boneless chicken breast cut into pieces
1 medium onion
2 1/2 t. garlic powder (I used two cloves real garlic)
1 Tbl. oil
4 oz. chopped green chilies
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (or half & half)
1 can great northern white beans, rinsed and drained

In large saucepan saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink (I actually cook the chicken before hand and pull it apart using two forks, then add it).  Add chilies and seasonings and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream and beans.  Serves 7.

Unlike normal chili, which I like, this is a white sauce chili, which I L-O-V-E.  I have always been a fan of white sauces (Alfredo, I could have you for breakfast) and pizzas with white sauce (chicken spinach bacon ricotta...mmmmmmmm!) and so it is no surprise that this creamy white chili is making my day.

I even made it for a chili cook-off at our church and guess what?  It was G-O-N-E half way through the night.  It was my proudest culinary moment, mainly because I don't have a lot of culinary moments, which makes me pretty insecure in my cooking.

(I will say I have a nagging suspicion that people saw me bring it and were trying to be really nice to us, because everyone in our ward is so, so kind, but I don't know.)

Anyway, the point is, if I can make this, you can.

The second serious thing I want to talk about really is serious.

I have to tell you a few things about Jenny.

#1:  I secretly adore her and wish we lived closer so I could kind of make up excuses to go over to her house and copy the way she is and what she does...

#2:  She is one of three people that have inspired me to maybe possibly think about and play with the idea and a tiny bit consider that maybe you can drive a mini-van and it's totally cool, and...

#3:  Jenny has a son named Isaac, whom they adopted, and shortly thereafter found out he has autism.  Since I have known Jenny, she has worked in incredible ways to give families and children with autism a voice.

I knew very little about autism until I met Jenny and Brandon (her husband, whom I worked with teaching at the seminary).  Here are some things I have learned since then:

1) Autism now affects 1 in 88 children and 1 in 54 boys

2) Autism prevalence figures are growing

3) Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.

4) Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism

5) There is no medical detection or cure for autism

For this reason, Jenny and her family participate every year in a walk for autism, which raises money for research to find a "cure" if that is what the individual and family affected would like to have happen.

(Something else I did not know: Many people are against finding a cure.  Especially people with higher functioning autism.  This is what Jenny said about it:

"Temple Grandin has said that if we found a cure for autism then we wouldn't have as many brilliant rocket scientists and computer programmers etc...because so many people with higher functioning autism are very brilliant and can channel that into helping the world.  So I get that they don't want a cure!  However I think it should be left up to the family.  If there were a cure, I would do it in a hearbeat. I hate that Isaac has to struggle so hard to function in this world and that we can't be a family all of the time, having to leave him home from family outings/vacations so that the other kids have some "non-autism time," you know? I am thankful for it and what it has taught me, but would love to change it at any time now!") 

Look, here is Isaac:

Here are some of the people who participated in the walk this year:

And here is a little of what Jenny said to me about that special day:

"Walk day for our family (and all of the others!) is awesome.  It is a day we can come together and celebrate our loved ones affected.  Nobody cares that day whether Isaac has a huge meltdown or does something inappropriate.  They all get it!  There is no judging going on...which happens most every other time we take him into public I am sure.  Many people think that we (as autism parents as a whole) have bad parenting skills or just give in or spoil these kids.  When really, we are just trying our best to be a family and be 'normal'! I love that the awareness is being spread more lately.  I hope it helps people learn a little bit about our kids and to be a little bit more patient with them when they see us in public."

My heart is proud of Jenny and all those mothers and fathers who serve their children in this way.  It’s not hard for me to imagine a day when those children will embrace those parents and thank them for it.

So the next time you see a child acting out at the store because his mom won't buy him or her a million boxes of candy, or screaming at the top of his or her lungs or being violent towards his or her parents, or a child you don't know comes up and starts eating your fries and burger at In N Out Burger (true story) consider what may actually be going on.  I hope your heart melts for the parents and the child who are doing their very best.

Love, C

P.S. Brandon had us watch this movie to help us better understand the students in our classes who had autism or Aspergers.  I H-I-G-H-L-Y recommend it.