On Monday I spent a half day in the kitchen getting ready for a discipleship planning dinner here. Today is a full day of cooking and baking (and laundry, and…) to get ready for Kayla’s graduation party tomorrow afternoon. Cooking is a skill that often gets attributed to me, and while I do enjoy some cooking and have some basic skills, I enjoy more what cooking can result in – people in my house and around my table. In other words, I enjoy hospitality and fellowship and nurturing others over culinary arts. An acquaintance once told me she was around a dinner table when someone asked about the proper protocol for passing the salt and pepper shakers. Another person at that table said, “I know who would know the answer to that: Melanie Krumrey.”

Sigh…

I do know the answer – they always get passed together – but I cringed at being identified in this way. Somehow, the fact that I have fed a lot of people through the years got translated into “being a good cook” and “expert in table etiquette.” I’m just really hoping there are deeper, more meaningful aspects that define who I am, because I’m really cooking due to the fellowship and blessing to others it often results in and not because I am a passionate chef. (Not that there’s anything wrong with being a passionate chef!)

Really. Have I made myself clear yet? Because I’m about to tell you about a recipe I love, and I don’t want you to be misled, but I do want you to make it and invite some people over to enjoy it with you!

I’ve written about my friend, Sara, here before. It was Sara that introduced me to this dish she called Black Bean Salsa. I’m pretty sure it was a recipe from her sister-in-law, Charlotte. Anyway, it became a really popular dish to bring to parties and potlucks around here. Definitely a crowd-pleaser, it never seems to get old, but I’ve made a few adjustments through the years, and I am really loving this current version. I made it for the Monday dinner, and I’m making a double batch for tomorrow.

Here’s the recipe:

Black Bean Salsa

1 large can of black beans (or 2 small), drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 medium tomato, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 – 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup honey

2 Tbsp lime juice (fresh or bottled)

1 clove garlic pressed

salt and pepper to taste

Toss all non-dressing ingredients together. Whisk or blend (I used my little latte whisk) the dressing ingredients, pour over the other ingredients and toss all together.

Serve with tortilla chips – or spoon it over a grilled chicken breast or skirt steak.You know what else I made this week? A fruit pizza.

It’s true. I was inspired by a photo of one that Beth Moore’s daughter, Melissa, posted on Twitter a couple of weeks ago. I was also inspired by a podcast I listened to on the world and “friendship with the world” from James 4:4. It was not an effort to be a “good cook” per se, but rather an effort to NOT be friends with the world. An act of defiance, if you will. I’ll have to tell you about that next week, though.