Growing up in Minnesota, a place known for its many beautiful lakes, I loved to go camping to enjoy the wonders of God’s creation. But sleeping in a flimsy tent wasn’t my favorite part of the experience—especially when a rainy night and a leaky tent resulted in a soggy sleeping bag. —Amy Boucher Pye
Lord God, You are our shelter and our foundation. May we trust You in the big things and small.
I have received several emails inquiring why I stopped posting new recipes. I am a rouge cook, I don’t measure I just eyeball, so having to remember proper measurements was exhausting; and always remembering to have to take a photo of all the stages was taking the fun out of cooking. Though please don’t fret- new recipes are not gone entirely from Real Life of an MSW. You can regularly find meals on Instagram, I will continue my “What the hell recipes”, I will be digging into my archives, and sharing readers’ suggestion on foods I should try, like the one below.
Chicken Poblano Ravioli: Earlier this year I reposted a recipe titled Baked Goat Cheese Sundried Tomato ravioli. A dear reader informed me that I needed to try Trader Joes creamy chicken/poblano ravioli because it was “so good”. I finally found it in at Trader Joes, but of course it did not come with a sauce, so I whipped one up. Bon Appetit.
1 ½ poblano peppers (Use two whole ones if you have them. I used a half for another meal.)
1 red bell pepper
1 bulb black garlic
1 half onion (use a whole if you have it)
2 chicken breasts, chopped
Champagne vinegar
Herb’n Farm NW Basil Sea Salt
Handful fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jar Classico Spinach Alfredo
1 bunch of spinach
½ cup Rose wine
Toss poblano peppers, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in olive oil and place on baking sheet in 350-degree oven until roasted. While roasting vegetables, dice and season chicken with Herb’n Farm NW Basil Sea Salt. Set aside. Combine roasted ingredients in a food processor with handful of basil and give it a quick pulse. Place mixture in saucepan on medium-low and simmer with ½ cup of wine and seasoned diced chicken, cooking roughly 10 minutes. Add in Classico Spinach Alfredo, stirring occasionally and cooking for three to four minutes. Add in spinach and remaining basil. Boil pasta per package instructions. Add cooked ravioli to sauce, stir, and serve.
“I went from the horse-and-buggy to a man walking on the moon,” said the elderly man to his granddaughter, who shared this story with me recently. But then he mused, “I never thought it would be so short.” Life is short…. We tend to crave the wrong things. We long for something better, and we think it’s just ahead. If only I were out of school. If only I had that job. If only I were married. If only I could retire. If only . . . And then one day we catch an echo of our grandfather’s voice as we wonder where the time has flown.
Lord, You said You came to give us life to the fullest, but so often we have our own agenda and the wrong goals in mind. Please forgive us, and help us desire what You want.
What’s a little thing you do to show your loved ones you care? Everyone thinks I’m pretty good gift buyer, but the truth is I listen all year to what each person tells me is wonderful, and I go back and buy it. The upside for me is that by September all my holiday gift buying is finished, and I know everyone will like their gift because they already told me it was something they really wanted.
