Faith – Meghan E White

Mississippi Pot Roast

March 29, 2023 meghanewhite

I love a simple dinner that just happens to be delicious. Mississippi pot roast is tender, flavorful, and no fuss. With just five ingredients, it can’t be any easier. Place everything in the crock pot and walk away for eight hours. It’s that easy. Make some mashed potatoes to go along with the wonderful gravy that results from meat, butter, and au jus cooking all day. Dinner is served.

The pepperoncinis add a nice, yet subtle, flavor. I like to add some of the pepperoncini juice to the slow cooker, but you don’t have to. Ranch dressing and au jus make the roast so tasty. If you want a super easy and super flavorful roast, give Mississippi pot roast a try. My family loves this recipe and I think you will too.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Mississippi Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 chuck roast (2 to 4 lbs.)

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 packet au jus gravy mix

4 tablespoons butter

4 to 6 pepperoncinis

Instructions

Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker. Sprinkle ranch dressing mix and au jus gravy mix over the top of the roast. Put the butter and pepperoncinis on top of the mixes.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred with forks and serve over mashed potatoes with the delicious gravy. Enjoy!

Notes

*Add a little of the juice from the pepperoncini jar for some added flavor.

*Use as little or as many pepperoncinis as you like.

*No water or liquid is needed. The juices from the meat and the butter will make plenty of gravy.

Family

The Big Five-Oh!

November 30, 2022 meghanewhite

Here’s where it all began for me. My first professional photo shoot. A photographer was going door to door, and my mom agreed to have my two-month old photos taken. The photographer positioned my chubby little arms in different poses. I was a very calm baby so I cooperated. The pictures are some of the few baby pictures I’ve got. I am the fourth of five children, and we were lucky to have any pictures from childhood at all. When I was young parents did not chronicle every single moment of a child’s life. You got the highlights and that was good enough.

I am fifty years old as of Thursday, November 24th, 2022. My birthday just happened to land on Thanksgiving this year. I celebrated by having a delicious turkey dinner with all the fantastic sides. It was a low key day, and I loved it. I am a pretty low key kind of a person. I don’t enjoy a lot of attention, so a chill day with my family is a dream day.

Back to turning half a century old. I suppose I should feel bad, or sad about aging, but I don’t. I feel good. Actually, I feel great. I still feel like myself, but better. Not better because I am so wonderful. I am comfortable in my skin, even if it’s a bit more wrinkly. I am just grateful for this life God has given me. My pastor used to say, “That breath you just took, you can thank God for that.”

My life is in God’s hands. He has already decided when my life will end. He has not given me the knowledge of an exact date. I am to trust Him, and know that He has a plan for me. So I do my best to trust Him, but I’m not always good at it. I am a planner and not knowing the future has tested my faith time and time again. The Lord knows this about me, and graciously walks me through my challenges, fears, and doubts. He is faithful, even when I am not.

I’m still breathing as of this writing, and God is not done with me yet. It could be tomorrow when He calls me home, maybe another ten years. Or maybe in fifty years! Which seems so strange. On that day, will I hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,”? That’s my prayer, but I fall short often. Thank God for His amazing grace.

For some, turning fifty means it’s all downhill from here. The best years are over. I disagree. I’m just getting started. I’m ready for what’s next. I know who holds my future. I know who will carry me through every trial. I know who will never ever leave me. His name is Jesus. He is my Lord and Savior. Thank you Jesus for saving my life, and giving me hope. Thank you for my birthday. Thank you for today, and each day you have blessed me with. I don’t want to waste what You have given to me. Life is a beautiful gift.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. James 4:14, NASB

From one vapor to another, have a great day.

Love you all,

Meghan

Marriage

27 Years Ago

September 30, 2022September 30, 2022 meghanewhite

These two were in love and having a great time on their honeymoon in San Francisco. After twenty-seven years, these two are still in love. We may be a bit older, with a few more wrinkles, but hey, we’re still here by the grace of God.

San Francisco was not our first choice for a honeymoon destination. We wanted to go to Paris. We were researching going to France, from books. Remember books? Ha ha ha!! This was the early days of the world wide web. My dad offered to send us to France if we exchanged a big fancy wedding for a much simpler one. That was incredibly generous of my dad. Thank you Dad!

The decision ultimately came down to me. I was a very young, soon-to-be bride, who wanted my dream wedding. So I chose the beautiful, fancy wedding over the fantasy honeymoon. I don’t regret my wedding at all. I do regret not choosing Paris. I would like to tell twenty-two year old me, “Go to Paris, you dummy!”. My choice was made, and we had a fantastic honeymoon. Lots of great food and fun in an amazing city.

We have nothing exciting planned to celebrate our anniversary today. Tom is working 12 hour night shifts right now, and he works tonight and all weekend. But that’s life. And sometimes, that’s married life. You go through challenges and challenging times. You have mountaintop experiences where you are high-fiving each other because you made it with the Lord’s help. And when you are in the valley together, you hug each other, and hold on to one another, and trust God to make a way. And He does make a way, every time.

So today I celebrate my husband, Tom. He’s a good, Godly man, who leads our family, and works tirelessly to provide for us. I also celebrate the wonderful gift of marriage. God made marriage and it is good. Thank you Lord for carrying us all these years. It is by Your amazing grace that we are here today. You get all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise!

A little side note. I keep every card Tom has given me over the years because the words mean so much. He has always chosen the most gorgeous cards and I cherish them. I am a card hoarder. I feel better now that I confessed. Here is one of the anniversary cards he gave me, several years ago. It’s so pretty!

And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

Thanks for coming along with me today!

Love you all,

Meghan

sickness, Trials

Vulnerable

June 17, 2022 meghanewhite

This adorable little stray cat showed up in our backyard a couple months ago. We left a dish of water for her and eventually started leaving out some food as well. She shows up throughout the day meowing wanting attention and something to eat. It took a while for her to come near us. Now she rubs against our legs, but she’s still very cautious.

Since the days have become extremely hot she disappears until early morning and late evening. I have no idea where she goes throughout the day but she sure likes to see us. She is a vulnerable cat with no home providing her protection, so we do what we can to help her. Her visits with us are brief as she is always on the move.

Our little feline friend is vulnerable to all sorts of dangers. Being vulnerable is not something we humans purposely choose. We do everything we can to avoid being vulnerable. The reality of how frail our human lives really are smacked me right in the face when Tom and I both got sick with covid. I was down for almost two weeks and it took Tom a little longer to recover.

It was pretty rough but we survived and we are on the other side by the grace of God. I felt like I was living out the movie Groundhog Day. Each crummy day was on repeat until we got better. When you get sick you are helpless to some extent. I can do my part by drinking plenty of water, taking vitamins, and getting rest. By the way, getting rest was no problem since all we wanted to do was sleep.

Regardless of my choices, I’m still vulnerable. We had to trust God that He would get us through our sickness to the other side. Tom and I know our lives, our times, our health, and everything are in God’s mighty hands. Suffering is not fun. Sickness is terrible. But God cares for His children.

I couldn’t pray much because I was just surviving. We had many wonderful people praying for us, and checking on us which was a huge blessing. One verse that came to mind during our illness was from James.

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. James 5:15, NIV

I held on to that verse. It’s one of my favorites when dealing with sickness. I believe those words. God made us well.

Another truth that came to mind while being sick was the incredible reality that there will be no sickness in Heaven. How amazing is that? Glory! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! We will never be sick in Heaven.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4, NIV

We are vulnerable in our brief lives. Sometimes we think we are unstoppable, and can do whatever we want, whenever we want. Sickness, trials, and tribulations remind us of our human frailty. These difficulties that we all experience, are opportunities for our faith to grow. It’s humbling to be sick. You don’t feel strong, you are weak.

In humility, we can fully trust God to help us in our time of need. God helps us like no person can. There is only one Heavenly Father, and He loves helping His sons and daughters.

If you are feeling vulnerable right now, please know you are not alone. We are all vulnerable on this side of Heaven. God is waiting, and always available to answer you in your time of need. His will, His way. Trust Him. He’s got you.

Love you all,

Meghan

Food, mustard seed sentinel

Baked Feta Pasta

April 27, 2022 meghanewhite

This pasta is quite famous. Baked feta pasta gained stardom on Tik Tok in 2019. Blogger Tiiu Piret shared a version of the pasta bake on her blog in 2018. Finnish blogger Jenni Hayrenin posted her version of the feta pasta dish on her blog the very next year and it went viral. BAKED FETA PASTA – ORIGINAL RECIPE – Liemessä

With so much hype is it actually good? I say yes. After some experimenting and modifications I came up with my own version of baked feta pasta. It’s pretty much the same. I just made a few tiny changes like adding spinach and onion.

This simple pasta bake is creamy, savory, and a little tangy. Roasting tomatoes with olive oil, and garlic is always a winning combo. The addition of soft feta makes the sauce scrumptious. Cheese and tomato are great partners in any recipe.

Baked feta pasta is a trend that lives up to its fame. It’s inexpensive to make and you can modify the ingredients to your liking. Change up your pasta recipes with this delectable dish.

Happy Eating!

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Ephesians 5:8

Baked Feta Pasta

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 lb pasta

2 pints grape tomatoes

1 (8 oz) block feta cheese

½ cup olive oil

½ yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced in half

¼ teaspoon red pepper flake

salt

fresh ground black pepper

fresh thyme, chopped

fresh oregano, chopped

fresh basil, chopped

large bunch of spinach, chopped

½ cup pasta water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°
In a medium sized baking dish, place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, and oregano. Pour about ¾ of the olive oil over the tomato mixture. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Toss everything to coat.
Place the feta in the center of the pan and drizzle the remaining olive oil on top.
Bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes and feta are browned.
While the tomatoes are in the oven, cook the pasta of your choice according to the package directions. Right before draining the cooked pasta, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Add fresh chopped spinach to the hot water, then drain.
Once the tomatoes and feta have cooked, take a spoon and break it up and combine everything. Stir in the fresh basil. Add the pasta and spinach. Stir in the ½ cup pasta water. Give it a taste, and add more salt and pepper to your liking,
Enjoy!

Notes

* Use any type of pasta. The original recipe used spaghetti.

* The pasta water really helps thin out the sauce.

* Greek feta works best.

* Try cream cheese or goat cheese if you don’t like feta.