Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

 "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, 

and your lips with shouts of joy."  Job 8:21

Food for the Palate
Ingredients:

1 onion, diced 

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup pecorino cheese, shredded
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
12 jumbo pasta shells, cook until al dente
a jar of a pasta sauce of your choice

Instructions: Preheat Oven to 350F

Cook the pasta shells in boiling, salted water until al dente. You want some firmness because they will finish cooking in the oven.

Sauté your diced onion, minced garlic together in your olive oil.  Add your spinach to the pan and mix altogether. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup pecorino cheese, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning into a bowl.  Add your onion and spinach mixture to the bowl and make sure everything is combined well. 

Spread 2 cups of the pasta sauce of your choice on the bottom of an oven proof baking dish. Take a spoon and stuff your pasta shells one at a time and lay them onto of the sauce in your dish. Make sure your pasta opening is facing up. Top with 1 cup of sauce. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add the remainder of your mozzarella and pecorino cheese to the top of your shells. Cook for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden on top. Tasty to the Palate!

Food for the Soul

Yesterday I had my first MRI. I have dreaded having one for a long time because I am claustrophobic, and I have heard many stories about how confined and bad it can be. But honestly, it wasn't bad at all. The radiologist was very nice and wanted to make sure that I was comfortable throughout. I listened to Christian music on a set of headphones that they provided for me to combat the noise. All in all, while I wouldn't want to have an MRI for entertainment purposes, it really was, dare I say, "A pleasant experience for my first time." 

While I was confined to being inside the MRI tube, listening to music, I had my eyes closed. I decided to be brave and open them for a minute. As I opened them, I realized that I was just inches away from the top of the tube. I moved my eyes to the left and to the right, and then I found myself giggling, at which point the kind radiologist asked me if I was ok, with the gentle reminder to be very still.

When I opened my eyes and looked around, I had this overwhelming thought that I was stuffed inside of a manicotti pasta shell. I can't help it. That is just how my brain works! Thus, the giggles.... well, and maybe the relaxing medication my doctor had prescribed for me to take before the MRI!  I didn't tell the radiologist why I was giggling inside the tube, but I did get inspiration for my next blog post, and of course I just had to make stuffed manicotti! Now, as you probably have noticed, my picture is not with manicotti pasta shells. I looked in three, yes, three different stores on my side of the island and I couldn't find any. So I have improvised and am using jumbo shells. The recipe is the same except for the shell shape. 

When I was laying in the MRI tube and taking deep breaths, just listening to music and trying my darndest not to move, I reminded myself that Jesus was in this hollow tube with me. Remembering this allowed me to be brave (LOL) and open my eyes. This led to the image of stuffed pasta and the giggles. Job:21 says; "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouts of joy." Now one could say with a good amount of confidence that once again, this could have been the medication I had taken to help relax. But I don't believe that it was a coincidence that I reminded myself that Jesus was with me, and immediately after opening my eyes I found myself relaxed and actually finding it humorous that I was stuck in a small, very loud tube holding completely still and thinking about stuffed pasta!

For some reason you almost never see a picture depicting Jesus laughing. My husband has one that is on the wall of his office, and I just love it! There has always been this notion that Jesus didn't laugh. Most of the paintings of Him tend to lean toward being melancholy, somber or serious. But that is not the way the Gospel actually portrays Jesus. Yes, He was serious and sad about sin, and He cried more than once.  But He also played with children and held them in His arms (Mark 10:16).  And believe it or not, He was even accused of being too joyful (Luke 7:34)! 

God makes it very clear in Scripture that we humans were created in His image (Genesis 1:27).  God has a sense of humor too! Have you ever really looked at a Proboscis Monkey or a Red-lipped Bat Fish? Just look them up and not laugh! There is no question about it that Jesus had a very serious mission to carry out when He entered into the world, and it wasn't a laughing matter. And there is no verse in the Bible that specifically says that "He laughed." But Jesus was fully man and fully God. So, we know that He empathized with us and felt all of the emotions that we feel. And laughter is a part of life.... or at least it should be! 

I often wonder how many frustrations, struggles and burdens I would have avoided if I had just laughed at the situation. Of course, not all situations in life are laughable. But I bet that more often than not, if I had replaced my fears and worries with a giggle or two, things would have probably turned out a whole lot less stressful and maybe even enjoyable! Laughter is a powerful emotion that God has given to us, and I would guess that, like me, you could use a few more giggles in your daily life too!

Chuck Swindoll once said; "Laughter is the most beautiful and beneficial therapy God ever granted humanity." Maybe being in a 'stuffed pasta shell' isn't laughable to you like it was to me, but by all means, find something to laugh about at least once a day! Satisfying to the Soul!