My Favorite Thing about AL (So Far)

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s,
Well, it *isn't* the above-100F temperatures, that's for sure!! (Of course, KC has had high temps, too, of late.) It's also not the fire ants, which, thank goodness none of the children have stepped in yet. ICK It's not the red dirt that will not come out of clothing...No... it's the...
PRODUCE!
Yum! We stopped at one of the many roadside stands yesterday and got cheap, delicious peaches and cantaloupe. Wow. Our family ate 3 cantaloupes as dessert last night, lol. At .66 each, that was a good deal. We'll be visiting the fruit stand again. Probably today. Since we're out of fruit. :-)
I noticed, too, they had sweet potatoes and squash (as well as scores of other things, all grown locally.) I'm going to post below my favorite squash recipe. When you're wanting to feel like a gourmet chef, this is a good recipe to try.


Penne with Garlicky Butternut Squash

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups diced (1/2-inch) butternut squash (from a 1 1/2 pound squash)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
6 sage leaves, minced or 1/4 teaspoon powdered sage
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound uncooked penne
Grated Parmesan

Bring a large quantity of water to a boil in a stockpot. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss in the squash and saute 5 minutes, or until it begins to get golden. Sprinkle in the garlic and saute 2 minutes. Pour in the 1/4 cup water, nutmeg, sage, parsley, salt and pepper, and cover the pan. Cook the squash until tender, about 5 minutes more. Cook the penne until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander and return to the pot. Spoon on the squash mixture and toss gently. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan and pass more at the table.

My notes: For our family, I have to at least double this. Usually, I double the squash and use just a little more than a pound of pasta. And speaking of pasta, we've found we like plain, whole wheat spaghetti noodles, rather than penne, with this dish. And really, it's the squash, not the pasta that is the star of this show. I think we could eat just a bowl of the squash and be happy. :-) Also, we use a lot more garlic than it calls for. We do like garlic.

If you try out the recipe, let me know what you think. We'll be having it sometime in the next week.
Must run. Y'all keep you wool dry,
The Ewe

Quote of the Day: "Other people can't do my tricks. They're too big." --Tater Tot