Head Buried in the Sand

Where have I been the last whoknowshowmanyyears that spaghetti squash has been around? Why has this veggie never been introduced to me? I bought my first spaghetti squash about a month ago and followed the directions on the sticker on it for baking. When it was done, I thought I had done something wrong b/c there were seeds everywhere. Apparently I was a little confused about what from the inside needs to be scooped out and tossed and what stays. I ended up tossing the squash and Aaron told me that I was never buying it again. Ok, fine. Well, I happened to see a Rachael Ray show the other day where she showed how to cook a spaghetti squash and discovered that I had not scooped out all the needed to be scooped and I decided I really needed to try again. I am a veggie lover and can’t see how I couldn’t like spaghetti squash. So, I took the plunge and when I made the kids and Aaron spaghetti tonight, I made my self another spaghetti squash. I scooped all the correct parts out (seeds and stingy pulp). I placed the squash, sliced side up in a baking dish with 1/4 cup of water in it. I covered with saran wrap (don’t get me started on that product) and microwaved for 12 minutes. I let it sit for 5 more minutes and low and behold, when stroked with a fork, the “meat” turned into spaghetti!! OH.MY.GOD. I did it right!! I did a little happy dance (it may have been a big happy dance if I had had my wine before dinner 😉 ) and made my big plate up of spaghetti squash topped with yummy meat sauce topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese. I sat down and was a little hesitant to try it, but WOW…..it was really, really good. Talk about a comfort food. This could possibly be one of my new favorites. Who needs gluten-free spaghetti when you have spaghetti squash? Now, I didn’t say that I didn’t need my mac & cheese or lasagna, just spaghetti. I could see topping this stuff with pesto, alfredo, veggies with a touch of butter and parmesan…..the list could go on & on. I really feel as if my head has been buried in the sand for a long time. I could kick myself for not trying this sooner.

For anyone who is interested in learning how to make spaghetti squash, there is a nice written explanation here. There is also a yummy looking recipe for Southwest Spaghetti Squash that looks very good too.