I need a bigger pan

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had wonderful, relaxing weekends.  I sure did.

Friday, I FINALLY got to go visit my friend Audrey, who had her baby four weeks ago.  He had a hole in his diaphragm which caused some complications which required surgery and an extended stay in the hospital.  Being born is no easy feat!  Anyways, he’s home now and doing great!

This is Ethan.  Such a sweet little guy.

Remember that kombucha squash I bought?  It’s been sitting on my counter for a few days and tonight I finally decided to tackle the beast.  It’s been rainy and cool all day and this sounded like cozy comfort food.

I’m certain that each time I cut into a squash, I think “why the heck am I doing this?”.  I always seem to forget what a pain they are to cut up.  I’m always concerned about cutting myself in the process.  I still have a pretty good scar from cutting my finger while cutting a sweet potato when I was about 10 years old.  The good news is that I came away unscathed tonight.

I had no idea how to cook this, but I’d seen these cut into wedges before, so I did that.  Then I turned my oven to “speed bake” (I love this setting) at 400 F.  Then I drizzled a little agave over the slices.  This is all that fit on my pan.

And here is what I had left.

Clearly, I would be baking squash all night.  Hence, I need a bigger pan.  (Hint, hint, Mom?)

The verdict: ok, I get it now.  This squash is REALLY good.  I’d compare it to a similar taste and texture of an acorn squash with a nice, nutty flavor.  It has a really mild aftertaste as well.  I’m sure I’ll have it again, after I finish eating it in two weeks.  You all are welcome to come over and help me.

For dinner, I also had some veggie chili with sharp cheddar and cornbread.  Yum.

One last thing: I’ve started a new craft in preparation for Christmas.  I got some plain glass balls, stick on rhinestones, some rub on adhesives, ribbon, and fake snow from the craft store.    I wrapped the ribbon around the ball, tacking at the bottom and the top and voila!  I also put glitter and fake snow inside some of them.  It’s kind of tricky at first, but I got the hang of it after a while.

And I admit: I listened to Christmas music.  It doesn’t seem right to work on Christmas crafts with out it!

Since I just cleaned up my kitchen, I’m thinking that making Jessica’s pumpkin cupcakes might be in order.

Hope everyone has a good beginning of the week!