My mom is the original. She put her career on hold to raise us girls and then went back to work after 10 years, full-time, and somehow had energy to cook dinner for us every night. (How do you women do it? I’m lucky I have energy to pour myself a glass of wine after work.)
While my sister hasn’t taken to cooking, I do it for sentimental reasons.
I want my kitchen to be the heart of the house, always warm, brightly lit and full of delicious home-made goodies where public radio always plays. My memories of watching mom cook all her delicious meals from scratch keeps me going back to the kitchen. I guess it’s a way of always being home.
I’m delighted to host Thanksgiving for the FIRST TIME EVER this year (am I scared or excited?). That means my whole family will be traveling to Bend and squeezing in our house for a weekend of gluttony. My boyfriend and I are already planning the menu. Tonight, I made a dish mom always makes on Thanksgiving. And it was made with a spaghetti squash from her own garden!
Mom’s Swiss mushroom spaghetti squash is a great lesson in the joys of the squash. I normally hate squash, but this dish is different. The spaghetti texture fools me, and the bacon and cheese make everything delicious.
The first time I tried to make this, the squash exploded out of the microwave (projectile squash), almost making my boyfriend the casualty. I suppose I just didn’t poke enough holes in the thing.
This time, I used a thick fork to make deep incisions all over the skin. After 20 minutes in the microwave, it split easily open.
Spaghetti squash
One fork later and I had my spaghetti.
The recipe calls for sauteeing sliced mushrooms in bacon fat, but because I don’t like mushrooms, I just crumbled the bacon into the squash, along with 8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese and a dash of grated nutmeg. I seasoned it with S&P, added more cheese on top and popped it into a 350 degree oven for another 20 minutes.
When it came out, I added chopped green onions. This dish is great as a side for almost anything. Try it with pork chops or your next holiday feast. Scrum!
Seasoned to Taste 