Hello, all!
This is one girl who could not be happier that Friday has finally graced us with its presence. The 3-day weekend is packed with things to do, including a 16-mile run tomorrow morning (ah!)…followed by brunch with my favorite people and a glass of my favorite sparkly beverage!
Friday also means FOOD. I wanted to be a little more creative with the Squash this time. I looked at a few recipes online, realized most of them would require purchasing about 10 spices that I don’t have, and then just came up with this…
Heather’s Baked Butternut Squash and Spinach Pasta
1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled & cubed
1 1/2 c Baby Spinach Leaves, raw
1/2 c Purple onion, chopped
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/4 c Pasta, uncooked
Seasonings: Ground Red Pepper, Nutmeg, Garlic, Basil, Salt, Pepper
Sauté the Onion + Ground Red Pepper + Salt/Pepper in Oil…
After a few minutes, add the Squash and Spinach.
Mix in (all optional): Nutmeg, Allspice (didn’t have this), Garlic (fresh or powder), Basil
Sauté mixture for ~10 minutes.
Cook the Pasta in the meantime!
I love how colorful the vegetables look!
Mix this with the cooked/drained pasta, and top with Mozarella cheese!
Optional: top with other Italian cheese, sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Bake at 375* for ~15 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Out of the oven….
Into My bowl…
I honestly sat and ate this with a smile on my face (because it’s delicious!), and D goes “You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?”. Ha, yes. YES I am.
Creative Squash recipe = Successful!
*****
Last night I did an “easy” 5-miler in the new shoes. This would’ve been enjoyable and uneventful, had I remembered to put MY inserts into the shoes. Uh, oops. The calves were hurting and Not appreciating my absentmindedness. Thoughts of dressing up and dining out were motivation enough to keep going and be done with it!
Moving out of the kitchen! Thursday night, we took advantage of Restaurant Week here in DC. With dining around here, I almost always try to go somewhere new. There are WAY too many restaurants to hit a repeat (with Saturday Brunch being an exception…), I need to make a dent in the list of places to go!
We chose Sequoia, a restaurant that sits in Georgetown along the Potomac River. With a wide open dining room and floor-to-ceiling windows, you get an amazing view of the Kennedy Center, the city lights across the bridge, and of course the water.
Starting things off, a new wine choice! The wine menu had a section titled “The Road Less Traveled” – unique wines that aren’t always an option. Obviously, we had to select something from this.
Chenin Blanc – A Cape of Good Hope, from South Africa
Because I’m not your typical food-blogger, I totally spaced the photo-documentation of the Salads, Soup and Entree. I went with the Atlantic Flounder – only because it’s a fish I had never tried ( I don’t order fish that often!). It was served on top of a vegetable Succotash – something else I’ve never ordered! Both were delicious.
Ending the night with Creme Caramel and Seasonal Fruit…
Another successful, delicious evening.
******
Tonight I’m keeping it simple with a Chicken & Pasta dish which may or may not involve some of that leftover squash and some more experimenting. Gotta fuel up for those 16 miles!
Happy weekending!
Hello, all!
This is one girl who could not be happier that Friday has finally graced us with its presence. The 3-day weekend is packed with things to do, including a 16-mile run tomorrow morning (ah!)…followed by brunch with my favorite people and a glass of my favorite sparkly beverage!
Friday also means FOOD. I wanted to be a little more creative with the Squash this time. I looked at a few recipes online, realized most of them would require purchasing about 10 spices that I don’t have, and then just came up with this…
Heather’s Baked Butternut Squash and Spinach Pasta
1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled & cubed
1 1/2 c Baby Spinach Leaves, raw
1/2 c Purple onion, chopped
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/4 c Pasta, uncooked
Seasonings: Ground Red Pepper, Nutmeg, Garlic, Basil, Salt, Pepper
Sauté the Onion + Ground Red Pepper + Salt/Pepper in Oil…
After a few minutes, add the Squash and Spinach.
Mix in (all optional): Nutmeg, Allspice (didn’t have this), Garlic (fresh or powder), Basil
Sauté mixture for ~10 minutes.
Cook the Pasta in the meantime!
I love how colorful the vegetables look!
Mix this with the cooked/drained pasta, and top with Mozarella cheese!
Optional: top with other Italian cheese, sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Bake at 375* for ~15 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Out of the oven….
Into My bowl…
I honestly sat and ate this with a smile on my face (because it’s delicious!), and D goes “You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?”. Ha, yes. YES I am.
Creative Squash recipe = Successful!
*****
Last night I did an “easy” 5-miler in the new shoes. This would’ve been enjoyable and uneventful, had I remembered to put MY inserts into the shoes. Uh, oops. The calves were hurting and Not appreciating my absentmindedness. Thoughts of dressing up and dining out were motivation enough to keep going and be done with it!
Moving out of the kitchen! Thursday night, we took advantage of Restaurant Week here in DC. With dining around here, I almost always try to go somewhere new. There are WAY too many restaurants to hit a repeat (with Saturday Brunch being an exception…), I need to make a dent in the list of places to go!
We chose Sequoia, a restaurant that sits in Georgetown along the Potomac River. With a wide open dining room and floor-to-ceiling windows, you get an amazing view of the Kennedy Center, the city lights across the bridge, and of course the water.
Starting things off, a new wine choice! The wine menu had a section titled “The Road Less Traveled” – unique wines that aren’t always an option. Obviously, we had to select something from this.
Chenin Blanc – A Cape of Good Hope, from South Africa
Because I’m not your typical food-blogger, I totally spaced the photo-documentation of the Salads, Soup and Entree. I went with the Atlantic Flounder – only because it’s a fish I had never tried ( I don’t order fish that often!). It was served on top of a vegetable Succotash – something else I’ve never ordered! Both were delicious.
Ending the night with Creme Caramel and Seasonal Fruit…
Another successful, delicious evening.
******
Tonight I’m keeping it simple with a Chicken & Pasta dish which may or may not involve some of that leftover squash and some more experimenting. Gotta fuel up for those 16 miles!
Happy weekending!