Yummy New Recipe (Which I Invented (Kinda))

Well, this blog is mostly just to tell you about this awesome new recipe that I just thought of, and made, and it was delightful, but let me catch you up first.

Most importantly since the last time I blogged, John and I got approved for our brand new apartment!  Yay!  We're going to be moving out to Holladay, and we're going to have at least double the space we have now.  Maybe more than that.  I'm pretty super excited.  I have also almost paid my car off, (under 600, baby!) and I'm working on hacking at all of my other little debts I owe.  Awesome.

John just got a raise and promotion today at work, which is fabulous, and I am settling right in at my new job.  (Though there's so much crap to learn it's insane.  They basically built a fully customizable system for all of their customers, and each customer has it set up a different way.  It's ridiculous...  But it keeps me busy.)  John plans on taking his LSAT next June, and I'm going to be going back to school next semester to try and (finally) finish up a degree.  Things are on the up and up for this young couple!

Anyhoo, that's about it.  Now time for my super-awesome-fabulous-amazing-delicious recipe!

So, I only sort of invented this recipe.  I got the idea from Cheyenne's step mom the other day while we were out there.  She made spaghetti squash and chicken shish kabobs.  I was thinking, as I was sitting there eating, how awesome it would be to make this for dinner sometime, but then I remembered that John was no longer eating meat, and I was a little sad.  THAT IS, until I ate some of the squash and the peppers together.  YUM.  So I came up with this idea - I would make squash and peppers and mix them together.  But that seemed a little bland, so I improvised...  And this is what I got.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash

3 Bell Peppers (I used one of each yellow, green, and red)

Olive Oil

Fresh Basil

Feta Cheese Crumbles

Parmesan Cheese

Butter

DIRECTIONS:

(You'll kind of notice that I didn't put any amounts in...  And that's mostly because I completely improvised this meal, but I'll try to give you some estimates.)  TASK NUMBER ONE:  You need to cook your squash.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a cooking pan.  Alright?  Awesome.  Now turn your attention to that squash.  You need to cut it in half  lengthwise (seriously, that's important for cooking) and then scoop out the innards (seeds, pulp, etc.) from the middle.  Now, slap those babies face down on your pan, and pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until you can stab them with a knife with only slight resistance.  Now it's time to turn your attention to your peppers.

Take those peppers, and cut the tops off of them, and gut them too.  Be sure to get out all of those seeds and bits that aren't tasty.  Cut the peppers into about 1/2" - 1" squares, and set aside.  Now, take your basil, and cut the leafy bits from the stems.  Toss the stems, and slice the leafs into thin strips, no longer than 1", and no wider than 1/4".  Set them aside too.  Grab a skillet, and put it on the stove, add about 2 - 3 tsp olive oil into the pan, and heat it up on medium.  When the oil is heated (probably 2-4 minutes) toss your peppers in!  It should sizzle up nicely.  Saute them until they're tender, but still crisp, and then add some salt and pepper.  Turn the heat down to low, and let the peppers be for a couple of minutes.  They'll get some good searing in, which is how I like them.  (if you don't like them that way, take them off the heat for a second. while you take your squash out.)

Your squash should be done now, if you timed it right.  Take it out of the oven, and using a fork, scrape the meat out from the squash shell.  (You might want to wait until it cools down.  I have a pretty wicked burn for proof, if you want any.)  It should shred into long strands, like spaghetti.  Hence, spaghetti squash.  Take the squash and put it in a bowl.  Turn your attention back to those peppers.  They should be nice and done by now.  Add the peppers to your bowl of spaghetti squash, and return pan to the heat.  Throw in about 1 tbsp of butter, and when it's melted (which shouldn't take very long if your pan is still hot, fyi) add in your basil.  Cook that up just barely, I'd say no longer than 1 minute, and add that to your squash as well.  Now take your feta cheese crumbles, and add about 1/4 of a cup in, and toss it all together.  TADA!  Spaghetti squash salad.  Separate into bowls or onto plates to serve, and top with parmesan cheese.  Also, you should attempt to serve this warm, because it's best that way.

It's SO good.  I'm not even kidding.  I don't even like vegetables, and I ate this whole thing gone.  Turns out I'm way better at cooking food that does not include meat than I ever was at cooking meat.  Go figure.  Anyway, this is a pretty good meal on it's own, but you could serve it as a side to some chicken, and I bet it would be awesome.  BONUS PICTURE! (CLICK ME)  Yeah, it's a little messy, but I'm still working on my presentation skills.  CUT ME SOME SLACK.