Simple Spaghetti Squash

One of the best things I’ve ever ordered at a restaurant was something I had never had before: spaghetti squash.  I’m always intrigued by vegetarian dishes, and this did not disappoint.  It was a whole half of a large spaghetti squash with sun dried tomato pesto, fresh tomatoes, and pine nuts.  It comes on a bed of rice, a perfect compliment.

My mom mentioned she was attempting to make spaghetti squash for dinner and I was inspired.  I decided to replicate my favorite dish.  On the way home from school I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a spaghetti squash, a little jar of sun dried tomato pesto, and cherry tomatoes.

I didn’t use a recipe, I just consulted a couple recipes on the Food Network website to figure out a good method.  And I decided to nix the pine nuts (I forgot to buy them), and rather than fresh tomatoes I wanted to roast the cherry tomatoes to add to the mix.  I wasn’t in the mood to make rice, so I kept it simple.

Here’s what I did:

1. Preheated my oven to 450.

2. Sliced the squash in half length wise, scooped out the seeds and innards, added salt and pepper on each half, and put them cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet.  Roasted the Squash for 40 minutes.

3. Sliced a handful of cherry tomatoes in half and spread them on another baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, plus salt and pepper.  I put them in the oven about 15 minutes after the squash went in.

Roasted Tomatoes

4.   I removed the tomatoes and the squash from the oven.  Then I flipped the squash over and used a fork to fluff up the “spaghetti” on the inside.

5.  I added a heaping tablespoon of the pesto to each half as well as the cherry tomatoes, then gave it a mix and let the pesto melt in a little.  Salt and pepper to taste, and Voila!

I’m still perfecting my technique because I think I left it in the oven a couple minutes too long, and yet it was still delicious.  It’s not winning any beauty contests, but it was quick, easy, and tasty, give it a try!

Burger of the Week Club

Two years ago my friend Erin created the Burger of the Week Club.  During the summer, members of the club would gather weekly for a burger extravaganza.  Each week there would be a theme and the entire menu would fit in with the theme.  Tonight, we are having a Burger of the Week Club Winter Reunion for her birthday.  The theme is the Chilly Burger.  It is going to be a burger topped with chili served alongside cornbread and a winter lager with chili chocolate ice cream for dessert.  Also I made this cake for the occasion as well since it is her birthday!

This cake is easy to make.  I used a half sheet cake on the bottom for the base.  You can decorate that however you would like. I used fondant to make it appear more like a tablecloth.  Then I placed a fondant disc on top to make it look like a plate.  I used two 8 inch round layers for the bun and chocolate icing for the burger patty.  Then I made lettuce out of fondant by cutting circles and crimping the edges.  I used yellow and red icing for the ketchup and mustard.  I finally topped the “top bun” with honey and sprinkled on rice crisps to make it look like sesame seeds.  The finished product looks just like a burger that we be served at our Burger of the Week Club! Happy Birthday Erin!

Italy in NYC

Last week I took a day trip into New York City.  It was a quick trip with my mom.  We grabbed the 9:29 train, and came back by 4:24.  My mom is an art history teacher, so for my family, a trip to New York means a trip to at least one museum.  This time it was the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I’ve been to the Met plenty of times, it’s definitely one of my favorite museums, probably because it’s so familiar.  For this trip we took a quick walk through the Greek and Roman hall (my favorite), then moved on to the second floor.  We took a look at some new pieces in the museum’s East Asian and Middle Eastern collections, then browsed through the current portrait exhibit.  And obviously, we hit the gift shop on the way out.  I just hope my mom can remember that she bought Christmas cards for this year when December rolls around!

After the Met we took the bus down to 23rd and 5th to go to Eataly, an Italian food hall/market that is owned by Mario  Batali, and Lidia and Joe Bastianich.  It’s a favorite stop for my mom, but this was my first experience.  I’m a celebrity chef nerd, so I’ve read about it and seen Mario talk about it in interviews on several occasions.  I was excited to see it with my own eyes.  To be honest, it was exactly what I expected: nothing more, nothing less.

The market has all the things that Italy is known for: pasta, specialty meats, cheese, bread, wine, gelato…  There are a few different dining options within Eataly including a vegetable section, pasta and pizza section, fish section, charcuterie section, and a full blown fine dining option.  My mom is a fan of the pasta area, so we went with that.  I stayed safe with a green salad and pasta pomodoro.  I was underwhelmed in my choice but after reviewing my decision, I feel I probably made the incorrect choice.  I thought the sauce would be a little chunkier with some tomatoes, but it was just an ordinary tomato sauce.  Don’t you hate when that happens?  The gelato after the meal made up for my previous poor decision.

Plenty of specialty imported Italian baked goods

I snuck a couple shots, but apologize that they are lame.  I didn’t want to look like a tourist snapping pictures in the open.

Rows and rows of olive oil and balsamic vinegar