Martha, Betty, How About Both!!!

I had a couple of MUCH NEEDED days off and on Tuesday I was torn between doing Martha (crafting) or Betty (cooking) activities so I did both!


My Martha project:

I've been in the mood for doing some crafts lately and have a whole list going for things I want to make for the holidays...cannot wait to get my craft on! This weekend I found a great kitchen towel and when I held it up for my sister to see she said it would be cute as an apron so guess what...I made an apron! I simply sewed some ribbon on it and I really like it! After wearing it for my Betty (see below) activity I realized there is probably a better way for making it so I am now going to be on the hunt for other fun towels and ribbon! What do you think...like it??



And now that I have a perfect fall apron I needed to channel Betty Crocker and try out two Fall recipes I have been wanting to try lately!

First, I found some great zucchini recipes this Fall that were really good so thought I would expand into the squash family and try making something with Butternut Squash. Luckily the grocery store had them clearly marked as I really did not know what a Butternut Squash looked like :) Anyway, I used one of Giada’s recipes from Everyday Italian and let me tell you, it is delicious and very squashy!Rigatoni with Squash
3 tbsp olive oil
1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 cup vegetable stock
1 pound rigatoni
3/4 to 1 cup milk
Basil and Parmesan to taste

Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.

Cook pasta

Add pasta to pureed squash mixture and 3/4 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add basil and cheese. Yum Yum, cannot wait to have some today for lunch!