{Squash}ed by an Angel{-haired variety}

Sometimes clips I watched on television as a child are remarkably vivid memories. Sure, I "experienced" watching these scenes, but it's just plain weird to have Disney feel like a first-hand recollection--without any conscious memory of my accompanying surroundings, body, or interactions.

Do other people have TV memories? Probably. And I venture to guess that other people have visions of TV shows and movies spontaneously pop into their heads, either triggered by a few words or notes they hear, something fractured they see, or a random surfacing of deep-brain remembrance that's reminiscent of a dolphin leaping out of the ocean (or a snake surfacing in a swamp).

As I process old memories of 90s sappy cheesiness (and cuteness), I crave something slightly sappy and completely uncheesy. Let us go on to the kitchen and crunch into some angel-haired spaghetti squash! How are we gonna do that? Well, follow along below!

Anti-pasta Spaghetti Divine (gf. vegan if maple syrup in lieu of honey)

Ingredients: (scale up to more for a bigger squash)
1 small spaghetti squash (approx. 4-6 cups cooked)
2 Tablespoons of honey (you could try maple syrup if you want to be sappy)
some thyme (fresh or dried--I had the luck of thyme on my side . . . there was still some fresh among the autumn leaves!)
1 large pinch of coriander (basil, oregano, cumin . . . try out whatever you have on hand!)
a couple shakes of salt on each half
1/4 cup walnuts (and I liked using the end of a bag with the powdery wal-dust!)


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Puncture the squash thrice with a very sharp knife (it will cry a bit, as pictured below). 

Place the whole squash into a baking dish with sides (so it won't roll out) and bake for about 45 minutes (more time for bigger squash).

When the squash is done (it should turn a bit golden brown on the hard outer shell on the bottom of it and have a bit of give if you push into the skin with an oven mitten on), slice in half. Once it's cool enough that you aren't burning your poor hands, scoop out the inner seeds along with the squash (this part of the angel-hair decadence is generally a bit bitter) and discard. With your two squash-halves facing upwards, pour one Tablespoon of honey into each half (more honey, of course, if bigger halves), followed by sprinkling on the other ingredients: thyme, coriander, salt, walnuts.

I tried eating this both with and without stirring the honey and toppings into the squash with a fork. Either way is tasty. Same goes for refrigeration v. roasting-hot: fresh and fridged noms are equal delights.

I cut the squash 3 times. It cried & drooled, but it did not retaliate.

 
















I hope the yummy-ness never ends!
Because life's a happy game.