I’m A Believer
Okay. Everybody knows that I am addicted to the Food Network. Seriously. If my TV is on, and I’m home by myself (and it’s not primetime when all the good reality shows are on—-ha!) chances are it’s tuned to channel 231 on DirectTV (sometimes PBS, but usually FoodTV). FoodTV does “themes”. October is scary food, Thanksgiving is turkey, Christmas is cookies, etc. Since it’s a brand new year, logically the focus is on weight loss, about which I could really care less. Give me my butter and my cream. NOW.
Nevertheless, I was intrigued by this guy. I watched him make Not Spaghetti and Meatballs. Now, I make a mean meatball, and an even meaner marinara. These two things are really the focus of the meal for me. The thing is, he used spaghetti squash in place of the spaghetti. I’ve seen it done before, but I was skeptical. I like pasta just fine, thanks. But then he used words to describe it which piqued my interest: “tender-crisp”. Hmmmmm. Intriguing. I’m a texture girl, so, although I was still skittish, I gave it a try.
Oh my dear sweet Lord it was good. Even Kevin liked it. Now don’t get me wrong: I’m not planning on replacing the Pasta Group in the food pyramid completely, but I am so totally gonna make this again. Not Spaghetti, mini-meatballs, freshly grated (really good) Mozz, and a nice Shiraz, and I’m one happy (and surprisingly carb-free) girl.
Next up: Mock Mashed Potatoes. I’ll let you know, but I don’t have a real good feeling. Then again, I could be surprised……One disclaimer: I am not on a diet. I will never be on a diet. I am just curious. So don’t go asking stupid questions. Thank you, drive through please.
January 10th, 2005 at 7:11 pm
As a man from Texas, being afflicted thusly, I am inclined to have a special place in my heart (stomach?) for smashed taters. If this can be done without the potatoes and the byproducts thereof, I would be most interested to try.
January 10th, 2005 at 7:36 pm
Hey, you gots to love the spagetti squash. Do yourself a favor and try it with just a little olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary and a sprinkeling of parm. reggiano. Much tasty.
January 11th, 2005 at 8:25 am
You will love the Not Mashed Potatoes and dont skimp on the cheese as it really enhances the flavor!
Any secrets to scooping out the spaghetti squash? We tried it before and made a huge mess but it was good!
Happy cooking!
Steph
January 11th, 2005 at 11:57 am
the best way to scoop out the squash is to cut it in half before cooking and clean out all of the squash innards (seeds & goup). then cook the squash, cut side down, in a 1 inch bath of water. when the squash is done, take a fork and run it along the grain of the “meat” and little strands of squash should come right out.
January 11th, 2005 at 7:51 pm
I even told the girls at work about it. They were intrigued! I’m telling ya, my wife can MF’ing cook!
January 12th, 2005 at 4:26 pm
Jennifer made the Mock Mashed Potatoes once for us. It tasted….. odd. I think I’ll stick with the regular spuds.