Does anyone have a great recipe for squash stem?
My gloriously creative wife, Julia, called me to ask that I pick up a few things at the grocery store on the way home. It's not like I love the idea of getting a call two minutes before I was leaving work, already so barn sour that if I had a rider, he would be tossed if he tried to resist my impending gallop back to the barn, but I know that when I am picking stuff up for her, it means great and delicious things are soon going to be filling my house with the smell of heaven.
As an aside, I should point out that if it had been me who wrote "Eat, Pray, Love" instead of Elizabeth Gilbert, it would have turned out as, "Eat, Pray, Eat, Love, Eat".
Because Julia has rheumatoid arthritis, turning that butternut squash which was one component of dinner into the little cubes she needed was not something she was going to accomplish without it costing her. So, I turned that two-pounder into half-inch cubes in nothing flat. Okay...in about ten minutes, and calling the end result "cubes" is an admission of complete ignorance of geometric shapes. Pieces...I cut the thing into pieces which were close to the size she wanted: some bigger, some smaller, some OOPS just missed a finger. She did not order digital squash cubes, so no digits were included.
When I was all done, I exited the kitchen--we have what is affectionately known as a "galley" kitchen, which for us means, "if you want me fixing something for you in there, you better get out."
When Julia took over the helm, she pointed out to me that the knife handle was hot. Yes, when I work, I get hot, and so does anything I'm touching.
So, back to the original question: when I finished mangling the squash into submission, all that was left was the cute little top I captured for all to see. And, the question is really a rhetorical one, as the top you see pictured has gone on to squash-top heaven.
Today, I am grateful to know my lunch, probably tomorrow, will include some cubed squash and delicious chicken. I'll comment on my love of wilted salad another time.
12 comments:
Here is to squash, chicken, and wilted salad, the food of life!
Amen, my friend!
I love these little glimpses into your life and marriage. I am making a conscious effort to observe and absorb successful relationship energy from those who are getting it right.
Gosh, Kelly, I love to hear that Julia and I come across that way.
What we are doing, in all honesty, is figuratively stubbing our toes and banging our shins on a frequent basis, but we don't ever, ever give up on the image we each have of the other--we know what our mate's best is. We cannot conjure it, but holding the image of it magically calls that higher Self to the fore.
When that higher Self is on vacation for a few days, we are both able to provide the other the space to be, well, somewhat childish or disagreeable. At the same time, we both call each other on it when the toes get stomped on.
And, we know that "forever" means right now...and now...and now.
My favorite way of thinking about marriage is one I heard so long ago I cannot be a good little blogger and attribute it.
It goes like this:
Women and men in a relationship begin each day on the opposite sides of a strongly flowing river which cannot be crossed by wading. Throughout the day, both sides work hard to build a bridge. On the good days, they complete the bridge and meet in the middle in ecstasy.
On the other kind of days, they don't.
Regardless of the outcome that day, when they awaken the next morning, they discover that they are on opposite sides of a strongly flowing river which cannot be waded.
Some might view that as a negative analogy. For me, it simply shouts out that I always need to start with the assumption that my dear wife may be in a different space inside than I am in. I can choose to be sensitive to that, and build the bridge. Or I can choose to be the big bossy guy and try to impose my vision...and insist that we wade into the river.
Squash, chicken and love sounds like the perfect recipe to me :)
Aaah, very healthy food, a very healthy relationship!! The stuff of life :) Enjoy :)
great post Rick...and no, i don't have a recipe for squash tops...but squash flowers, yes!
your writing is so easy to read...with a gentle flow that makes me want to sway along with the words!
thank you for visiting my sight...and for leaving some thoughts behind.
LOVE your writing, Hamquin! My parents have a fantastic way of eating squash. They simply cut it in to thin slices along with zuchini, mushrooms and peppers, toss it with some olive oil and black pepper and throw it on the grill (or bake it in the oven). They swear by it.
Sounds like you and your wife really work together as a team and that's a very nice thing to hear about these days!
Happy weekend!
Jane--your parents are onto something!!
We did exactly as you suggest, although in our case it was cube-ish shaped, and after a drizzle and toss in olive oil, the baking took place.
They end up like french fries, if anyone ever did cubed fries. (??) Okay...they *taste* like french fries!
By the way, our all-time favorite of veggies done in the oven is a mixed-up conglomeration of asparagus and sliced fennel (AKA anise), same olive oil treatment. To. Die. For.
Thanks for stopping by!
Liked your relationship story about being on opposite sides of the river. So true. All this talk of cooking is making me hungry, but sorry, no recipe fr squash!
I newly found your blog and wanted to say, I like your style of writing. I think I will visit again soon! Plus I like that you live in Denver (I was a Coloradan for almost 4 years).
Cheers,
Melissa
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