Peeling the Onion

I've had this image in my head lately of an onion as an analogy of how God helps us move forward in our lives.  We have layers and when we're ready, God peels off a layer.  It exposes the softer, maybe smellier(?), layer underneath and brings new tears.  Kinda hokey, I know.  For me, it's helping me see how God has moved me deeper. Also, it's helping me as I watch friends in trial. 

I have a couple of dear friends who are really "in the fire" right now.  The bedrock of their lives is shifting.  I have been through some significant challenges in the last couple of years, but currently, things are pretty even. That's not to say there are no ups and downs, but at the moment, there are no major catastrophes in my life that make me wake up and walk around each day with my heart in the pit of my stomach.  I've just come through something like that, but, for now, I'm past it.

So from my current perch, I find it too easy to look at my girlfriends' situations and feel like I know exactly what I would do in their situation.  And to make judgments in my head and give my friends unsolicited advice about what *I think* they should do.  But when I look back at my own trajectory, I realize that one could say, "you should have done x,y and z" sooner."  "You should have had those boundaries a long time ago."  Maybe, but I wasn't ready.

I'm learning to let God peel the onion.  My girlfriends are faith-filled, prayerful women. I KNOW that they are trusting and praying their way through the fires they find themselves in.  So while there MAY be wisdom I can impart to them (ie, if God wants to use me to help take off the next layer), I'll leave that up the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, I will trust God to peel off the next layer in their lives and mine, when He decides we are ready.

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is my favorite of all the squashes. Less sweet and less "squash-y" tasting.  I use it wherever I might use actual spaghetti or other noodles; for example it goes great with meatballs or just with tomato sauce and fresh-grated parm. Here's my recipe for it with cheesy sauce. 

Squaghetti squash with cheesy sauce

2 small-med spaghetti squash or 1 very large one

olive oil

salt

Sauce

4 T butter

4 T flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp dry mustard (or a squirt of yellow mustard or Dijon will work too)

3 1/2 cups milk

5 cups mixed grated cheeses (I used medium cheddar, extra sharp white cheddar and mozzarella, since that's what I had on hand, but the possibilities here are many!)

Topping (optional, but yummy)

3/4 cup dry Italian style bread crumbs

3 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the stem(s) off the squash.  Then stand the squash on the cut end and cut it in half.  Scoop out the seeds.  Brush insides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place cut-sides down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 30-60 min (depending on the size of your squash) or until they are easily pierced with a fork. Cool.  Once cooled, scoop out the squash into a large bowl. Or, if you want to save a dish, scoop it directly into a 9x13 baking dish.

Meanwhile, make your cheesy sauce:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over med-low heat. Add the flour, salt, pepper and dried mustard and whisk continually for a few minutes to cook the flour.  When the mixture smells a bit like cooked pie crust, begin to pour in the milk slowly, whisking continuously. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens.  

*(Note: sometimes this can feel like forever, or it can seem like it's not thickening.  If you've been whisking for awhile, just call it good. Once you add the cheese and let it cool a bit, it will thicken up).

Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until melted and blended.

Mix the sauce with the scooped-out squash and place in 9x13 baking dish.

For the optional topping, combine 3/4 cup dry Italian style bread crumbs with 3 T of melted butter and spread atop your cheesy squash.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 min, or until topping is browned and cheesy sauce is bubbling.

Food Filosophy

Everyone's got one, right?

For years, I was vegetarian/vegan. Also, everything had to be organic.  I honestly don't know how I afforded it, but I sure was attached to it.  

Due to some health complaints, I was gently led down the path to eating eggs, meat and dairy.  On that journey, I discovered that excess sugar and carbs were probably partly responsible for my health issues. So I followed a sugar-free, mostly grain-free diet for several years. As my health issues subsided, I gradually liberalized my diet. 

Then I married a pasta-lover who likes to eat things like top ramen and tater tot casserole.  Now, the old me might have tried to shame him into eating my way.  But you know, health is more than just eating the "right way," whatever that is. I'd rather sit down together with my husband and eat tater tot casserole, than have us each "fending for ourselves" for meals.  (It also helps that my husband is a hippie-at-heart who is equally happy with quinoa black bean burgers, homemade hummus and salad greens).

So for what it's worth, I guess I would describe myself as a: budget-conscious, health-aware, non-obsessed, don't-run-to-the-store-for-one-ingredient, enjoy-a-two-hour-kitchen-challenge, but-have-two-kids kind of cook.  But maybe that describes a lot of normal people!

Happy eating!