beginning to feel like autumn...

So the last month of my life was a little busier than I'd anticipated. But things are calming down, and in the meantime I've experimented with buckwheat flour (post to come soon), made puffy dog treats (more on that later), and have compiled a list of recipes three feet long that I've been waiting to get to! What I'm trying to say is... I'm still here, it's just been a wild end to the summer.

And did I mention my first triathlon is in nine days? Yeah, that too.

After last night's swim workout (big thanks to my sister Aubrey for motivating me), I tried inviting my brother and sister over for dinner last night.

"What are you making?" Britton asked.

"Well," doing my best to make the dish sound exciting and delicious, "I'm making roasted butternut squash with garlic and green onions on whole-wheat pasta."

Without missing a beat, Britton called out to our sister Aubrey: "We're making spaghetti tonight, right? I already set the sauce out."

So maybe this dish didn't win over my siblings--and I'm not exactly sure it won over Ryan--but I thought that it packed a flavorful punch and was as healthy as they come. Not to mention, it used up one of the lovely butternut squashes from my mother's prolific garden.

I jotted down a loose version of this recipe from a magazine in the waiting room while getting my car's oil changed. The original recipe included much more butter, and bacon... and toasted walnuts... But I wanted a vegetarian version, first of all, and I also wanted to use up things we had in our kitchen. If you want to add more herbs to this, try sage; the flavor would work really well with the sweetness and nuttiness of this dish.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Whole-Wheat Pasta

1 medium to large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

6 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

8 oz whole-wheat cappellini

3 tbsp butter (optional)

3 tbsp chopped pecans

1/3 cup shredded pecorino or parmesan

chopped green onion

Preheat the oven to 425. Toss the cubed squash, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or until squash is tender and begins to caramelize.

Cook and drain the capellini. (Optional step: In a small saucepan, slightly brown the butter and pour it over the cooked capellini. Or, use a tablespoon or two of olive oil.)

Toss roasted squash and garlic with the pasta; add pecans, cheese, and green onion and toss everything together. Serve with extra pecorino and green onion for garnish.