Recipes

Friday, October 1, 2010

Woof! Spaghetti Squash!

Ok so I need some work in the blog-post-title department, but there are 2 very important parts to this post and they are completely unrelated. 

First the big news…WE GOT A DOG!!!!!!!

I’ve been a dog lover all my life and once I moved out on my own all I wanted was a pup of my own.  However usually my apartments did not allow pets and in general I was just too busy.  But I’ve waited and waited and then got married…and then Brian wanted to wait and wait…and finally FINALLY I got the green light. 

I knew I wanted to adopt, there are so many dogs out there who need homes!!  Plus we didn’t want a puppy, that requires way too much time than we have right now, plus he’s already house broken!

Meet Bromley :)

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He’s a 2 1/2 year old Shih Tzu and a complete sweetheart!

We picked him up last night and so far I think he’s liking it here.  Of course I’ll keep you updated on our little furball.  For now some pictures!

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I worked with GRR, Inc. Getting all Rescued and Rehomed, and they were fantastic.  The first 2 dogs I contacted them about, they deemed were not a good fit for us.  I was sad and frustrated at first but they didn’t give up on us.  The director, herself, went out one day to visit various shelters in Kentucky and found us our furbaby. 

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Ok, Part 2: Spaghetti Squash and a Sauce you can eat with a spoon.

I realized that when making this tomato sauce last week that the process was very similar to making chili the week before!  Just leave out the spicy and smokiness.

Similar ingredients.

  • 4-5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 2 shredded carrots

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Sauté all these items in 1-2T of olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven. 

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Pick your seasonings and add a little bit here and there through the cooking process instead of all at once at the end or beginning.  I used:

  • salt
  • pepper
  • oregano
  • basil

You can use whatever seasonings you like.

Then add 1 package of lean ground turkey and cook til browned.

Once browned I added:

  • some red wine I had opened (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 small can of tomato paste

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Stir for a couple minutes and add:

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  • 2 large cans (28oz) of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 medium can of tomato sauce

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Finally 1 or 2 Bay leaves go in and let it simmer for 45min – 1 hour

Meanwhile bake a Spaghetti Squash!

Cut the squash in half the long way (the “hot dog” way as Brian would say haha).  Then bake in a glass or metal baking dish, cut side down, for about 45min at 375* until it’s tender and you can shred with a fork.

IMG_5042  Shred and “fluff” your “spaghetti”

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Towards the end of the simmering time for the sauce I added about a half package of frozen spinach (defrosted and strained of excess water).

IMG_5047  Dinner time!  With a sauce this thick and chunky, I like a ratio of about 40% spaghetti squash and 60% sauce.

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IMG_5057   This was deeeeelicious!  Especially with a nice piece of bread on the side.

Another reason I love a sauce like this, is that I eat the leftovers like chili!  Straight up, in a bowl, with a fork, cheese melted on top :)

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Time for some puppy play time!! 

14 comments:

  1. Cute little dog, enjoy the fun.

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  2. congratulations on your baby! such a cutie!! they will love you no matter what and you will enjoy seeing them but hate leaving them!

    spaghetti sauce is looking awesome by the way

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  3. Bridget, he is ADORABLE! I'm sure you guys are going to have a wonderful weekend getting to know the newest addition to your family :).

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  4. Congratulations on your new addition! He's adorable!!!!!

    Like you, I adore spaghetti squash. It is super healthy and super easy to make. And I weirdly find it fun to string the squash :-)

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  5. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Congrats! I am so excited for you. Having a dog just rocks and Bromley is adorable. i can't wait to see more pictures. Enjoy your fur baby. Mmm spaghetti squash. It looks so pretty dressed up and plated. Hope your weekend is wonderful

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  6. Yeah for new dog! And bless you for saving that cute little pooch! I have two dogs- one was a stray and the other came from the humane society and they are the best dogs!

    Enjoy your new pup! :)

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  7. Bromley is adorable! Congratulations!

    I have never been a squash fan, but maybe I should be giving it a second chance. :) Hope you have a great weekend.

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  8. Aw! Congrats on your new addition. Bromley is adorable!

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  9. Awwww, he's adorable - congrats!

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  10. What a cutie!! I've been nagging Adam for a dog and he refuses to get one until we have a real yard. I need to show him these pics ;)
    PS - I bought spaghetti squash last night. Can't wait to have some this week :)

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  11. Bromley is SOOO cute!! I'm sure you're having tons of fun with him :) And your dinner looks fabulous, too!

    Sues

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  12. ahh, I'm so jealous! We want a dog so badly but we are just not home enough so it's not a possibility right mow. Enjoy your new pup!

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