Alien Squashes...

Go make this.

Make it now.

It's so amazing you'll want to consume this food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And guess what - you'll have enough leftover to do just that! :)

Spaghetti Squash with Lemons and Capers

• 2 large spaghetti squash (aka one GINORMOUS genetically enhanced squash the size of two large ones will also work well. Not that I would know. (: )
• 4 T. EVOO (Or you can just eyeball it - I'm not generally a huge fan of exact measurements...which is why I'm not a baker.)
• Kosher or Sea salt and Fresh cracked pepper (I'm a believer in coarse salts and peppercorns. They are so much more flavorful - I PROMISE!)
• 8 T. butter (or less - I did 6 T. and it was fabulouso!)
• 2 T. capers
• 1/4 c. diced zucchini (I added more)
• 1/4 diced red bell pepper (Again...I added more)
• 2 chopped garlic cloves (Not in the original recipe...but how can garlic possibly destroy a recipe?!)
• 4 T. fresh lemon juice (I also zested the lemon)
• 4 T. chopped parsley
• 1/4 julienne tomato concasse (I had to look this one up...)
• freshly grated pecorino romano cheese (again...I added this one!)

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut squash in 1/2 lengthwise and remove the innards. (Easier said then done - I was literally hacking at my toy-poodle sized squash with my newly sharpened Wustof knife. It took For-Ev-Ver -- name that movie) Slick down the squash halves with evoo, salt and pepper. After that you can give yourself a nice little exfoliate - evoo and salt! :)

Place halves face down on a baking sheet and cover with foil. (OR you could totally disregard the foil instructions and just bake the suckers!) Cook until the rind gives way slightly to the touch or feels a little soft - 20 minutes (NOT. At least a half hour here.) When they are done, scrape out the meat with a fork. Be amazed that the flesh falls out just like spaghetti -- the squash GROWS that way -- HOW COOL! I always thought the fork made it look like spaghetti -- boy did I get a surprise!

In a hot skillet melt the butter and cook until dark brown. Add capers, zucchini, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until tender. Add lemon juice and parsley. Season with sale and pepper - because you just can't add enough! :)

Mix squash, butter sauce and tomatoes together. Place in a GINORMOUS dish, sprinkle with cheese and garnish with parsley. ta-da. You're done! :)

The Post In Which I Reveal A Recipe And For Which I Cannot Think Of A Creative Title So I Just Wrote An All Caps Run-On Sentence Instead.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, for your reading and salivary gland pleasure, the recipe. (dun dun dun.)

Salmon with Wild Blueberry & Rhubarb Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 T. Canola Oil (I used EVOO)
• 1 small onion, cut in half, halves sliced (I used half a red onion since they are more potent!)
• 2-3 thin stalks of rhubarb, cut into 1/2 in. slices (Again, I just chopped the suckers...looked good to me!)
• 1 1/2 c. frozen blueberries (Don't forget to thaw them first. I of course forgotremembered to thaw mine before hand and definitely almost ruined the recipe made the recipe to perfection.)
• 2 T. blueberry or wildflower honey (Um...who has $9 for a jar of honey...not me. I used just plain 'ole, teddy bear jar shaped honey)
• 1/4 t. wasabi powder or paste (Every time I see the word wasabi I have to say it out loud like I'm in a kung- fu movie -- Wa-SABI!!!!! Wow...I shouldn't have typed that out on the interwebs for everyone to read...)
• 1 lb. wild king salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces (OR two 5 oz. fillets that are pre-cut, wrapped in cedar and on sale at the grocery store! (: )

So...looking back on the ingredients...I didn't really make the recipe that's on the page...it was more of an outline! :) But on with the rest...

• Heat oil over med-high heat, add onion and saute' until lightly browned (4-5 min.)
• Add rhubarb and cook until bottom of pan looks syrupy (3-4min.)
• Add blueberries & honey.
• Lower to simmer until rhubarb is "tender and collapsing" aka "soft and squishy."
• Remove from heat ans stir in wasabi. Remember to touch your eyes immediately after this step. It will keep the kitchen interesting.
• Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm (because, really who wants a cold sauce on their hot salmon!?)
• Heat a dry nonstick frying pan over medium heat until hot (Or just reuse the pan you just used. Duh. Save on dishes!)
• Sprinkle fish with salt (I used kosher salt because we have a small love affair) and freshly ground pepper.
• arrange salmon in pan and cook until browned and crisp on bottom (4 min.)
• Turn salmon and cook until, you guessed it browned and crisp (3 min.)
• When the fish is done it will flake off easily. It should still be translucent in the center, so don't freak out about e-coli when you go to eat it and middle looks different. It's fine. You won't die. Look, ours was "translucent" and we're still alive. Conrad has a new little tick, but it's cute. :)
• Divide sauce among plates, and place fillet on top.
• Consume yummy goodness making excessive "mmmm" and "ooooooh" sounds at the table.

And there you have it. :) I do love me some good food. :)