I'm a Recipe Thief.

I made a delish dish for dinner tonight, and couldn't wait to share it with you.  I feel like my Facebook news feed and Pinterest home page have been inundated the past week with recipes that yell HEALTHY and LOW-CARB and GLUTEN FREE and SO GOOD.  I might as well jump on the bandwagon too, right?

Are you ready for it?  Yes?

Spaghetti Squash with caramelized onions and cheese in a browned butter sauce.  

I didn't make this dish with the intention of trying to be any of the yelly things above (well, except for the SO GOOD one).  I just thought it looked tasty.  I'm also going to admit right here and now that I stole this from Rachael Ray.  Sorry Rach, I tweaked it a bit.  RR drrroooooowwwwned this recipe in browned butter and cheese.  No need for that- a few tablespoons is enough.  In true RR fashion, though, this recipe has some EVOO, a pinch of salt thrown over the shoulder, and is YUM-O.  The caramelized onions were my idea, too.  What dish isn't made better by them??

Now, when RR made this dish, I only walked through the living room and back while the tv was on, so I didn't catch the whole recipe.  Oh well, I made up my own measurements for the dish.  Feel free to do the same- I'm not a big fan of measuring when I cook.

Here's what you'll need:

1 spaghetti squash (try to get a big one)  That's what she said.  God, I couldn't resist that one...too easy.
15 or so fresh sage leaves
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion
A handful of either shredded or shaved parmesan cheese (or any hard cheese that you like!)
A few pinches of salt
A few pinches of pepper
A few pinches of nutmeg
Extra olive oil for drizzling

Here's what you'll do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  While the oven is heating up, slice your spaghetti squash in half the long way and scoop out the seeds.

Place your squash on a tray cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Turn the squash over so the cut side is now on the tray.  Pop that tray in the oven, and let it cook for 50-60 minutes.  (I turned a half over at 55 minutes and tried to shred it with a fork.  It began shredding easily, so I took it out of the oven.)

Killing two birds with one stone and cooking some butternut squash (on right) for later.
You only need to pay attention to the spaghetti squash on the left.

For the first thirty minutes while your squash cooks, go drink a glass of wine and read the latest news from TMZ.  Or, go clean the bathroom, paint your toes, or watch the news.  I don't care what you do, just don't stare through the oven window for 30 minutes.  You'll be bored silly.

After your squash has been cooking for a half hour, grab your onion and slice it up.  Cook them down in a pan, and attempt to caramelize them.  Or, you could do what I did and slightly burn the edges because you left your pan on too high while you were paying too much attention to the t.v. in the other room.  Lesson probably not learned, though.  I'll do it again.

Please don't judge my crappy iphone photos for this post.  I was too hungry to
worry about pulling out the camera for artsy fartsy shots.

While your onions are caramelizing, heat your butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Once your butter has melted, throw your sage leaves into the pan and let them cook for a few minutes.  Pull them out, and let them rest on a paper towel for drainage.

Oh, pretty!

At this point, your squash is probably ready to come out of the oven.  Take it out, and start scraping your fork into the flesh.  It'll come apart in stringy pieces, just like spaghetti.  Could you have even imagined* such a thing would happen??  I know, I was shocked.  

*Yes, the bold, italicized, underline word was necessary.  You and I both know there is someone reading this who is thinking to themselves, "Why is she surprised?  It's called spaghetti squash for a reason".  Le Sigh.  Sarcasm is so much harder to hear in typefont Helvetica than when it comes straight from my mouth.

Shred it, baby.

Ok.  Now that your squash is spaghetti'ed, throw it in a bowl and pour your sage infused browned butter/oil over it.  Mix it up.  Plop your caramelized onions on top, followed by your parmesan cheese.  

You're almost there....remember those sage leaves you left sitting on a paper towel?  They should be crispy enough that you can just crumble them over your bowl.

Well, it may not present as the prettiest dish ever, but it sure tastes good!!

Annnnd you're done.  Take note- if you're eating this for your main course, equate 1 serving as half of the spaghetti squash, meaning the recipe serves 2.  If you're making this as a side dish, the recipe serves 4.

Enjoy!!!  (I did.)

Be Still my Beating Heart (if I eat any more of this...seriously.)

The weather is getting too cold for these old bones.  When the temps dip below 85 degrees, you'll most likely find me in sweatshirts, jeans, and knee high socks.  No, I'm not joking, yes, I'm anemic, and yes, I take iron supplements.  Never fear, moms and worrywarts, I've got it covered.

As I write this, it's a sunny 65 outside, but I've got my space heater on MAX and I'm pretty sure that the tights I'm wearing under my sweatpants are melting to my legs.  While I don't really like the inevitable decline in outdoor temperatures, it does make me excited for a few things, the most noted of which includes all things COMFORT FOOD.  Stews, soups, crock pot meals, casseroles....I love them all.  This past weekend meant the experimentation of a new recipe on the BGE (Big Green Egg).  If you haven't read about my love for the BGE, go back and read up here.

Dave and I decided to make mac and cheese (aka Heart Attack On a Plate).  And oh, did it turn out glorious!!!  I researched a few BGE mac and cheese recipes online, but this one from The Pioneer Woman really stole my heart.  YUM.  I followed her directions, and substituted/added a few of my own things.  I didn't take pictures of everything I was doing because 1.  Food blogger I am not, 2.  I do not like to measure exactly, and 3. It is impossible to temper eggs with a roux while simultaneously taking pictures- I do not have 5 hands.   I just wanted to share with you the gloriousness that is the BGE and everything that comes out of its cavernous depths.  UH-MA-ZING.  For real.  No joke.  I wish I could give you a taste through the computer.  Did you ever go camping as a kid and remember how everything that your parents cooked over the campfire just tasted so darn good?  That excitement you felt over making hot dogs on a stick, or roasting marshmallows?  The BGE is that excitement for GROWN UPS.  I can't stop using capitals, I'm so in love.  Sigh.

Sorry, I got too excited to actually start making this, and was less excited about taking pictures of all of my ingredients.  That's all you get.

The original recipe called for a pound of pasta, but I knew better...Dave and I needed MORE.  I made about a pound and a half, and just adjusted my other ingredients accordingly.  We had enough for 2 dinners and one lunch this way.  

Whisk that roux!

Mixing.

The Pioneer Woman's recipe called for whole milk.  I bought a small container (1 cup size) of heavy cream, and combined it with the skim milk I keep in the fridge.  No need to go out and buy a bunch of whole milk just for this recipe.

I also added some ground mustard.  I saw it on another recipe and thought, Why not?

If you don't love cheese, we can't be friends.

After looking through a few recipes for mac and cheese, I decided to use a mixture of extra sharp cheddar, fontina, and a wedge of parmesan.  I didn't measure, I just shredded.  This looked like an acceptable amount, so I stopped shredding.

Ready to make love.  It's a match made in heaven.

Consummating the mac and cheese marriage. 

I forgot to take a picture, but I added some crumbled bacon into this feast.  That was a good decision.  A really good decision.  I also added some nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the cheese mixture.  Trust me- you want to add the nutmeg.

Don't forget to top it off!

 I left a handful of cheese out of the recipe and combined it with a palmful of panko bread crumbs to spread on top.   If you don't have panko bread crumbs in your cupboard, go out and buy some.  They have a much better texture than regular breadcrumbs, which can sometimes end up like flour if you get a cruddy brand.  You want crunch!!

Oh myyyy.  No picture exists of this amazingness "styled" on my plate.  It was in my belly too fast for that nonsense.

We cooked the mac and cheese in the BGE for a little over a half hour at a 350 temp.  Would this recipe still be amazing in the oven?  I'm sure it would.  Was it even more amazing in the BGE?  Yep!  The BGE gave the whole thing a wonderfully fire-roasted smokey flavor.  Unbelievable!  Dave and I agreed that this is a once a year recipe, though.  I'm sure our arteries are thanking us.