#NationalSpaghettiDay Celebration

January 4, 2017 — #NationalSpaghettiDay, culinary, food, fresh food, improvisation, paasta, vegetables

The food holidays come daily, but few are as popular as spaghetti day.  Pasta is popular all over the world.  Kids can usually be cajoled into eating dinner if there is pasta involved.  When I was a child we rarely ate pasta at home, but I looked forward to outings to restaurants where I could order it. I also had some Italian friends at school and Brownie Scouts whose moms totally rocked the dinner table.  I connived to find ways to be invited to their houses to eat. The first dishes I learned to prepare myself in the kitchen were lasagna (my mom never made it) and beef Stroganoff on a bed of egg noodles.  I believe I was trying to knock off some of my friends’ mothers recipes. Since pasta is such an easy and versatile dish to prepare I have been making noodles since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

We eat pasta about once a week, but I try to vary the ways I prepare it.  I have not made a lasagna in years because I am so lazy now, but I do bake pasta dishes for the same effect. Today I have an assortment of fresh vegetables that need to be used. I have roasted a butternut squash for sauce, and am now roasting a red onion for color and excitement. My approach to cooking is to use what I have on hand in the most creative way possible.  I hate to waste food.  I have parsley, basil, rosemary, marjoram and sage growing in my garden to use to build the flavor profile. Brown butter sage is a great compliment to the butternut squash. If you have not used this versatile winter vegetable to make sauce, here is a vegan recipe:

You can choose to use milk or heavy cream if you want those extra grams of fat and calories.  It also works with vegetable bullion.  Of course there are plenty of pre-made sauces in jars that taste fabulous. #NationalSpaghettiDay is a very easy holiday to use to express your inner chef.  Wander off into trying ingredients you like on other dishes..olives, artichokes, garlic, herbs..Have fun, gentle readers.  Buon apetito!

I love spaghetti!