Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca

A delish plate of yummy goodness!

1 spaghetti squash
1 jar Gia Russa Puttanesca sauce
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 lb. mild sausage
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium white onion
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 pkg fresh mushrooms
20 baby carrots
Minced garlic
Canola oil
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp. light sugar blend (optional)
Parmesan cheese (optional)

- Preheat oven to 350.
- Slice spaghetti squash in half. Remove seeds. Place flesh-side down on baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
- While the squash is baking, chop all of the veggies into bite size pieces. Over high heat, heat oil and garlic in a large pan. Add veggies. Saute until tender and slightly browned. Put aside in a bowl.
- Add meats to the pan and cook until done. Drain. Set aside.
- Lower heat to medium. Add puttanesca sauce and sugar blend to the pan. Stir. Add veggies and meats back into the pan. Stir to combine. Add can of petite diced tomatoes. Stir. Let simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Once spaghetti squash is done, remove from oven. Using a potholder, carefully hold the squash in one hand and divvy out the squash, using a fork, onto plates. The fork will make the squash separate into fine strands, resembling spaghetti.
- Top with the puttanesca mixture and parmesan cheese as desired.
- Enjoy!

4 servings (with leftovers)
Total time: about 40 minutes

Notes: I found that one half of the squash was the perfect amount for 2 people. So hubby and I had enough for dinner last night and lunch today. Plus, there was even more Puttanesca sauce left over after that. I simply put it in a container and stuck it in the fridge. I can totally see myself making a nice snack out of that alone…  So yumm!

Got free time.



(grandeicedsugarfreevanillalattewithbreve)

Will coffeeshop-it-up.

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Two seats down from me, there is an older gentleman reading a book that has to weigh 15 pounds.  He has his crisp cream colored fedora resting up-side-down on the table, next to his iPad (cloaked in leather), his car keys, and his phone.  All holding their respective places on the table amongst the ranks of his grande latte (or maybe its a black coffee?).  His pressed pants and shirt, along with the shiny loafers gives me the impression that he is a person of great importance, and I would take him to be rather serious.  But the fedora is throwing me for a loop.  It's so Cuba, so Miami, so fresh for the hipsters of today.  It's refreshing to see it sitting there, especially the way its placed on the table.  It's speaks of respect, and quality.



Said man with his fedora.

It's different from the Adidas baseball cap in my sight line a few seats away, or the cowboy hat at the counter...

Intrigue.  That is it.

It's the ability to capture attention and cause wonder.  I think that is the essence of people in general.  That's why I love the coffee shop experience.  It's not enough to simply exist within the same space as someone... but to be able to wonder about them alludes to a different connection.  The fact that every person has a story, has a beginning, has a series of events that brought them to a space is one of my greatest wonders of all.  And it blows my mind on a daily basis.  It is amazing that every single person {on this planet} has a life.  Every single person has a story to tell. 

I want to hear every story.
They are all so interesting...