Squash season is here and I’ve been busy cooking and freezing batches for soup later this winter. But when I saw Joy Bauer’s recipe for Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese Muffins, it called my name. I used a batch of squash for this recipe.
I think it is basically the same recipe I made last December and posted here. And though it was far away in my memory, the outcome was the same. It was kind of messy to make and a little sweet. Hmmm, I wonder if I’ll be trying it out for the first time again next year? 😜Ha!
The muffin part is new for me.
Here is what I did:
The silicon muffin pan with 12 smallish cups was the right size for a half batch. A 1/3 measuring cup filled each muffin cup and used up the entire batch.
After a careful search of the pantry, I found no elbow macaroni. But I did have the remains of a package of campanelle pasta. It worked just fine.
Three small butternut squash have been waiting for the perfect recipe. They went into the crockpot the night before for a few hours and then were easily peeled and scooped when I was ready to cook.
After the muffins fully cooled, I popped them in a Ziplock and stored them in the freezer. That’s a much better option than making a whole casserole dish when only one person is eating them.
Topping a muffin with yummy Trader Joe’s Crispy Jalapeno Pieces was perfect for extra crunch, even though, to be quite honest, they are already pretty crunchy.
I’m going to give this recipe a better review than last time because the muffins make a great freezer meal and at the end of the day, it’s the healthiest comfort food in my arsenal.
Exercise
My adorable Sollangy is now teaching a Pilates class. Yippee! I have avoided Pilates for years because the few times I took classes resulted in backaches that lasted for days. Now taking class from Sollangy, my abs are sore for three days. I obviously need it, so I’m happy to add it to my weekly exercise.
What I’m Reading
Putting my nose to the old grindstone and cranking out some reading recently has meant I have a few things to share! I know, it sounds like hard work, doesn’t it?
Earlier this month I mentioned I started The Eleventh Man by Ivon Doig. I had really high hopes for the book, but at the end of the day there were too many characters (way over 11, by the way) and none of them were terribly compelling. The protagonists weren’t engaging and I wasn’t quite sure why I should dislike the antagonists. So there you go. Dang it.
On audio I listened to Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson. The characters were so alien with their quirks, but I also badly wanted them in my life. Just like the people who sometimes populate my actual world. The narration was great and easy to follow. I’m giving this one five stars and highly recommend.
The audio version, read by the author, of The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom was good, but I’m not 100% sure right now how I really feel about it. It’s a spiritual story. I consider myself a spiritual person with spiritual interests. But, let me say for the record, I’m all in. I pray that people who know me know I’m all in on God’s team. If you need a prayer or a bible verse, I’m your go-to. I wanted this story to be a clearer, committed picture. But maybe that’s how some people’s faith rolls. And it’s just fiction, right?
Sorry for a nebulous review, but I’m going to let you decide to read or not read on your own.
Finally, by Gregg Hurwitz, You’re Next. Hurwitz is my latest author obsession and I’m eating him up. This book was good, but a little long and the characters not as compelling as I like, but it was definitely worth the read and I’m recommending.
Wrap Up
Thanks for spending a little of my week with me and enjoy your weekend!