When counting my blessings I always thank God for my beautiful son and I also am grateful for those times when he naps. This morning he woke up adorable ready for his bottle and why shouldn't he be refreshed? As my li'l one decided at two nineteen this morning to wake up his mama after he crawled into bed at one eleven. And then continued to stay awake for over an hour playing to his heart's content. Needless to say after he took his bottle and began to look drowsy I was ecstatic to put him down for a morning nap. A part of me desperately wanted to nap too. But these days (with an infant on the move) if I hope to get anything accomplished I must utilize naptime for my priorities. And priority number one was to get in some exercise.
I quickly got myself ready after a five minute sit down whine to myself if I really did want to choose exercise over nap. I did (at least after a very convincing argument from the angel on my right side - though temptation on the left side had some fine points!). I dusted off the Wii Fit, well not dusted but did move some craft projects off the Wii Board. My Wii shamed me into guilty feelings as it welcomed me back after 82 days. Sorry Wii Fit, I forget that you count our days apart. Lost a tish of a weight but was psyched about how good it felt to move. I did some yoga where my instructor bailed. I love you Nintendo people you make me laugh. I use the female avatar trainer and the male trainer asked if it was okay if he subbed in. Too funny! I moved thirty five minutes. To end my work outs I usually use the balance games as cool downs. There is one where you are to lean into the soccer ball while avoiding the clutter thrown (panda heads and shoes). Do you know which position is the hardest for me to hit the soccer ball? Standing still/straight - Have no issue with the leans to the left and to the right but if it is coming to me straight on I miss it every time. Seems like an interesting metaphor. I believe effort needs to be involved (sometimes too much effort) before I can acknowledge the rewards even when blessings are lining up to smack me right in the forehead. But this was this morning.
For my evening we tried our new veggie for the week. A Turban Squash which we made into a hash. If you ever see a Turban squash you have to stop and admire one. They are beautiful, comical, and charming. Their taste is good for those who like squash. Preparing one of these is beastly which is why most people use them for decoration. When I picked it up from the grocery store they asked if it was for decoration or is it edible? I chuckled and said "I am not sure." Which they responded with quizzical looks. Why buy something if you don't know its use? Good question! I admit I bought it because of its appearance and immediately upon my arrival home I looked up if it could be eaten. Yes, recipes - excellent as it was bought to be the veggie of the week. One great thing about winter squash is if properly stored and depending on the condition of the squash it can be kept several months. Which is good. Because my shopping and my cooking rarely meet as intended. So tonight it was decided we would have squash - now to just find the right recipe. I have read most squashes are interchangeable. Therefore I picked out a hash recipe intended for butternut squash. No biggie right? Biggie! This squash is a monster to prepare. That beautiful crown/turban top - a beast to cut through!. There is an obvious top and bottom to this squash and the top did not look very appealing. So I chopped off the top and then the peel - oh my goodness at moments it felt like it was shellacked with a heavy duty plastic as the coating is quite thick for a squash. And my poor peeler surrendered several times through the process but I muddled on. Great we have peeled and lost the hat at this point. What's next? Well I was going for a hash so now we grate and grate and grate some more. Buiding muscle, getting tired, and muttering why do I have these crazy brainstorms. Should have just halved it and threw it in the oven to bake. Easy - but no I wanted to attempt a hash. Once I have enough grated I cubed the other portion. Because that is one advantage to squash there is lots to work with usually. Are we done? Oh No! Now we must remove the moisture. Here is the second reason Turkish Turban Squash was not intended to be a hash. They carry a lot of moisture - a lot! Like past the point of ten paper towels soaking up its excess water. Do you know what is the most popular recipe for Turkish Turban Squash? Soup. You know why? Because you don't have to peel the squash as you use it for the bowl because of its interesting exterior and that it brings a lot of richness with its moist flesh. And its pros for soup making make turban squash are negatives for hash. But I persist because I got this harebrained idea this would be a simple side for a simple dinner. (Oh how I laugh at that thought now - a good hearty laugh!). It was a tasty hash with simple ingredients after the squash prep. The flesh was a beautiful deep yellow grated into hearty shreds, add some chopped onions with salt, pepper and both onion and garlic powder. I think a dash of a nice potent spice would have added a tish more depth - like ginger or nutmeg. But just a smidge - as the flavor is delicately balanced between savory and sweet. But from I read on other blogs is that over cooking can create a bitterness but a steam or oven baked for the proper time can create a real nuttiness. With a hash it barely got warm and was a little too wet to get that crispiness in the pan. It was tasty, not tasty enough to outweigh the prep work. But if you invited me over to have some turban squash I would probably go back for seconds. I might lean towards a soup with my left over "squash cubes". Lesson learned. And that comes from experience. So thumbs up on the turban squash taste - but definitely used the wrong recipe, thank goodness there can always be a next time.
May your HealthFULL Journey delight your senses and teach you through missteps and slam dunks. 'Til we meet again. . .
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