Spaghetti Squash~

Spaghetti (also called vegetable spaghetti, vegetable marrow, noodle squash or squaghetti) - A small, watermelon-shaped variety, ranges in size from 2 to 5 pounds or more. It has a golden-yellow, oval rind and a mild, nut like flavor. When cooked, the flesh separates in strands that resemble spaghetti pasta. The yellowest Spaghetti squash will be the ripest and best to eat. Those that are nearly white are not very ripe. Although it may seem counter intuitive, larger spaghetti squash are more flavorful than smaller ones.
To prepare spaghetti squash, cut the gourd in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, sprinkle some olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic on top, then bake( 350 for 1 hour) or broil (20 minutes) until tender. Once cooked, use a fork to rake out the "spaghetti-like" stringy flesh, and serve with any Pasta vegatable sauce you would use on noddles..
Spaghetti Squash can be stored at room temperature for about a month. After cutting, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Spaghetti squash also freezes well. Available year-round - season early fall through winter.

Butternut Squash French Fries

Easily found in supermarkets. Beige colored and shaped like a vase. This is a more watery squash and tastes somewhat similar to sweet potatoes. It has a bulbous end and pale, creamy skin, with a choice, fine-textured, deep-orange flesh with a sweet, nutty flavor. Some people say it is like butterscotch. It weighs from 2 to 5 pounds. The oranger the color, the riper, drier, and sweeter the squash.



Cut the squash at the bulb or wide part. (Set the bottom piece aside. It may be used peeled and cubed for soup/stews). Peel and cut the longer end into strips, like french fries. Season lightly with olive oil and sea salt. Bake @ 450 for 10-15 minutes. Broil for the last 5 minutes to slightly brown and crisp.

eyeball cupcakes

Nothing healthy about these ~ just plain fun.

• White paper cupcake liners
• 1 white cake mix
• 1 container of Vannilla butter cream frosting
• Red food decorating gel
  
• Small black jelly beans
• Round candies with hole in the middle

Preparation

1. Line cupcake tins with the liners. Fill the tins two-thirds full with the batter and bake the cupcakes as directed on the box.

2. Frost the cupcakes. Pile the frosting up a little in the center to make a sort of domed shape, more like an eyeball. To make the surface smooth, dip a butter or frosting/palette knife in hot water and smooth it over the top of the frosting.

3. Using the red decorating gel, pipe the red frosting on the tops of the cupcake in vein patterns. Make the veins radiate from the center of the cupcake to make the bloodshot quality more realistic. Cut the jelly beans in half. Place a jelly bean half into the circle of the round candy. Now you have and iris and a pupil. Place this in the center of a cupcake. Continue with the rest of the eyeballs.