Miscellaneous Monday!

Hi friends, I'm back after a bit of time away.  I hope you all transitioned nicely in November and are ready for some delightful Miscellaneous Monday tidbits...


First, let's just take a moment to reminisce about the extra hour of sleep that we had yesterday......

OK, back to reality.  I must admit, I really enjoyed that extra hour yesterday, but some people aren't so lucky.  Case in point, Arizona.  This desert state doesn't need an extra hour of sunlight, and therefore, Arizona never "springs forward," and never gets to "fall back."


I don't know if the extra hour actually helped me, or if it's just a mental trick, but I definitely felt more productive today.  I had the forethought to remember I had some vegetables in my fridge that weren't going to make it to the end of the week.  I went to my favorite website for coming up with quick recipes, epicurious.com and searched for the ingredient I happened to have a lot of, yellow squash.  This recipe got the thumbs up from Tim, and is deceptively simple but has an interesting flavor.  Give it a try next time you're looking for a new side dish.

Photo from IFood.tv

Yellow Squash with Basil (courtesy of epicurious.com)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 yellow squash cut lengthwise and then sliced into thin slices

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup water

salt

black pepper 

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid.  Get the oil hot, but not smoking.  Add the cut up squash and saute for about 5 minutes.  You want the squash to get brown in the skillet.  After the squash is browned, add the garlic and stir for one minute, until the garlic is fragrant and wafting in the air.  Add the salt and pepper and pour in the water.  Cover the skillet tightly with the lid and simmer "briskly" until the water is evaporated, this process should take 6-8 minutes.  Be careful and don't let your squash burn!  Once the water is evaporated, and your squash is cooked, put the squash in a bowl and mix in your chopped basil.  Serve hot and enjoy. 

Courtesy of Bobbey Peachey

Don't forget tomorrow is election day!  Get started by finding your polling place here and then, if you're voting in Cuyahoga County, do a little research here about the judicial candidates up for election.  If you're anywhere else check out Project Vote Smart to find out facts and stats for your candidates.  

Happy Monday Friends!!!