Hi, friends! I hope you’re having a lovely week!
I recorded an IGTV yesterday explaining a bit of context as to why I’m perhaps a bit preachy when it comes to finances.. There is a reason behind it and I’m sorry if I’m annoying. Hopefully watching this will help give you some context.
Anyway, this week was chill and I kind of loved it. I cooked, cleaned. and relaxed. It felt amazing. Enjoy!
Recipe of the Week
NOT a pretty dish at all and not a light, summery dish either, but I made butternut squash lasagna for a friend this week and (obviously) kept some for myself too. It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes that I got from a (southern, of course) friend and is a go-to comfort food dish. Yum.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
3 pounds butternut squash, halved and seeded
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
9 no-cook lasagna noodles
1 1/3 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
Brush the butternut squash halves with vegetable oil and season with salt. Roast in the preheated oven until golden and easily pierced with a knife, 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then scoop the flesh into a bowl. Set aside.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook and stir garlic in the butter until softened. Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer, and cook until thick, about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Stir in the butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. Sauce can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
Reduce oven temperature to to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Beat the heavy cream until foamy in a large glass or metal mixing bowl. Gradually add the salt, continuing to beat until medium peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the tip of the peak formed by the cream should curl over slightly. Set aside.
Pour 1 cup of the butternut sauce into the baking dish and place 3 lasagna noodles on top in a single layer. Spread half of the remaining sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Place another layer of noodles and spread the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Place the final layer of noodles on top. Spread the whipped cream over the final layer of noodles making sure the pasta is completely covered. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is bubbly and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Currently Drinking
I’ve mentioned it here and I’ll mention it again. I LOVE Arbonne fizz sticks. They’re delicious and a great afternoon pick-me-up. Get yours HERE.
Currently Watching
Seriously, HOW did it take me so long to watch Hart of Dixie (it’s on Netflix). I looooove this show. It’s Gilmour Girls meets Steel Magnolias and it’s EVERYTHING. I love it. SO much.
Currently Reading
I started watching Unorthodox on Netflix and found it a *little* hard to follow… because it’s mostly in Yiddish. The story seemed interesting, though, so I’m reading the book! So far so good.
Currently Listening
I don’t always listen to music when I’m working, but lately have been loving anything that plays when I say, “Alexa, play Jack Johnson and similar artists.” Try it. It’s great WFH music.
This Week’s Adventures:
Like I said, this week was pretty chill which I’m A-OK with.
Baseball is back! If you’ve been around for a bit, you know I’m a sports FANATIC. Do I schedule my autumn Saturdays around Buckeyes games? Why, I thought you’d never ask! Yes I do!
We went to B Dubs to watch the Indians game on Friday and they won! Yay!
I also learned this fun fact this weekend..
We headed to the Guinness Brewery in Baltimore on Saturday. It’s expensive but their COVID precautions were seriously the best I’ve seen so far.
On the way back from the Guinness Brewery, I dragged took Jim to Hobby Lobby for the first time… I just love that place. It’s full of Cricut inspiration. Sigh.
I do also love their home decor section and was not at all tempted to buy this even though I must admit that I do love me some Big Boy.
After my farm store trip on my way back from Rehoboth last week, I decided to hit up another local farm store at Butler’s Orchard. Um. Y’all. It’s a bit of a hike for some in the DMV (it’s about 20 minutes away for me) but the selection is INSANE right now AND the prices are way cheaper than any of the local farmers markets (which, let’s be real, are really depressing right now with COVID restrictions). I scored MAJOR and am loving the fruits and veggies I got. Delish. Oh, and their apple cider donuts are to die for.
Current Hobbies:
All things cooking. I made butternut squash lasagna, green enchiladas, chicken scallopini, alla scapece.. Mmmmmmm.
I got a new pet! Well.. Kind of. My friend had some sourdough starter, so I brought some home and have gone down a rabbithole of sourdough starter research. Her name is Suzette and she’s a very hungry girl. Stay tuned for my first loaf!
Finally, I am DETERMINED to teach Frickle how to lay down. So far it’s not going well.
Other Things To Note:
It’s sad this is as funny as it is….
Also, if you’re following me on Instagram, I’m doing a weekly Monday Money Tip!
Do you find this to be true? I see this kind of thinking ALL the time with people I know.
I want to make THESE peanut butter pretzel no-bakes STAT. They look delish.
I did an Instagram story on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this week (it’s on my highlights under Financial) and wanted to remind y’all that it is NOT your only chance to buy fall clothes. There are some good deals in it, but there will be other good deals to come. I feel like so many people in the influencer world act like sales are a once in a lifetime deal and that’s just not the case here. DO NOT BUY STUFF YOU CAN’T AFFORD NO MATTER HOW GREAT OF A DEAL IT IS. Got it? Got it!