I am not a wizard

As you may have noticed, the blogging didn't happen last week.  It was one of those weeks where I'm really not feeling much like a wizard, or even an elephant. :)  I did cook some, but even that didn't turn out as well as I had wished.  And then it was my birthday (weeee!), and I didn't feel like stressing out further about the blog.  So, there we are. 

Today is feeling like the start of a better week, and since April is only a week away, I'm hoping that I will get both the cooking and the blogging mojo back.  I still intend to share the mug cake recipe/experience, since that was awesome, but it requires to actually find the recipe, since it's pretty precise.  In the meantime, here's a brief recipe for spaghetti squash to tide you over!

This recipe is thanks to Cindy and the various recipes she linked me to when I told her, in a slight panic, that I had not one, but two spaghetti squashes living in the fridge.  This is the simplest recipe possible -- there are many other ways of dealing with these things, but this one was the easiest.

Spaghetti Squash with Garlic
Ingredients
Squash (however many you happen to have)
Garlic (lots)
Butter (say, half a stick?)
Parmesan if you like

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Wash squash and put it on a baking sheet into the oven (just like that, no need to cut if you don't want to).  Pierce squash a few times with a sharp knife to let out steam. Bake for at least an hour, turning once midway through cooking, though it depends on the size of the squash.  Mine were large, so it took about 2 hours.  It's ready when you can pierce it reasonably easily with a fork.  In the meantime, peel and cut garlic.  When squash is done, let it cool, then cut it in half.  Scoop out the seeds and the slimy top layer (and discard), then scoop out the rest of the innards to cook with.  In a large skillet, heat some butter, then add about half the garlic.  Fry for a few minutes 'till it's soft, then add the squash, the rest of the butter, and the rest of the garlic.  Saute for 5-10 minutes.  Add cheese if you're using it and cook for another few minutes.  You can also add the cheese on top.  Serve warm.

Recipe summary
Time: 2.5 hours for two large squashes, almost entirely unattended
Serves: varies quite a bit, I'd say one large squash is probably enough for 4.
Highlights/thoughts: It turns out that I really don't like the smell of baked squash.  The whole time I was scooping it out, I kept asking Mu, "is this what it's supposed to smell like?"  It went much better after I started cooking it with garlic and butter, but then again, doesn't everything?  At least this recipe is pretty impossible to screw up.
Would I make this again? If I were stuck with another squash, probably.  As it is, I have a bunch of uncooked squash left over to do something with this week.  I think it'll take some miracle for me to willingly purchase one, though.