Squash Story

(or Cooking Chronicle, or Onion Ode or Phood Photojournal)

Butternut Squash:

Peeled Butternut Squash:

Butternut Squash Peels:

Cubed Butternut Squash:

An apple peeling worthy of Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle (anyone remember how Tom Hanks described his late wife peeling a whole apple in one piece, as images of Meg Ryan doing the same flashed by? But they didn't show it in one take, so I didn't get the impression she really does her own stunts...):

Chopped onion, curry powder, and apple:

Can you smell them sizzling?

Final product, kids' version:

Apple-Squash Soup, adult version, with plain yogurt and chopped chives from the garden:

This recipe came to me about 10 years ago via my mom from an old friend of hers in Massachusetts. The first time I made it, I put in five TABLESPOONS of curry powder instead of five TEASPOONS. Oooooops. And it was my first time being pregnant...shall we say I definitely did not keep that soup down. David's stomach was less tender and he didn't seem to have too much trouble with it. But now I follow the directions more carefully.

Typically I think of myself as not enjoying being in charge of meals. I don't eagerly anticipate the planning, the ingredient listing, the shopping, the preparation, and figuring out when things are perfectly done. But this week as I was chopping up the squash, it just somehow felt like making a good recipe from scratch, working with my hands in the fresh raw produce, was a truly important and essential part of my calling. Providing something homemade and delicious and wholesome for my family takes time, time that displaces other things I could be doing. It demands energy, both physical and emotional, from me. But it is a Good Thing. I almost hate to admit it: it felt good.