The Unavoidable and Another Thanksgiving Contender

What's unavoidable when you work yourself silly and people around you are irresponsible? GETTING A COLD FOR YOUR OPENING NIGHT. I am so exhausted that my immune system is shot. Other than not getting enough sleep, I pack healthy food for the day and take care of myself, but alas, no ZZZZs=open door for germs. On I trudge with my quest for work/work/life balance. Thank you for bearing with me! I will get this down yet! I have been downing hot tea to sooth my throat and have plenty of my favorite cold medicine, but alas, I'm sick. All went well and the powers of adrenaline powered me through. One secret weapon when my voice gets worn out from drainage is gargling several times with an apple cider vinegar/warm water solution. Apple cider vinegar is magical. Seriously. Google it. There are websites devoted to its many uses. So, if you ever lose your voice, gargle with an apple cider solution-you'll get your voice back for a while...at least I do.

source

I call this stuff Liquid Magic!

Awesome husband alert: On his way home Mr. BB30 ordered me some healing spicy brothy thai soup for dinner last night and had it waiting for me! Huzzah!

Enough about my snot. Let's talk Thanksgiving!

Meet another contender:

Vanilla and Cardamom Glazed Acorn Squash Rings

A salty squash with a syrupy vanilla glaze. *Drools* This recipe is from page 51 of Fast, Fresh and Green by Susie Middleton and looks so simple and so flavorful!  

It supposedly serves 2 to 3 (but mostly likely 1 if you are me- hahahaha)

1 small acorn squash (1 to 1.25 lbs)
2 T. unsalted butter, plus 2 t. more if needed (I will use Earth Balance.)
2 t. pure maple syrup
1.5 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. ground cardamom
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a large (18x13x1-inch) heavy-duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

2. With a sharp chef's knife, cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise (though both the stem end and the pointy end). Scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. Put each half, cut side down, on a cutting board. Slice off about 3/4-inch from each end, and discard. Slice the squash crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-rings. If you want, you can trim away any remaining fibers from the rings by running a paring knife around the inside of each. Pout the half-rings on the parchment paper.

3. In a small sauce pan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the maple syrup, vanilla, and cardamom. Stir well. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the squash pieces with a little less than half of the mixture. Season the pieces very lightly with salt and turn them over. Brush this side with more of the mixture, but reserve about 1 tablespoon for brushing on after cooking. (If using a larger squash and you wind up with less than 1 tablespoon of liquid, add 1 to 2 teaspoons more butter to the saucepan). Season the tops very lightly with salt.

4. Roast the squash for 12 minutes. Use tongs to flip the pieces over. Continue to roast until they are nicely browned (the bottoms with be browner than the tops) and tender when pierced with a paring knife, 10 to 12 minutes. Flip the piecces over again when they come out of the oven so that the browner side is up.

5. Reheat the butter mixture briefly over low heat if necessary (or to melt the additional butter). Brush the butter mixture over the squash slices and serve.

YUM!!!!!!! Look at that color! They look like fall leaves! Sweet and savory fall leaves!