Banana Squash

I finally got up the courage to cook my Banana squash. I bought the squash at the farmers' market back in October and it has been sitting on (or, more like taking over) my counter ever since. At two feet tall, it is a bit intimidating. The squash is long with a pink-orange skin. It is not as hard as some of the other winter squashes I have tried so I was able to cut through it easily. The flesh is bright orange and very moist. I diced up a pound of it and cooked it with some onions and diced tomatoes -- the last locally grown tomatoes of the season purchased at ELFCO -- in a little bit of olive and butter. I served it with whole wheat rotini pasta and scattered chopped celery leaves and grated Parmesan on top. I would never have thought to use celery leaves this way but the dish was delicious. Caroline was a bit constipated tonight and feeling uncomfortable so she wasn't interested in eating anything except her pureed prunes and plain yogurt. I'll put the pasta dish in her lunch tomorrow and hopefully, she'll feel like taking a bite.

Caroline's Lunchbox Menu, November 20: Breakfast - prunes, plain yogurt, oatmeal; Lunch - Banana squash, whole wheat rotini pasta, tomatoes, egg; Snacks - peaches (canned this summer), whole wheat graham crackers

Childcare Center Menu, November 20: Breakfast - applesauce, French toast sticks, syrup; Lunch - Mostaciolli, beans, kiwi; Snacks - chocolate chip cookies, red peppers