Butternut Squash and Tortellini and ?

Did you know that butternut squash leaves a creepy residue on your hands that can really freak you out before you search "butternut squash residue" online? Neither did I! But I do now and the "F" key on my keyboard is getting infected as I type, even though I have scrubbed my fingers with mineral oil trying to get it off. I didn't notice it until my hands started to dry and my skin felt tight. I thought, like others, that I was having an allergic reaction, and that I wouldn't be able to eat my dinner, but I've had butternut risotto before, so to the interwebs I went! Lo and behold, other people were complaining of the same and offering their advice on how to get rid of the residue, which I still haven't completely done. But this will be a strange reminder in the morning of tonight's dinner.

I picked another recipe from Real Simple and, as usual, modified it to my tastes. I can't stand mushrooms, so I looked up veggies that will cook similarly to mushroom, and decided on broccoli when I couldn't find any similar veggies that I liked. I think it would have worked if the head of broccoli I had was a little fresher. So the broccoli was a bust, in the end, and took away the green from dinner. Sigh.

I did manage to find some gruyere cheese, which was new to me, and probably helped the meal a lot. My squash wasn't quite ripe. How do you pick a ripe squash anyway? I should have asked the internet beforehand. But that just meant I had to cook it a little bit longer, and the flavor wasn't bad. The tortellini turned out just fine, thanks to package directions. Overall, I'd rate this meal as boring. I knew about half way through cooking it that it needed something more, I just didn't know what! So I cracked open a beer and called it lost. But it fed us, and I wasn't too disappointed in what was there, just disappointed in what I should have done, and I still don't know what that is! Any suggestions?

I'd also like to point out that my husband fended for himself for a dinner this week and made this awesome stirfry that I got to have for lunch the next day:

                                             With hoisin sauce!

And, just to make this post worth reading, here's adorable picture of my cat. I think she's smiling, don't you?

                                           Meow! I like food!