Savory Butternut Squash

I usually don't make my own recipes, but this one actually turned out so good that I wanted to share it! Most butternut squash recipes are sweet like a pumpkin pie, but I wanted this one to be savory... so if you're looking for pumpkin pie type squash, this isn't the recipe.

1 large butternut squash peeled and cubed

1 medium onion diced

1 tbsp. fresh minced garlic (I buy the jar pre-minced)

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. seasoning salt

pinch of black pepper

pinch of red pepper

3/4 can of vegetable broth

Add olive oil and garlic to a soup pot and saute until garlic is starting to brown. Add in the onions and saute until they start to get soft. Add in the squash and saute for about 5 minutes stirring every minute or so. Add in the vegetable broth and seasonings. You can adjust the seasoning to taste. I like to taste the broth and add a little more at a time. Let the broth boil down until the squash is tender when you poke it with a fork.

There will be a bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan that makes a really good vegetarian gravy! I put it over mashed potatoes and it's awesome!

1st Dan Testing & Candle Ceremony

Cameron tested for his 1st Dan Black Belt on Friday. This will probably be his last testing for a while as more training, hours and new weapon skills are required for each additional dan.

After the testing, they had a traditional candle ceremony for the new 1st dan and probationary black belts. It was really neat. Each person lit a different color candle and read a little passage about the color.

After the candle ceremony, Master Lee prepared another ceremony where Master and student share Sake (apple juice for the little ones) and the student takes an oath of respect and dedication.

Master Lee pouring Sake (apple juice) for Cameron.

Master Lee drinking the Sake Cameron poured for him.

Cameron giving up his probationary Black Belt.

Master Lee giving Cameron his 1st Dan Black Belt.

His new belt. I find it funny that they embroidered his name as "Cam" instead of Cameron. When I named him, everyone told me that he could go by Cam when he was older. I remember telling them that he would go by Cameron because that's what I named him. I suppose the truth is, kids will go by whatever they want. In this case, it's Cam.

Cameron and his two role models, Johnny and Johnny. They are both very talented young men.

Cameron and Master Lee.

Joe's B-day, Memorial Weekend and other random pics...

As you already know from my last post, Joe and I went to NYC for his birthday! The pictures are from his birthday party when I told him about the trip... exactly one week before the trip. :)

Since it was over a week before his birthday, Joe thought I invited our families out to eat for Mother's Day. Little did he know, everyone was in the plan except him. We went to Carrabba's, ate, drank, talked and the whole time no one said a word about NYC until...

... they brought the cake out. Unfortunately, I did NOT take any pics of this cake before bringing it to the restaurant, several hours before they opened, and of course I forgot my camera. :( Gina had her camera, but from her seat, all she could get was the backside of the cake and all the glasses around it.

Joe had no clue what was going on and was VERY surprised that I could keep this trip a secret for so long! He was even more shocked that I was able to make this cake over the course of several days without him ever catching on! Of course I had the help of my BFF, Rachel. :)

For Memorial Day weekend, we went to visit some of my family, who I haven't seen in many, many years!

This is my cousin Michele's little girl, Isabella. She is just too cute!


Joey making some mud pies!

He really enjoyed that mud!

Then we took all the kids to the pool to cool off!

My cousins, Michele and Richie and myself.

There really is no good way to take a picture of 4 children and a dog. From left to right we have Isabella, my cousin Richie's son Robert, Cameron and the escaping Joey. Robert and Cameron really hit it off and Cameron is way to excited to see him again. This was the first time all the cousins were together!

Now for the random pics. This one was from Thanksgiving. Joey wasn't too interested in eating with us, so he decided to just lounge in his highchair... feet on the table and all!

Cameron in front of a Delorean. I'm not sure if this is the actual one from Back to the Future, but that seems to be the theme of the car show... cars from the movies, as you can see below.

This is the actual Batmobile used in the Keaton Batman movies!

And lastly, Cameron in a fire jacket. He might not actually need the pants, just boots!