Everybody should try it!

   I have to thank all my friends who insisted that I start a cooking blog! Thank you! It became my favorite hobby, and I am more and more committed to it. I constantly look for cooking inspiration, how to serve my dish, and how to take the best picture! I switched from buying gossip magazines to a cooking magazines and from watching home renovation shows to cooking shows. I used to either cook the dishes I knew from home or I just made up some quick and easy recipes, sometimes with the addition of some "exotic" ingredients. Recently, I started to follow some of my favorite chefs and try out their recipes, and let me tell you... every new dish I make becomes our new favorite! There is no way we could decide which one we like better. Today is no different and I really think everybody should make this dish because it's "out-of-this-world" good. It's Giada's recipe for "Butternut squash and goat cheese pasta" and it's amazing. What you need is:

*  1 lb whole wheat penne pasta
*  1 medium butternut squash (peeled and cut into cubes)
*  1 large onion (chopped)
*  8 oz goat cheese (room temp)
*  1/2 cup chopped walnuts
*  1 cup chopped basil
*  1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
*  olive oil
*  salt and pepper

   Arrange the butternut squash and onions in a single layer on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and bake at 425F for 30 minutes until vegetables are golden. Cook the pasta, drain and reserve about 1 cup of cooking water. Put the pasta, pasta water, and goat cheese in a large bowl, toss until the cheese melts and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, walnuts, basil, mix everything together, and garnish with a Parmesan cheese.

   Did I mention that it's amazing? Oh, I did? But let me tell you again, it's amazing!!! Very creamy, but light, earthy, but fresh, and very, very filling! You absolutely have to try it out, I'm sure you will agree with me how delicious it is.

Enjoy.
Magda.