Spaghetti Squash and Scampi Scallops

Last nights dinner was like something born from an OCD vampire hooked up on some hamburger bun topping location.

But aside from the rather rampant use of the letter S and its obsessive need to have you look at it LOOK AT IT! the meal was actually rather tasty and a good way to use up two random ingredients I selected from the store on a whim.

Squash and I have a long history trailing back to when Lewis and Clark were bickering over just how the hell so many of their damn oxen keep drowning and I lobbed an acorn squash at their heads to get them to shut up. Our relationship has remained lukewarm at best.

This is perhaps most evident in the near superhuman struggle it puts up as I try to slice it up and scoop out the gamete infused innards.

But with a lot of grunting, cursing, shaking of my fist, and threatening with explorers eventually I get the squash split in half.

Remove all the nasty bitter stuff in the middle with a sharp spoon to teach that squash who's boss.

Then roast her in a 350 oven for 45 minutes. This is a good time to check on the laundry and make sure it didn't mutate into some kind of horrible fabric monster while hiding downstairs alone for so long.

About 10 minutes before your squash is done slice up about 4 cloves of garlic (I suspect I don't have a single recipe that doesn't involve this step. You should really try my chocolate garlic cake).

In a sauce pan melt 1/4 cup of butter and add your garlic toasting for 1-2 minutes. Once that's nice and aromatic add your scallops (I had around 8-12 ounces but shrimp would work just as well okay probably better actually), 1/3 cup of white wine, 2 tbsps of lemon juice and a dash or two of paprika.

Let that bubble, bubble toil and trouble for about three minutes.

In the mean time dig out the tasty squash strands that like to think they're spaghetti but really aren't, poseurs.

Put that onto a plate and then top with your scallops. Spoon generously over the butter scampi broth.

I topped with some more paprika and a dash of dill (because I had no idea where the hell my parsley'd buggered off to) for a pretty fancy appearance.

Tada, my anal S meal. It was actually really good and a nice generally little labor intensive way to have squash and seafood.

Tomorrow Fancy Fricassee Frogs and Fried Falafels.