2 For 1: Spaghetti Squash and The View

A 2 for 1 special here from the curcubita pepo (spaghetti squash) and the formerly indie outfit who now reside on a major label The View. Get your forks ready put your dirty jeans back on and....let's puncture this fish fin melon.

Baked Spaghetti Squash

(printable version)

-1 spaghetti squash

-1 Tbs. olive oil

-1 green pepper

-1 onion

-1/2 cup tomato sauce

-2 ounces mozzarella

-1/8 cup Parmesan, grated

-fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. If you haven't heeded my advice above, pierce the spaghetti squash. Place in a pot of boiling water. Cover and boil for 25-30 minutes (you will know its done when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork or knife).

3. Drain the water from the spaghetti squash and cut in half. Set aside to cool.

4. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper and saute for five minutes (or until the onion becomes translucent).

5. Using a fork, remove the seeds from the spaghetti squash. Once deseeded, scrape the innards with your fork. The squash should peel away in spaghetti like strands. Add the squash strands to the onions and peppers. Stir until blended. Add the tomato sauce and stir again. Scrape the squash, sauce and vegetable mixture into a 9x13 rectangular baking dish. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Basil (recipe here)

The View are a punk inspired band from Dryburgh, United Kingdom. I first experienced them in 2007 when I hadn't changed my pants in a week and needed a theme song to go along with it. Enter the View, exit my life ever being the same. Tagging along with "Same Jeans" was "Wasted Little DJ's." I wasn't nearly as impressed with this song and it took more than two and a half years for me to understand what it was all about (at this point I've understood for all of 16 hours). The View are currently working on their third album (and have been for a long time) but we finally got some movement on that front with their release of "Sunday" the first single from the still untitled album. You can download the track here, at the expense of some personal information and an email address.