Spaghetti Squash with Orange Pecan Butter

I have so many friends who wanted to share their holiday recipes with you that I’m having trouble finding places to squeeze in some of my recipes   I sure don’t want to overwhelm you with recipes or flood your email in-box but… I want a turn!

When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, I like the traditional recipes… just like mom used to make. I do add my own twist to them but they are basically the same dishes that I grew up with. I tend to add something new each year just to make it interesting but, since I don’t want to let go of the favorites I remember from my childhood, I end up with way too much food. Oh well. It’s not like I’m going to lose sleep over it. There are always plenty of hungry peeps that are happy to gobble up whatever is left on the Thanksgiving table. Hahahaha! (I made a turkey day funny.)

OK – I’ll stop babbling and get on with a recipe! I promised to sneak in a few side dishes in between all my friend’s recipes. The recipe I am sharing today does not require your oven. I know it can be hard to juggle all the dishes that need oven time so this might be a good recipe to try this year. But only if you like spaghetti squash! I’m a big fan. I love the texture and the crunchiness. I don’t like mushy veggies so this is right up my ally. It also provides a different looking dish as well as spectacular color to your holiday table. If you are a squash lover, give this a try. If not… take a pass. I’ll be sharing a yummy, creamy recipe for a broccoli and cauliflower casserole very soon. Maybe that one will delight your taste buds.

Okie dokie squash lovers. Here you go! By the way… the orange butter is yummy on biscuits!

Spaghetti Squash with Orange Pecan Butter

Ingredients:

• A 3-4 pound spaghetti squash
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (see below)
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• the zest of 2 oranges
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice (taste after adding 1 T and then add more if you like more orange flavor)
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• dash or two of ground clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Pierce squash several times with a fork. Place in a glass baking dish and microwave, uncovered, on high heat for 10-12 minutes or until it starts to give when you poke at it. Remove from microwave. Cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Using a fork, scrape the squash “strands” from their shells, into a mixing bowl.

In a small bowl cream together the butter, orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

Stir the orange butter into the squash. Top with toasted pecans.

To Toast Pecans: Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove. Set aside to cool. (I make this a day or two in advance and store in a sealed plastic bag.

Sweetest Blessings,
LeAnn