Summer Squash Recipe.

I know some people didn't even bother to read beyond the title b/c they hate squash.

And you see, I'm o.k. with that. I am just fine with people not liking squash even though I love it.

I will not try to convince them, even though they are adults and have come to the conclusion that squash is not for them, that this recipe will change their minds. Because it won't.

I just wish people would give me the same respect regarding seafood. I hate it. With a deep passion.

As in, it makes me gag and convulse and want to wash my mouth (and throat and stomach) out with Clorox.

I don't like crab. Not crab cakes. Not crab rangoons either. Not stuffed crab. Not crab legs or claws or knuckles...gagging just typing this. I don't like shrimp. Not boiled, fried, sauteed, in a salad, on pasta, or ice cold in tomato sauce. I don't like fish. Not broiled, not filleted, not dipped in tartar sauce, not on a taco and not a fancy kind that supposedly doesn't taste fishy b/c it does. And yes I've had the cheap kind the expensive kind the rare kind and the just out of the ocean kind and yes, it still tastes like seafood. As it should. But, you see, I don't like seafood so it still isn't good to me.

I've even had Sushi at Piranha's. I promised Levi I would try it b/c he loves it and wants me to love it to. He ordered me something he was certain I would like. It had bright pink raw salmon in thin layers on top of it. I don't know what else was in it for after the first (way to big) bite I started to get tears in my eyes. I had to close them and take my mind to a happy place so that I wouldn't embarrass Levi and make myself look like a doofus by spitting it out in my plate and asking the cook to dowse my mouth with lighter fluid....all the while writhing in disgust on the ground.

He said he has never seen me look more miserable in my life. And he has seen me give birth.

Twice.

So, please. Just let me not like seafood. That includes my father in law. He is the sweetest man ever. But even after 11 years of knowing me and knowing that I don't like it...he forgets. Or he remembers but asks me just in case I got a tongue transplant in the recent past. It's pretty funny though, I must admit.

And yes, I know, I'm "missing out". But I disagree. I don't miss the intense nausea and gagging that lingers after just one bite..maybe even one sniff...of anything seafood.

And to put it in perspective. Have you ever been pregnant and super sick and nauseous? Let's say, bacon sends you racing to the toilet. Would you like me to dip it in ranch and see if it makes it better?

Didn't think so.

And now to the recipe.

I may or may not have posted this before. I wouldn't know b/c I don't do smart things like label my posts. This is one of Levi's very favorite dishes. It's not my favorite but it's good and it's fast and easy.

We call it Squash Zucchini Pasta:

What you will need:

• Fettuccine pasta
• Olive oil
• 2 squash (sliced not to thin or thick...medium)
  
• 2 zucchini (ditto)
  
• Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper
• garlic salt (optional)
• Parmesan cheese

Boil the water for the pasta and cook the pasta while you cook the squash. Drizzle saute pan with a generous amount of olive oil and get it hot. Carefully put the sliced zucchini in the pan and saute for about 3-4 minutes BEFORE you put the squash in. The yellow squash cooks much faster and you don't want it to get mushy and fall apart. Sprinkle the squash with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. How much? You decide. That's just how I cook. Continue cooking until the squash is tender but not mush. Towards the end of cooking them I turn the heat up b/c I like them to get a little brown. You can steam your squash if you want. I prefer the saute method.

Drain pasta and drizzle with a little olive oil and stir. This keeps the pasta from sticking together. Plate the pasta then spoon some squash on top. Sprinkle with as much Parmesan as you like and enjoy.

This meal takes me about 15 minutes from start to finish. Probably not even that long.

Of course, you can add chicken but that would add to the cooking time and this is one of my go-to fast meals and we kind of like that it's vegetarian.