When I go a few days without making a mess in my kitchen, I start to get antsy.  Cooking is my comfort zone and I enjoy making meals for my family. 

Some weekends, we are just too busy for me to cook my Supper Sundays.  This weekend was no exception.  After running my race on Sunday morning, I was in no shape to cook that afternoon.  Unfortunately, there is nothing worse than coming home from work on a Monday night and realizing there is nothing to eat.   Yesterday was one of those days.  But after just 20 minutes in the kitchen, I was able to drown my sorrows in a big bowl of Brussel sprouts...

Seriously, I love eating those lightly browned little bites of goodness right out the oven.  I had to stop myself from eating the entire bowl so I would have some leftovers for lunch today!  Both Trey and Sophia tried one and said they were good but I'm not sure I believe them because they waved off my offers for seconds.   

While I did not want to spend a lot of time on my feet in the kitchen, I did want to have something healthy to take to work for lunch today and hopefully have some leftovers for dinner too.  So I took the easy way out and let my oven do most of the work.  

I love roasting squash is sooooooo easy.  On the right is spaghetti squash and on the left is acorn squash.  While pre-heating the oven to 400 degrees, I cut both squash in half and scooped out the seeds.  Then I placed them cut side down on a jelly roll pan and roasted them for 30 minutes (or until they are tender).  

Once the spaghetti squash cooled, I scraped out the insides with a fork and set it aside for a dish I am making later this week.  For the acorn squash, I sprinkled it with cinnamon and brown sugar while it was still hot.  My five-year old took a taste, then asked for a bowl of squash to eat as a snack before bedtime.   

Fish fillets were topped with a mixture of panko, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  After sprinkling with some slivered almonds, I baked them in the oven with the squash at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until the topping was lightly browned. 

My last dish, a butternut squash risotto,  required a little more time and effort on my part.  A few days ago, I peeled and diced a whole butternut squash into bite sized pieces.  Last night I steamed the squash on the stove top for about 12-15 minutes.  Then I made a risotto with red onion, brown rice, and chicken broth.  Once the rice had soaked up all the liquid, I added freshly shredded cheese and the steamed squash.   

This last dish just turned out okay, nothing really special.  I may try to make the Barley risotto with butternut squash and kale next time instead.  Kale and butternut are in season right now, which means they show up in my co-op bin every week. 

At least I had some leftover Brussel sprouts to satisfy my salty cravings last night.  I hope you find time to cook something special in the kitchen this week!