Butter for Bliss

A friend told me a long time ago that one of the best cures for depression is a grilled cheese sandwich. I couldn't agree more. Not only does it harken back images of my childhood velveeta obsession (forbidden fruit, what can I say?), but the deliciously excessive amount of fat in a grilled cheese boosts your saratonin levels making you feel quite a bit better, even on a rainy day with not too much to look forward to.

These days I've been needing a grilled cheese almost every day. Still on the hunt for a job. I had another interview today at a physical therapist's office. All the people there seemed really nice, but it would be working long hours for peanuts. I think not. The financial firm has not quite offered me a job, but I don't know if I really want to keep track of my own withholdings throughout the fiscal year. Also the pay certainly doesn't seem to be 15-20% higher than a W2 employee relationship position.

Luckily, Rutgers has contacted me and I may very well have another job opportunity lined up on Monday. It's for a clerical position at the Center for Alcohol Studies on the Busch Campus. It's part time, so no health care, but it seems to pay pretty well for being part time. Let's hope they love me.

Two days ago, I made stuffed buttercup squash for dinner. The buttercup squash is not to be confused with the butternut, although they are slightly similar in taste if roasted. It was entirely delicious.

STUFFED BUTTERCUP SQUASH WITH RICE PILAF AND MUSHROOMS
Estimated Time: about 75 minutes.

You will need:

1 buttercup squash
Lots of olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound ground meat (I used turkey)
1 box rice pilaf mix (I used Zatarains New Orleans Style Dirty Rice)
Water as directed on pilaf mix
About a pound of mushrooms, chopped (I used white button, but that was due to a lack of imagination)
Pecorino Romano, or a similar white hard cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half, removing the seeds and squash ganglia with a metal spoon. You can toss this out, unless you want to salt and bake the seeds.

Lovingly massage the interior of each squash half with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper (if desired).

Place the halves face down on a baking sheet (or glass dish, whatever is convenient) and bake for approximately 50 minutes.

While the squash is baking, lightly coat a saute pan with olive oil and saute the onion at a medium low heat, as they release their juices more divinely with less heat and more time. When the onions are sufficiently translucent, add the ground meat and brown.

While the meat is browning, boil the appointed amount of water and add the rice. When the meat is finished browning, add the meat and the onions to the rice mix and let simmer until the rice has absorbed all moisture (about 25 minutes).

Meanwhile, add a little more oil to the pan and saute the mushrooms. Once they've been coated with oil, put a lid on the pan and keep them on a low heat, stirring every now and then to see how they're reducing.

When the baking time for the squash is up, test its consistency by putting a fork into the back of one squash, to test its consistency. If the fork slides in relatively easily, then take it out and let cool for a few moments. Don't turn the oven off, you're not done with it yet!

Flip the squash over so their cavities face toward the ceiling. Then, put a layer of mushrooms at the bottom of each half, followed by a generous grating of pecorino romano. Then, fill the remaining space with the rice pilaf mix, and coat again with pecorino romano.

Return the stuffed halves to the oven for about 6-10 minutes, so the cheese is melted but not burnt.

One half can easily serve two hungry people.