Take it or leave it.

Already two meals into the week menu and it has been a learning experience, to say the least.

So I started the meal plan out with the bow tie pasta with butternut squash, onion and goat cheese. It turned out very good.

Here is the original recipe I used:

Butternut Squash with Penne and Goat Cheese 

From Giada De Laurentiis

Cook time 1 hour

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray1 (2-pound) butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Olive oil, for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound penne pasta

1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)

1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. 

Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note: To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

The changes I made and why:

To clarify, I didn't think this recipe needed to change what-so-ever. Normally, if I change something in a recipe, it is because I decide to substitute an ingredient as I have some of the substitute already in my kitchen or because I have decided I would prefer the taste of something else.

First of all, I halved this recipe and leftovers still remained after we were done eating. 

The other change was that I used dried basil (only 1/4 cup when all was said and done) simply as cost effective choice. 

I didn't toast the walnuts because I was on a time crunch.

I also didn't add Parmesan, but that was simply because I forgot to put it in.

Husband and my reactions:
Husband loved this dish as I served it. He has recently discovered that he has a weakness for goat cheese (much like me weakness for balsamic...anything). I think he is just stoked sometimes that I cook for him as well as cook in the same nature of his mother. Which, believe me, if you ever had ANYTHING his mother cooks, you would take that as a compliment.

I, on the other hand, saw some definite room for improvement. Don't get me wrong, it was still extra yummy on the yumminess scale, but I felt like it was lacking something. I realize in my reflection that what I lacked was the zing from the fresh basil and Parmesan. The toasted nuts, while they would definitely would have added a nice layer with the crisper texture and more fragrant aroma, weren't imperative to the dish. 

What I really wanted in the dish was a few roasted garlic cloves (but, really, that is a daily thing for me).  
I changed the type of pasta to what was conveniently in my pantry already, it works as it is a sort of small pasta with ridges (well, spikey edged in this case). Just don't make this dish with a strand pasta. 

In summation, I will definitely make this dish again, but stick closer to the original recipe. I have a habit of going off book on a regular basis which is a good and a bad thing. I make some reasonably "worth it" observations when I experiment and I fortunately have a life partner who understand that not every meal will be perfect or even good.

<Yes, I have made at least 2 meals that stomached, but didn't necessarily want to.>


**Today's title is a quote from Stephen Wright (comedian):
"My mom made two dishes: Take it or leave it." **