Recipes for April 5th

Butternut Squash Gratin
Toss a few squashes (pumpkins would work too) into the oven at 350 till soft enough to cut without breaking your arm off
Meanwhile make sauce (see below)
Slice squash into 1 inch wedges and peel, discarding seeds and fibrous mess
Sautee in olive oil and fresh sage, S & P until nicely browned
Sautee or steam fresh chard with onions and garlic
Layer sauce,squash, chard and grated parmesan/mozarella
Bake at 350, loosely covered, for about 45 minutes
Serve with fresh parsley sprinkled on top

Tomato Sauce
It's still winter, so use canned tomatoes- Muir Glen organic canned tomatoes are the most flavorful in my opinion (pardon the product placement)
Sautee plenty of onions and garlic
Add canned tomatoes, sage from the squash sautee session, basil, parsley, a dash of molasses, a dash of sugar, salt, pepper and red chili flakes
Simmer for a while, getting the flavors how you want them, then puree lightly, depending on how chunky or smooth you like it- for this recipe smooth is better
Experiment! It's just tomato sauce..explore what different herbs, chilis, more or less sweet or savory- it's easy to make this reflect you

Salad
(you know the drill here)