Butternut squash lasagna

Oh, Giada. Doesn't she look so happy and at ease in the kitchen?! Well, I decided to get crazy tonight and try her recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna. It is an Italian Thanksgiving dish, so perfect month to try it out! Yum. I found the recipe several months ago in subsequent frustration over a difficult butternut squash dish I made for a food demonstration at work. Yes, God certainly had a sense of humor when he led me down the path to become a dietitian. So, in my months-long quest to try new things at home, this recipe appeared. I had one other interest in this recipe--the chef. I knew who she was, but had never really watched her show on The Food Network. Well, a little boy at the local pool this summer, who was obviously momentarily visually impaired by chlorine, asked his mom if I was Giada de Laurentiis. How sweet is that?! I'll have to say, I was quite flattered by that 5-year-old's confusion! Well, the similarities stop with our looks (Ha!) because this is probably closer to how I appeared in the kitchen this evening....

If I'm "keepin' it Jill," I'll have to say, the lasagna was actually pretty tasty. Different, but tasty. I enjoy meat, but it has to be the perfect texture or else I get grossed out pretty easily. Ben cuts my red meat into these tiny gristle-free pieces that meet rigorous inspection before consumption. And, well, he took one bite of squash lasagna and proceeded to make a grilled cheese sandwich for supper. We are texture freaks! Poor Whitney doesn't stand a chance! We both humor each other by trying what the other likes--I will give us that!

So, the Whitakers will stick with good ol' American turkey and fixin's for Thanksgiving, but I am glad I expanded my palate and took a brief glimpse into Giada's world. I mean, we're practically twin sisters anyways! :)