My Mom often makes fun of me when she asks what I’m making for dinner and I reply, “My world famous (fill in run-of-the-mill recipe here)”. I make fun of restaurants which list “World Famous” as a part of their menu items. Preeeety sure, this Panama City Beach cheeseburger is NOT world famous. 
Despite the contrary, if I were to receive a fragment of fame for any recipe I make, surely this one would make the cut!
This is another recipe I found online and improvised to fit my own taste. If you’ve never used butternut squash before, you’re missing out! It’s a bit difficult to peel, so don’t skimp on a peeler. You have to scoop out the seeds at the base of the squash after peeling and slicing in half lengthwise. This is the best peeler I have ever had and sliced the peel from the squash like butter. After using it a few times, we bought one for our moms and sisters for Christmas gifts!
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After that, the hard part is over. Just chop, cover with olive oil, large diced onions and roughly chopped garlic (I use four cloves), salt, freshly ground pepper and roast approx. 30 min. at 400 degrees.
This alone would be a scrumptious side dish to any meal. For tonight’s din-dins, I boiled bucatini pasta, al dente. I used about half the butter the original recipe called for and added some extra virgin olive oil. I heated the butter and oil in a skillet and crisped around 20+ fresh sage leaves. I then removed the leaves and set aside. I mixed the cooked pasta into the browned butter/olive oil, topped with roasted squash, a large spoonful of low-fat ricotta and dropped a few leaves of the crispy sage over the top. 
I usually add toasted pine nuts for a bit of added protein and a mouthwatering, nutty and creamy flavor, but I forgot. I’m 38, I have four kids and I often put my own shirt or panties on backwards so, I guess in the big scheme of things, forgetting the pine nuts is small potatoes.
If I’d had guests over, I would have added a big salad of baby spinach or mixed greens.
Prescription from a professional: Here’s a fact that is contrary to trending fad diets: overeating saturated fat in addition to other unhealthy lifestyle habits causes atherosclerosis which is plaque build-up inside your arteries. This build-up makes it hard for your oxygen-rich blood to flow throughout your body. Too much build up can result in a heart attack or stroke.
Limit fatty meats like bacon, sausage, balogna and ground beef with a high-fat ratio. Use olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, flaxseed oil and grape seed oil to replace butter or margarine in recipes. Choose reduced-fat or low-fat dairy products. Fat intake should be less than 30% of your total calories and saturated fat intake should be 10% or less of your total calorie intake. Read my previous post to see how many calories you need:
*something you may not know: butternut squash is rich in carotenoids and vitamin A which has been shown to improve immunity, boost healthy skin and reduce heart disease (the number 1 of the top 10 causes of death worldwide),
The Mediterranean diet has continued to be a gold standard for healthy eating. Why? Mediterranean populations consume more fruits and vegetables, less meat, more olive oil, are more physically active and include less saturated fats, i.e. animal fats.
If you feel overwhelmed by all the nutrition advice, calorie recommendations and diet trends, read these: Fact. Not Fad., Let’s Crunch Numbers!, Help Me To Help You!
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Have to say, the crisped sage with the butternut squash is perfection; however i can’t seem to look forward to peeling a butternut squash with any utensil.
Haha! Sometimes Target and Publix has pre-chopped in a bag.