I built a fairy house for a local “Fairy Gnome Art Walk.” When I heard about this walk a few months ago, I immediately signed up to participate. I collected drift wood from the beach close to our home, and with the help of a glue gun, some fairy decor, and a little paint for a paw print, this creation was built.

We loved being a part of this day along with so many other whimsical creations…

The Garden Wolf Cottage now sits happily in our home garden where the wolf can keep a close eye on it.

xxx

I’m excited about this recipe. It is one of my favorite dishes to cook, but especially on chilly days, rainy days, or when your just in need of a bit of comfort food. Given that this is my second recipe blog on Garden Wolf, I am going to make a “bold” claim here and now…

I will not be putting measurement or proportions in the recipes on my blog, ever.

The truth is, if I have to follow a recipe exactly as its written, you probably wont catch me cooking it. (This is also why I’m unfortunately, not much of a baker…)

Most of the ingredients for this recipe are staples you probably already have on hand. And it really does not matter how much of any ingredient you use.

A quick note about the meat I am using for this recipe…In November 2023 my husband went hunting and harvested a deer. This meat is very special to us and we always take preparing it very seriously. We used venison sausage in our dish, but you can use any sausage you want, or any ground meat you prefer.

To prepare you will:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Remove the stem of the butternut or buttercup squash and slice it in half lengthwise.
3. Discard the seeds. Drizzle the cut sides with olive oil and set the cut side down on baking sheet.⁠
4. Place the squash in the preheated oven. Cook the squash until tender and softened, 30-40 minutes.
5. Once the squash is done cooking, start the pasta. Bring water to a boil and add a little salt. Pour in the pasta and cook until al dente. Once al dente, remove from the water until ready to add to the sauce.⁠
6. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
7. In a Dutch oven or pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and spread to an even layer. Sauté until browned on both sides, 6-8 minutes.
8. Remove the sausage from the pot and add onion, salt, and garlic. Sauté until softened, 4-6 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and sage. Then add tomato paste.
9. Stir and cook the tomato paste until darker in color and just beginning to stick to the bottom of the Dutch oven/pot.
10. Add the scooped out squash and 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Use a potato masher if the squash needs to be further mashed.
11. Turn the heat to low. Stir until smooth.⁠
12. Add the pasta and stir until it is all coated in sauce.
13. Add the reserved sausage and parmesan cheese. Stir and serve.

We hope you enjoy this as much as we did! Aica always gets her share of the venison. 🙂

xxx