The dud avatar

Cassie has created a monster. She made an avatar of herself using Bitmoji and sent it to Mom. Mom was so impressed with Cassie's avatar that Mom decided to make her own. And Mom is obviously very happy with the result, because she has been sending out avatar texts left and right. Here are some examples:

Aren't they romantic (especially the top one)? But here's my favorite:

I felt left out, so I made my own avatar. Except Mom said it didn't really look like me, what with all my gray hair and all. So while Mom's avatar looks just like her when we started going out more than 30 years ago, this is what I'm stuck with:

In other words, Mom sees herself as a sexy young woman and me as a middle-aged librarian. Oh dear.

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Does something qualify as a family favorite if only three of us like it? Cassie and Dylan were never big on pasta with butternut squash, but Brad, Mom, and I all love it. Anyway, the recipe is now here for whoever wants it, and maybe Cassie and Dylan will come around someday.

The grated squash before cooking

Penne with Butternut Squash

Adapted from The Minimalist Cooks at Home (1999) by Mark Bittman

Time from start to finish: 40 minutes

a 1½-pound butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter and/or olive oil 
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne or other tubular pasta (such as the rigatoni pictured above)
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
¼ cup cream or half-and-half, optional
½ cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
10 large sage leaves, minced, optional

    1. Peel, seed, and cut the butternut squash into rough chunks. Place the chunks in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until the squash looks grated; don’t make butternut squash puree. (In theory, you can grate the squash by hand on a box grater, but I’ve never tried it, and I imagine it would be pain in the ass.)
    2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a roiling boil in a large pot.
    3. Place the butter and/or oil in a large skillet or saucier over medium heat. Add the grated squash, stir to coat with the fat, and cook for a minute. Season with a few good pinches of salt and 4 or 5 twists of black pepper. Stir in ½ cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As the pan dries out, add more water, about ¼ cup at a time, but be careful not to add too much—the idea is to have the squash cooked through and just soft, but not soupy or mushy when the pasta is done.
    4. Depending on how long your pasta takes to cook, you’ll want to add the pasta and 1 to 2 tablespoons of fine sea salt to the boiling water about 10 to 12 minutes after starting the squash to have them be done at the same time. Stir the pasta a few times during the first minute or two to keep it from sticking.
    5. While the pasta cooks, season the squash with the sugar and/or more salt and pepper, if needed.
    6. Just before the pasta is cooked al dente, scoop out about ½ cup of the cooking water. Stir ¼ cup (a 2-ounce ladleful) of the cooking water and the cream or half-and-half, if using, into the squash mixture.
    7. Drain the pasta, then add to the pan with the squash mixture. Off heat, toss with the Parmesan, nutmeg, and sage, if using. Adjust the consistency with additional pasta cooking water, as needed; you should have a nice, creamy sauce. Serve promptly. Serves 4 to 6.