Wednesday’s Breakfast and a Book: Spaghetti Squash – In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree by Michael A. McLellan

On By MischenkoIn Cooking, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Reads, Thrillers

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing well this week. It’s hard to believe we are in the middle of May already. Time is flying this year! I’m sorry I haven’t been doing many Breakfast and a Book posts lately, but life has been a little crazy. I hope to pick back up with more of these during the summer when I have a little more time in the mornings.

spag

I’ve had this recipe in mind for some time now. I cook it often, but the difference now is that I don’t have it with eggs like I used to. For breakfast, this can be served with fried eggs or scrambled eggs mixed in.

Spaghetti Squash:

Ingredients:

  • 1 large or 2 small spaghetti squash
  • 2 bell peppers
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1-2 TB oil (I use coconut)
  • Herbs of choice (basil/oregano)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Cilantro for garnish

Directions:

I cooked the spaghetti squash last night so they would be ready first thing this morning. All you do is cut them in half long-wise and scoop out the seeds. Lay them face down in a shallow pan with about an inch of water. Bake covered for about 45-55 minutes in a 375 degree oven. You can use these right out of the oven, but be sure to cool them a bit first. You can also store in the refrigerator for a day or two before use.

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Chop up your veggies…

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Fry them in oil over medium heat. After about 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes until fragrant.

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Now add in your spaghetti squash. Just use a fork and scrape the squash right out. It comes out looking a lot like spaghetti noodles!

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Add in your dried herbs with salt and pepper. I don’t measure. Just sprinkle everything generously. Fry for a few minutes until heated through. You can add more oil if you feel it needs it.

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I like to garnish mine with cilantro.

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It’s delicious any time of the day! You can get creative and add in chicken or whatever you prefer. It’s also a great side.

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This Week’s Book:

In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree

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Blurb from Goodreads:

In 1865 a shadow hovers over the nation: the shadow lingers still…

Born into slavery, Henry’s young life is spent working in tobacco drying sheds on Missouri plantations. Freed at the onset of the Civil War, he’s alone, starving, and on the run from Confederate militiamen.

Five years later, Clara Hanfield, the daughter of a powerful New York shipping magnate, escapes her tyrannical father and travels west in pursuit of John Elliot, the man she loves. John, a U.S. Army lieutenant, was sent to the Dakota Territory where he discovers a government conspiracy to incite an all-out war with the Indians; a war meant to finally eliminate them as an obstacle to the westward expansion.

Henry finds himself caught in the middle.

Aided by Clara, John, and his native ally, Standing Elk, Henry must battle hatred, greed, and the ghosts of his past during this turbulent and troubling time in American history.

My thoughts so far…

I started reading this over a month ago and put it down pretty quickly. The subject matter is hard to read (for me) as it deals with slavery and some of the details were just too much for me to handle.

“Am I gonna get whipped everyday?” Henry asked, his hand reflexively darting to his face with the fresh flare of pain from speaking. “Not so long as  you work hard an’ do what you’re told. Now be quiet an’ let her finish.”

Some of the language is hard to deal with, but I know I have to keep in mind that this is back during the Civil War at a very troubling time. I finally decided to delve back into it and it’s actually quite thrilling. The writing is really good. I’m about 1/4 of the way in at this point and some new characters have been introduced, so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to finish it this time around. I’m not going to lie–I was extremely angry more than once already and I’m hoping for some revenge, but I’m not sure if I’m going to get it.

Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:

Paperback: 268 pages
Publisher: Sweet Candy Press (April 26, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0989709884
ISBN-13: 978-0989709880

Thanks for checking out this week’s Breakfast and a Book! Happy reading!! ❤

29 thoughts on “Wednesday’s Breakfast and a Book: Spaghetti Squash – In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree by Michael A. McLellan”

  2. starjustin

    I loved the spaghetti squash this morning. This was my first experience with squash believe it or not. I really do need to discover more healthy foods to add to my diet.
    Not sure about the book. Hope it turns out to be ok for you. Great post! 😃

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. He may like this, Teri! I totally cannot stand cooked squash. The thought of cooked zucchini makes me want to puke and I always just eat it raw LOL. I think the key for squash haters is to spice it up as much as possible and adding the garlic, peppers, and onions helps so much. Let me know if you ever try it! ❤ Thank you. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. David R. Dowdy

    I love squash cooked all ways. Unfortunately, I don’t have it often enough. The veggie heart is pretty cool! I’ll wait until I read your review before I make up my mind about the book.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Spaghetti squash has very little taste of its own. It picks up the taste of whatever you cook it with. I think that is why people who normally don’t like squash don’t mind this. As far as the book hoes, I often find some of the books with the toughest subject matter are the best and most memorable stories. I hope you enjoy the rest and get your revenge.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Yum! Breakfast and a Book is back! 💜 I LOVE spaghetti squash and I haven’t done much with it this year. Hm. Why no eggs, M? I ask because I’m not much of an egg eater. Your book sounds really good, too. Maybe this summer, I’ll be adventurous and do a Breakfast and a Book post?! ♥️ xo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Glad you like this squash too! I can’t have eggs because I’m still on Anthony William’s thyroid protocol since January 7th. Still going strong and hope to continue through the rest of the year and reevaluate. I’ll do another update on that soon too.

      I think it would be amazing if you did Breakfast and a Book! I’m excited! 💗💗💗 Have a good day and chat soon. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. Nel

    I don’t know if this is somethign I could try. Spaghetti squash just weirds me out. Don’t ask me why cause I can’t explain it, lol. As others have said, love the veggie heart. It’s so perfectly formed too. I’m jealous.
    As for your book, I know that feeling of reading something that’s gonna be pretty heavy on the emotions. I hope you can get through it even if it doesn’t end up the way you want it to.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I hear you, Nel. I’ve never been a cooked squash fan honestly. I can do this one though. Thanks for liking the heart–I was just messing around lol. One of those moods I guess. ❤

      I’m hoping the book works out too. Hope you’re feeling better! 🤗

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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