Butternut Squash

                          Butternut Squash and Basmati Rice

1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds, or 1 1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 cup basmati rice
3/4 pound peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/4 diced pieces (about 2 cups)
2 cups water
2 tsp kosher salt

     In a medium saucepan, heat the oil.  Add the seeds and cook on high heat for 30 seconds.  Add the rice and the diced squash and stir to coat with the oil mixture.  Add the water and salt and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook on very low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice and squash are tender.  Remove from the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Fluff the rice and serve right away.  This dish is so fragrant and so delicious I could not stop eating it!  Serve with a side of grilled kale for a complete meal.


                          Wrong Turn
                                           by Luci Shaw

I took a wrong turn the other day.
A mistake, but it led me to the shop where I found
the very thing I'd been searching for.

With my brother I opened a packet
of old letters from my mother and saw a side of her
that sweetened what had been deeply sour.

Later that day the radio sang a song from
a time when I was discovering love,
and folded me into itself again.