More Cooking

I am hoping that this shift toward the kitchen will mean a new spurt of creativity. Often when I am not writing, I cook instead. They sometimes are mutually exclusive, but I have a feeling this time they will not be.
Yesterday I was not feeling too well. After yoga and a student conference, I came home to hole up with drafts and wait for the cable guy who was switching the computer and phone to Cox. Richard is still angry at me for switching when the guy on the phone offered a very good deal. We have been burned before in the telephone department, and so he has concluded we should simply stick with what we have, but I didn't agree, despite his anger.
After grading, I was hungry, so I made another fall dish--my portobello mushroom pie, in a prepared pie shell. It turned out better than it ever has. I tried a few different techniques, such as mixing in the rice flour before I simmered the vegetables rather than after, and this paid off. The gravy was not gummy. I also put in less water than the recipe called for, and this worked also. It wasn't leaky or watery, as it is sometimes. I would have made my own pie crust, but I didn't have unlimited time or butter.
Here is the recipe for Tuesday's pasta:
2 lbs cubed and peeled butternut squash
2 handfuls of bitter greens--I used romaine, but any will do.
6 cloves of roughly chopped garlic
1/3 cup shredded fresh basil
16 leaves of fresh sage, shredded
1 large onion peeled and cut in chunks
1/3 cup olive oil
fresh grated pepper and salt to taste
1 full Tsp of brown sugar sprinkled over vegetables
Preheat oven to 450, and cook for 30 minutes, or until the squash is slightly browned and the greens are crisped but not immolated.
Meanwhile, cook bowtie pasta, drain, and mix with 1/2 cup half and half, vegetables, and, if desired, grated cheese.