A healthy pasta, really.

Here is a recipe for big heaping bowl of spaghetti that is less than 100 calories per person and provides two vegetable servings. It's not really pasta, though.

It's spaghetti squash and it can be wonderful if you cook it properly. There are a few ways to make this squash, but I believe baking provides the most optimal results. When you cook spaghetti squash incorrectly, you end up with a watery mess. You can avoid this if you follow my instructions. Here are a few other ways to prepare this type of squash. Again, I strongly recommend baking.

You will need: (serves about 3 people)

• 1 winter spaghetti squash
• 1 TBSP of Olive Oil
• 1 TBSP of butter
• Pam
• 2 cups of spinach, sauteed
• 1/4 cup of sliced onions
• 1/4 cup sliced bell peppers
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil, optional.

Preheat your oven to 375. Slice the spaghetti squash in half length wise. This will not be easy. It is essentially as

hard as a pumpkin, so you'll need some elbow grease. Many people bake the squash whole, but that adds too much water.

If I was able to cut it in half, no one else should have a problem.

Scoops out the seeds and the stringy fibers and discard. Place insides down onto a greased cookie sheet with the skins up.

Bake for 30 minutes and check on the squash. The squash should be tender and you should be able to stick a spoon or fork

in the squash and see the noodles form. If the noodles are tender, it is done. If they are still overly al dente or do not separate,

bake for 10 more minutes.

Let the squash cool until you can handle it. Meanwhile, sauté onions and bell peppers in a pan with oil and butter. When

onions are tender add the spinach, which will only take a few seconds to cook. Remove from heat when spinach wilts.

Back to the squash: Take a fork and scrape lengthwise down the squash to separate the noodles. Collect all the noodles and put

in a bowl with onions, peppers and spinach. Toss and serve.

The squash might be difficult to handle the first time you make it but the process will go

much smoother the second time you make this meal.

Pesto Pizza

Pizza is a great Friday night meal. Effortless, versatile and like any oven-made dish, you can walk away from the task for 15 minutes or so while it cooks as opposed to constantly stirring or sauteing.

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups of Pesto
• 1/2 cup of Red or white Onions, Caramelized
• 1 TBSP Fresh garlic, minced
• Pizza dough-home made refrigerated. Allow it to rise for 20 minutes or more.
• 1 tomato, diced and patted dry-so they are not dripping with moisture.
• 4 slices of Prosciutto, sauteed (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups of Mozzarella Cheese
• 2 TBSP of sesame seeds
• 2 TBSP of Olive Oil
• 2 tsps of dried or fresh oregano
• 1/4 cup of grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Knead dough and evenly apply to a greased pizza pan. Drizzle olive oil and oregano to the dough. Add minced garlic next. Then spread pesto mixture over dough. Add mozzarella, prosciutto and caramelized onions in an alternating order. Top with diced tomatoes. Sprinkle sesame seeds to the crust. Finish with grated parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes. Check on it at 10 minutes.

Lobster Tail

This is one of my favorite meals. I love how whenever you eat lobster it feels like your celebrating something. I happened to be celebrating the completion of all my licensure exams this past weekend and Mrs. Sally Horn prepared this fanciful dinner. We enjoyed these lobster tails with a Sauvignon Blanc-courtesy of Mr. Horn-and baked acorn squash.

The recipe is simper than you would expect. Lobster tails can be a little pricey so reserve this recipe for a special evening.

You will need:

• One lobster tail per person
• Garlic powder
• crushed red pepper
• 1 cup of melted butter
• salt, pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of fresh parsley

Preheat your oven to 350. Wash the tails in cold water and pat dry. Cut down to the shell but not completely through-to the last vertebrae. Use your finger to separate the membrane from the tail. It will come loose. Break the shell gently as needed. Pull the entire tail right over the sliced shell and lay on top of the lobster tail. It will be attached at the base so leave it attached. Remove any veins.

Combine butter, spices and parsley. Brush mixture over the tails generously. You can refrigerate the tails at this time, if you want to bake them later. They will need to be cooked the same day, however. Save some of the melted butter for halfway through the baking process and for when you sit down. This is a buttery meal, people.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes top again with melted butter,

then broil about 5 minutes if they need to look a little more broiled. Don't overcook. The smaller the lobster the less time it takes. The meat will be solid white, no translucency. When the tails are opaque, they are done. Broiling is just a aesthetic to create a more golden, grilled look. Serve with melted butter and lemon sprinkled with parsley. To learn more tips about how to present lobster tail attractively, go to:

http://www.ehow.com/video_2339404_how-lobster-tail-should-look.html

It was truly a perfect meal. Thanks, Mom.

Prosciutto Wrapped Breadsticks

Enjoy this easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer. Anyone can make this and everyone will love it.

Goes great with pizza, pasta or a caprese salad.

You will need:

• 3- 4 pieces of prosciutto
• Pizza Dough: Can be homemade, or store bough refrigerated kind or Pillsbury breadsticks/rolls
• 1/2 cup of sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup of parmesan shavings
• 1/4 cup of red onion slices
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• Pam

Preheat oven to 375. Pam a skillet and add 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan. Place on low heat. When oil is hot, add onions and shallot. Stir occasionally until golden brown and tender. Lay out dough and use a pizza cutter to make breadsticks. Combine sesame seeds, parmesan, minced garlic and oregano in a shallow dish. Coat the breadsticks in the mixture. Slice the prosciutto into narrow strips and then wrap around the breadsticks. Place breadsticks on a pammed cookie sheet. Drizzle remaining olive oil and caramelized onions and shallots all over breadsticks.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until breadsticks are golden. Do not undercook. Serve with a red dipping sauce. An arrabiatta sauce is great for breadsticks.

Baked Scallops on Rosemary Skewers

I don't have a grill and I long for one. I sigh sadly when I see a delicious recipe in a magazine that I can't make with a gas stove or oven. Fortunately, this recipe has a delicious grilled effect without stepping outside your apartment. You could try this with chicken or beef, but fish bakes particularly well.

If you are an adult and are still squeamish about seafood, there is probably nothing I can say to change your mind. I feel bad that you will miss out on scallops. They might be my new favorite food for the time being. So tender and fluffy. Not fishy at all. Little perfect clouds of goodness. If you are going to expand your food horizons and want to give fish a chance, start with scallops. A great starter fish for children, too. Yet, even those of us who love all kinds of fish still consider scallops a sophisticated choice. They are fantastic wrapped in bacon or prosciutto, too. Man, I LOVE scallops!

We found rosemary bushes, picked a few sprigs, cleaned them and plucked most of the leaves off to create mock skewers. We saved the rosemary leaves, of course, for flavoring.

You will need:

• 5 sea scallops for each person
• Skewers (try our rosemary sprigs, or use any kind of skewer)
• One sliced orange pepper
• 2 TBSP of butter
• Olive oil or Pam
• Rosemary
• Minced fresh garlic -1 tsp
• 1/2 tsp each of old bay, salt, pepper, grill seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place scallops and peppers on skewers. Grease a thin cookie sheet with olive oil/pam. Place the skewers on the cookie sheet. Divide the butter into several slabs and place in various spots on the cookie sheet around the skewers. Bake for 12 minutes or until scallops are completely cooked and slightly golden. Then, before removing, up the temp to 500 or broil for 3 minutes to make the scallops turn slightly toasted and golden on top. Goes great with grilled tomatoes, steamed rice and a salad.

Pumpkin Spiced Cookies

This recipe is simply a pumpkin version of the spiced cookies recipe I posted in September. Simply follow the original recipe, add a 1/2 cup of pumpkin and use less milk (use a 1/2 cup portion of milk).

Chill the dough for 40 minutes. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!