Picture it. It’s a typical November Saturday in Portland, Oregon. The air hangs heavy with moisture and a constant drizzle permeates your clothes, kissing the skin beneath your layers upon layers of clothing, leaving you damp and shivering. But as you walk into historic Old Town, you suddenly forget the cold at the euphoric vision before you. Everywhere you turn, you see marvelous mounds of color and astounding brightness, as countless stalls, winding and meandering about a park-like plaza, overflow with waterfalls of winter squash, rivers of red cabbage, and cascades of carrots.

Hearty Rose City residents forgo their umbrellas in favor of puffy, hooded Columbia jackets and smack their Burt’s Bees-lacquered lips at the sight of fresh mulled cider and piping hot vegan scones speckled with dates and slivered pecans. An apron-clad vendor ladles mountains of steel cut oatmeal from a cast iron cauldron into recycled paper bowls and dusts them with cinnamon and brown sugar, distributing them to a crowd of buyers eager to fill their bellies with the steaming, thick porridge.

Nestled into a corner stall, a woman rearranges pyramids of pickled vegetables, each jar a miniature aquarium filled with floating beets, cauliflower, carrots, and cucumbers. A local baker hollers above the din of the crowd, offering a two-for-one special on his rosemary potato loaves. Artisan cheeses decorate a nearby table, a mouth-watering display of sharp yellow cheddar, polka-dotted bleu cheese, and soft white brie. Rows of just-laid eggs in a rainbow of colors sit perched in a simple, brown carton. And all around the earthy aroma of fresh-picked fruits and vegetables mingles with the scent of warm apple pies and spice cookies.

The Eden before you is the Portland Saturday Market, arguably one of the best farmer’s markets this side of the Mississippi (and I only make this distinction because I have yet to visit a farmer’s market on the other side of the Mississippi). It’s enough to make even the most devout among us want to pick a ripe, juicy apple—forbidden or otherwise—sink our teeth into its thin flesh, and revel in the sin of something so simple and sweet.

In short, if you live near Portland or are scheduled to go and haven’t visited this Earth Mother of all farmer’s markets, go as soon as it re-opens on February 28th. And, if you don’t live close by, take a virtual tour through its gorgeous stalls below. Now, if only I could offer you a virtual taste of the amazing Black Sheep Bakery vegan oat scone I enjoyed with my coffee while lazily wandering the market that morning… I suppose you’ll just have to trust that it was delectable.

Best. Scone. Ever. I heart Black Sheep Bakery.

Leeks and potatoes and carrots! Oh my!

Think you don't like these? Don't be so radish!

A bounty of greens.

Pickled and preserved to perfection.

My lunch. Ya jealous?

Blue grass band? Check!

Our winnings.

Butternut butternut butternut.

It’s a funny word, isn’t it? If I wasn’t such a mature and refined person, I would even giggle at it’s rather naughty components. However, I am a lady, and ladies don’t behave in such an infantile manner. (Tee hee hee hee hee. Okay, I feel better now).

So back to the, eh hem, butternut. As squashes go, you just can’t get any better than the butternut. It’s rich, creamy, and tastes as naughty as it sounds. Cubed and roasted with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, it makes a wicked side to a roast or chicken dish, julienned and baked, it makes for a sweeter (and more nutritionally sound) replacement for your standard french fry. It’s marvelous in soups and stews, a lovely addition to baked goods, and can even be utilized at breakfast time if baked, pureed, and mixed into your morning oats with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Last night, I was craving a hearty pasta minus the hearty calorie count inevitable in your standard cream sauce. And so I turned to the lovely butternut squash I picked up at Trader Joe’s for just a couple of bucks last week. I raided my pantry and fridge, and decided that a handful of spices, salty cheese, and some toasted pine nuts were all I needed to create a simple, tasty, and budget-friendly fall dish. Top to bottom, the whole thing took me less than an hour to prepare, and most of that time was spent sitting around, perusing a magazine and watching a Gilmore Girls re-run while my lovely butternut (hee hee) was roasting in the oven. Now that’s what I call a superstar squash. So, what are you waiting for? Get your butternut in the kitchen and get cooking!

Butter Parm Pine Fettucine

Serves 4.

1 butternut squash
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/2 cup light soy milk (I used Silk)
1/2 cup water
8 ounces whole grain fettucine noodles (8 ounces)
1/2 cup shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and string with a spoon and discard. Drizzle inside of butternut squash halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squash halves face-down on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until outside skin is lightly browned and inside flesh is soft. While squash is cooking, warm a small pan on the stove over medium heat. Place pine nuts in pan and toast until nuts are lightly browned. Remove nuts from heat and set aside. When squash is ready, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before handling. Scoop inside flesh from squash and place in a food processor. Add spices and puree for 1 minute, or until smooth. Stream milk and water through nozzle attachment, using stir setting until well combined. Transfer mixture to a medium pot and place on stovetop at medium-low heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cover pot as mixture will bubble. Stir often. While sauce is heating, cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and plate noodles. Top with 1/2 cup heated butternut squash sauce, 1/8 cup cheese, and 1 tbsp. pine nuts. Enjoy.

Butternut!

Don't we look intense?

Yes, I admit it. I’m a Twilight fan. I can’t help it. The plot lines are addicting, the characters are mesmerizing, and Stephenie Meyer’s writing, although not uber-intellectual, keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end. The movie version of Twilight, in a word, sucked, but it allowed me the opportunity to watch a 14-year-old or so girl sitting two rows in front of me in the movie theater scream like the banshee every time Edward came on the screen (confession: I did the same when Edward’s “father,” Carlisle Cullen, made his premier in the first hospital scene), as well as rock back and forth in her seat for the entire movie. It was funny. And disturbing.

And to prove that my friends are also book nerds, here is a photo of Angie as Hermione from Harry Potter.

Yes, that it is Quidditch manual in her hand. Yeah, we’re lit geeks. Ya jealous?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to hunt down movie clips from the soon-to-be-released New Moon, which is guaranteed to be about five kajillion times better than Twilight. Three words: Jacob is ripped. Too bad Taylor Lautner, the actor who plays Jacob Black, was born in 1992, right around the time when I was lusting after Zack Morris. Ah well, that’s the beauty of fantasy books, isn’t it?

I’ll leave you with yet another sweet picture of Joey & me acting out the cheesiest quote of the entire Twilight series: “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.”

“Stupid lamb.” ~ Bella Swan