Welcome to Day 21 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be…  Or…simply: Be…
Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin”
and in our homes and beyond.  If you missed The Introduction or you’d like
to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here.

31 Extraordinary Days to Be... AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

When was the last time you invited someone to your home?

Is the question causing you to feel a little defensive?

Maybe that’s okay.

Why?

Because hospitality is not about comfort.

 

Yup.  I said it.

 

If  you’re a good cook….people will enjoy your comfort food.

If you’re a great home decorator….people will feel welcome in your home.

If you love people…no one will care whether you can cook or decorate because they’ll feel loved.

If you’re none of the above…well…figure out what it is that you are…and BE that….and then share it.

 

Day 21~#31Days : Butternut Squash and a Jar :: Hospitality:: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Over the last ten years I’ve been noticing that as much attention as we all seem to be paying to our homes and dinner plates (Just look at Pinterest if you’re in doubt.) we’re not inviting people into our homes for meals.

I’m not talking about dinner parties or any other event where we might feel the pressure to entertain in our homes.  I’m talking about inviting that co-worker whose husband or wife is out of town, or even out of the country.  I’m talking about inviting that single mom, the gal or guy whose spouse recently walked on on them, the family at church or at school who is new in town.  I’m talking about the family going through a stretch of unemployment, or a health crisis, or any crisis.  These people may be your friends or just acquaintances.  Though maybe the less you know them, the better.

 

Day 21 #31Days :: Be Hospitable :: Butternut Squash in a Jar :: Simple Supper :: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 I’d love for you to Pin or share this image on Facebook or Instagram.

Let me encourage you to exercise hospitality in your home.

Look around your world and see who you can bless.

If you’re concerned about your home…this isn’t about you.  It’s about your guest(s).  Sure…it would be wise to run the vacuum, clean the bathroom, and corral the clutter.  But, remember, House Beautiful is not coming for a photo shoot, you are exercising true hospitality.  Don’t worry, don’t fret, and don’t over think this.  Be real.

Here’s a simple meal suggestion that you could have on hand for a last minute dinner.  Keep in mind that getting your guests involved in preparing the meal is a really good thing.  This is actually a loving gesture.

We’ve had this meal twice in two weeks…it was that good.  And the main ingredient came from a JAR!

 

Day 21, #31Days :: Hospitality Isn't About Comfort :: Butternut Squash and a Jar :: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

Squash Squash with a Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Time: 1 hour (approx.)

Ingredients for four people:

  • 1 good-sized spaghetti squash
  • 1 small butternut squash
  • 3/4 lb. of plain ground sausage
  • 1 cup of  coarsely chopped walnuts
  • Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce from Aldi
  • olive oil or coconut oil
  • sea salt

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Wash and cut your spaghetti squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds and coat flesh with olive or coconut oil and salt.
  • Set squash flesh side up on a baking dish and place in preheated oven for 50 minutes.
  • With a vegetable peeler, peel the butternut squash.  Cut in half and scoop out the seeds.
  • Cut the butternut squash into small cubes about 1/2 to 3/4 inches.  Toss with oil and sea salt to coat.
  • Turn out onto a baking sheet and pop in the oven with the spaghetti squash for 20 or 30 minutes to roast.
  • Brown the sausage in a large saute pan or dutch oven.
  • When browned, add the jar of Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce and cook on medium low until warm.
  • When the roasting squashes are done roasting.  Pull out the spaghetti squash and let it rest for 10 minutes.   Immediately turn the roasted butternut squash into the meat and pasta sauce mixture and gently incorporate the mixture.
  • Turn the sauce into a serving bowl or serve from the dutch oven.
  • If you’ve never made spaghetti squash… Using a hot mitt or pot holder, steady the squash with one hand and using a fork drag the fork through the squash flesh from end to end.  You will be pulling threads of squash that look like spaghetti.  As you pull them, place them into your serving bowl. Continue until only the shell remains.
  • Place the sauce and the spaghetti squash on the table along with a bowl of walnuts.

To serve…make a bed of the spaghetti squash, top with the butternut meat sauce, and top with chopped walnuts.

If you wish, you could also serve another vegetable for a side dish, but this is a filling meal.  Plus, it’s grain free and inexpensive.

 

Day 21 : #31Days :: Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce from Aldi :: Be Hospitable :: AnExtraordinaryDay.net

 

If you have an Aldi near you…hurry over to see if they have this pasta sauce.  If they don’t or you don’t have an Aldi…I hope you can find something similar at one of your local stores.  One thing I loved about this sauce is that there were no additives or preservatives.  The jar claims that all the ingredients are fresh.   Let me know if you try it!  (UPDATE: Our local Aldi does not have this same sauce this year, but they do have a squash sauce that will work perfectly.  I hope you try it!)

 

Day 21 Challenge: Think about who you cross paths with that you could bless by inviting into your home.  Pick up the phone this week and make the call.  Could you do this monthly?  Weekly?  What gets in your way of opening your home.  Analyze.  Are you making excuses about your home, etc., and making this about you rather than the person who needs your true hospitality?

 

I know…I’ve been a little in your face with this post.  But…true hospitality is loving our neighbor.  This is the cup of water we talked about last week.  Hospitality is not about comfort, or appearances is it?  This is the time when we need to get over ourselves and open up our hearts and our homes.  Don’t I know.

I hope I didn’t offend you.  On the other hand…I do hope you felt a strong nudge.  We all want to make a difference in the world and this is one BIG yet small way we can do exactly that.  I hope you do.  And I hope you come back to share about it here or on Facebook.

Thank you for stopping by today.
I appreciate you and your sweet comments make my day.

Go and be hospitable!

Diane

I hope you’ll consider visiting each day during this #31Day series.

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Comments

  1. You can’t offend with this post. No everyone who reads it will breath a sigh of relief…just as I have done today. We have a house full of company coming Friday and I’ll be gone Tuesday to Friday. I’ve been very nervous about getting everything ready. Really though…they are friends we love very much and they don’t care!! In fact, my friend once told me that my house is too clean and it makes her nervous. That was an eye opener for sure.

    The spaghetti squash and sauce sounds delicious. I’d really like to try it.

    • Diane says

      Really Stacey?! A sigh of relief? I am truly humbled that these words would do that for you. 🙂
      Enjoy your time with your friends and makes lots and lots of warm memories. Hope they enjoy your ‘new’ guest room, too!!
      Big Hugs!!
      ~Diane

  2. Mel says

    I have to agree with Stacey–I didn’t see anything offensive in the post.
    But I did NOT experience the sigh of relief she did. LOL. I had one of those “mannn…careful what ya pray Mel” moments. See, I’ve been asking He “comfort me when I’m disturbed and disturb me when I’m comfortable” ever since another person in my path asked if ‘maybe’ I was getting a tad complacent. Gotta love when The Big Guy takes me up on the requests, huh.
    You want me to pick up the phone and invite someone(s) for dinner. (ready for the excuses?) I’m broken and healing. I can’t ask he-who-does-it-all to do more. Do you know the state of this house?! Seriously, it’s been 10 months of casts and braces, surgery and crutches…can you say ‘disaster’? All those things exist, and they do play a part in the panic…but let me BE HONEST… MY home. MY kingdom. MY life on display. MY safe place /sanctuary.
    Here is where I find rest away from people–and given what I am graced to GET to do I really do give myself that ‘sense of entitlement’ that I don’t really have, yaknow. (now starts the bartering) Lemme take ’em out to dinner. LOL.
    “Don’t worry, don’t fret, and don’t overthink” she says. LOL. Got it. Successfully nudged, ma’am. And ya know what, I even know who I need to extend the hospitality to, darnit. You’re right, yaknow….ain’t about ME, even though it IS about me. Oh mannnn…I even have the spaghetti squash. ROFL
    ((( Diane ))) Thanks for the nudge.

    • Diane says

      No ‘sigh of relief’ for you Mel. Phooey! LOL!
      My goodness you pray big prayers. If you pray to be disturbed…you gotta figure he’s going to knock you off your chair. 😉 Don’t I know. Right now I just want to get on the chair rather than treading water around it. 😉
      Let me know how that bartering goes. [wink]
      I can hardly believe you’re thanking me for the nudge. Especially when we know that the messenger often gets shot. [wink]
      You know…seriously…isn’t it interesting how God uses our feeble attempts on the blog to speak to another’s heart. Is that a blessing or what?
      Big Hugs to you!

  3. I loved this post…and thought it was a necessary message to be shared. At first…your title confused me, but when I got into the meat of the post…I had my “aha” moment! Visiting from Tweak it Tuesday. 🙂

    • Diane says

      Oh, Valerie…it did have a twist at first. Thanks for taking the time to leave your words of encouragement. 🙂
      Wishing you An Extraordinary Day!
      ~Diane

  4. Looks yummy! Thanx for parting at my place!

  5. Jan says

    I don’t understand how anyone could possibly be offended by what you wrote. We all need to be reminded of these things — the way things used to be and not all that long ago. In these zoom zoom days when everybody is so concentrated on their silly “smart” phones texting instead of talking, never making eye-contact, rushing to and fro, who takes the time to think about anyone other than themself? After I read your post I sat and thought about – who could I invite over and expect them to come? And the sad answer was, outside of a few close friends – no one! I don’t think anyone would come. I don’t think it’s because I’m a horrible person, I think it’s because we have somehow lost the ability to connect to each other in anything but the most superficial ways. I think it’s been lost out of a large part of our 24/7 culture. When I was a kid, there always was someone staying over for supper, or a cook-out on the weekend. Come on over was the call, or the kids we all hung out with growing up, we were at each other’s houses all the time. Stay for supper, the moms always said, even my own mom, who worked full time and would come home to cook and clean as my dad went off to work third shift! Over the fence invites were the norm back in those days. I was born in 1951. Was it still like that in 1981? 1991? It changed, but I cannot pin-point when. I went to college part-time after work, oh yeah, the dreaded “night school,” and we had a lot of impromptu get-togethers and, in apartment living, we always seemed to be invited down the hallway to a party or a pot-luck. Nothing fancy — none of us had any money to speak of, we didn’t live in nice houses with fancy furniture and couture decorating, LOL! Maybe the hospitality that life-style engendered still exists, but out here in the ‘burbs, where our houses are not within arms’ length of each other and everyone zooms by in their cars into their garages after work, gone at the crack of dawn and coming home after dark, you rarely see anyone (except me walking to and from the bus stop, LOL!) except on the weekends when we’re all out making our lawns beautiful or shoveling out from a blizzard, har 🙂 Hmmmpf. More than anything, you know what – I think people are just afraid to reach out.

    • Diane says

      Not long ago I lived in a neighborhood where everyone drove in the garage and went in the house from the garage. And if you weren’t outside to wave when they arrived…you would never have seen them and that could be for months at a time. You’re right…it is sad how we lack community.
      Texting has a degree of convenience to it. But why do we make listening to each other on the phone less important than texting?
      I hope you can think of someone to reach out too….I just bet someone needs your hospitality. 🙂
      Blessings, my friend. 🙂

  6. Sandi says

    Your squash recipe sounds delicious, Diane. At Bible Study this evening we were talking about this very thing; reaching out to others. How will they know we care if we don’t show them that we do? It doesn’t even have to be a meal. I often just have folks in for coffee/tea and dessert. Sometimes, it’s lemonade or iced tea if it’s a hot day. Really, most folks just want to know that they matter to you. And no offence taken. Thanks for sharing at my HOME.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

    • Diane says

      Sandi…you’re right…”most folks just want to know that they matter to you.” I agree…dinner isn’t the magic….it just was a good transition to my recipe. 😉 Getting together…that’s what counts, even if it’s a cup of water. (Just don’t invite someone at 6 PM and then wait until 8 PM to serve a light dessert. Yes…that happened once to us. We came right from work and by 8, we could have eaten a horse.) 😉

  7. Linda says

    Your words about hospitality are true. We don’t have as many people in as when we lived overseas but family visits are so treasured after so much distance. Health issues and operations and traveling for business have made the thought of having others over exhausting. Seasons come and go and the art and practice of hospitality is part of our family’s best practices. All the food helps available do help with the “presure” of meal prep. Thanks for your encouragement.

    • Diane says

      And your words have encouraged me, as well, Linda. I love hearing that hospitality is a part of your family’s DNA. It’s really something that isn’t being taught so much any more. Glad you like the meal tip. I know I’m always looking for easy, but healthy and fresh ideas.
      Blessings!

  8. It is important and you said it so well. Thanks for linking to TTF this week!

  9. patsy says

    Yes I have been thinking of inviting friends to my house, but I never get around to it! :^((( And I do not have the excuse that I can’t cook or don’t have time to do it! I have a cook! And she cleans the house too!!! No excuse! God bless you! Patsy from HeARTworks

    • Diane says

      Maybe this was just the little nudge you needed, Patsy.
      I have a hunch that when you actually do get them over, you will bless your guests way more than you might even imagine. Have fun with it (them)!!
      Wishing you an Extraordinary week!!
      ~Diane

  10. I think this recipe is really great! Recently I have been experimenting with making sauces and different dishes from the butternut squash. I can’t believe the wonderful flavor that is in that one little squash! just popping over from the Whimsey Wednesday Link Party. I have pinned, liked and tweeted, and g+-ed. I would love it if you would drop by my site at http://www.kneadedcreations.com for a short visit! I will look forward to seeing you there! Deb @ Kneaded Creations.

    • Diane says

      Awww…thanks for all the props Deb!!!
      We had Butternut Squash Soup tonight…so yummy!!!
      Blessings, my friend!!

  11. Laura says

    I loved this post! You are so right in everything you said. We do try to extend our hospitality and feed those that need it. Getting together like that is definitely not as common as it once was.

  12. Mmmm. I’m such a sucker for butternut squash! I’d love for you to link up to The DIY’ers link party! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-diyers-35.html

    • Diane says

      Thanks Kayla!! It’s one of my faves, too! 🙂

  13. Kathy says

    Great post Diane, we’ve been talking about the merits of hospitality and extending it beyond our circle of family and friends – timely post – I’ve never tried the butternut squash sauce – sounds intriguiing – I appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

    • Diane says

      Finally “getting” the difference between hospitality and entertaining was a big one to me. Duh! Why did it take me so long?!!
      Thanks for your kind words, Kathy!!
      Blessings!
      ~Diane

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