Spaghetti Squash with Peas & Bacon (and Tidbits Below)

With today being the first day of September, I start "psyching myself up" for Fall. It's not that I don't like Fall, it's just that I LOVE Summer. I'm feeling a bit robbed this year, as our summer in the northeast was cut short by days and days of rain all throughout June and early July. The kind of rain where people everywhere were talking about building arcs...it got depressing!

Thankfully, we've still got some summer fun left to have with a beautiful Labor Day Weekend in the forecast and the famous Seafood Festival happening the following weekend. But, as a mini-step towards being ok with Fall - embracing it even - we made one of our favorites: Spaghetti Squash with Peas & Bacon. Brian first made this for me when we were dating (he was always so good about being creative in the kitchen around my special dietary needs), and I have requested it many times since!
Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 2 t olive oil
  
• 3-4 strips of bacon (always read the label for potential hidden allergens)
  
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 C frozen peas
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle olive oil on the flesh. Place on baking sheet (I like to cover it with foil) with the rind side up. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife easily goes through the flesh. Allow to cool so that you can touch it.
3. In a large skillet, cook the bacon. Remove and drain on a paper towel.
4. Leave some of the bacon fat in the pan and add the onions. Cook until soft.
   
5. Add the peas and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. With a fork, scrape out the squash from the rind. Add it to the skillet.
7. Break the bacon into bits and add it back in. Toss everything around (tongs work well).
8. Salt & pepper to taste.

We eat this as a side dish or sometimes as the main event.

Enjoy!

Couple of other tidbits:
1. A recent small study has shown promising signs that some children with a history of severe milk allergy can safely drink milk and consume other dairy products every day under certain conditions. The research was led by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and published in the Aug. 10 online edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

2. The 2nd edition of the Gluten Free Lifestyle Blog Carnival will be posted later today by Stephen at Gluten Freeways. Check out the recipes, tips, advice, product reviews, and research.

3. Kids With Food Allergies is reporting a voluntary recall of Chef Pierre® Gourmet Lemon Meringue Pie due to undeclared milk.