My new nemesis: Butternut Squash

Meet my new nemesis.

Could he be any more menacing?

As a kid I hated butternut squash.  Mushy, no taste.  As I got older something changed.  I love love love it.  (If cooked the right way... smooth, not chunky ... buttery flavored.  Mmmm.)

I have never actually prepared it myself.  I'm a girl of convenience when it comes to butternut squash and I buy it ready to go (or you know, microwave) at the market.  I happened to have 2 from my father in law's garden and I was ready to give it a try myself.  Found what looked to be a yummy recipe from one of my food magazines and was ready to go after the boys got home from school yesterday.

My first thought?  God damn it's hard to cut.  Nothing like yellow squash or zucchini.  I could not get the knife through it.  Took me awhile but I got the first one all cut up.  Eyed the second.  Switched myself to a bigger knife while that little voice inside me said What are you doing, you are going to cut yourself!  Are you crazy?  I?  Ignored the voice and told myself if I just went slow I could do it.

Not 2 minutes later the knife slipped from my right hand along with the squash on the board, slicing my left index finger.  Oh my God, the blood.  This is what I'd like to call one of those 'mommy moments', more like a test of being a mommy.  I have had a few over the years, but this one was a bit different.  I wanted to scream, swear, cry... but I had 3 small kids and if I panicked they would melt down.

Took some deep breaths, wrapped my hand and calmly (still not sure how I managed the calm) told them all to grab a sweater and use the potty.  IM'd my husband to tell him I was OK but had to take the boys to the ER with me for my hand.  (He was in meetings and I knew I couldn't ask him to leave.)  Mommy has a quick errand to run, I told the boys.  It wasn't until I was buckling them in the booster seats that I told them I hurt my finger and we had to get it looked at, but that I was just fine.  The Bunny Bee got teary eyed and said he just knew I was going to need stitches and he was so worried.

What does a 4 year old know about stitches, right?  Lets just say these 3 boys of mine have had way too many emergency room visits for themselves already.  I have quite the rough and tumble boys sometimes. 

Overall the boys did pretty good at the ER.  They alternated between being fine and nervous.  The twins I should say.  The Big Guy alternated from being mad he had to wait there because you know, he's FIVE now as he keeps telling me (which apparently means you are old enough to fend for yourself) and just a little worried.  The Bunny Bee?  Swears he saw 'a guy dead'.  Dead!  It did not matter how many times I told him the man was just lying down with his eyes closed because he didn't feel good, Bunny Bee would stare at me and say solemnly 'No Mom, I'm true.  He's DEAD!'

In the end the doctor said I really did need a few stitches but because of the angle I sliced my finger they couldn't put them ... something about how it would end up cutting off blood flow.  Um, OK.  So while my boys watched I got it all cleaned out and sterry stripped up (which it promptly kept bleeding through) ... and big finale.  A tetanus shot!  If you know me, you know needles and puke are the 2 things I do.not.do.

Except they made me and I have to be brave in front of the boys.  There I am smiling and comforting them while they all make horrified faces when they see the needle.  In the end, for their bravery, they were all given stickers which was very sweet of the nurse.  We could finally go home.  IM'd Al to tell him what happened and also to ask what we should do for dinner (since this all started with the butternut squash had started to put in a casserole for dinner). 

Do you know what he replied?  Not oh hey baby so glad you are OK, or oh no please don't worry about making dinner.  'What ever is easier for you and your 9 fingers.'

REALLY?!  My husband, the smart ass.

Oh I made dinner all right.  Put a Ziploc bag on my hand (don't judge) and I freaking made baked chicken tenders and a smaller butternut squash casserole from the first one I had cut up before *the incident* shall we say.

This morning my arm feels like it could fall off and my finger is killing me.  All in all I'm pretty proud of myself though.  It's pretty hard to pull it together for your kids when all you want to do is fall apart, but I made it though.  Aside from the Bunny Bee being scarred by seeing the guy Dead (oh wait, he isn't scarred... it's like it was normal or something) I think we all made it out OK.  Except for the Bunny Bee maybe, who I now wonder about.

Whole fresh butternut squash is now banned.  BANNED!  Never again.  From this point on I will spend the extra money at the market for the fresh cut up pieces.  Take that butternut squash.