The other day I was sitting in the office checking my email, and all of a sudden I heard this noise, an unfamiliar yet recognizable whir, and I started smelling something unusual. Mr. Money had kicked the heat on. As my stomach turned, I realized I was being a little over dramatic; after all, it is chilly out and normal people do turn on their heat in the winter. We’d just been trying to avoid turning it on by using our wood burning stove and being clothed properly. I knew breakfast was almost ready, so I walked into the kitchen, and immediately stopped in my tracks. There stood Mr. Money.

In his t shirt and boxers.

Because he already thinks I’m completely nuts, and sometimes rightfully so, I decided not to add fuel to the fire, and I decided I would casually walk over to the thermostat and yank it back down to 50 degrees, where it belongs.

“Honey, why don’t you put some pajamas on? It’s not too cold in here, but I’d hate for you to be uncomfortable.” I decided my subtlety would maybe give him the hint.

“I just turned the heat on- wait a minute… did you turn it back down?” Imagine the icicles reforming on his nose.

“Yes. If you would put a sweatshirt on it wouldn’t be bad. You’ll be fine.” At this point me mumbles something, walks into our bedroom, and puts on some clothes. I realize I am lucky to be married to such a wonderful man. That was pretty much the end of our conversation.

I realize that sometimes I can go a little overboard, and honestly, we don’t keep the heat at 50 degrees, but it just bugged me because instead of putting some extra clothes on, he was turning the heat on.  A quick fix would have been to just put a sweatshirt on.

What are some “unfrugal things” your spouse does that aggravate you?

This recipe is inspired by Mr. Money.  They actually serve it at his restaurant.  Of course, this is not the exact recipe because I can’t steal all his secrets; plus, it has to be quick, easy, and frugal, and most of his recipes aren’t like that.

This one is one of my favorites because it is so easy to make, even I can make it!  

Ingredients:

• 1 spaghetti squash (should be in season now!)
• fresh tomatoes or crushed in a can
• 3 pinches of basil
• 3 pinches of oregano
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 celery stalk
• 3 carrots
• 4 mushrooms
• any other chopped veggies you have on hand that will go well in the ratatouille.  Ratatouille is basically a meld of veggies that you need to use up.

Sautee onions, garlic and celery in some extra virgil olive oil.  Add carrots and other veggies that you are using.  Sautee the vegetables until they are medium firmness. Cut your spaghetti squash in half, put it on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about half an hour.  I turn mine face down so that the insides don’t dry out.  Check after 15 minutes to see how it’s doing.  It should look soft and delicate.

Take it out of the oven, put your vegetables inside, and eat!  It’s pretty easy to make and yummy!  If you really want a quick meal, you can use a jar of spaghetti sauce and eat that with your spaghetti squash.  Use the squash instead of noodles.  Less carbs, and more veggies!

Let me know if you try it!