Every squash is different.  The size, density, and water content will all change the cooking time.  So test it, don’t just go based on the timing.

Start with one or more firm and heavy squashes.  Wash them and poke holes all over with a knife.  About a dozen holes for each squash in the picture.  Don’t skip this step!  Whole squashes can explode.

Put into the oven.  A variety of temperatures will work, but I generally use 350*F.   For a good-sized squash, expect total cooking time to be 1-2 hours.  It’s done when you can stick a regular fork into the squash from the outside.  If the fork goes in with light pressure, the squash is done.  If the fork slides right in with no resistance, you’ve overcooked it.  Don’t worry, it will still taste good.  Test it every few minutes so you don’t miss your window and roll the squash over every half hour or so.

Cut the squash in half the short way and let it cool until you can handle it without pain.  You can also cut it lengthwise but the short way gives you longer strands as they’re wrapped around the center.

Remove the seeds and the “goo” around the seeds with a spoon or fork and compost.  Next, take a fork and gently tease away the strands from the skin.  Sometimes you’ll end up with a squash you didn’t time just right.  These came from the farmer’s market and we had them on our kitchen counter for a while.  The large one overcooked a tad (hence the shorter strands) and the small one was still undercooked when we pulled it out (fork didn’t work on it) and we had to put it back in the oven.  Both squashes had much thicker and harder skin than I’ve ever seen on a spaghetti squash before so it was hard to judge doneness.  Sometimes that’s just the luck of the draw.  Occasionally you might even get one that went bad before it was cooked.  You can’t do anything about that, but everything else you can salvage if you know what you’re looking for.

You’ll end up with a big bowl of goodness.  Mix in some browned garlic in olive oil (or butter if you prefer) for a side dish.  Or make it the star of the plate with a topping of sauteed onions and pesto.   Leftovers are surprisingly good in omelets.  Overcooked spaghetti squash makes lovely latkes.

Back in 2008 I created a post about vegan pesto.  It’s still a great recipe, but here’s an update, made with cashews instead of pine nuts.  Why use cashews?  Well, they’re a lot cheaper than pine nuts.  I switched back a year or so ago when pine nut prices went through the roof, if you could find them at all.  And these days I’m doing a low-amine (low-histamine) diet.  Cashews are in, pine nuts are out.

Recipe:

2 cups raw cashew pieces
4 limes
1 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. oil
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch flatleaf parsley

Note that these proportions worked perfectly for the recipe I photographed here, but really they are just a guess.  Because a “bunch” of herbs varies a lot in size.  Limes vary not just in size but in tartness/sweetness.  So start here but adjust as needed.  Especially the salt and oil.  Taste taste taste.  It’s the only way to get it right.

You can make this recipe with a good blender but it’s much easier in a food processor.  Start off with just the dry cashews.  Get them as close to flour as you can.

Juice the limes (or use lemons if you prefer, just make sure no seeds get in) and add to the cashews.  Add salt and the oil if you need it.  Process until creamy.

Twist off and discard the ends of the parsley and cilantro bunches and wash the remaining herbs well.  Yes, I use the stems.  Add all but a handful of leaves to the food processor and blend well.  Add the oil if you haven’t already.  I use sunflower oil because it’s low-amine but extra virgin olive oil tastes best.  Then add the leaves and pulse until it is mixed but still has some texture.

Pesto on top of spaghetti squash and caramelized onions.  With a side of herbed chickpea fritata.

One of the things they tested me for was my mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).  This is special DNA (not within the chromosomes) that everyone has but you only get it from your mother (it’s in egg cells but not sperm cells).  In theory, I have the same mtDNA as my mother, her mother, her mother, and so on back to the beginning of human history.  In practice, DNA copying isn’t perfect.  Mutations (think of them as typos) sneak in.  We can use the mutations to track maternal history across the generations, by when (and where) the splits happened.  Each set of mutations is labeled with what is called a Haplogroup.

My mtDNA Haplogroup, as calculated by 23andme, is U6a7.  About 45,000 years ago, a group of humans left Africa for Europe.  According to the mutation history, those who stayed in Europe had the Haplogroup U5 and those who turned back into northern Africa were U6.  About 35,000 years ago, U6a spread around northern Africa.  FamilyTreeDNA puts U6 at 36,200 years ago and U6a at 26,900 years ago.  But close enough.

23andme tells me my subclave is a7 but only gives information about U6 when saying this means my maternal line is from “North Africa, the Near East, Iberian Peninsula, Canary Islands” and that the population I best match are the Berbers.  Is my maternal line Muslim?  Or Sephardic Jewish?  I don’t know.  All I know is that I’m Ashkenazi Jewish on all sides and my maternal grandmother and her mother are from Kosice, Slovakia. I haven’t been able to go any further back.

The FamilyTreeDNA page on U6 gives far more subgroups: U6a7a, U6a7a1, U6a7a1a, U6a7a1b, U6a7a1c, U6a7a2, and U6a7b. Which one am I?  I wrote 23andme for help and they did take a lot of time to explain things, but none of it got me that far.  If you have a 23andme account, log in and go to Ancestry Labs, then choose Haplogroup Tree Mutation Mapper and submit your Haplogroup.  You’ll see a long list that looks like this:

The variant is the SNP, the piece of the gene where the mutation in question is.  The rCRS (also called position) is a number more commonly used but specific to a gene or, in this case, the mtDNA.  Anc means the ancestral, regular, non-mutation form and the call is the result, or the genotype, of the person tested.  This mutation defines U6a7 (and has three variants).  Since my call (A) is different from the ancestry (G), I have the mutation and therefore am U6a7.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing that goes beyond U6a7.  23andme doesn’t have a system to pay extra for a more detailed test.  But maybe the answer was already there.  I didn’t want to pay FamilyTreeDNA or another company for a test if I didn’t have to.  23andme also told me it was possible I simply didn’t have markers to identify subgroups, so another test might not give me a better answer.

So on to the raw data.  What could it tell me?

The Mutation Mapper page at 23andme shows you a circle with a lot of the raw data, but it is incomplete.  The better option is to to click on “Account” on the top of the page then choose “Browse Raw Data” and click on “MT.”  It’s faster if you download it all into a text file, but you can also look online.  (Of course, you can use raw data from any company.)

The data will look like this online:

	Gene	Position	SNP	Versions	My Genotype
	intergenic	3	i4001200	C or T	T
	intergenic	7	i4001110	A or G	A
	intergenic	9	i4001358	A or G	G
	intergenic	26	i4000553	C or T	C

The downloaded version (the text file) looks a bit different:

The name of the gene (mtDNA has 37) and the SNP (or rsid) isn’t useful here, just look at the position (the rCRS).  This is how you’ll match up results with known mutations.  The versions are what’s possible and then it gives the test results, my genotype.  Note that it doesn’t say which result is a mutation and which is ancestral.  Nor do I know which positions have relevant mutations.  Time for more research.

The FamilyTreeDNA page on U6 does list all the mutations for each subgroup but not what the genotype is supposed to be.  I needed to keep looking.

I found this amazing resource:

http://www.phylotree.org/tree/subtree_U.htm
(they have other trees here: http://www.phylotree.org/tree/main.htm )

I paged down to U6a7 and saw that there were mutation lists for three variants: U6a7a, U6a7b, and U6a7c

Each mutation is in the form: letter-number-letter (plus some optional markers).  For example: T1193C.  This means rCRS 1193 has two genotypes, T and C.  The first letter is the “normal” or ancestral expression of that SNP.  The second letter is the mutation.

Another example: U6a7 is defined by: G15043A.  If this position is an A for you, then you have the mutation and are U6a7 (perhaps with some other precursors established).  If you have a G instead, then you do not have the mutation and are not U6a7.

Using Phylotree, this is what I did next:

• U6a7a has 8 defining mutations.  I was tested for 4 of them.  3 were positive for the mutation and one was not.
• U6a7b has 7 defining mutations.  I was tested for 4 of them, all negative.
• U6a7c has 2 defining mutations.  I was tested for both and one was positive, the other negative.

I concluded that I was U6a7a.  (Why I didn’t get perfect matches, I don’t know.  This data was pretty clear, but I don’t know how to interpret it when it’s not.)

That is as far as I could go at Phylotree, so I headed back to
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/U6mtdna/default.aspx?section=results

Next, there is U6a7a1 and U6a7a2.  Within U6a7a1 there is U6a7a1a, U6a7a1b, and U6a7a1c.  I suspected I was U6a7a1b because it’s the Sephardic cluster and also in the general area my maternal line is from.  That one is defined by the mutation 150.  But this site doesn’t tell you which letter is the mutation.  I had to look elsewhere for that.  I did some more research and discovered that the mutation will be T.  I found that here (I’m not Dominican but that didn’t make the page less useful to me): http://www.familytreedna.com/public/dominicansephardim/default.aspx?section=results

What am I?  I’m a 150T.  So I concluded that my mtDNA is U6a7a1b.

I also joined the FamilyTreeDNA U6 project.  The leader asked for my raw data and I gave it to him.  He agrees.  I’m U6a7a1b.  He says “You have an extra mutation 16295T” (not one of the positions I had looked at).  So far there are only 12 people in the U6a7a1b section of the project, and I’m the only one with the extra mutation.

What does this mean?  It means I can now trace my maternal line to a mutation split that happened about 1,500 years ago, a “Sephardic cluster from Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland and Ukraine.”  With the extra mutation, I might even be able to narrow it down further.

Who are my ancestors?  Let’s go back to the Dominican page:

Haplogroup U6 can be considered to be the mt-DNA equivalent of Y-DNA haplogroup E1B1B in that it is of North African origins and its distribution matches the Afro Asiatic linguistic expansion. The U6 research project has discovered what it believes to be a Sephardic Cluster in haplogroup U6A7A1B characterized by mutation 150T. U6 can be found in small percentages among Sephardic Jews and even Ashkenazic Jews. Similar to haplogroup E1B1B, U6′s presence among Jews may date back to ancient times when the founding members of the Israelite tribes performed conversions on local Canaanite women, to allow them marry tribal members prior to their descent to Egypt. Another possibility is that this lineage joined the ancient Israelites along with the “mixed multitude” that came out of Egypt with the Israelites, as described in the Bible. It is also possible that Berber conversions to Judaism during the Muslim occupation of Spain introduced this lineage to the Sephardic gene pool. This haplogroup has been found in the Sephardic Jewish communities of the former Ottoman Empire. A member of this project with a tradition of Jewish ancestry on his/her maternal line, and is a member of this haplogroup, can be considered to be likely of Jewish descent.

So wow.  23andme gives me “northern Africa” but a bit of sleuthing gives me evidence that my maternal line (the one that counts here) is Jewish possibly all the way back to the Exodus (perhaps further).  With Sephardic ancestry to boot.  Amazing.

I bought the two necklaces and my mom bought the bracelet.  We bought more stuff too, but they were gifts.  I got the heart necklace from a different shop.

This is our dinner at a restaurant.  I had the small plate and my mom had the big plate.  And I had the orange smoothie.  The restaurant is gluten-free and wheat-free but my mom got something with eggs in it.

Now we are at the house in Taos.  The person we are staying with has a cat and I am holding her cat.  Her name is Bella.

I wish I could stay in Taos longer but we are leaving.  Next we are going to Snowflake.  See you again there!

This the shallow pool and three little water slides on those brown rocks.  It was too little for me.

If you click on the link, it will lead to a video of me going around in some water in that pool and the water carries you.

Miriam demonstrates the current pool.

Now we’re in Taos and this is the friend we’re staying with, Aralia.  She’s giving me a painting lesson.  We’re painting a color wheel.  This is her website.  She’s an artist.  http://magdahliastudios.com/2012/09/10/transitions/

I colored the painting with my colored pencils, the one with the rain clouds.  These are the color wheels.  The one I’m holding is Aralia’s.  The other one is mine.

Stay tuned for our next one and our second day in Taos.

This is me and my mom in front of landscape Arch.

This is the sign for the tour of the Fiery Furnace.  *chol!*  It’s a three hour long tour, including stops.  There was lots of rock climbing, lots of challenges.  It was hard for my mom, but so easy for me.  I didn’t get a bit tired but my mom was so tired she could barely walk.

This is Ranger Jon and me.  We’re going to climb under that tiny arch.

This is Skull Arch.  We took this from our camera on super vivid colors.  That’s why it’s red.

This is Surprise Arch.  It’s called Surprise Arch because it’s such a big surprise.  And it’s an arch.  We had to go into a cave to see it and sit on some rocks and Ranger Jon told us a story about his life.

Stay tuned for our next blog post about going to New Mexico and stopping in Moab and staying at a hotel.

Balanced Rock is cool. I love it!

This is windows. We sat under it. It was a little fun!

This is me going into a little cottage in Wolfe Ranch.  It never ever got moved.  The family lived there.

This is the other cottage which you’re not allowed to go into.  It was owned by the same family.

This is inside the cottage that you’re not allowed to go in to.  There is a little table and chair.  You’re not allowed to go into it because it could be dangerous.

This the sign of the petroglyphs.  And we saw them.

This are the petroglyphs.  It’s hard to see them though.  We weren’t allowed to go any closer.

Stay tuned for our next one on our third day of Arches National Park.

This is a beautiful sunset.  We could see it from our campsite.

This is me roasting a hot dog over our campfire.  In my rain jacket and flip flops.  The thunderstorm was 45 minutes.  It was over by this time, that’s why we have a campfire.

Stay tuned for our next post about our second day at Arches National Park.

This is the Salt Lake City library and I am in the children’s section looking at Rainbow Magic fairy books.  The second and the third shelves is all fairy books and I’m looking at one.  There are so many, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

We climbed up some stairs and ramps and went on an elevator.  And we went to the top of the library.  And I was climbing on a fence and I am at the highest point of the fence over the doors to go back in the library.  My mother was freaked that I was going to fall.

We are at the Leonardo Museum.  This is some decorations.  This is the only picture from the Leonardo.

Now we went to Sage’s Cafe and this is our dinner. It’s all vegan.  I can eat every single thing there.  Even the desserts.

These are our desserts.

Stay tuned for our next blog post about driving to Arches National Park.

It was a really really REALLY long walk to the water.  When we were about 3/4 of the way to to the water, it started sprinkling, and we thought it was nothing.  Then it started raining raining.  And then it started pouring and then when we were further down we started hearing thunder but didn’t see any lightening.  I was FREAKED OUT.  But we walked all the way down.

And there were tons of little flies by the water.  Like millions and millions of them.  And my mom walked past them and put her fingers in the water and I had to touch her fingers so we could say we had touched the Great Salt Lake.

My mom really wanted to go swimming in it but I was like “no mom we’re going back now.”

This is when it stopped raining and there was a rainbow.  This is a picture of the rainbow and the rainbow is nice and fresh.

I figured out that the sand was only wet on top and not underneath.  It was perfectly dry underneath.  This is me putting my foot into the sand.

We won’t be putting on our next blog for a little bit.  For maybe three to four days because we’re going on a camping trip to Arches National Park and we won’t be able to use the laptop there.

This is me in a ship back in the old days laying down in the beds they slept in.

This is some leather I put stamps on and a necklace I made in the crafts center in the Heritage Center.

This is me in the woodworking place drilling a hole into something.

This is me eating coconut tapioca pudding.  It is delicious.

I am at a playground at Wendover town.  This is spinning very fast.  So fast I can’t even get on it to stand up.  This is playground is AMAZING.  It’s like the best playground in the world that I’ve ever been to.  The playground was very big and it had lots of stuff that I like to do.

If you click on this blue thing it will go to a video of me on a slide at that playground.

VIDEO of Miriam on West Wendover playground slide.

This is a double rainbow.  My mom took the picture.  The other rainbow you can barely see.  We didn’t think it would get a double rainbow.  We only saw one rainbow then it turned into a double one.

This is the sun setting over the mountains.  It is beautiful.  My mom took lots of pictures of it but we only put one on the blog.

Stay tuned for our next blog about the Heritage Center in Salt Lake City.

This is me jumping off a rock in the water.

The water in the lake was VERY cold.  I could barely even swim in it.

This is me reading a book with my sunglasses on because the sun was shining in my eyes.

Look out for our next post about driving through the dessert to Salt Lake City.

This is my mom and me by a lake.  By Donner Lake.

These are some people we met.  They bicycle all around the US.  The person’s name is Ron and the dog’s name is Buddy.

This is Meeks Bay lake.  This is where we went in the cold at night.

This is also Meeks Bay lake with the moon.

I am the girl in the blue sweater at the beach, same lake.

This is how far we’re going.  Just follow the purple line.  We start in Petaluma: Then we go to Tahoe.  Then Salt Lake City.  Then we are going camping in the desert for three days.  Then we’re going to New Mexico and then Phoenix.  Then Los Angeles and then we’re going back home to Petaluma.