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It's funny how people don't really think clearly about how they talk or where their habits come from. My mother just turned me onto something that I say often that seems to be hereditary to ethnicity or region. That's the use of the word, "nice." A "nice" piece of cake, or a "nice" bowl of soup. Or "It turned out 'nice'." Her comment was "That's Jewish. Jewish and Italian." I think that it's maybe old time Philadelphian or east coast, too. Either way, I can remember my grandmother and her cousins saying it, who were all her age. Then there's,

"Oh, a bit of this and that"

as an answer to

"What have you been up to?"

I don't exactly say it in those words, but it's close. I've been on the west coast now for about 15 years and still, I have the old time lingo.

Of course, there's the classic phrase made famous by Aaron Sorkin's West Wing characters,

"Not so much,"

as an answer to a question about personal preference. Little Moo gave me that answer last week when I asked her whether she still liked a color that wasn't pink (I think that's what it was - it could also have been a food preference, although that's not so important at this point).

This is the easiest thing I've made in a long time. I used to make it a lot, then I had to stop when I stopped digesting winter squash. Now, thanks to BioSET, I'm back and, although I'm cautious, I'll make something squashy every once in a while for as long as the season holds out. It's very pretty if it's one of those bright orange ones like a butternut, or super-sweet if it's made from kabocha or delicata. Add a bit of cinnamon for a more holiday feel or vanilla just because it's "nice."

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Ingredients
One winter squash, cooked, cut up.
2 tablespoons ghee (I use 4 for a large butternut squash - if you intend to chill it into a pudding, add up to oh, say, 6)
pinch cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla (non-alcohol)
2 teaspoons coconut milk kefir or coconut milk (up to 1/4 cup for a larger squash)

Put everything into a blender and whip it up. That's really it. Top with fruit if you like, or insert into tart shells and chill.