Acorn Squash Deliciousness

I know.  I need to catch up my blogs to my life.

But, for now, a placeholder.


Has fall gotten to you?  Did you pick up a squash at the grocery store because you were caught up with the explosions of fall that happened as soon as you walked in through those doors?  Or did you get an acorn squash in your CSA box, and not have a super good idea on what to do with it?  Are you intimidated by something that has such a thick skin that you don't eat raw?

Well, do I have the recipe for you...

Now, bear in mind, when I say "recipe," I don't mean 1/2 tsp of this and 2 cups of that.  This is what I mean:

1.  Wash off the squash.
2.  Cut in half (I cut mine lengthwise, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't cut yours the other way if that's your jam.)
3.  Scoop out the seeds and stuff on the inside so you you have a fun indentation to put things in!
4.  Make cuts into the squash - 3 or 4 lines diagonally across.  (You'll see what I mean when you see the picture).  This helps the flavor to seep into the squash, and makes it easier to eat later!  You don't have to cut all the way down to the rind, just a shallow cut is fine.
4.  Add flavor!  I put a little pat of butter, some maple syrup, a sprinkle of raw sugar, and some salt in mine.  You can add that, OR, whatever the hell you want.  Seriously.  Want a sweeter snack?  Put some brown sugar in there.  Want something savory?  Try some of your favorite herbs.  I personally think that curry powder makes most things delicious, so maybe next time, I'll try some of that.  Do what makes you feel good!  I would make sure that you've got some sort of fat (butter, oil, etc) in there, as that is what will make the liquid in the middle that you'll dip the squash into.
5.  Put in a pan.  Add a cup or two of water in the pan (so the squash halves are sitting in just a little bit of water.)
6.  Cover with tin foil.  Bake at 400 degrees.  I baked mine for maybe 30 minutes?  This is definitely something that you can put in the oven and forget about.  Do something else.  Then after you remember about it, take a look.  Poke at the edge with a spoon.  Is it getting a little bit soft?  If yes, proceed.  If no, do some more dishes or whatever, and check a little bit later.
7.  Take the tin foil off.  Whatever you put in the middle of the squash should be a delicious looking, delicious smelling soup of flavor goodness.  Check after 10 minutes or so.  Are the edges starting to get a little bit brown?
8.  Remove from oven.
9.  Procure a spoon.
10.  EAT.  SWOON.  REPEAT.  (I mean, I guess you can put it on a plate or something, but let's be honest, I ate mine right off the baking pan.)

You're welcome.

-Bethy