Not orange clothes. They're so October.
But veggies????
Oh mylanta, Oh my stars!!!
Sweet potatoes.
Carrots.
Butternut Squash.
Acorn Squash.
Did I mention sweet potatoes??/ Oh, yes, I see that I did. Every year when the stores put them on sale for Thanksgiving, I buy 30 lbs...
Yes.
30 lbs.
Most of which I eat. They are my friend-in-the-cupboard. My deliciousness without being candy or chocolate! I love 'em!!!
But today, we're doing a quick butternut squash glimpse because Dave's father always liked my butternut squash. Mind you, Mom wouldn't make it with brown sugar and cinnamon, so mine was a CLEAR WINNER, but a girl will take whatever victories life hands out, right????
So first, you wash the squash.... Then split it. Remove the seeds from the "bell" end with a spoon, and scrape out the seed threads, just like you do with a pumpkin only way easier with a squash.
I simmer/bake mine and you don't have to do it this way, but it's easy and tenderizes the squash thoroughly.
Lay squash pieces (cut side down) in baking pans with about 1/2" of water in pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for as long as it takes (45 minutes to an hour) in a 350 degree oven.... you want a fork inserted into the thick parts of the squash to penetrate easily.
Remove from oven... drain.... cool.....
Easy-peasy, right?
Now I scrape the soft squashy-goodness from the shell, into a bowl. And once I'm all done, I let it sit a little to drain the squash. It gets watery and I don't want watery. I drain it and blot with paper towels... then I do that again.
Suddenly this isn't sounding all that easy, but I'm sure it is.
Bear with me.
Once you've properly drained the squash, heat it back up in microwave, but not in your metal Kitchen Aid bowl.
(You'll only make that mistake once, I assure you.)
Add in a stick of butter.... at least a stick, more if you've made a huge batch. I just read a report that said butter is fine for you, it's the ten rolls you eat WITH the butter that settle on our laps, so just use the butter and not some weird spread that's going to get icky.....
Add 1 cup of brown sugar....
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.
Next I beat it with the KitchenAid mixer blades and I'll show you why... No, it's not overkill, work with me, people!!!
Squash threads... those long stringy things that make people wince.... The beater CATCHES THEM!!!! And then I can throw them away and no one cringes. Well, they do, but that's from family drama more than anything else most times! :)
And I freeze what we don't eat right away. With a bowl in the fridge for me, of course! :)
