Football and Squash (not the sport) Ahhh yes...It's Fall!

I can't believe how fast this Fall seems to have flown by!  We came across Christmas music already on the satellite radio while driving home from school this week and it has even snowed already.  Even though Winter seems to be knocking on the door, I'm still not yet ready to give up Autumn and all it's charms.  One of the best parts of Fall is football and there is nothing better than hearing my Stina cheering for UGA and Army and of course the Chicago Bears.  Those cheers are even better when they are coming from the bleachers only a handful of rows from the field at Michie Stadium at West Point!!!!  Stina is now officially inducted into the West Point football trip!  And amazingly enough, so has my sister!  For many, many years my Mom and I have been driving up to West Point for football.  It has always been such a great trip and a wonderful experience-there is no place more beautiful than West Point's campus in the Fall.  Now being able to share this with my daughter and my sister has only made it even more special.  Even though they lost, and have usually lost most of the games we have attended, it is great to be there and cheer on the Black Knights. 

Aunt Beady, Stina and me at West Point!

Mimi, Aunt Beady and Stina cheer on Army!

Even an Army Jeep calls for the best modeling pose!
 

And now onto something else that just screams Fall and Thanksgiving...SQUASH!!!!  I could eat squash everyday.  I love cooking with all kinds of squash-spaghetti squash, acorn, carnival, butternut.  I have yet to meet a squash I didn't like.  They are versatile, tasty, easy to cook and best of all pack a big nutritional punch.  They are a perfect dish for every night and especially for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of my favorite days in the year.  You have a great combination of family and cooking.

Acorn squash is yummy, small and simple to fix.  They are a pain to try to peel and the skin is edible, unlike many other squashes, so I find it is best to cook them with the skin on.  My favorite recipe for acorn squash is Brown Sugar Roasted Squash.  The color is bright and the flavor is sweet.  Each half holds a buttery, sugary sweet treat. 

Brown Sugar Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash is a perfect side for Roast Chicken.  My friend Stina is stealing Buttered Noodles!

 The other squash I love to cook with is Butternut Squash.  Butternut squash has a beautiful bright orange color and tends to have a firmer texture than acorn squash.  You do have to peel the butternut squash, but the hard work of peeling is well worth the treat you get when the squash is roasted and yummy.  I'm going to give you two ways to fix the butternut squash.  The best part of that is the recipe is the same for each, but you just go a little further to make the soup.  Roasted butternut has a caramelized, deep roasted flavor.  The soup has this same roasted caramelized yumminess, but with an added creaminess that is irresistible and this recipe doesn't use any cream, so it isn't calorie laden.

 

Recipes for Squash:

Brown Sugar Acorn Squash (serves 2)

1 acorn squash, scrubbed and cut in half
2 TBSP butter, plus butter for greasing pan
1/2 cup brown sugar
sea salt or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Butter a foil lined baking pan.  Halve squash and scoop out seeds.  Place in pan open side down.  Bake 20 minutes.  Turn squash over and pierce flesh with a fork being careful not to pierce the skin.  Put 1 TBSP butter into each.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar into each half.  Bake for another 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with a dash of coarse salt when finished.

 

   

Herb Roasted Butternut Squash

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed, seeds removed
3-4 leaves fresh sage, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
3-4 sprigs thyme, tiny leaves removed from twiggy stems
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, sprinkle cubed squash with chopped fresh herbs.  Add 2-3 turns olive oil and mix together making sure squash is well coated.  Turn squash out onto a foil lined cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for about 45 minutes, taking out halfway through cooking time to stir.  Season with additional salt if needed.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Follow the recipe above and then...

1 stalk celery, chopped with leaves
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 TBSP olive oil
1 carton chicken or vegetable stock

In large pot, saute celery, carrot and onion in olive oil for 5 minutes.  Add roasted squash and cook 5 minutes.  Add stock and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer 20-25 minutes with cover on halfway.  Once the vegetables have softened, turn off heat.  Using a hand immersion blender, puree to a smooth texture.  If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender, doing it in small batches.  If the soup is too thick you can always add more warm stock. 
*use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.

Sauteing yummy veggies for a creamy butternut squash soup.

Nothing could be easier than stock in a box!

An immersion blender is one of the handiest tools in my kitchen.

 

 

The best part of the soup recipe is that it can be used with leftover roasted squash from the first recipe.  I usually double the roasted butternut squash recipe so I know I have enough to make soup the next day.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Planning to post a few more Thanksgiving recipes tomorrow and Tuesday...as long as I don't drown in pie dough tomorrow!