This is NOT a cooking blog

I am not much of a cook.  I never could follow a recipe and, although it is my belief one's food experience begins with the plating and visual experience, none of that shows today.

I LOVE squash.  I love all kinds of squash.  What I DON'T LOVE is trying to cut the hard winter squashes, then cooking them.  Instead, I bake them an hour in my oven at 300 degrees F (150 C, Gas mark 2).  The upside to this is, the shells cut like butter once you do this.  The downside is, you can't save the seeds.

This was the easiest recipe of all.  I first removed the seeds from the acorn squash, then I simply added 2 T butter, 1/4 c brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp cloves, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.  I placed the acorn squash in the oven at the same temperature as before for 15 minutes or until everything was melted and gooey.

The spaghetti squash was first cut in half, then the seeds removed.  Next, I scraped inside the squash with a fork, turning it into spaghetti strands.  I added butter, parmesan cheese, garlic, and onion.  It was baked as above for 15 minutes.

I made a spaghetti sauce, but didn't add it till I got to Scott's, where we were sharing an early Christmas dinner. 

Sauce
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 T fresh basil, chopped
1 T dried oregano
2 bay leaves

Saute onions and garlic until tender in hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 4 hours.  Remove bay leaves and add grated parmesan before serving.
 
I had just placed my butternut squash concoction in a container and went to get my camera when Scott scooped it up and took it to his car.  All that was left was the empty container of my favorite dish! 

While the other two squash were in the oven, I toasted about a cup of walnuts and about a cup of almonds on an ungreased baking sheet for about 10 minutes.  Once cooled, I chopped them into bite sized pieces.

To make the butternut squash, I first peeled my 3 lb. squash, then halved it.  I removed the seeds, then cut it into bite size cubes.  I peeled two sweet potatoes and cut them in bite size cubes, too.  I then cut a large red onion into fairly large pieces.  To those, I added snow peas and Brussels sprouts.  Once tossed, I melted 4 T butter, then added the mixture to the pan.  I covered the pan and cooked for about 20 minutes.

While the squash was cooking, I chopped about 1/2 cup fresh parsley.  When the squash concoction had cooked, I removed it from the pan and added the walnuts, almonds, and parsley.  I can attest, this was my favorite of all the squashes I made.

I assure you this is NOT a cooking blog and I am NOT a cook.  But it was fun sharing the various squashes I made for Christmas and I even got my Brussels sprouts in.  Thanks for joining me today in my kitchen and at my dining room table.  I really appreciate your visit.