So, I Took A Butternut Squash......

......and made Roasted Butternut Squash with it.  Butternut squash has a flavor similar to pumpkin, has a yellow-orange skin and orange flesh inside.  To make it though, I took the lazy way out, and purchased my squash already peeled and seeded, so all I had to do was cut it to prepare it.  Butternut squash is a good source of fiber, vitamins A, C and E, magnesium and potassium.  What that means is, it's good for you.

To have it as a side dish, I had to make it so my family would eat it, so I decided to make a sweet version of it.  I have served it before, roasted with other vegetables and herbs as a savory side dish, that was also very tasty (check it out on this blog 3/13/14).  I was serving a pork roast the other night, so what a better side dish than roasted butternut squash with honey and cinnamon.  It was fabulous!  

Recipe Below.

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On to a cutting board and cut them in half.  You need a sharp knife, but be very careful, keep your fingers away from the blade, because they are a little difficult to cut.

 Then cut into bite size chunks and drizzle with olive oil.  My roasting sauce was cinnamon and honey.

 Wow, it's looks amazing already!

 Roast in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes.

It's so scrumptious it's like a dessert!

Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients

1 whole butternut squash, peeled and seeded

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the squash into bite size chunks and put onto a baking sheet.  Toss with the olive oil to coat.  Drizzle the honey on the squash and then sprinkle with cinnamon.  Roast for 35-40 minutes in the oven and as always, all ovens are different. Toss once during roasting time. The squash is done when it is tender in the middle and lightly browned on the outside.  Makes 4 servings.

Sweet Butternut Squash

OMG!  I am back in the groove again.  I have been decorating for Christmas for the last 6 days and I am still not done!  Why, oh why, do I do this every year!  I wasn't even going to decorate this year, but my youngest decided to come for the holiday, and to my surprise she is coming home to stay.  She has had enough of living in a foreign country and wants to be back at the old homestead.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and in between preparing food I was still decorating.  It was hard for me to cook this year, there were only four of us eating. I have never in my life cooked for so few people for this holiday, I always have a houseful for Thanksgiving.  One of the four of us that was eating is a vegan, so no turkey for him!  I had to make something he would eat, he also does not eat anything white, so mashed potatoes were out too!  It is difficult when you are a meat eater, cooking for someone who is not, and you have to come up with a tasty dish that they can eat. So my gears were going and this is what I came up with.

Instead of the traditional sweet potatoes for dinner, I made butternut squash instead.  My mother used to bake sweet potatoes in the oven with butter and brown sugar, so that is how I always made them.  Well, the vegan does not eat butter.  SO, I had this package of cleaned and cut butternut squash in the fridge, I pulled some light brown sugar, honey and cinnamon out of the pantry, tossed it all together in a casserole dish and baked it at 350  degrees for about 40 minutes.  Let me tell you, it was way better than sweet potatoes!

Fragrant Roasted Vegetables and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

I was thinking what I could serve for side dishes when I made my Chicken Sherry.  I had a lot of fresh vegetables to use in the refrigerator, I wanted to make something interesting to use them up.  I had yellow and green zucchini, baby colored peppers, onions, butternut squash and carrots.  I started peeling, paring, trimming and slicing.  Onto a baking sheet with some salt, pepper, fresh thyme, garlic and a little olive oil.  The whole time they were roasting in the oven, the house smelled wonderful.  

 My other side was creamy mashed potatoes, everybody loves those.  I used 8 medium to large red potatoes, washed and peeled them, boiled until soft, then drained them.  I poured them back into the pan, added 4 tablespoons of butter, then put the lid on the pot so the butter would melt.  Next, I beat the potatoes with a mixer, added 1/2 cup of light sour cream, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of  skim milk.  Continued to mix until all was combined.   The potatoes were creamy, fluffy, tasty and guess what - no lumps!