by on September 16, 2013   •   40 Comments Dinner

Butternut Squash Lasagna

I spotted it yesterday while I was turning the earth in the potato bed – the first tinge of rouge on our towering maples. The color in the leaves reflects the drop in temperatures and signals the bona fide start of fall on the homestead.

There are other signs of the change of seasons, too. The potatoes have been dug and stored, and we’ve already had to burrow into the closets in search of fleece jackets and tall boots for our invigorating walks to school and back.

Since the weather has turned chilly, I am prepping less salads and roasting more vegetables. I like to have cooked squash on hand to tuck into foods like mini quiche, soups, and today’s lasagna.

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butternut squash and leeks
by on September 28, 2011   •   32 Comments Dinner

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Recipe

Written by Katie of Good Life Eats

I have not always been a fan of winter squash. I never cared for it as a child, but rather ate it because I was told to – so long as it was covered with enough butter and brown sugar. I was never a picky eater, but I always had a couple things that, even after trying, I just didn’t care for, and squash was one of them.

As an adult, however, I’ve found that sometimes liking or not liking certain vegetables or other ingredients depends so much on how that ingredient is prepared. Not to mention that taste buds mature with age.

It’s always good to keep experimenting and trying new things. Sometimes I surprise myself with the way my tastes have changed.

I know now that I don’t like to eat plain, cooked squash straight out of its shell. I like my squash best when it is cooked and used within a recipe, like with this Butternut Squash and Apple Soup. I’ve found that the variety of winter squash that I like the best is probably butternut squash, thanks to its sweet nutty taste.

Although I definitely have a favorite winter squash, I certainly can appreciate all that winter squash has to offer during a time where, in my opinion, produce is often pretty boring (I have always favored the brightly colored spring and summer fruits and vegetables).

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by on September 22, 2010   •   45 Comments Pantry & Spotlight Ingredients

Back to…Cooking School: How to Select, Prepare & Cook Winter Squash

With crisp evening air and a basket full of apples, fall whispers its entrance. I make a mad dash to preserve all that was summer with popping jars of hot tomatoes on my counter tops. Summer is nearly gone.

The fall vegetables I now see bring relief. No canning involved in storing potatoes, beets, and my favorite – winter squash. You couldn’t talk me into eating these winter treasures for the first 23 years of my life. We now eat it in one form or another a few times a week during the cooler months. And everyone in our family – young and old – cannot get enough.

If you’ve never been a fan of squash, then let me tell you a little secret: squash can be absolutely delicious, versatile, useful, and healthy, you just have to know how to use it. [Read more…]