Trick or Treat...Almond Butter Cups!

I kind of view Halloween as the kick-off to the official Holidays! I enjoy Halloween. The weather is still pretty decent and the trees are still on fire with rustling leaves gently wafting to the ground. The sunsets are vivid and golden pink. The air smells crisp and clean and cool. For blocks and blocks the yards are filled with tombstones and scarecrows and ghosts. There is a spooky excitement in the air and I find it contagious.

The downside? The grocery stores and discount stores and gas station shelves are piled high with cheap, lousy, high fructose corn syrup laden candy. The fun and excitement of picking and building costumes is culminated by an overload of crappy candy. The ghosts and goblins and zombies and minions will haul home their booty of genetically modified edibles and stash them in a safe hiding place. That's what frightens ME...

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=27448489&nid=1009&title=woman-to-give-fat-shaming-letters-to-obese-trick-or-treaters&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-18

Did anyone else read the above article? This woman is so off the mark! Really??? Picking and choosing who should get candy and who shouldn't based off her idea of the perfect weight? So, it's okay to give skinny, malnourished kids a pillow case full of processed crap? NO kids should be eating this stuff. If you want to make a change for the better treat all kids equally and find a better quality of food for their generation! Instead of putting some snarky letter in some poor little guys plastic pumpkin bucket, how about addressing the big picture and not giving any kids a huge dose of HFCS? Come up with a real solution lady. Instead of a nasty, hurtful note to a kid who is the victim of the Western food system why not come up with something useful? 

Oh, I don't know...maybe give them all a dollar bill, or a pack of crayons or an organic juice box. If you are going to be the "weird" lady in the neighborhood why not be "weird" with something useful or healthy instead of some ridiculously hurtful nonsense?

Yeah, yeah, I know it's hard with kids. It's also hard with husbands who have a hankering for a peanut butter cup. Sheesh...even I am tempted by the square orange packets filled with chocolate and a gooey filling. But, really...isn't the fun of Halloween so much more than the candy? Well...it could be!

I am happy to report I have not given in to any cravings for "store bought" candy this season. Nope, I'm not going to! But, I can't lie...we all want a peanut butter cup around here! So...make some! I decided to make a twist on the traditional cup and instead I made "almond butter cups"! I was NOT disappointed...

And, I made them with quality white chocolate.

I LOVE the little baking cups I found for Halloween. Cute, right??? After melting the chocolate in a double boiler I use a small spoon and line the bottom and sides of the little papers with the chocolate. This recipe makes 30 almond butter cups.

The almond butter. I like the "no stir" feature...

After the cups are coated with the chocolate you add a small dollop of the almond butter mixture.

Then top off the cups with the remaining white chocolate. Let them set up at room temperature for about 3 hours.

Um...yeah, they are freakishly good! You won't be disappointed and you won't miss the ones in the orange packets! I find that eating one is actually enough! They are rich and decadent and not outrageously sweet. The almond butter is sweet/salty and the perfect gooey texture.

If you need a sweet treat (I do!) this is a fun way to go. No HFCS, nothing genetically modified and very satisfying. Your kids will love helping you make these and it's a treat you can indulge them with and not feel guilty for filling them up with processed fake food. Yay...

Almond Butter Cups
Yield 30

16 ounces of quality white chocolate
1 cup of almond butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
2 TBSP. brown sugar

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Line the bottom and sides of small baking cups with the melty chocolate. Blend all other ingredients in a food processor, "Magic Bullet" or blender. Spoon a dollop into each cup. Top the  filling with the remaining melty chocolate. Let sit at room temperature for about 3 hours.


Okay...for you semi-sweet chocolate and peanut butter fans you can sub the white chocolate for the semi-sweet and peanut butter for the almond butter!

Personally, I like the white almond butter the best...but, Hubs prefers the chocolate peanut butter ones. Go figure...I guess it's true, "opposites DO attract"!

Oh, and I guess I will be the "weird" lady in the neighborhood who is giving out seed packets in hopes there are a few new gardens in the neighborhood next spring ;)

Pizza Night...

Last night was our monthly pizza night! We have actually been doing this for 4 years now! After reading Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal Vegetable Miracle" we implemented her idea! In her book she has pizza night once a week. We didn't think it would be feasible for our group to do it quite that often. We thought it would be fun to give it a shot once a month and see how it went! Well...I'm happy to report it has been a huge success! We rotate houses and there are four families involved. Obviously, we each host it once every four months!
Pizza night has really become an "institution" for us! We look forward to it! Each family has their own style and creative spin. I can honestly say we have all become better pizza makers since starting this fun tradition. The toppings change throughout the seasons. We each have our own favorite recipes for the crust and the sauce. We locally source most ingredients and use fresh toppings and unique combinations.
We literally end up making around 8 pizzas for pizza night! The possibilities are endless. Some of the pizzas are pretty traditional. Basil, cheese and pine nuts for the vegetarians in our group. A take on a cheeseburger using grass-fed ground beef and pickles! We've experimented with seafood and made "breakfast" pizza with eggs and bacon! There have been salad topped pizzas with fresh field greens and arugula and a light dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The combinations are endless and fun and delicious. Each and every pizza has been unique and tasty and fun.
Sometimes we cook our pizzas out on our barbeque. Other times they just go in the oven. Each time they are amazing!
I'm not sure any of us expected we would keep "pizza night" going for so long. Happily, I don't see an end in sight! Next months date is already on the calendar!

Last night my daughter and her adorable little family were the hosts. The beet pizza was a huge success. Her little Sprout ate most of the olives before they hit the pizzas...We ran out of time this month before pizza night but we have high hopes of making our own mozzarella and ricotta in the near future!

Seriously...homemade pizza is the bomb! My daughter experimented with a new sauce recipe yesterday. She used our own bottled tomatoes, some organic tomato paste, her secret spice combination ;) and blended it all up in her "Magic Bullet". Not totally sure what all was in that secret combo but it was really fresh and light and tomato-licious.

Our homemade crusts tend to be light and thin and crispy. Makes it so you can eat LOTS of pieces! That's a good thing on pizza night!

Last night my boy decided to bring a nice surprise. He is quite a spectacular baker. He whipped up a batch of his locally famous chocolate chip cookies! He also brought some quality ice cream and treated us to some pretty outrageous ice cream sandwiches!

Had I known this was in the works I would have made homemade ice cream! It's too bad you guys can't taste this stuff. You will have to take my word for how ooey gooey good these were. My boy is able to bake up a cookie that is soft and chewy and still plump and fat. Impressive...

Pizza night is more than just good home fashioned and healthy pizza. It is the night we catch up and reconnect and share our stories and experiences with good friends and family. We joke and laugh and watch the little Sprouts run through the house giggling and imitating each other.
You really need to implement a pizza night in YOUR life...

Hubs is sharing his yummy pizza crust recipe...

2 cups of organic unbleached flour
.25 oz. package of yeast
pinch of salt
1 TBSP of honey
1 tsp. of olive oil
1/2 cup of warm water

He dissolves the yeast in the water and adds everything to the stand mixer. Turns it into a ball using the dough hook. Let it rise to double the size and punch it back down. Then divide into four equal size balls and let it rise again covered with a clean dish cloth. Hand fashion each ball into a single pizza crust when ready to top and bake!

All these recipes I used to be intimidated by are really very easy! They are well worth a few extra minutes of your time. Do it! You won't be sorry!

Shepherds Pie...

I've been in serious need of some major comfort food! It always amazes me how my taste buds change with the changing seasons. I'm sure it is documented and verified somewhere that nature really makes this happen! Of course I've already mentioned I've been eating my weight in local squash! I just can't seem to get enough. My kitchen counter is lined with an assortment of thick skinned multi-colored orbs and oblongs. Isn't it interesting that they match the colors of the changing leaves? I think nature is really orchestrating all this and guiding you to eat what is in season.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't craving such filling and heavy food...but hey, I think Mother Nature is calling the shots right now. With a chill in the air and the frosty morning dew I had an overpowering urge to make Shepherds Pie! I know this casserole doesn't really call for pie crust. The topping of mashed potatoes is what makes it pie-esque...but I am so in love with my new pie crust recipe that I couldn't help add it to the mix! I did say heavy and filling comfort food, right?
I'm kind of getting away from using recipes. I have found that eating cleaner just requires less ingredients. Our food has definitely become less complicated. So, Hubs and I kind of tag teamed this and threw it together! I had made a batch of the buttery dough the day before and it was chilling in the fridge.
We had thawed a package of our newly packaged grass fed beef. Hubs started to brown it while I diced and sliced organic celery, carrots and onion. We sauteed the veggies in olive oil and a tad of butter and cubed up some freshly dug potatoes and got them boiling on the stove. When the lovely lean burger was ready to go we added it to the softened trilogy of vegetables. Hubs added some organic broth to the pan drippings and a bit of flour and made a light and tasty gravy. I rolled out the dough and smothered a casserole dish with it. We dumped the "gravy" into the meat and veggies and stirred it up. I threw the tender taters in my trusty KitchenAid mixer and made some darn tasty mashed potatoes.

Okay, the dough didn't have to look super pretty because it is being hidden beneath the filling!  I can make it pretty when necessary :)

I slathered the mashers on top. It is getting more impressive! Popped it in the oven at 425F for 35 minutes. I was guessing on the time but it ended up being just right.

Ahhhh....perty! I mean c'mon. Mashed potatoes AND pie crust?! It totally lived up to our expectations. Next time the wind is howling through the trees and you need a bit of comforting give it a try! I'm not even feeling guilty! It was completely organic, made with clean quality ingredients, didn't have a lick of sugar in it and filled me with happiness! That's a good thing...

Grass Fed Beef...

I am thinking Fall really has arrived! The weather has become quite erratic. One day it is gorgeous and bright and fairly warm and then in a split second the temperature will drop and the wind will change and there is definitely a frost on the pumpkin! Some nights I have the windows open and enjoy a mellow cool breeze. Other nights I am running to shut those windows and cranking up the furnace. Today I was lucky enough to ride my bike in sunny 60 degree weather and sit for a brief time in my backyard and watch the chickens rummage for bugs...just before the clouds rolled in and the temp dropped and I had to run for cover! Typical Fall weather in my neck of the woods!
There are other signs as well. Of course the leaves are just starting to change to their vibrant autumn hues. My beloved farm stand is winding down and will only be open for another 2 weeks. It's now filled with winter squashes, crunchy tart apples, potatoes freshly picked and covered in a dirt blanket and fragrant recently dug onions. They've roped off a small area and lined it with pumpkins of every variety, color and shape imaginable. Hubs is working feverishly to get the yard "put away". Sprinklers drained and shut off, final lawn mowings, tilling up the dirt and filling the chicken coop with fresh hay.
There is also a feeling in our household of getting ready for winter and "hunkering" down. ;) Jars in a rainbow of colors proudly line our shelves with recently canned produce for winter consumption. Bale jars are filled with dried cinnamon apples from the neighbors prolific producing apple trees as well as assorted fruit vodkas slowly mellowing and melding for Holiday gift giving.
It is also the time of year for filling our freezer with the most amazing grass fed beef. This is the real deal people! Genuine, local, completely grass fed beef! Just as nature intended. It's time to throw away all the anti-beef warnings and realize those don't apply to grass fed beef. (This isn't your nasty, sickly feed lot beef being fed expired Snicker bars)...This is beef that nurtures and nourishes your body.

http://www.mercola.com/beef/health_benefits.htm

You really need to read all about it if you haven't already. It's a super food and your health and your body will thank you. Oh, and your taste buds will thank you as well! It's freaking unbelievable...
We are so lucky we found our beef supplier and fortunate he isn't too far away. Before we ever signed up for this delectable beef we decided to go check out the whole operation. We wanted to make sure it was the real thing, not grain fed at some point to fatten up the cows. We wanted to make sure the cows really were free range and content and healthy and in a humane environment.
We made the 30 minute drive up the canyon to a small town just this side of heaven. The cows were out grazing in a lush, pristine field at the base of a scenic mountainside. There were only a few. Dark and glossy black they were contentedly munching the vibrant green grass.
The "farmer" was intelligent and sincere and explained the whole operation. We were impressed...
Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Xb4bDLqqI&noredirect=1

So, this week we made the drive and went to pick up our beef and refill our freezers!

Yup, it's stacked in there next to my frozen peach pie filling! We will be able to enjoy this beef and share it with friends and family for the next year. (Give us a days notice and I'm pretty sure Hubs will cook up a nice roast if you want to drop by)!

Um...hoping you read all this! Are you convinced yet??? I mean, if you are going to eat beef, you want to eat something that was happy and healthy, right???

YEE HAW...

I am so excited to have a guest blogger for this post! My good friend Jana is pioneering the way for kids to experience the joys of eating REAL food! She has a knack for making it tasty, kid friendly and just plain FUN! She is knee deep in rearing her adorable girls in a world where REAL food is not the norm! I am amazed at the unique and creative ways she is navigating this complicated journey. Enjoy reading about this inspired event. I hope to include more of her fabulous ideas in future posts! Thanks Jana for sharing the fun...

This summer I decided it was time to introduce more whole foods and get rid of the processed food that has begun to fill our cupboards.  The girls were on board and excited to help in the kitchen.  Things were going great until our first bump in the road, a birthday party.  Sigh.  I LOVE parties, but if you’re a Pinterest fan, you know that every party idea (especially for kids) is bursting with loads of sugar, candy and processed food.  Well, I decided instead of trying to avoid the food, we would take it by the horns. :) My good friend (you may know her) gave me the great idea to have the girls make butter as one of the activities. I sat down with the girls and asked what they thought about having a dinner, Cowgirl Style.  They were excited to come up with the menu and were up to the challenge.  Here was the menu they came up with:  Roast, potatoes, cornbread and watermelon.  Perfect!  The party was easy and fun!  The girls made butter for their potatoes and corn bread, played horseshoes and made horse necklaces.  One of my favorite moments of the night was when I saw a little girl look down at her plate and say, “Wow, usually you just get pizza at parties!” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve served plenty of pizza at all kinds of parties around here! We are far from a fully clean diet and I have a lot to learn. But, I can’t tell you how rewarding it was to see 20 ten year olds sitting around enjoying a homemade dinner that my girls helped me make!

Next challenge.... can you throw a kids HALLOWEEN party without candy or treats?!  This could be SCARY!

The Transition...How To Start Feeding Kids A Better Diet...

First, I want to say how sad I find the title of this blog post. A better diet should be all that's available! Our food system is broken. Through little fault of our own we are the victims of lousy, processed, dirty food. I personally didn't see it happening until it was here! Something started happening in the 1980's that changed the way we eat and confused us about what was healthy. Processed food became a way of life. Fast food overtook slow food. Fat was banned and replaced with science projects. Cane sugar was taken out of our food system and replaced with cheap, GMO high fructose corn syrup. Fillers, additives and chemistry lessons filled up the shelves of our grocery stores.
These exciting new foods were promoted as "healthy, natural, good for you". They weren't and they aren't. Brightly colored boxes and bags and plastics were filled with products with enticing names and clever logos. Marketing wasn't just directed at adults. It was methodically and cleverly aimed at kids. And, it worked...Our food system is filled with non-food.
I'm often asked how to combat this arsenal of bad food when you are raising kids. Children are exposed to this food system in huge and outrageous ways. They are bombarded with television advertising, giant billboards, peer pressure and even somewhat of an addiction to processed food. Parents are up against what their kids eat at the mall or with friends or what "goodies" are brought to school. Even more frustrating is what they are fed during school lunch. It seems like an insurmountable battle and it would be easy to get discouraged.
Where do you start? How do you get your kids on board? Will they feel deprived? Will their family become the "weird" family in the neighborhood? Is it doable and sustainable and affordable?
Well...I have good news! It is doable and sustainable and affordable. What's more? I think the kids will be on board! I am ever an optimist and think everything is possible! I'm also optimistic and excited about the food movement and the progress it is making.
So, where to start? My advice...ease into it and take on what you really can do! Several suggestions won't even involve your kids and they won't know the difference. Some will involve your kids and they WILL know the difference!
My first suggestion is to buy milk and dairy products that do not have antibiotics or added growth hormones. If you are milk drinkers, please drink WHOLE milk! It isn't the 80's anymore and all of that bad info is being reversed. Whole milk is better for you and has less sugar. The process of eliminating or reducing fat from whole milk completely changes the chemistry and actually makes non-fat milk higher in sugar and much less healthy. I personally consider anything but whole milk a "processed" food! I also recommend that people drink healthy raw milk but the reality is only a few people will actually do that or research the benefits, so...going with the whole milk is a good option. I always try to shop for organics. Milk and dairy included, but, if you can't find it or it is cost prohibitive opt for the whole milk without the additives.
My second suggestion is harder. :(  Sorry, but you should not consume High Fructose Corn Syrup! I don't care that the corn industry has those lovely commercials enticing you to consume HFCS. Just because a healthy looking lady is standing in a beautiful green field with a pitcher of some unidentifiable liquid does not make it healthy. Sadly, HFCS is in most everything processed. You MUST start reading labels. Yes, I'm sorry to report it is in all your favorite Halloween candy. It is in your bag of Oreos. It's in your ketchup and your sweet pickles. Just assume it is in every processed food you consume unless you read the label and shop at a natural food store.
This will be harder for your kids. In all honesty, they will still be consuming HFCS and their friends will be offering it to them and their school treats will contain it. What's the answer? I don't have that answer...What can you do? Don't have it in your home. Go through your cupboards and fridge and see what contains it. Get rid of it. You can find delicious ketchup that is organic and free of HFCS. (by the way...if it's organic, regardless of the item, it will NOT contain HFCS). If you can't live without Oreos, switch to Newman-O's or something similar. This is how you will start...slowly and easily and in your comfort zone.
I promise, the more you read and study about the food industry, the easier it will be to change the way you eat!
Start making your own meals, lunches, snacks and goodies. You CAN do it. It may require some weekend hours to shop and prep and pre-make meals. When you start seeing and tasting the benefits it will get easier!
My third suggestion is that your family, your kids, your spouse, your partner are all involved in the shopping, picking, cooking and baking. It's fun! Do you make a separate "kids" meal for your kids? If the answer is yes...STOP! There is no such thing as "kid" food! Kids can eat what you do and what's more...they like it!
Have a nice supply of organic flour and cane sugar and baking powder sans the aluminum in your pantry. Kids LOVE baking. Have the stuff on hand to make a cake or cookies or banana bread. A nice loaf of sweet bread will be a great breakfast or after school snack for several days. Take the kids to the farm stands with you. It's fun, too! Let them look at food the way it's supposed to look. Take them to pick apples or blueberries or asparagus. Include them in the handling and cooking of your meals.
You will encounter some bumps along the way. Obviously the younger the kids, the easier it is to make changes and have at least some control over their diets. But, teenagers like good food, too. In my experience, teens are smart and clever and creative and capable. Include them in your journey and it will be greatly enhanced!
I don't have to deal with the whole "school lunch" issue anymore. My friends with school aged kids find it difficult to navigate and most are now packing lunches. Even doing that, many parents are caught up in the processed food trap and send items laden with HFCS and no "real" food value. It is difficult and confusing and many people just don't know. They are victims of the food industry and haven't yet found the way out. What is a great way to educate and help...by example! You know..."be the change you want to see"!

Ok, seriously! What kid wouldn't want a lunch that looks and tastes like this! Sure you can customize it to your kids likes. My adorable friend sent me this picture one day after sending her girls off to school. She has taken advantage of all the cute and colorful little silicone cups available. Her kids actually really eat this food, too! Have you seen all the cool bento boxes now available for transportable lunches? I hear Pinterest has some really great ideas as well for bento box lunches.

My next few blog posts will offer more ideas for getting your kids on board. I have to admit, I'm kinda clever on my own ;)...but, I just purchased this book and I am in LOVE with it!

The recipes in this book are a great start for getting your kids on board. Easy and fast and delicious!

I made the toaster pastries from the book cover! (I also filled them with my homemade jam!)

Your kids will LOVE these. Especially if they get to help make them!

In all honesty...I am still learning about clean food, the broken system we have and what still needs to happen. I have been researching and experimenting for 4 years and I'm far from knowing everything. I do know that I am happy and healthy and feeling a connection with food and the Earth it comes from. It's exciting to make food I have grown or picked myself. It's rewarding to see our little Sprouts play in the garden and eat the food we eat. Start with the stuff you can do and grow from there! Next thing you know...you will want a garden and your very own chickens! ;)

Squash 101

I have a confession...I'm a relatively new "squash" eater. Actually, I've graduated from just eater to LOVER. In the past I pretty much just avoided the squash area of the grocery store. In hindsight that was probably for the best. My love affair with squash may have never gotten started if I'd purchased mushy, flavorless squash from a grocery store bin.
It's amazing how many varieties of squash there are when you start noticing them. Honestly, I haven't gotten around to trying all of them yet. I'm stuck on my 3 favorite varieties. I'm pretty sure most of the population likes what butternut squash has to offer. Butternut squash soup is seriously delicious. I've also have velvety smooth and creamy butternut squash ravioli. (my mouth is watering) Surprisingly, I don't cook much with butternut at this point. I need to hone my skills on that one. FYI, I find butternut is very hard to cut so just be aware of that. A large sharp knife is a must. Although this isn't my preference, I've seen frozen organic diced butternut squash in the grocery store. I say, better than nothing. If you aren't ready to take on the whole squash you could make a hearty and tasty fall meal with the frozen stuff.
When I was a kid my parents would show up occasionally with some giant squash variety and bake it up. I avoided it as if my life depended on it. It was probably really yummy but that giant weird gourd looking thing had no appeal. My Hubs remembers his Grandma making Hubbard squash. He tried to explain how she made it to me last night. I was really confused when he was talking about cupcake pans and balancing the ends and such. I think I need a visual. I may pick up a Hubbard and let him have at it!
There are soooo many varieties and all shapes and sizes and hues. The Hubbard ranges from dark greens to blue tones. There are yellow squash and orange and green and yellow striped. They can be teeny tiny or huge. I wouldn't have know where to start when my interest in squash piqued. Once again, I am grateful for my local farmer!
We have 3 favorite varieties now. I would have been clueless for the help and advice of the farmer. Now, we are squash junkies...

This giant orange monstrosity is a banana squash! You can't really tell from the picture but this guy is like 3 feet long! As much as we love squash there is NO way we could eat all that.

Luckily the Farmer knows this and he cuts them up, removes the seeds and is willing to sell assorted sizes and pieces. Yay...

I guess we are kind of squash purists. We don't do anything fancy. Just bake it! The banana squash is pretty thick and this piece took a good hour to get soft and buttery and yummy. We add pure fresh butter, kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper. It really is amazing! I would say that at this point, banana squash is our 3rd favorite! We cooked it meaty side up as it won't lay flat when it is cut this way.

This ordinary, unobtrusive looking guy is a spaghetti squash. Don't let the outside appearance underwhelm you! This is an amazing squash and definitely first runner up at our house! Again, a large sharp knife is required to cut this in half lengthwise. Scrap out the seeds, too. I line a baking sheet with parchment paper and turn it cut side down. Really, just baking it does the magic! This squash becomes a little piece of heaven!

Seriously...how cool is this...after it is baked, you take a fork to it and gently remove it from the skin. It totally turns into "spaghetti"! It is absolutely amazing. I scraped it all into a bowl, added some butter, salt, pepper and good grated Parmesan cheese. Oh my...you really, really need to try this! It could be a total meal all by itself. We ate it as a side dish for dinner, but, the next morning added leftovers to our velvety bright yellow eggs and scrambled it up. It was outrageous! It's very filling and satisfying. There was still a bit left and I heated it up in the microwave and ate it for lunch. Yup, salivating again here! Your kids will like this squash! You really could serve it just like spaghetti and top with marinara. Do it!

And, finally...our first place winner! A squash secret. A gift from the squash heavens. The petite Delicata. Aptly named for its delicate flesh and buttery dessert like qualities.

These are relatively small squashes. Of course in comparison to that mammoth banana dude. You will want to eat the whole thing in one sitting! Again, scrape out the seeds and place cut side down on a parchment lined baking pan. I cook these at about 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. They are "delicate" and thinner skinned so they don't take that long to cook. I check it and watch it a bit and when I can easily stick it with a fork it's done!

It looks pretty unassuming here for sure. Don't let that fool you! Again...I don't want to mask the delicate mild taste of this crazy good squash. Butter, salt and pepper is the treatment. We always say we could eat this squash for dessert. It is just unbelievably good. The flavor and texture is just really "delicate"! I am ever grateful to the farm guy for introducing us to this surprising little squash.

There are all kinds of recipes and enhancements you can add to squash of course. They would all be good with brown sugar or maple syrup drizzles, but, honestly...the flavor stands up on its own with little embellishment. I'm pretty much planning to eat my weight in squash this fall while I can still get it. Luckily I can stock up as it will last in a cool, dark place for several weeks. I know Fall is a favorite time of year for many and for a lot of different reasons. Is it weird that my favorite thing about fall is squash???

As a side note...this is a cute little acorn squash. We tried it for the first time this year. Please don't take offense to any of you acorn squash lovers, but it was NOT tasty! We were really disappointed! Maybe it takes a special recipe or technique but we didn't even eat it! ;( The chickens liked it, though!