Butternut Squash

My mom has a garden full of beautiful butternut squash right now.

I got my first one today and it only had to sit on the counter 2 hours before I chopped it open and popped it in the oven.

My house smells yummy!

If squash intimidates you, like it used to do to me, have no fear!

It's one of the easiest veggies to prepare.

Here's what I did today:

• Scrub it clean, take the "handle" off if needed.
• Chop it in half, length-wise.
• Scoop out the seeds and veins.
• Put a Tablespoon of brown sugar in each "cup" where the seeds used to be.
• Place on a lipped cookie sheet/cake pan.
• Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350 for 2-3 hours until you can poke a fork through easily. (I put mine in for 2 hours 50 minutes and it was perfect!)

When it's cooled a little, use a fork to scrape the meat from the skin. Mush it a little, add more brown sugar if you want. And some butter if you want too.

You can easily substitute this type of squash for pumpkin puree. Or mix it in with mashed potatoes. Or eat it on its own. Or process it for baby food. Or make butternut squash soup.

Really, there's a lot to make out of this yummy garden treat.

So, go find yourself one today!