Maple and Brown Sugar Squash

Photo Credit: Nugget. I wish I were as cool as she is.
Look at the artistry.

Blog readers, October has begun. And you all know what that means - midterms. Last week was a crazy whirl of schoolwork. Nugget kept me alive by making most of our meals (hooray for dinner buddies!), but I was completely useless.

However, there was one recipe that I was able to manage: acorn squash with brown sugar and maple syrup. This meal was always a favorite of my dad's, so I knew I wanted to make it at least once this fall. I know we've thrown a lot of squash at you on this blog, but if you're not convinced yet, this recipe WILL make you a believer!

It takes 5 minutes to prepare, and sits innocently in the oven for an hour while you study. When it's done, it's delicious, filling, perfectly portioned, and fun to eat! Not to mention, it belongs to that noble, hallowed group of recipes that make vegetables taste like dessert. What more could a college student ask for?




Process:
I used this recipe as a point of reference, but it's really as simple as simple can be. I cut the squash in half (that part was actually a bit tricky with the incredibly dull knives that plague our kitchen), scooped out the seeds, and pierced a few small holes around the outside. I put them in a pan with some water in the bottom to steam up and help the squash cook through.

Cleanup was also minimal, thanks to our good friend
aluminum foil. What a hero.

Next, I scooped a pat of butter, a spoon of brown sugar, and a (heaping) dollop of maple syrup into each one, put them in the oven at 400 degrees, and went back to studying for my history midterm. The whole process took 5 minutes. An hour later, they were done! Easy as that!

Result: O for Outstanding!
The squash was ready minutes after Nugget got back from work. We added some craisins for a little tartness, which worked even better than we expected. Walnuts also pair well with this, if you've got 'em. We scraped all the squash away from the skin and mixed it up to distribute the buttery sugar-syrup throughout, which was just plain fun to do. When we took our first bite of sweet squashy goodness, all of our troubles melted away. We transcended our daily routine and entered a new plane of existence, where vegetables taste like candy and hot meals take only minutes to put together.

In summation: stop what you're doing. Go buy a squash. You know you want to.