Drowning in Squash

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Sundays have become my baking day! I made a really simple apple crisp with oatmeal, brown sugar, butter, and flower because tomorrow is one of my supervisor’s birthdays. I love baking, but let’s be honest, I don’t do it often because I have no self-control around desserts; although, this whole no soy thing has actually required quite a bit of self-control, especially around chocolate. If you ever see soy-free chocolate chips, I beg you, mail them to me!

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I gave the apples a coating of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and layered them in between the crust.

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I also went to spinning at noon, hemmed three more pairs of pants, and handled a very large butternut squash. You see, Trader Joes prices a lot of their produce based on quantity and not on weight, so when I got to the register with one of the smaller squashes, the cashier felt quite strongly that I needed to choose a bigger one because, regardless of the size, they were all $1.99. So, with mild hesitation, I went back and got the largest one I could find and didn’t look back. Now I have way too much squash. I only needed a little bit for one recipe. I contemplated making risotto with the rest, but I just had it on Saturday, and didn’t want something similar, so I ended up making mashed squash for later in the week.

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But, I still had way too much squash.

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So, I did what any girl would do with too much mashed squash…I made black bean, butternut, and goat cheese quesadillas.

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This was one of the fattest quesadillas I’ve made at home. You should have seen Matt’s…he could barely flip it because it was so thick.  Squash was pouring out the sides.

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The goat cheese was absolutely essential in this and, I have to say, for a last-minute meal this was quite good.

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And because I knew Matt and I wouldn’t be able to bear to stare at the apple crisp I made for my supervisor and not try any, I made a teeny tiny little bit in a separate pan to enjoy with the last of the butter pecan ice cream. Matt declared this the best dessert he’s had in a while (he’s into apple desserts), so I might just make it again.

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I hope you’ve all had a relaxing weekend. Ta-ta.
  • Veronique
    October 4, 2010 at 5:26 pm

    Maybe you van try this with your squash: http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/10/butternut-squash-ziti/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Macheesmo+%28Macheesmo%29

    I haven’t tried it yet, but i plan to very soon. It looks do good !!!

  • TheFeistyFairy
    October 4, 2010 at 6:34 pm

    I feel your soy-free chocolate pain. These are the only soy-free chocolate chips I have found. http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/our_foods/chocolate_chips.html Thankfully, I find most grocery stores with a reasonably sized natural foods section keep them in stock.

  • Mary Frances
    October 4, 2010 at 7:50 pm

    I would have gone back to get the biggest squash too!

    The Simple Apple Crisp looks really good, and with Matt’s endorsement I would probably make it. It would be wonderful if you included it in a recipes link someday.

  • Laura
    October 4, 2010 at 7:59 pm

    Butternut squash soup (which is easy and usually freezes well for nights when you don’t feel like cooking) and butternut squash bread (like pumpkin bread–and actually, when I made pumpkin and butternut squash bread side-by-side, the butternut squash one was deemed more tasty) are two more squash options 🙂

    • Laura
      October 4, 2010 at 9:15 pm

      Ohhh, that squash bread sounds good…do you have a good recipe?

      • Laura
        October 4, 2010 at 10:27 pm

        I *think* it is this recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread/ with butternut squash substituted for the pumpkin. I made it about a year ago and didn’t think to save it but remember that the recipe had metric measurements and mentioned you could use butternut squash, so I’m pretty sure this is it.

        • Laura
          October 4, 2010 at 10:37 pm

          Thanks!

  • Kerry
    October 4, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    That’s funny about TJ’s, but I think the same way about the bananas! You could freeze a container of mashed squash for those super crazy weeks when you don’t have much time to cook.

  • Kat
    October 4, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    I love making a mini-dessert in a smaller pan, especially if you need to bring the rest of it elsewhere. I totally lack the self-control to wait!

  • kath
    October 4, 2010 at 10:34 pm

    I think you should mail ME that squash!

  • bambizzle
    October 5, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    Hey, first time commenting but I read your plea for soy free chocolate.
    A company called Dove makes soy free chocolate in the UK, they use sunflower lecithin instead. I can post some out to you if you want.

    • Laura
      October 5, 2010 at 8:57 pm

      Ohhh, thanks for letting me know! It’s kind of you to offer to send me some, but I wouldn’t want you to have to pay for the expensive shipping all the way across the ocean!