OK, I *owned* that squash.

Acorn squash. Small, pointy-ended green skinned veg. I asked about it in my previous post. I have (had) 5lbs of it in the basement, thanks to the co-op. And up until dinner, I'd only ever eaten it buried under mounds of butter and brown sugar. Growing up, it was the one squash I could tolerate the most, but I had to eat it as described above and it had to be eaten first. Why is it that squash gets cold so fast? Anyway, childhood memories aside, this squash was awesome. I took a few (pathetic) pictures of it, but won't gross you out with them right now. Perhaps I will edit to include them later... you know, when the camera isn't several rooms away and I'm not feeling so lazy.

Here's how it went down:

I wanted to make quinoa and acorn squash and had the brilliant idea of stuffing the latter with the former. Got that? But what else should go into it? A little rummaging in the freezer and pantry brought forth 4oz of cooked ground spicy turkey sausage, a tiny delicata squash, apples, and onion. And thus, my dinner began. The quinoa (in veggie broth) simmered itself in the rice cooker while I baked the halved squashes at 350 for 40 minutes or so. I chopped the apple (Fuji) and onion (red) and sauteed them in olive oil, then added the mostly-thawed cooked sausage. When the squash was soft, I scooped out each half and added the flesh to the skillet, stirring well to combine. I threw out the delicata skins and put the acorn shells back into the baking dish.

A quick taste determined that it was good, but not really flavorful. I hadn't added any salt, pepper, or seasonings yet. What to add? Italian herbs = bad combo. Red pepper = overkill with the sausage. Nothing sounded good...until I found the curry powder. It was PERFECT. And my Curry-Stuffed Acorn Squash was born. I added 1/2 teaspoon to my skillet, scooped some quinoa into the squash, then stuffed the seasoned filling into the four cavities. I topped each one with a tiny shower of locally-made mild white cheddar and tossed them back in the oven for a few minutes to warm through and melt. The sweet, gently spicy, smoky nature of the spice complemented the flavors in the squash just right. At dinner, I was that annoying cook who kept exclaiming over her own brilliance and tasty end result. Ha! I wasn't the only one, though; The H even said I could submit it to CE Mag. It was seriously good. I was so proud of us! At The H's suggestion, next time I make this, I will attempt a red (or other colorful) reduction or sauce.

After dinner I pounded out a fast and awesome 3.25 miles on the treadmill. Endorphins may or may not be contributing to the glowing review of this meal, though even before I cranked up my iPod and broke a good sweat, we were saying how good it was. :) Yay squash!