Martin's Hillside Orchard

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Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus

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For someone who never liked squash growing up, I’ve got to say I like everything about this recipe from Trisha’s Southern Kitchen on Food Network.  The roasted squash was so tasty that it was hard to stop snacking.

And, the roasted squash seeds are super easy and super flavorful. I’d like to have a cup or two of these handy year-round to top salads and savory dishes.

What I found challenging — I always find it a little difficult to peel an uncooked squash. Maybe it’s because my knife work isn’t super skilled. Feels like I am in the danger zone. Cutting it into bite-sized pieces probably reduces the roasting time, but I might try to just halve the squash the next time around and roast it in that form, then remove it from the peel afterward with a spoon. Pretty sure I can’t inflict any damage to my person with a spoon 😉

As far as flavor, though, we definitely give this recipe thumbs-up all around

Squash Mac and Cheese

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Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Cool fall weather has us thinking comfort food – soups, stews, risotto, etc.  This recipe caught our eye and it really satisfies.  One medium squash can make this recipes four times over.

Below is breakdown of the types of cheese we used, but you can mix and match to include all your favorites.

  • American cheese – a mainstay
  • Boursin cheese – the recipe called for a semisoft cheese with garlic and herbs.  We opted for Boursin just because we had some left from a wine & cheese tasting. Yummy!  Although it probably more than offset the health benefits of using squash.  Oops
  • Sharp cheddar – Yes, we added even more cheese.  A bit of sharp cheddar.  Feta might be a good choice as well.

Complete recipe from Better Homes & Gardens

Tips

  • Shredding squash – Initially, seemed kind of intimidating, but we didn’t want to muck up a food processor so we just shredded the squash with a food greater.  Worked well and didn’t take long.
  • Spicing it up – For those who like a little heat, we’d suggest adding some peppers.  We’re going to give that a shot next time around.

Butternut Squash Soup

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Butternut Squash Soup

Cool temps have us thinking of warm comfort foods. It’s soup weather, everyone!

We can definitely recommend the following (kid-tested and mom-approved):

1. With Cream – Roasted Butternut Squash Soup – we skipped the curry as a courtesy to the kids but think it would add a nice heat element; good with whole milk as a substitute for cream

2. Without Cream – Butternut Squash Bisque – to make it kid friendly, maybe skip the ginger? We love that flavor note, however. This particular blog post is authored by a cousin back east. Good stuff. Seems that we are all thinking comfort foods this time of year.