Last week Adam had plans to go out with his buddies and I happen to walk through a farmers market where acorn squash caught my eye. Hey, maybe I can make dinner just for myself with one of these little guys? I was all over that! So I did a quick search in my google reader (I save hundreds of recipes for nights exactly like this… and then maybe make 2 of them a year. Le sigh) and found Bridget’s recipe for autumn chowder. It starred butternut squash (I was sure acorn would be fine), sweet potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, corn and bacon and cheese for peet’s sake! I figured Adam could try it and if he didn’t like it, I’d be happy to freeze the leftovers and enjoy for them for random lunches and future lazy nights. But you know what? Adam LOVED it. There were so many delicious root veggies in this recipe that the squash played a very small part of the dish (I still loved having it there but I knew that Adam wouldn’t even be able to detect it). I omitted the onions, used 2 cups of light cheese, 1% milk and I wish I skipped the flour. It actually completely clumped up but not before adding a weird powdery texture throughout (the was plenty creamy and thick without it). This was hearty, cheesy, sweet and a little salty (from the bacon). I also added a bit of hot sauce to each bowl for a little extra kick. I can’t wait for my leftovers… not that we had much to freeze!

A recipe with squash that even a squash hater will love. Do you have any favorite recipes with “hidden” veggies?

Things that make me happy – our new Le Creuset heart-shaped casserole!!!

This casserole dish just makes me smile

Thankfully it wasn’t just pretty, it was also delicious! I followed this recipe from Cooking Light for butternut squash and parmesan bread pudding, but made a few modifications. I cut the recipe in half, omitted the onions and oil and instead sauteed some mushrooms and organic baby spinach covered with some oil spray, used skim milk instead of 1% and used 1+ week old ww baguette (I let it soak in the egg mixture while the butternut squash was roasting).

So delicious! I think the addition of mushrooms and baby spinach was genius – adds bulk, veggies and another dimension to the dish. Adam and I both loved this! If you make this, don’t omit the cheese – it’s definitely key!!

Other eats…

BREAKFAST

Banana oats with extra banana and crunchy Barney Butter

I was bored with the combo today. An extra little spoonfull of BB helped

MID-MORNING SNACK

Oikos with pear slices, dried apricots and Kashi Autumn wheat for a snack

I <3 oikos!

LUNCH

An Asian combo: hot and sour soup + mystery tofu stir fry

I found the stir-fry in our freezer. I made it awhile ago – it was not labeled so I had no idea what I was about to eat.

Nothing too exciting but it did the job of filling me up.

AFTERNOON SNACKS

Another little find – last white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookie

I also ate some unpictured roasted almonds and nibbled on an old larabar which ended up in the trash. For some reason I was hungrier than normal today. Oh well

Do you believe that pretty food tastes better?