Sunday's Plate

With the beginning of Autumn, it's hard not to draw attention to the already decline in fresh summer melons and soft fruits like peaches and plums. But with the decline, there is the resurrection of the Autumn harvest of corn, squash, and the re-interest in potatoes and cooked carrots.

This past week, I was surprised when I went to Schnuck's and found a watermelon bin filled with a glorious array of prime squashes. Last year, I made it my business to learn to cook every squash I could find. It was not only yummy, it was down right educational!

From my experience, I have found that squash is one of the most versatile, delicious, usable, and storable foods we can buy. I had good usable squash stored at room temp for eight months that were still good. It's definitely a culinary go!

When you look at the green grocer collection of what seems like fifty different squashes, it's hard to know what to buy. My favorite squash is Ambercup Squash. It tastes like a sweet potato.

But there are lots of different one. Here is a web site to read about squash

When you buy as squash, it's much easier to cook whole than to try to clean like a pumpkin. Just pop the whole thing into the oven by weight. So if you buy a pound of squash, think - one hour. Two pounds - maybe 1.5 hours at 359 degrees.

Once your squash is cooked, it's time to clean it. You cut off the top and with an ice cream scoop, you pull out the seeds. Once the seeds are out, it's time to decide what to do with it. I love my squashes stuffed with a mix of precooked brown rice and meat chunks. Then I make a cheese sauce and serve the squash cut like a pie.

Squash is also nice removed from the skin and mashed and eaten sweet with brown sugar, or plain with butter.

No matter what you decide to do with it, it's nutritious, delicious, and so easy to work with once it's cooked.

Here's the recipe for stuffed whole squash:

Cook your squash until it's soft. Cut the top off and scoop out the seeds.

With already cooked brown rice and bacon, mix and stuff your squash.

Cheese sauce: Brown 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 cup flour in a pan. Add 1.5 cups milk and mix till the flour and milk make a smooth soup. Add six slices of American Cheese. Other cheese, like cheddar, sometimes make you cheese sauce taste like soap, so use American for best results. Add a half teaspoon chicken bouillon, and bring mix to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup sour cream.

Slice your squash into cake or pie wedges, and place on plate. Pour your cheese sauce over the entire thing and serve.