When It Comes To Dinner, I Am Not Your Average College Student

I think my roommates have accepted that I am not normal. While they are eating mac and cheese or hot dogs, I am making something hearty. "You're making curry again?" "Butternut squash?! EWWW!" I even had the maintenance guy ask me while he was fixing our sink what smelled so good. I bought three winter squash at the store awhile ago when they were on sale - sweet dumpling, acorn, and butternut. This is what I made out of them.


Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash




I bought three random winter squashes on sale because I've never had them before. I love summer squash, so why not winter squash? The first one I tried was a sweet dumpling squash. Very similar to an acorn squash, so if you're having trouble locating a sweet dumpling squash recipe, just substitute it for acorn squash. Now, I must admit this wasn't a scratch meal; I used a box of premade stuffing because I had it and needed to use it. It was an ok meal. I think the squash needed some sort of sauce. If you enjoy squash plain, then this would be a good recipe. The plus side was it smelled good when it was first cut opened. Save the seeds and toast them like you would for pumpkin seeds. After all, they are all part of the squash family.


Stuffed Acorn Squash



Round two of cooking with winter squash. Not my favorite squash either. I think it needed more sauce because the squash itself was plain. The filling was amazing - sweet potatoes mixed with orange juice and ginger. The original recipe is very confusing, so I rewrote it.

1 small acorn or sweet dumpling squash
1/8 cup brown sugar
2/3 tsp orange zest
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 small sweet potatoes
3 Tbsp butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 oz. orange juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp nutmeg
1/16 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut squash in half; remove seeds and pulp. You can toast the seeds later.

2. Coat the inside of each squash half with 1/8 cup brown sugar, orange zest, and 1/8 tsp ginger. Place in deep pan and fill with enough water so the halves (cut side up) are sitting in water. Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, peel and boil the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool until able to handle. Cut into cubes and mash. Add butter, 1/8 cup brown sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/16 tsp ginger.

4. When squash halves are done, remove from oven. Fill cavities with sweet potato mash; return to oven. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Source: Melissa's (rewritten by me)


Butternut Squash Curry



This is the curry I made when the maintenance man was fixing our sink. He said it smelled good, but I have the worst sense of smell. It can be a gift because that means I don't cry when I cut onions (mwahahaha). It also means if I can smell it, it has a super strong odor, and that can be good (such as baking brownies) or bad (such as chlorine). My one roommate just made a face when I told her it was squash. I'm starting to cook curry a lot now because the ingredients are so versatile.

3 Tbsp oil
1/2 lb. stewing beef, cubed
1/4 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 small jalapeno, chopped
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp honey
1 cup cooked white rice

1. In a skillet, brown beef in 2 Tbsp oil. Remove from heat and pat off as much grease as possible.

2. In another skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil and saute onion and garlic until onions are soft and brown. Add cooked beef and tomatoes. Add curry powder, ginger, and jalapeno. Add beef stock and squash. Simmer for 30 min. or until squash is soft.

3. Add in jam and honey. Serve on top of cooked rice.

Source: Recipe Zaar


Butternut Squash Soup



I was hesitant on making this soup because our blender is so loud, but I needed to use up my remaining squash. If you love butternut, you'll love this soup. I left out the milk because I don't like my soups very creamy.

1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup milk (optional)

1. Saute onion in butter until tender. Add broth, squash, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cover and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to pan. Stir in milk, if desired.

Source: Recipe Zaar