Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar Butter

It’s that time of year… when oodles of squash recipes pop up all over your facebook feed and frequented recipe sites.  This is no exception, but it may be THE one that makes you stop and say….ummm, yes.  That is for dinner.

Side note: Did you know that acorn squash comes in many colors? I’ve only ever seen the usual dark green color, but this year, I found both orange and white acorn squash at my local store.  You learn something new everyday!

In any color, here’s why you should make this squash tonight…

Easy: Cut the squash in half and scoop out the (minimal) seeds. No other cutting or peeling involved.

Beautiful: Each serving is it’s own little package that looks like a pretty flower on your plate next to whatever main dish you serve (perhaps a certain bird come late November?!).

Delicious: Roasted squash flavor, with a little brown sugar butter “dip” for each spoonful.

Uh-huh, yep.  You need to make this tonight.

At first try, Em didn’t love this one… I think because of the nutmeg.  But she kept talking about it…”quash, quash.” So, we tried again.  The second time she tried it, I left the nutmeg off of her half and she seemed to like it a little more.  She quite honestly didn’t love it, but Jon and I ADORE this recipe, so you can be sure it’ll end up on her plate many more times before this fall is over.  We’re going to make a squash lover out of her yet.

Little Hands Can…

• Use a spoon, or clean fingers, to scoop the seeds out of the squash
• Put butter pats into the squash cavities
• Spoon brown sugar into each squash cavity
• Sprinkle squash with salt and nutmeg

On the Side

Part math, part science experiment…let’s explore ESTIMATION using squash seeds!  Before beginning, talk with your child about the idea of estimation.  Estimation is a close guess of the measurement of something.  What kinds of things can you estimate? Length, size, count, cost, distance, and weight are all examples of measurements that we can estimate by thinking about the actual value.

Acorn squash, like the ones we’re using in today’s recipe, have seeds inside.  How many seeds do you think are inside?  Invite your child(ren) to guess how many seeds are inside and write down their estimates.  Now, cut only one squash open and count all the seeds inside (the seeds can be pretty slimy, so feel free to wash them off in a colander before counting).  Kids can compare their estimate to the actual number of seeds inside.  Was your estimate greater or less than the actual count of seeds?

Now that you know how many seeds were in the first squash, does it change your estimate for the second squash?  Will larger squash have more or less seeds than smaller squash? Will a different color squash have a different number of seeds inside? After cutting open the second squash and counting it’s seeds, compare estimates again.  What conclusion can you make about the size of a squash and the number of seeds inside?

For younger kids (like Em’s age), estimation may be a little advanced!  We used the seeds for simple counting after we washed them.  You could also put the seeds on a baking sheet (slime and all!) and have a fun sensory experience for little ones.

Disclaimer: As with all of our recipes, my suggestions for how kids can help with a particular recipe are based on what has worked in our kitchen.  Your child may be able to help more or less based on their age and/or ability.  As always, make sure you are properly supervising kids in the kitchen.