Acorn Squash with Grapes, Cardamom and Cinnamon. Out of this world.

Acorn Squash is one of my favorite things to make.  It's so easy and so versatile.  I always make it the same way, however that gets old, so I decided to change it up.  It's a big joke in my house when asked, "what's for supper?"  

That question is usually followed by, "Is it one of your concoctions?"  

The answer to that is nearly always, "pretty much."  

My husband doesn't mind my concoctions because he says they're usually pretty good.  Not always, for instance, two weeks ago I decided to try my hand at roasting vegetables.  I didn't really know what to do, but how hard can it be?  I bought some golden beets, carrots, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions.  I called my brother about the beets, he said to boil them first before I baked them.  Good advice. Once I was ready to assemble the vegetables on the pan, I remembered one of the Chefs on Food Network, (the lady with the crazy platinum hair, can't remember her name) say to make sure and salt every new addition of vegetables.  Ok, so I did.  Well, the roasted veggies came out looking great, but tasted awful!!!!!  So salty it was so gross, it all got dumped.  I was very upset with the waste, but nothing could be saved.  Nasty.  So take from that, don't salt every new layer of veggies.  No No No. 

Back to the Acorn Squash.  I have a recipe for acorn squash on the blog, you can find it here.

I usually bake it, then fix up some baked fruit to go in the middle with brown sugar and butter.  It's really good, but, like I said I needed a change.  

Years ago I remember having some wonderful chicken cooked with grapes.  The flavor was absolutely fantastic and the grapes added a very nice taste and texture to the dish.  I thought I'd give my new idea a chance, what's the worst that could happen?  So I made up the acorn squash and along with it, cooked up some chicken with the same grapes, to tie the meal together.  My son, who tends to be on the picky side (wonder where he gets that from? Certainly not me. Insert sarcasm here) loved it.  All of it!  The taste was so delicious, we didn't need to add anything but a little pat of butter.  Really, if you all haven't tried to make Acorn Squash you really need to.  It looks so fancy when you fill it up with fruit, and serve it on the plate with your other food.  A lot of people avoid acorn squash because it looks weird and many recipes call for peeling and cutting.  No thanks.  I like the way my Mom taught me better.  

 Without any further ado here is the recipe. 

Acorn Squash with Cardamom, Cinnamon and Grapes:

1 Acorn Squash

16 grapes 

Sprinkle of Cardamom

1/2 a Cinnamon stick 

2 tsp brown sugar (if you want, we didn't use any and it was wonderful)

Preheat the oven to 350

Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds

Prepare a baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil 

Place a pile of grapes, sprinkle of cardamom and the 1/2 cinnamon stick on top of the grapes

**NOTE: go easy with the cardamom as it can easily and unpleasantly overwhelm the dish

Place the acorn squash over the grapes, making sure the sliced side is touching the foil. 

Pour water in the pan to seal up the edges of the acorn squash (this will keep the squash from burning and drying out.)

Carefully place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  

You can tell the acorn squash is ready, by touching the top of the squash, if it makes a little dent, it's ready.  If it's still hard, leave it in the oven for a few more minutes.  

By leaving the skin on the squash, you've made yourself a bowl. 

When the squash is done, take out of the oven and turn over, add the grapes, a pat of butter and 1 tsp of brown sugar, scrape the squash off the skin, mix and enjoy.

If you try this recipe or, have an acorn squash recipe you like, share with us in the comments.  

Baked Butternut Squash with stewed apples, raisins, cranberries and molasses

Baked Butternut Squash with stewed apples, raisins, cranberries and molasses

                           Many times I have gone into the grocery store to buy butternut and acorn squash.  Almost every time, the cashier has no idea what I am purchasing.  When I tell them what it is, they look confused and some will ask me what do I do with it?       When I have my friends over for dinner and serve them their own acorn squash filled with stewed fruit, they are amazed.  It's so pretty, and the taste is incredible.  Most people think of squash, as a vegetable that you boil or bread and fry, not one that you bake.  I tried a recipe that called for peeling the butternut squash, cutting it into pieces then boiling it.  

 That took so much time, it was not fun. I spent more time trying to peel that hard skinned squash than I did preparing the turkey.  I will never do that again.  What a pain!
Acorn squash are smaller with a lovely dark green color.  Check out my post for Balsamic Maple Glazed Pork Chops and Acorn Squash, for a great dinner recipe with a lovely picture of an acorn squash ready for the oven.  The picture is from another blogger, and a link to her recipe is also included.  I can't take credit for that great picture.

Butternut squash are long and light tan in color.  I'm not sure I can describe their taste.  Maybe somewhere between a pumpkin and a sweet potato?  They are not too sweet, nor too bitter. They have a lovely flavor, that is enhanced by adding butter and stewed fruit.  Butternut squash can be the entire meal, or a lovely addition to a meal.  It's definitely a great "wow" dish.  One butternut squash can serve 4 people.  With an acorn squash, I serve one person a half of an acorn squash filled with the fruit.  Like a bowl.  The Butternut squash is bigger, and a little awkward.  I generally put the butter in the squash, stir it up, then add the fruit on top.  Instead of putting a enormous butternut squash on each persons plate, we dish it out with a serving spoon.  It still looks nice on the serving platter, then it's gone.  All of it usually.  

Baked Butternut Squash with stewed apples, raisins, cranberries and molasses:

Butternut Squash

Butter or Coconut Oil

Cinnamon

Apples

Raisins

Cranberry's

Molasses

Orange Juice

Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Wash the Butternut squash (to stop the spread of any germs that may be on the skin, when slicing through with the knife)

Place the tip of a sharp kitchen knife into the side of the butternut squash.  Place gentle pressure on the knife and slice toward the end of the squash.  Once you have a nice sized slit, slide the knife deeper and cut the squash in half.  Generally, once the initial opening is made, the squash will kind of "crack" open as you force the knife through it. It's not hard to cut at all.  

Scoop out the seeds and discard

Place each half, flat side down, on an edged baking sheet and add water.  Don't leave out this step.  ADD WATER!  This keeps the edges from burning, and keeps the squash from drying out.  Just enough to cover the bottom of the sheet.  

Place in the preheated oven and allow to bake for 45 minutes.  

The squash are cooked through when you can make an easy "dent" in the skin by lightly pushing on it. If it doesn't give easily, and make a small dent, then let bake a little bit longer.  

When the butternut squash are baked through and soft, pull out of the oven, and add butter to taste.  The squash should be easy to stir with a spoon to incorporate the butter. Drizzle on some molasses or brown sugar to sweeten it up.  It really does add a nice layer of flavor!

Stewed Apples:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 Red delicious apple
Some sort of fruit juice
Orange Juice
Dried Raisins and cranberries
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon (to taste)

Heat a small saucepan on medium low and add the butter
Wash the apple, then slice into bite size pieces, add to the butter. I leave the skins on, that's where all the nutrients are, and they become soft during the cooking process
Stir it around and let the apples cook a little in the butter
Don't let the butter turn brown!
Add the cinnamon
I use whatever juice is in the fridge, tonight it was actually fruit punch. I just pour in enough to cover the apples half way up, and then add a splash of Orange Juice. It add's a surprise taste that is lovely.
Add the raisins and cranberries and put the lid on let simmer for 10 minutes or until the apples are soft.
Scoop the stewed apples into the prepared Butternut Squash

Balsamic Maple glazed Pork chops, Acorn squash with stewed apples and steamed broccoli

Pic from "Dine with a Darling"

Hey Paw! What's for supper?
Balsamic Maple glazed boneless Pork chops, Acorn squash with stewed apples, raisins and dried cranberries with steamed broccoli.

We love Acorn squash in this house. I'm surprised that so many people don't know what an Acorn squash is! My Mom always made this for us growing up. I use to prepare just one Acorn squash, (one makes two servings). I would "share" mine with my son, well, he likes it so much that I was hardly getting any! So now, I make 2 Acorn squash so we all have enough and there is some left over. Same goes for the broccoli, I have to make sure we all have our own and there is some left over. Hard to believe that my little guy loves broccoli, but he does. He also loves fruits and vegetables, probably because that's really all he knows. When he started on baby food, I tasted some labeled "peaches". Well, it didn't taste like any kind of peach I've ever had! So, from then on, I steamed fresh veggies and fruits for him and pureed them. As for the pork chops, I decided to try something new. I hope you all like it, we did. Let's get started...

Pork Chops:

3 thick cut boneless pork chops
1 cup maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of Caribbean jerk seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of dried pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350
Place chops in a baking pan
Salt and pepper them to your taste
Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the chops
Let sit for a little bit while you prepare the Acorn Squash
Put the chops and the Acorn squash in the oven at the same time
Bake for 45 minutes turning the chops over 1/2 way through the baking process

Acorn Squash:

Foil lined cookie sheet
Butter
Brown Sugar

Cut the acorn squash in 1/2 and scoop the seeds out
Place, upside down, on the foil lined baking sheet
Place in the oven along with the Pork Chops
Bake for 45 minutes turning the chops over 1/2 way through the baking process

The way to test the Acorn squash to see if they are done, is simply push the skin with your finger. If you're able to easily make an indention, they're done. If not, then allow to bake a little while longer until you are able to make an indention with your finger.

After you pull the squash from the oven, carefully turn them over using an oven mit, or something to keep from burning your fingers. Add butter to your taste and brown sugar, take a spoon and scrape the squash from the shell and stir into the butter and brown sugar. Try not to destroy the shell, as it makes such a pretty presentation on the plate, this green "boat" filled with sweet yumminess!

Stewed Apples:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 Red delicious apple
Some sort of fruit juice
Orange Juice
Dried Raisins and cranberries
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon (to taste)

Heat a small saucepan on medium low and add the butter
Wash the apple, then slice into bite size pieces, add to the butter. I leave the skins on, that's where all the nutrients are, and they become soft during the cooking process
Stir it around and let the apples cook a little in the butter
Don't let the butter turn brown!
Add the cinnamon
I use whatever juice is in the fridge, tonight it was actually fruit punch. I just pour in enough to cover the apples half way up, and then add a splash of Orange Juice. It add's a surprise taste that is lovely.
Add the raisins and cranberries and put the lid on let simmer for 10 minutes or until the apples are soft.
Scoop the stewed apples into the prepared Acorn Squash and enjoy!

Steamed Broccoli:

1 bag frozen Broccoli
3 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper
water

I don't own a steamer, I don't have enough room in my little kitchen for lots of gadgets. I've learned to make due with what I have and this is my version of steamed broccoli. I put just enough water to coat the bottom of a sauce pan, then I pour the frozen broccoli in with the water. I salt and pepper and add the butter, then put the lid on. Turn the stove onto medium heat and once a little steam starts to escape the lid, I turn it off and let it sit on the eye until it's time to serve.

There we go, that's what's for supper! Hope you like it, we sure did. In fact, after all my careful planning, my little boy still needed more broccoli. Well, guess that's one way for me to loose weight, right? ha ha ha. Good Night!

For other great acorn squash recipes: http://dinewithadarling.com/tag/splenda/