It's that time! The winter squash are coming in and I love it! There's nothing quite like filling the basement pantry shelves with food that needs absolutely no preparation--from the garden (or farmer's market) onto the shelf! Lovely!

I hope you are also stocking up on the delicious fall bounty! If so, here are some of my favorite ways to use winter squash.

Wild Rice and Butternut Squash Skillet (I make this one up...every time...cook the wild rice in a sauce pan and at the same time, chop the squash into bite-sized pieces and cook it in oil/butter/bacon fat in a large skillet. Add in cooked sausage or bacon. Add in walnuts. Add in seasonings (a little honey, salt/pepper, cinnamon, red pepper, clove, garlic, whatever you want!) When the rice is finished, add it in and serve it all together. It's yummy, so delicious, and easy! (Maybe I'll turn this into a "real" recipe and share it this winter.)
Apple & Squash Soup. I make this one with butternut and I bake it all in my dutchoven and then use my immersion blender to puree it all at the end. Easy and delicious--especially when served with fresh sourdough bread.
Acorn Squash--by itself. Cut it in half and throw it in the oven in a pan with a little water at 375 for 30-40 min. Add a little butter and brown sugar or maple sugar to it when its done and serve nice and hot. Yum.

Experiment and take advantage of the cheap prices and local availability while they last! Keep your squash somewhere cool (a cool basement or garage)--as long as it's above freezing, those babies should last through the long winter months to come.