You'll Eat It and LIKE It!

When Tanner and Abby began eating solid foods squash was one of their favorites so I asked my father-in-law if he would plant some in the garden. I figured that we would share the squash we harvested in the fall...little did I know that no one EXCEPT Tanner and Abigail likes winter squash! There was no way the Twinkies were going to be able to eat the 20+ squash we gathered this fall so I decided that I would find a way for everyone to enjoy squash. I found the following recipes for Butternut Squash Soup and Butternut Squash Bread on allrecipes.com and they were both delicious!

Butternut Squash Soup
Serves 6

6 T. chopped onion
4 T. margarine
6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
3 c. water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 t. dried marjoram
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/8 t. ground cayenne pepper
2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
2. Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

Note: You can use 3 to 4 cups of chicken broth instead of the water and bouillon cubes. I only used 12 oz. of cream cheese instead of the 18 oz. the recipe called for because it was VERY thick...delicious...but thick.

Butternut Squash Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1 (.25 oz.) package active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
2 T. molasses
1 t. salt
1/2 t. caraway seeds
1 c. butternut squash, cooked and mashed
3 c. flour

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add molasses, salt, caraway, squash, and 2 cups flour; mix well. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down; turn onto a floured surface and shape into a loaf. Place in a greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
4. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
5. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack.

Note: I made mine without caraway seeds because I didn't have any and it still tasted great!