Are you going to cook that?

As Fall approaches the produce markets and sections of our grocery stores have beautiful bins of hard colorful squash. Some are well known friends that many of us are familiar enough with to cook up and enjoy. Others are foreign and may appear to be more for Halloween decorations than for consumption. Today's squash falls into the later category. What is its name? I'm not sure. I know I could look it up and find all the details of its history and growing. Somehow it doesn't seem important to me at the moment. 

The simplest way to cook winter squash is to cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and place it in a shallow pan cut side down in 3/4 of an inch of water and bake at 350 until soft. This is what I did. I used the knife my grandfather made to cut it in half. A good sharp knife with a wide blade is best. 

After scooping out the insides it will likely look similar to this.

This is what my squash looked like once it was baked.

At this point you can do a variety of things. It can be eaten as is with salt and butter. It can be added to other dishes. It can be mashed with cinnamon and nutmeg. Tonight I mashed it with butter and salt. A simple side to any meal. 

Tomorrow I run. I've planned a 10 mile run on one of my favorite forest roads. The leaves are starting to turn here in Western North Carolina. The mornings are filled with foggy mist and a cool chill. I hope to capture a picture or two along the way. I know I'll be working up an appetite while I run. I'm sure there will be a marvelous meal prepared mid-day. The plan is to explore another use for sweet potatoes at breakfast.