Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary

This side dish is one of my favorites - it's a crowd pleaser, it's a great seasonal dish, it's flexible and will suit a fine dinner party or just a quick weeknight meal, and... it's SO SIMPLE.

Let's go ahead and hit on the first major flaw of this post: this dish is seasonal. It's season: fall/winter. ....And we're headed into spring. Nevermind the 8+ inches of snow we had on the ground this weekend (I'm not bitter). I'm a bit behind publishing this post - seeing as how I cooked it for the blog back in December. But hey - you'll still be able to get some butternut squash from the grocery store for a few more weeks (fingers crossed for my sake).

Also, we may have a bit of a bumpy road ahead of us, seeing as I decided it would be a great idea for me to lock the pups in the office overnight while The Stallion was in Chicago. They destroyed the charger for my camera. Need to figure out something about that one. Especially because we've got a lot of home projects on the horizon that I'd love to share with you all. And I'm drooling just thinking about a before & after shot of our house from the curb. Ho hummm....

I digress. What am I supposed to be talking about?

Here's the oh-so-simple recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary:

Peel the squash using a vegetable peeler. Hopefully yours is much sharper than mine, or you'll spend 10+ minutes doing this and are likey to sacrifice a chunk or two of your finger.

Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff (very technical) from the bulbous ends and discard. Lay on the flat side and trim the top and bottom. To cut into large dice, cut lengthwise into 1 inch strips, then turn and cut into 1 inch cubes.

Now, here's where it gets really technical. To the squash you're going to add olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. And if you're feeling it (I usually am) a couple of cloves of minced garlic. The amounts will totally depend on the size of your squash. And your taste preference. Remember you can always add more salt and pepper later. I love the taste of rosemary, so I heavy up on the stuff. Fresh is best. Do the oil in phases if you have to - make sure you don't get too much.

So, basically, the above paragraph is all you're gonna get as far as measurements go in this recipe. You're on your own! (muahahahhaha) Kidding. I believe in you!

Mix everything together in a big bowl. I use my hands. Place the squash on a cookie sheet or in a roasting pan in an even layer and put into a 425-degree oven for 25-35 minutes (they'll be fork tender when they're done). In order to get the 'crispies' (which The Stallion loves), turn the squash only once or twice while baking. Turn up the heat at the end if you need to. Serve hot!


P.S. 30 Day Shred update: I've been sticking with it and I even got The Stallion to do it with me on Sunday morning. Even he couldn't hang - despite being on his 4th week of P90x!! Granted, he was a wee bit hung over, but Jillian really shreds your shoulders the whole time, and it's near impossible to keep up with the shoulder strength moves when they come around. But the whole point of the story is that it made me feel better about what I'm doing for myself and that it's not just some girly workout that doesn't really do anything for you. And that my struggling is warranted. Because The Stallion is beefy and fit. (Ergo, the point of the story is NOT that The Stallion is a wimp. Couldn't be farther from the truth.)