Silly Tip of the Day - Cooking Squash

I am a big fan of squash - acorn, spaghetti, butternut - you name it. They are not only good for you (antioxidant, beta-carotene, vitamins A and C), but they are extremely easy to cook. You just need to allow yourself ample time and they will be perfect. Cook them even longer - still perfect. You've got to love that.

My biggest problem has always been cutting them in half. The winter variety squashes have a very hard shell so I was always fearful that I'd lob off a digit while trying to prepare them for the oven.

Here's the trick - cook them for about 20 minutes BEFORE you try to cut them. Put about a half inch of water in the bottom of the pan and cook at 350. You'll need a hot pad when you're cutting them but will find that the knife goes right through the partially cooked squash. Then you can remove the seeds, place the squash face down in the pan (with water) and cook the remainder of the way. I usually cook them another 30 -40 minutes at 350. We put a little butter/margarine and brown sugar inside and place them right-side-up for the last 10 minutes.

I mean seriously - if your mom doesn't tell you this stuff - how the heck do you figure it out? Seems like a silly thing to blog about but I'm excited to have squash in my weekly rotation again.

Tasty Hamburger in Sour Cream Sauce

I guess this is a simplified and kid friendly version of beef stroganoff. Serve over noodles or rice for a simple weekday dinner. My ten year old loved it except the mushrooms so I'll probably eliminate those for the next 8 years or so!

Kid Friendly Beef Stroganoff Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chuck
2 T. minced garlic
1 package dry gravy mix
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
4 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
6 oz. mushrooms (or not in my case)
(rice or noodles)

Instructions:
Brown ground chuck with garlic until fully cooked. Mix all other ingredients, stir together and heat.