Squash It!

Justin and I are going to our friends Jeff and Sarah's today for their daughters 1st birthday party. It feels like just yesterday when we found out Jean was born! Anyway, they are hosting a party at their house this afternoon for about 40 friends and family.

My mom always told me that I should never show up anywhere empty handed, so I called Sarah to ask her what I should bring to the party. She told me that she had these two HUGE butternut squash that she needed to do something with.

Now, our other friend Jennie makes this awesome butternut squash side dish that Sarah and I always drool over, so Sarah asked if I could try and make it. I tried it once before and failed miserably, so I had Justin get me the recipe so I could make it right this time.

I wish I had a video of me hacking away at the squash with a butcher knife because it was pretty hilarious.  I sort of winged this recipe, but I will try and lay it out as best as I can.

Ingredients:
2 butternut squash
1 1/2 C. crumbled blue cheese
1 C. chopped walnuts
3 tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
evoo (drizzles- no exact measurement)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Steps:

Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds in the middle. Then, peel the squash (you can use a regular peeler) and make sure NO skin is left on.

Once the squash is peeled and de-seeded, cut it into 1 inch cubes and place in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for several minutes (I did 3 minutes, mixed it around and did another 3) - do this until the squash is almost soft enough to eat.

Then, spread the squash cubes on a cookie sheet, drizzle with evoo and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Remove the squash from the oven, place in a bowl and refrigerate for about an hour (or longer if you are making this ahead of time). It is important to let the squash cool so that it doesn't melt the cheese when it is mixed in.

After the squash is cool, mix in blue cheese, walnuts, honey, cinnamon salt and pepper. Stir so that everything gets coated and serve!

Tips: This is a great side dish that goes with ANYTHING! Blue cheese and honey are very complimentary to each other. Also, the crunch of the walnuts along with the soft squash is another great combo.

You will definitely need a fair chunk of time to make this dish but you can definitely make this a few days ahead. I recommend making the squash ahead, and then just mixing the remaining ingredients right before you serve. The hardest part is the peeling and cubing of the squash so once you get that out of the way, it's a breeze.

Also, I know blue cheese can be an acquired taste, but this would also taste good with crumble Gorgonzola or even goat cheese.

I hope it's a hit at the party! Wish me luck!