So I missed a few days of blogging.  It was a good exercise, but (at least for me) I’ve found that blogging is quite time consuming.  Onward…I have a recipe to share!

We had a side dish of Fall flavors the other evening. Squash, a bit of chopped sage, a drizzle of olive oil set to bask in the oven & you’ve got Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage. It’s so simple to make, quite flavorful, & brings about a warm cozy feeling on a (not so) chilly evening. I found this recipe somewhere on the interwebs a couple of years ago & a quick search now yields no results. I did find, however, loads of recipes that marry the squash with such lovelies as cranberries, cherries, raviolis, risotto…those are matches I’d like to become acquainted with.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
2 T. fresh chopped sage
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350. Peel squash, cut off stem & 1/2 inch of bottom end. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds & pulp. Place flat side down on a cutting board & slice into 1/2 inch pieces.

Mix sage, olive oil, garlic powder, pepper & salt in a bowl & toss squash pieces in the mixture until they are evenly coated.

Place squash pieces in a single layer on a large baking pan or dish. Roast squash for 35-40 minutes or until tender & caramelized, flipping pieces halfway through cooking.

Serve hot, garnished with a sprig of fresh or fried sage.
I would say this serves four to six people. (We used half the squash for the two of us.)
Delicious.

I love love love to bake. Lately though, it seems I have hit a bit of strife when it comes to cookies. (Do you recall my flat chocolate chip cookie dilemma?) I don’t remember having these problems in my parents’ kitchen growing up. I don’t know, maybe I should finally invest in an oven thermometer.

Or maybe it takes a while for a kitchen to accumulate the spirit of warmth & coziness that produces perfect cookies.

Anyhow, would you care for a GingerFlimsy?

My first attempts came out very melty.

Here they are in the oven. I’ve always loved those Pillsbury commercials that show the cookies baking in the oven, slowly melting down, then puffing up into plump discs. Last night I decided to finally sit down in front of the oven & watch my own real-life simulation. They didn’t puff up. I took them out & they sunk down even flatter.

After adding another fourth cup of flour, they came out looking like actual cookies.

Gingersnaps at last. Still somewhat lacking the cracks that signify them as “snaps,” but cookie-like nonetheless. And they taste lovely. How nice they’d be with a warm cup of tea.

Here’s wishing you & yours a beautiful Friday evening!