Last Nights Dinner 12.23.10

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage (fake) and Cornbread!

I think this was one of the most delicious meals ever. The flavors went together so well. It was so, so, so good. Kev and I are big maple syrup fans to begin with, so the sweet maple taste with the sausage and fruit and cornbread was- ahh so delicious! I added some roasted kale with pine nuts on the side because well, I can never get enough kale.

Ingredients:
1. 2 acorn squash
2. olive oil
3. a couple of pinches of dried sage, nutmeg and cinnamon
4. salt and pepper
5. butter
6. 5 breakfast sausage patties (To make enough for one person each, I used 3 real ones for Kev and 3 fake ones for me)
7. 1 clove garlic, minced
8. 2 cups of cornbread stuffing. I just used a pre-packed Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing, but you could be good and make corn bread and cut it into cubes to use.
9. a handful of golden raisins, dried cranberries and some green apple cut into bit size pieces
about 1/4 cup (or a little less) veggie broth or water
10. a drizzle of real maple syrup
11. 2-3 Tbs. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 375F.
2. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush insides of squash with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon.
3. Place the squash cut sides down in a baking dish with a little bit of water in the bottoms of the dish. Bake them for about 40 mins, or until they are soft
4. While they cook, melt a tbsp of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and the sausage. Continue stirring, as sausage heats thru break into small pieces.
5. Onced cooked thru, turn the heat to low. Stir in the raisins, craisins, apples and cornbread and cook for a couple of minutes. Flavor to taste with sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
6. Add a little broth.
7. Drizzle with maple syrup, stir and let it cook for another minute or two. Then remove it from the heat.

8. Once squash is cooked, fill the hole in each squash with the stuffing. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake for 10 more minutes.
9. Transfer squash to plate. For garnish you can drizzle plate with some syrup and then serve.

I made a frying pan (in half size amounts) for each Kev and I. One vegetarian and one not. It was easy enough.
Both of us loved it!