Bounty II! (Fall edition)

It's funny to be foodbloggin' as this spirals.

Yes! That is a hellovalota squash. We have - 1 pie pumpkin (the poor chap is already gutted) 1 - butternut squash, 3 - sweet dumpling squash, 3 - buttercup squash, 1 - sweet potato (delicata) squash, 1 - bag of freshly gathered Wisconsin Cranberries, and in the back 1 - bowl of random local apples (orchards are open for such a short time!).

The pumpkin. I pulled it apart, took out the seeds (there weren't many of them - Donnie took to washing them and singing the Adzuki Bean washer song from "The Great Yoaki War"), and just stared at it. My new favorite way to cook squash is in my bamboo steamer. It is excellent and fast and makes the house smell nicely of warm damp wood. But I was wondering, could I roast this? What kind of pie would that make? Could I fill it with some sort of liquid and steam it in the hot oven? The bowls - they just seemed made for filling. Oh Alton Brown where are you when I need you!!??

Eventually, I resorted to the norm of plopping them upside down in a 9x13"pan with about an inch of water in the oven. Because I'm also baking a buttercup.

I cut the buttercup open and the odor wafted up, uncontrolled, utterly intoxicating. I actually had to sniff it and I couldn't even blaspheme; "oh my gosh!" I said to the cat. It smells -- like carving jack-0-lanterns. Like crisp, delicious fresh air. Like a pile of lovely dry leaves. Just - awesome.

I didn't set to making a vegetarian Thanksgiving feast, but that's what I sort of ended up doing. See, Donnie had been invited to the Lion's dinner and unfortunately, we didn't have any cash on hand to partake. So, inspired, I set about making "do" with what I had in house. This is what I came up with:

















Thats 1/2 a buttercup squash filled with Brownberry stuffing, made with homemade chicken broth, mixed veg with almonds, carrots and potato topped with Colby cheese, homemade cranberry sauce made with local sorghum and apple topped with cinnamon and brown sugar!

Some day I should make a butternut squash pie.

Fresh cranberries - not frozen - and in season. Are such a treat.

K- Donnie just brought home "Sweeny Todd" so we're all set!