Blue Hubbard Squash

Like most of you, I'm starting to think about hosting Thanksgiving which I do for the extended family on a regular basis. I like to have as much of the work done ahead of time as possible so I can spend time with the family and visit, instead of slaving in the kitchen for much of the day.

 I have a few tricks up my sleeve which I will be sharing in future posts including my crock pot stuffing recipe that has revolutionized Thanksgiving for many of my friends. Today, though I'm going to talk about another favourite make-ahead dish: squash. And not just any squash, but the motherlode of squashes; the Blue Hubbard. My friend Kathy put me onto this years ago and we both used to find them at the Farmer's market but she recently discovered a little squash farm not that far from Breslau so we can pick these beauties up close to home.

Ok, so that's a mini pumpkin but you get the idea of size.

 It's a bit of a pain to cut in half; sometimes you need the hammer and chisel but then you just bake it on a cookie sheet until it is tender, scrape it out into a bowl, add butter and brown sugar to taste. Put it into Ziploc freezer bags and then when you need it just defrost it and warm up in the oven.

 Of course, if you're lucky enough to have one of these (thanks Kathy)

you can keep your squash piping hot for a considerable time after you take it out of the oven. I admired Kathy's squash pot for years and finally I was lucky enough to get one from her as a gift.
Enjoy your fall preparations.