Nichol,
When I prepare squash at home I keep it simple. For acorn squash (my favorite), I prepare it like this:

-Preheat oven to 350
-Cut the squash in half, vertically.
-Scoop out the guts and save the seeds, if you wish.
-Put each half face down on a shallow pan, like a jelly roll pan, or a cookie sheet with a low rim.(I don't worry about greasing or spraying the pan, but a little spray wouldn't hurt)
-Bake for half an hour
-Pull the squash out of the oven and set on the stovetop or another heat safe surface.
-Flip the squash over and rub some butter on the fleshy parts. Season to your taste. I like just salt and pepper. My family likes it sweet, so they like to add brown sugar. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of ginger.
-Put them back in the oven for 15 minutes to half an hour. Just watch for the edges to start to get slightly browned.
-Now is the fun part! Digging in! I like to put a whole portion on my plate and eat it with a spoon while it is still hot. If you don't want to do that, an ice cream scoop works well to get the flesh out.
-Once you are done eating dinner, and have visited with your dining mates for awhile, toss the empty squash rinds in the backyard for the deer or other critters.

I hope you enjoy this method Nichol! In my family, one half of an acorn squash is one serving. One half usually equals between 1 and 2 cups of cooked flesh.

Thank you soo much. That is exactly what I am loking for. Any other ideas or squashes????

Nichol

Nichol,
Glad you like the look of that. I should amend that when you put the squash back in the oven, you should do it cut side up.
Tim

I am loving your threads! Thanks for doing this. I was also wondering about how to prepare squash!

Carrie

Some people like to get fussy with it-which is fine. Some people and books suggest some sort of weird water bath. I guess so it doesn't dry out. but if you do most of the cooking with the rind up, the flesh wont dry out. Squash has always been one of my favorite cold weather foods.

I have never done it, but my grandma used to substitute different squashes for pumpkin in pie. I am not sure of the method, if it is an exact substitution or not. I liked the flavor though!

Anyone else have other ways of preparing squash?

Carrie