I stopped reading “The Opposite of Lonliness” by Marina Keegan. The intro and first essay were excellent. After that, the entire book loses my interest. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Recipe:
I have been a little obsessive with butternut squash. I’ve made it into soup and lasagna. Now, it is just straight up mashed! You can make this in the slow cooker, oven, or microwave. The result is always the same and if you add this special awesome ingredient, it will taste great, too! This super awesome ingredient is Natural Maple Flavor sold by King Arthur Flour. As soon as you open the bottle, you know it is something special. Totally worth the $5 and they always have shipping specials if you sign up for emails. It is what I use in my maple buttercream and anything else that needs a subtle or deep maple flavor without purchasing a $20 bottle of natural syrup.
Of course, you can substitute real maple syrup or the maple flavor you find at the store. I just think this one is the best I have found and wanted to pass that on to you. Since maple goes great with pork anyway, I paired this recipe with a pork tenderloin and will share that recipe next!
Ingredients
- 3 lb. butternut squash
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or 1 tsp. maple flavor and 2 Tb. of any kind of maple syrup)
- 2 Tb. butter
- 1 Tb cream or half and half
Instructions
- To cook in slow cooker: cut squash into 1" pieces (skin removed of course). Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 3-4 hours with salt. Mash in the slow cooker with remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To cook in the oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash in half lengthwise. Spray inside with cooking spray. Place flesh side down on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with silicone, parchment or cooking spray. Bake 40 minutes or until fork goes through the flesh easily. Let cool for 20 minutes. Scoop seeds and discard. Scoop out flesh into a large bowl and mash with remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- To cook in microwave: Clean the outside of the squash with water. Poke all over with a fork. Place in a microwave safe dish and cook in microwave for 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave. Use a knife to cut it in half lengthwise. Place the squash back into the dish with the flesh side down. Cook another 5 minutes. If a fork pierces all the way through easily, than let it for a few minutes. Scoop out seeds and discard. Scoop out flesh and mash with the remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution 2
Maple Mash Butternut Squash
4-6 servings
3 lb. butternut squash
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (or 1 tsp. maple flavor and 2 Tb. of any kind of maple syrup)
2 Tb. butter
1 Tb cream or half and half
To cook in slow cooker: cut squash into 1″ pieces (skin removed of course). Cook on low 4-5 hours or high 3-4 hours with salt. Mash in the slow cooker with remaining ingredients.
To cook in the oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the squash in half lengthwise. Spray inside with cooking spray. Place flesh side down on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with silicone, parchment or cooking spray. Bake 40 minutes or until fork goes through the flesh easily. Let cool for 20 minutes. Scoop seeds and discard. Scoop out flesh into a large bowl and mash with remaining ingredients.
To cook in microwave: Clean the outside of the squash with water. Poke all over with a fork. Place in a microwave safe dish and cook in microwave for 5 minutes. Remove from the microwave. Use a knife to cut it in half lengthwise. Place the squash back into the dish with the flesh side down. Cook another 5 minutes. If a fork pierces all the way through easily, than let it for a few minutes. Scoop out seeds and discard. Scoop out flesh and mash with the remaining ingredients.
Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution 2
