Squash, how I love thee.. Let me count the ways! Seriously, squash is one of my favorite things about fall. It comes in many shapes and sizes, has tons of nutritional benefits and can be baked lots of different ways.

I picked up some acorn squash and made this hodgepodge dish with kidney beans, diced tomatoes and zucchinni.

The one thing I dislike about squash is cutting and cleaning it. It is such a pain, but the end result makes it all worth it. I kept the flavors simple and just brushed the acorn squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. To roast the squash, I heated the oven to 400, lined a baking sheet with foil and placed the squash cut-side down on the sheet. It baked for about 45 minutes. While the squash was baking, the rest of the ingredients were simmering on the stove.

My abosolute favorite squash is butternut and combined with one of my favorite dishes, you have butternut risotto. Not the healthiest dish, but much better than some of the heavy cream, butter laden risotto recipes that are out there. Did you know you can make it in a pressure cooker and not stand at the stove for 40-plus minutes stirring?

Here’s a recipe similar to the one I used, but I subbed Sam Adams Octoberfest for the wine. Very fall, no? You’ll want to add the cubed and peeled squash when you add the onions.  I was a little concerned that it was going to fail since I never used a pressure cooker before, but my mom showed me how. Who knew it was good for something other than pot roast? My first risotto dish was a success and I’m sure I’ll be cooking up more risotto dishes in the future.

I’ve also been baking some fall desserts, those to come soon!

Another weekend comes to an end…I’m watching the Emmy’s and catching up on all my blog reading. Despite the crappy ending to the week by finding out I didn’t get the job I wanted, I still had a good weekend and lots of eating and baking to keep me busy!

On Friday, I finally got a chance to visit the Hofbräuhaus with some new and old friends. I had so much fun and can’t wait to go back to have some more of these…

If anyone wants to go, let me know! I want to actually sample the food next time!

In the never ending quest to use up all my zucchini, yesterday I baked Zucchini Muffins. I found the recipe from Sarah at Glamour’s Vitamin G Health and Fitness blog. Glamour has become a good source for recipes lately – I love the Vegetable Enchiladas recipe I found this summer and have made   it several times since. Plus, I love their blogs – Storked! and Single-ish are two of my other favorites.

These muffins are so good and so easy to make. I’m going to make some more and freeze them this week.

Sarah’s Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 cup of brown sugar (if you’re cutting back on sugar, use closer to a half cup)
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1 and 1/2 cup of grated zucchini
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup of raw pumpkin seeds (for sprinkling on top), optional

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
4. Combine wet and dry, and add the shredded zucchini.
5. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or use muffin liners.
6. Distribute batter evenly and top with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.
7. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

How was your weekend?