Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Molasses Glaze

This week is really busy between work and getting ready for vacation.  S and I leave for Florida on Saturday with my mom and sisters and then Chris comes down next Wednesday.  As a result I am trying to use up all of the food in our fridge this week.  Tonight's item to use was acorn squash, I came across this recipe on epicurious.com and thought that this seemed like a great fall dish.

Menu
Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Molasses Glaze
Spring Green Salad with Radishes and Bosc Pears

The recipe for the squash serves 8 so I actually halved everything so we didn't have a crazy amount of leftovers.  We had what I would consider to be one medium squash that we were able to get 4 slices out of. I also ended up using vegetable broth instead of beef broth because it was what I had on hand.  Chris really enjoyed this, more so than I thought he would. I also enjoyed it. This is the original recipe below-

Ingredients
4 small acorn squash

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

2 large green onions, thinly sliced

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage

1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs

1/2 cup canned beef broth

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut two 3/4-inch-thick slices from center of each acorn squash for a total of 8 slices (reserve ends of squash for another use). Scoop out seeds and fibers from center slices and discard. Arrange squash rings in single layer in 15x10x2-inch baking dish.

Melt butter in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and green onions; sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl; cool. Mix in sausage, breadcrumbs, broth, pepper and salt. Mound sausage mixture in center of squash rings, using about 1/3 cup for each. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Brush sausage and squash with half of molasses. Bake 15 minutes. Brush with remaining molasses and bake until squash are tender and sausage is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

This meal was rated 4.5 asparagus spears

Tonight as I was typing this post I was watching Parenthood. I absolutely LOVE that show; I don't know what it is about the Bravermans but I feel like they are family. (As you can see I tend to really get into some of the shows that I watch.) I love the dynamics between all of the siblings.  I'm really looking forward to my vacation next week with my mom, S and sisters.  Before I had S we also went down to Florida for a "girls trip" so this is our trip before Becky has her baby in December. It should be a good time! Hopefully I will have the opportunity to do some cooking while we are down there and I will try to post some new recipes.

Garlic Herb Pork Loin Roast

Our dinner last night was definitely a fall inspired menu.  There is something about a rainy day and comfort food that go together so perfectly.

Menu

Garlic Herb Pork Loin Roast

Mashed Potatoes

Acorn Squash
Baby Arugula Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Point Reyes Blue Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Apple Pie

I had the apple pie filling ready to be poured into the pie crust and placed in the oven.  We however had no room so this is going to have to be made later this week. 

Pork Loin Roast

Whisk together the following ingredients to make the marinade:

9 cloves garlic, grated

¼ cup of rosemary leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon sage, chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard with white wine

¾ cup organic apple juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon of Makers Mark Bourbon

2 tablespoon olive oil

Place boneless pork loin roast (mine was 2.22 lbs) in a zip lock bag and add marinade for 5 hours.

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sear the pork roast on both sides until it is browned (approximately 5 minutes on each side). Add the remaining marinade and bring to a boil.  Scrape up any of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.

While the pork is searing, prepare the following:

Peel 20 pearl onions (place in boiling water for approximately 3 minutes, cut the top and the peel should come right off).

1 Macintosh apple, peeled, cored and diced

1 Bosc pear, peeled, cored and diced

Add the pearl onions, apple and pear to the Dutch oven. Add 3 teaspoons of brown sugar to the Dutch oven and bring marinade back to a boil.  Place top on the Dutch oven and put in the oven on 350 degrees for 45-1 hour.  Be sure the internal temperature of the roast reaches 145 degrees.

Acorn Squash

Cut Acorn squash in half and scoop out all of the seeds in the middle. Place upside down in a shallow baking dish in approximately an inch of water. Cook on 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.  You should be able to easily run a spoon through the squash to scrape the inside.  Flip the squash so that the inside of the squash is face up.  Add a small amount of butter and some brown sugar and put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes

Clean 6-7 red potatoes, quarter and place in a pot of water. Add a pinch of kosher salt.  Bring to a boil. Potatoes are ready when you can they can be cut with a fork.  Drain and add back to the pot.  Begin mashing with a potato masher.  Add ¼ cup of skim milk.  Continue to mash and add 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Add a bit of kosher salt and approximately 2 teaspoons of Montreal steak seasoning.  Continue to mix until they are the consistency that you like.  I prefer a little lumpier of a mashed potato but if you can also mix with a hand mixer if you prefer a smoother texture.

This meal was rated 4 asparagus spears