Fall Fare and Bad Apples Part 2

As Alessa and I were wandering aimlessly around the produce section on Halloween, we came across the fun assortment of not so common gourds that were in for the season. They were all so pretty with interesting colors and patterns with fun names to match.

Talk about odd impulse purchase, we had to buy some.

We selected an Acorn Squash (not so unusual) and then finally decided on a Buttercup squash, yes, Cup not nut. It looked like a small to medium pumpkin except it was a lovely dark green color. We also picked up a bag of Fingerling potatoes. An assortment of baby sized potatoes, some Russets, Reds, Yukon Golds and a few purple ones too. Did you know that potatoes could be purple? They actually look black until you cut into them.
With no real plan for these squashes, I think we both had an epiphany, at the same time, weird, …stuffed squash!
Strangely enough, both of us were also thinking sausage and wild rice stuffing. We made our way over to the Harmons meat counter and picked up some house specialty Turkey Maple Apple sausage patties.
Have we mentioned that Alessa works for Harmons and I am a bit of a snob and prefer a store that looks a little fancy and people do not take their entire family ( 12 kids and Grandma) with them when they go there.
Anyway, then we stopped by the rice aisle and picked up a small package of long grain wild rice. I do not recall the brand but it was a cute little yellow box with a goose or some other bird flying across it.
The only question was how do you stuff a squash??? Such a random thing to have just pop into your head, but once again it was just something that sounded good.
I am always up for giving myself a challenge of the creative variety, I am woman______,fill in your 'Girl Power' phrase of choice here. Alessa was up for it too, so off to the internet we went.
We found a few recipes for easy cheesy stuffed squash, but nothing close to what we were making. I picked up a good tip though about microwaving the squash before baking, who knew, Squash in the microwave, crazy.
Well last night, I do not know what came over me, but Domestic Goddess Extraordinaire was taking care of business. Not only did I manage to get all of my bedding washed, trust me quite the task. When you let your dog sleep with you, not only do you have a lot of sheets, but you change them often so if you are not careful the laundry task can become overwhelming just for sheets alone.
I also created a fabulous feast of roasted potatoes and stuffed squash.
Alessa was working a bit late, so she didn’t get home until I was almost finished. Perfect timing though, she added the final touch to the stuffing and gave it just what it needed.


Ingredients:
1 squash (such as a Buttercup, Butternut or the Acorn varieties)
1 cup of Wild Rice
½ pound sausage (a chicken or turkey sausage would work best with this recipe)
½ cup Pine Nuts (I forgot these on the original posting)
1 apple cored peeled and diced
½ cup of white onion, diced
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 tsp Allspice
Dash of salt
　
Directions:
Tip of the day- Read directions thoroughly before getting to work. Trust me, I know, I've had that lesson several times and still haven't managed to graduate the class.

Depending on the shape of your squash, either cut the top off or cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash, cut side down on a microwave safe plate, and microwave for at least 5 minutes to soften it. Carve out the flesh of the squash, leaving it about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside the harvested squash. Brown the sausage and onion in the olive oil. Throw all ingredients in the mixing bowl. Once the rice is ready add that in too.
Don't forget the allspice and salt. Mix it all together and pack into your squash shells.

For the rice, I really couldn’t decide if I should cook it as the package directed or leave it uncooked. I opted for an in between and essentially par boiled it. I followed the directions on the package but cut 15 minutes of the cooking time and drained the remaining water.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and place your squash on it. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
　
Beautiful and delicious, the flavors were all so subtle and blended together nicely. The only addition we could think of was the need for some type of binding agent for the stuffing. It was a bit like a pilaf rather than a stuffing. We were thinking a nice mild Goat Cheese next time. Any other suggestions?