This squash, delicata, was new to me in my CSA veggie share last week. I had to look it up - from whatscookingamerica.net:

Delicata squash is also called sweet potato, peanut squash, and bohemian squash. This is one of the tastier winter squashes, with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like sweet potatoes. Size may range from 5 to 10 inches in length. The squash can be baked or steamed. The skin is also edible.

The delicata squash is actually an heirloom variety, a fairly recent reentry into the culinary world. It was originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s. Then it fell into obscurity for about seventy-five years, possibly because of its thinner, more tender skin, which isn't suited to transportation over thousands of miles and storage over months.

It's absolutely delicious! I love squash, to me it's a treat worthy of dessert status, so I tend to save it for the end of a meal. I baked this one, cut side down, until tender, then pureed it with a bit of butter and brown sugar (and topped it with a drizzle of maple syrup and a few chopped walnuts to make a pretty pic). My neighbor Lindsay was going to puree it with granny-smith apple to make a lovely-sounding soup - it's a good soup squash, very creamy and smooth. If you see it at the store, definitely give it a try.

And Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Valerie!!!

Oooh, I just picked up my veggies for this week. Lookin' good, baby! I decided to cook several different things right now so that I'll have healthy, tasty bites all weekend. There's a big bunch of flat-leaf parsley so I'm soaking bulgur wheat for tabbouleh salad (I still have cukes, onions, and tomatoes from past weeks). Then I cut up the turnips, rutabaga, carrots, and a few potatoes, threw them into a pot of boiling water with a couple of cloves of garlic, to turn into a simple root vegetable puree. If I have a hankering for soup, I could thin some of the puree with broth and a splash of cream, float a crouton on top, and call it lunch. And last, I'm roasting an eggplant, halved, with some garlic and onion. When it's all tender I'll mash it together, add more of that flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, and some lemon juice, and have myself a nice spread for toasted pita.

Why the picture of my nephew Cooper being smooched by his mommy, my sister Stacey? Becauses it's so damn CUTE! Have a good weekend!