Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash - peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic & herb seasoning

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

* In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix to coat the squash, marinate if time allows

* Place squash on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with foil, throw away marinade

* Bake until the squash is tender and brown about 20-25 minutes - make sure to flip the squash at the half way point.

The finished product...

We really enjoyed this summer side dish with our dinner the other night. JJ got a huge bag of fresh vegetables from his Dad's garden over the weekend and I wasn't really sure how to tackle the ol' butternut squash. I know we never had it growing up in my house and I'm not sure if I've ever eaten it out at a restaurant, but I was up for the challenge of figuring out a way to prepare this "new" vegetable. I fired up google and came up with this recipe from the food network. I did alter it slightly on the suggested seasoning and I also cut about 10 minutes off their suggested cooking time. (Click here for the original recipe.) JJ must have been impressed with my cooking abilities on this one because he told me like 15 times how this was "the best squash he's ever had and he wasn't even sure it was going to make it out of the bag" - which made laugh. Truth be told, if I would have been given a butternut squash a few years ago I probably wouldn't have even thought about cooking it, but my taste buds have changed and I'm enjoying being more adventurous in my cooking. So if you're in the mood for a really tasty summer side dish, give this one a try - I think you'll like it. Enjoy!