I’ve been eating bad lately. Like oreos bad. Like soup from a can bad. Now keep in mind, I’m not exactly a health nut. I don’t do juice cleanses or quinoa. Kale rarely makes an appearance at our dinner table (I prefer swiss chard). But, I tell myself I’m eating ok as long as I get plenty of veggies, minimize the processed foods and eat only sweets I bake myself. Butter and oil are ok, in my book, since I don’t eat fried foods on the regular. But something happened after Thanksgiving. Burnout, perhaps? Winter weather? I guess I’ve been entertaining and cooking a lot recently. So combine that with two kids, NYC’s first snow storm, homeschooling stuff and going back to work (part time), and less frequent help from grandma. Yes – that spells burnout. So much so that I’ve been neglecting this poor butternut squash for like a week and a half. It really was a testament to this vegetable’s shelf life. But, today was the day. Both kids napped (simultaneously)! The sun came out! I had a wrap for lunch while this was in the oven! Hallelujah.

I was definitely thinking about barbecue sauce when I made this. I saw Ina’s recipe for Caramelized Butternut Squash as well as this recipe for Southwestern Roasted Butternut Squash and thought, “Hey now, I think I’m on to something.” Kind of like the guy who first discovered the food warming capability of microwave radiation (when the chocolate in his pocket melted…what a fatty. I don’t even keep chocolate in my pocket. Ok ok I have way too much chocolate to store in a single pocket.). Or whoever discovered chocolate and peanut butter. Or sea salt and caramel. Everyone complains about how difficult it is to peel butternut squash, but after cutting my own poultry (don’t ask) this felt like a breeze! Anywho, tis the season for butternut squash. I’d love to hear what you think of this!

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 lb butternut squash
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp or a pinch chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with grease.
2. Peel squash and dice into 1 inch cubes. Lay them evenly on the sheet. Season with the remaining ingredients and using your hands, combine well.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes. At 15 and 30 minutes, flip the pieces over using a spatula to ensure even browning. Check for seasoning. Enjoy while it’s still warm.