One

It is not uncommon for a Sunday dinner to consist of two or three families coming over in the afternoon and combining whatever we have left in our cupboards to form something that resembles a meal. We usually have some kind of dip with chips or veggies. One time the main course was quesadillas. Another time our friends brought steaks for all the adults and the kids had pb&j's. It's casual beyond belief and it works. The women don't spend all of their Sunday afternoons preparing a dish to impress each other while the kids get in their way and the men take a nap.

Last Sunday our meal was hosted by someone else, but the theme was the same. I went out to the garden that I never planted and picked a few acorn squashes. (My volunteer squash patch is pictured above to the right of the shed.) I drizzled them in butter and roasted them in the oven.

At the end of the night, I came home with a tray full of oven roasted acorn squash. I guess other people don't like it as much as I do. They were more likely too busy eating the macaroni and cheese that someone else had provided.

Monday night we had Acorn Squash Stuffed Ravioli for dinner. It was a huge hit and since it was ready in under an hour from start to finish, I'm sharing the recipe here.

You'll Need:

roasted acorn squash (could substitute canned pumpkin)

1/3 cup pine nuts

butter

garlic, minced

onions, diced

a couple of sage leaves, minced

goat cheese

wonton wrappers

chives

chicken broth

parmesan cheese

1. Set oven to 400˚. Put the pine nuts on a cookie sheet and roast for about 4 minutes. I set the timer because I knew I'd burn them. Once they are toasted, remove them from the oven and set them aside. Put the cookie sheet back in the oven to keep it hot.

2. Melt the butter in a saute pan. I used about 1/4 cup. Once melted, add the sage, garlic and the onions. Saute until the onions get soft. About 8 minutes.

3. While the butter melts, start peeling the flesh away from the peel of the roasted squash. I used the two squashes I roasted the night before. Place it all in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to add chicken stock or water to help it along.

4. In a bowl combine the butter mixture with the squash mixture and add the goat cheese. I used, maybe, 1/3 cup goat cheese. Smooshing the goat cheese with a fork helps combine it with the squash.

4. Assemble the Raviolis: Working with four wonton wrappers at a time, lay them out flat. Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of the filling onto the middle of each. (This is where George was sooo helpful.) Dip your fingertips into some water and moisten the edges of the wonton wrappers. Place another wrapper on top of each one with the filling and seal the edges.

5. Remove the pan from the oven and brush it with vegetable oil. Place the raviolis in a single layer on the pan. Brush the tops with vegetable oil and bake for 6 minutes. Turn them over and bake for another 6 minutes. Remove from oven. They will be brown and crispy.

6. Meanwhile, warm up the chicken stock, add the chives. I spooned the broth into bowls and served the pine nuts, the raviolis, and the parmesan cheese on a tray and let everyone assemble their own dishes. We put the raviolis in the broth and sprinkled them with pine nuts and cheese.

This was a meal that I had fun making, but was expecting everyone to hate it. I was beyond surprised by my kids' reaction. They couldn't get enough of it! If you are having a hard time picturing what the finished product is like, it might help to know that Robert said it reminded him of Crab Rangoon. No, I didn't take any pictures.

Make it soon! Your family might surprise you, too.

I probably should have made them on Sunday for my friends, but I was too busy taking a nap and reading Mockingjay.

I promise the mudroom is coming along. It's nearly finished. Here is a peek from a few days ago.