But no one's home. Am I endangering my house and all my worldly possessions for the sake of some roasted potatoes or an acorn squash?
I certainly hope not but I am guilty of leaving the house with food in the oven. Why? So that Izzy and I can return from the park and have a warm, healthy dinner on the table in minutes.
Izzy and I were out for most of the early afternoon. When we returned I had a few minutes before it was time for us to go out again. With only minutes to figure out dinner, I decided upon an extremely simple meal. One component just happened to require in hour in the oven.
I know that one of my absolutely favorite food writers, Laurie Colwin, used to leave soups and stews over a flame tamer and leave her house. Now that seemed somewhat dangerous to me. Leaving the oven on seemed mild in comparison, especially since I wasn't roasting at high heat or cooking anything greasy.
In a contest between caution and warm, soft, buttery acorn squash, guess who turned out to be the winner? I simply cut the squash, scooped out the seeds and spread the insides with butter, maple syrup, nutmeg and a bit of salt. I placed this in the oven at 350 degrees f. for 1 hour. Then we went out to the park.
When we returned home, we were met with the sweet, buttery aroma of roasted acorn squash. Izzy prepared some steamed broccoli to go with and I made us an omelet as well. I mashed the squash in its shell and served.
Izzy's review? He looked up shyly and said, " This is scrumptious!" He had never used that word before and I remarked upon that. "Miss S always says that all of the food I eat sounds scrumptious." Thanks Miss S. ..It is especially heartwarming to hear my son appreciate his food!n Good things do happen at school.
When we returned home, we were met with the sweet, buttery aroma of roasted acorn squash. Izzy prepared some steamed broccoli to go with and I made us an omelet as well. I mashed the squash in its shell and served.
Izzy's review? He looked up shyly and said, " This is scrumptious!" He had never used that word before and I remarked upon that. "Miss S always says that all of the food I eat sounds scrumptious." Thanks Miss S. ..It is especially heartwarming to hear my son appreciate his food!n Good things do happen at school.
And, as you may have guessed, our house is still standing.
4 comments:
Oh that sounds delicious! What a great idea, leaving things to cook slowly while you're both off having fun. I'm so happy squash season is back!
I'm so there with you! My Le Creuset roasting pan has been my bestest friend since we've brought Noe home. This summer, I would chop up eggplant and tomatoes, toss them with xvoo and let them do their magic, and now I'll do the same with just about any squash or root veggie I can get my hands on. It's the best! Seriously, I rarely saute any more. It's so much easier to let the oven do the work while I'm playing with the peanut.
There is always the slow cooker to do its magic while you are away. It would work well for squash. I recommend the pair of books, The Gourmet Slow Cook I and II, which has entertaining-worthy meals that often require some browning, etc. earlier and then all afternoon it can be doing its thing. -A.
Ann:Squash season may be back but roses are blooming in my yard!
Lia: Do you leave the oven on and go out too? I am not the only one?
A: I have toyed with buying a slow-cooker and borrowed J. and K's and never used it. I think it would be great for the winter.
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