Spectacular Squash

My mother was not an adventurous home cook and she didn't care for very many vegetables.  Consequently, I ate a whole lot of canned corn and green beans growing up, and not a lot of anything else.  However, I think my mother's predilection towards canned food stemmed more from ignorance of the plethora of tasty veggies available, not from a real affection for the delicacies offered up by the Jolly Green Giant!  For instance, if my mother had ever tasted caramelized butternut squash, I'm pretty sure we would have had this every other night instead of over-processed peas.  I myself am slowly learning to appreciate all kinds of veggies I never even tried until my 30's and I'm finding that almost all of them can taste great if properly prepared.  When I fix them for my mom, even she agrees!

Caramelized Butternut Squash
Prep time: 20 min  Bake time: 45 min
Serves 8

2 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
5 Tbs butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400F.  Peel, de-seed, and cut squash into 1 inch cubes.  Spread out on a shallow, greased pan and sprinkle with remaining ingredients.  Mix gently.  Bake for 45 minutes till tender, stirring after 20 minutes.

172 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!