Acorn Squash

I typically get all of my ideas for what to cook next from wholesomebabyfood.com. Really, this website is my hero. I know, it's crazy to think that a thing could be a hero, but it has been liberating. I'm a website person - I like quick reference, so it has helped tremendously. I've been wanting to try a "winter squash" with my girl, and I found Acorn Squash at Rosewood Market (my fave, by the way, as I try to be as organic as possible - AOAP - with my baby food).

So here's what I did.

To cook the squash...

I baked the squash. I cut it (with a huge, incredibly awesome knife) in half, put it in a baking pan (my pan of choice was a brownie pan), and put about 1/2 in. of water in the pan. I "scored" - aka cut little lines in - the "meat" of the squash with my awesome knife, and baked it at about 350 for probably close to an hour. The real goal is just tenderness of the squash, so when I could easily get a fork in and out of it, I was satisfied.

To puree...

I really try to stick to my mini-food processor when making baby food. I already have it, and I'm absolutely in the business of buying as little as possible. I used a basic spoon and just scooped the mean from the squash out, trying to avoid getting any skin. I do like to get my money's worth, so I certainly got little flecks of skin in my attempt to get every ounce of the meat. I noticed when I turned the food processor on that the squash was sticking to the sides, so I just started adding filtered water and stirring it. Adding the extra liquid won't hurt the food, and it made it MUCH easier to puree. I added the water slowly because I didn't want it to become too runny or thin - just a little heavier really so that it wouldn't stick to the sides and refuse to get near the blade.

I then transferred the squash into an Oxo ice tray that has a lid, but I could have used any ice tray and just put cling wrap over it to freeze. It filled all 14 cube slots, and I even had a little leftover. I stuck the leftover in the fridge, so I can use that for her first taste - maybe this afternoon. I'll transfer my squash cubes to just a basic Ziploc FREEZER (important to get freezer) bag later today.

I always find myself hoping (and trusting) that she will like whatever food I've prepared. It's not like I just bought a jar that I could easily throw out if she doesn't seem impressed, but then I figure if it takes up to 15 tries for a baby to develop a real like or dislike, my 14 cubes won't be wasted.

'Til the next adventure...