Apples give winter squash extra ooomph in this fall veggie combination

Hubby commented that our neighborhood grocery had winter squash on sale.

Winter squash? Much as I loved preparing all varieties of garden-grown veggies--and winter squash definitely would help me segue into a new season--winter squash was not among my repertoire. The rippledy, tough skin always seemed too challenging to peel. Furthermore, my source for unusual recipes, Celebrating a Healthy Harvest, was silent where winter squash was concerned.

I didn't peruse far enough. Under the "apples" category in the aforementioned booklet, lo and behold was a combination of roasted apples and winter squash that cooked both in the oven and made provision for the squash's tough outside (cut it in chunks and boil it briefly so the skin peels right off). The honey drizzled over it before cooking combines with the apples' natural sweetness to rub off on the squash.

What a great side dish using a veggie I don't normally cook! What made the dish even better was drizzling the tiniest amount of honey over the warm vegetable mixture! Now I'm headed down the fall road (since Wednesday's the first official day of autumn) for sure!

Roasted Apples & Winter Squash

3 firm apples

1 pound winter squash

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used salt substitute)

1 teaspoon honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; lightly grease a baking sheet. Peel squash and remove the seeds. Cut into 1-inch chunks. (You may need to cut squash into chunks and boil for about five minutes to enable the skin to be peeled more easily.) In a bowl drizzle oil over squash and mix to spread oil evenly. Sprinkle with salt. Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Cut apples into quarters and remove stem and core. In a bowl sprinkle apple slices with lemon juice; stir to spread lemon juice evenly. Pour onto baking sheet as you combine the apples with the squash. Bake for 60 minutes; stir every 20 minutes (may cut cooking time to 45 minutes if squash already is tender. Squash is done when a fork can be easily inserted into it.) Makes 4-5 servings.