Acorn Squash Circles

Ingredients:

• Acorn squash
• Butter
• Splenda
• Brown Sugar Diabetisweet
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• sugar-free marshmallows

Directions:
Wash the acorn squash with soapy water. Rinse. Dry. Pierce in several places with a fork. Place in the microwave and microwave the whole squash for 5 minutes. Using a silicone potholder (or, at the very least, a dry dish towel), give it a squeeze to see if it is soft. If it isn’t, put it back into the microwave and cook it longer, in 1 minute increments, until it passes the squeeze test. Because these squashes differ in size and microwaves differ in power, that’s the best way to insure it cooks to perfection.

Take it out and put it on a cutting board. Cut in half. Scoop out the seeds. Ideally, you should then peel off the skin and slice the squash into thick slices. (See our Critique on the Week for why you should peel it.)

Put pats of butter on top of each slice of squash. Sprinkle on Splenda, Brown Sugar Diabeti-sweet, nutmeg and cinnamon. Top with the marshmallows (optional). Heat in the microwave for just a few seconds, until the butter is melted.

This is wonderful with chicken and pork and turkey and ham. Okay, I like it with just about anything, now that I think about it!

If you have more time, you can serve the squash in a slightly different manner that is easier for your guests to eat. Rather than using the rings of squash, cut the squash in half, scoope out the seeds, then carefully remove the peel. (Wearing rubber gloves helps insulate your hands from the heat. The other method is to allow it to cool down before you attempt it.) Once you have peeled and de-seeded the squash, cut it into even-sized chunks, place in a shallow oven-friendly serving platter or bowl, and follow the instructions above for applying butter, Splenda, Brown Sugar Diabeti-sweet, cinnamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, and marshmallows. You can also add chopped pecans or walnuts. I put in the 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes before serving to get the marshmallows melted. It’s easy to just spoon it out and eat it this way, but it is more time-intensive for you.