Venison and Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

It was certainly a memorable day, and not just because it’s 11-11-11.  Harlee laughed for the first time for great-grandma Heidel and he’s finally rolling over.  Our little guy is growing up!

Babysitting was easy today, too.  Easier than me making our venison and wild rice stuffed acorn squash.  When Jami asked me to pull the squash out of the oven, dump the hot water and flip the squash, I opted for changing Harlee’s wet diaper.  I’ll admit, I get a little nervous in the kitchen, especially when hot water is involved.  I didn’t want to take the chance of spilling hot water all over myself and the floor. 

Had I been in charge of cooking, though, and if I was a bit braver in the kitchen, this would have been an easy recipe to prepare.  Splitting the squash was probably the most difficult part, and we had Justin do that.  The rest of the recipe included roasting the squash, browning meat, heating the cranberries and making rice.  Then, mix it all together and spoon it into the hollowed squash.  Simple!  And tasty.  Just a note, this made a lot, so if you don’t think you can eat a full half squash, it’d be a nice dinner for two to share.  How romantic!

We also made roasted applesauce.  The applesauce wasn’t roasted; the apples were.  This was a delicious homemade applesauce that we found in Jami’s homemade babyfood book.  When Harlee starts on solids, this is definitely a simple applesauce the whole family can share.

If you’d like to make this warm, filling dinner perfect for a chilly fall night, here’s the recipe:

Venison and Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

    we doubled the recipe, but this is the original - taken from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/venison-and-wild-rice-stuffed-acorn-squash/detail.aspx

1 box wild rice mix (we used Uncle Ben's)
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1/3 cup cranberries
1/2 pound ground venison (we used butterflies cut into cubes - it makes a nicer presentation.  And, of course, you can use the meat of your choice!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400°
Make rice according to box instructions.
Meanwhile, place squash, cut-side down onto a deep baking dish filled with 1/2-inch of water. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, then drain water and set aside.
Bring some water to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the cranberries and let stand for 5 minutes, then drain and reserve. Cook the ground venison in a skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked and crumbly.
Stir together the wild rice, cranberries, venison, and brown sugar. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Turn the oven on to Broil. Rub the inside of the squash halves with the butter, then place cut-side up on the baking dish. Stuff with the rice mixture, then broil in the oven for 5 minutes.

Roasted Apple Sauce

5 of your favorite apples (we used jazz apples)

1 half lemon, juiced

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Slice the apples, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, roast in oven at 400° for 10-15 minutes or until tender and easily pierced with a fork.  Place roasted apples into a blender with lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse to desired consistency.