When Armageddon strikes, make sure you have carbs (Acorn squash quick bread)

I am a high energy person.  I am incapable or really relaxing unless I am in a tub with a glass of wine or at the beach.  It just is not in my nature to spend the day in bed or veg out in front of the TV for sustained periods of time. I can sit and watch an entire LSU game but I am usually not relaxing while doing that #thankslesmiles. There's a reason why in addition to my full time lawyerin' gig I do Pure Barre 6-7 days a week (I make myself rest one day most weeks), play kickball once a week, am president of my local DG alum chapter, am the meat smoker and head chef for my Hogs for the Cause team and have a food blog.  I can't sit still!

We had a free day off work a few weeks ago due to some inclement weather.  I said I was going to go home and do a Netflix binge.  Who was I kidding.  My wifi is wonky, it was too early to drink wine in the tub and I couldn't go out in the weather.  I know, I thought, I'll bake something!  I had an acorn squash that I had purchased for another recipe and it was about to go bad.  I had to find something to make with it.  I went to the google.

I found this recipe for Squash Tea Bread and it sounded perfect!  I had everything it called for, I could bring it to work the next day and give the team a special treat. And I could have some bread without feeling guilty because this is relatively healthy, whole wheat and hidden veggies!  Score! This was so delicious and very good warm with some butter.  I halved the sugar from the original recipe and it was perfectly sweet enough.  I did not rise as much as I wanted it to, but I will blame my wonky easy bake oven. This will work with any kind of squash or a sweet potato even!  Try it out! Full recipe after the montage.

This is so good with a pat of butter!

Or maybe the rising problem was due to the fact that my baking powder was bought in Austin and I haven't lived there in almost 3 years... 

Halve your squash

And roast it flesh side down

Looking good and caramelized.

Scoop it all out and mash if necessary

I really went to town scooping it all out!

I sprayed my pan with cooking spray

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl

Add wet ones to mixer

Mix it up.

Mix in the dry and mix it up well.

I am not sure how I didn't get a shot of it uncooked in the pan, whoops!

Acorn Squash Bread (Adapted from Eating Well)

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup squash puree from one roasted squash as below or canned or frozen
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white

Preheat oven to 375°F. Halve and seed one medium acorn or butternut squash. Place, cut-side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake about 50 minutes. Cool, then scrape out the flesh with a fork. Lower oven to 350°F. Lightly oil and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, allspice and cloves in a medium bowl until combined.  Beat squash puree, sugar, honey and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and egg white. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until combined. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes more. Serve warm.

Happy Cooking!

Missy