What I did with all that squash...

With about half of that chopped-up butternut squash, I made butternut squash risotto. (Yes, I know. Not cake. Someday, there will be cake.) I didn't follow a specific recipe, but rather combined bits and pieces from Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart, and Chez Panisse (found at Wednesday Chef).

I really don't understand why people are so intimidated by making risotto.  I find it very easy to make - you just have to have patience - don't turn up the heat too high and stir it every once in awhile. the ingredients aren't even that fancy - I always have arborio rice, chicken stock, and parmesan on hand - so I'll include whatever additions (in this case, the squash, obviously, but I also like mushroom risotto. I once made it with spinach and peas, and there is nothing ever wrong with risotto milanese). The one thing I won't do is add cream to my risotto - if made properly, I don't think there's any need for it. Also, most recipes tell you that you need to have your stock warming on the stove as you add it. I am lazy, and I totally skip this step, pour the stock in cold, and so far everything's been fine (I think - nobody's complained yet).

Below are the rough proportions I used, as I didn't measure anything.

(I still haven't figured out what to do the with the other half of the squash.)

Butternut Squash Risotto
 4 Tablespoons butter
3-4 cups of finely chopped butternut squash
1 onion, also finely chopped
A handful of fresh sage leaves (I like a lot of sage, especially when paired with butternut squash), chopped
1.5-2 cups arborio rice
2/3 cup white wine
4 cups of chicken stock (you can, of course, use vegetable stock to make this vegetarian-friendly)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the chopped squash, onion, and half of the sage. Cook until the onion becomes slightly translucent.

Add the arborio rice. Let the rice toast for a couple of minutes - this is an essential step! Add the wine and stir occasionally. When the majority of the wine has been absorbed, begin adding the stock about 1/2-2/3 cup at a time. Make sure to to let most of the stock absorb before adding some more. Continue adding broth until the rice is tender to the bite. You may not use all of the stock - make sure to taste along the way! You don't want mushy risotto.

Stir in the parmesan and the rest of the sage. Salt to taste. When serving, garnish this with some whole sage leaves, if you have them, and perhaps a sprinkling of parmesan. Aside from chopping up the squash, I think the whole process took me around 40 minutes. This was enough for 4 to 6 people.