A Southern Grace: you look awfully familiar...

November 24, 2009

you look awfully familiar...

Yum

Certain dishes are worthy of making and eating again and again, and they certainly shouldn't be reserved only for special occasions.

Sweet fancy Moses.
Squash casserole (or its first cousin, sweet potato casserole) is one of those dishes.
Yes, I made it last Thanksgiving. Yes, I made it several other times throughout the year. Each time it morphed a little bit more, and I must say, it's come a long way. For our shindig at work this Thanksgiving, I made a denser version and enhanced the streusel topping enhanced with coconut and pecans.

So what if my serving consists of 3/4 topping and 1/4 squash?
The very best part. No debate. The end.

Acorn squash was what I had on hand for this, and since it's a good bit more watery than butternut, I added some breadcrumbs into the mix. Heaven forbid I end up with a soupy casserole, am I right? I mean, what if it ruined the topping? We certainly can't have that.

Have a filling and fulfilling Thanksgiving, ya'll!

Tweaked-Over-Time Streuseled Squash Casserole
4 cups acorn squash, peeled, cooked, deseeded, destringed, and mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup breadcrumbs

Topping:
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all the casserole ingredients, beating well. Pour into a lightly greased 2-quart casserole dish.
Combine the dry topping ingredients. Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the squash and bake for 1 hour or until the topping is browned and the center is set.

53 comments:

Barbara said...

I say HEAVENLY!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Grace.
Are you able to be with family this year?

TKW said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Grace!

Albany Jane said...

Oh my gosh. Yum dessert casserole! Your coworkers get treated so well. You really do spoil them ;)

Lisa-Marie said...

Grace my dear, you are killing em with the yum! This looks so, so good!

vanillasugarblog said...

a casserole dish with streusel? girl you rock my blogging world!

Jennifer said...

That certainly looks delish and I bet it tastes even better! Have a great holiday!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

OMG, that looks mighty scrumètious! Nice combo!

Cheers,

Rosa

pam said...

I can't believe I've never made a squash casserole.

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Happy Thanksgiving! May your gathering be blessed and your squash be bountiful.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

That IS a good lucking topping! :)

Happy Turkey Day, Grace!
~ingrid

Ingrid_3Bs said...

LOL, oops I meant looking, good looking topping! :) That was a freudian slip and hopefully means we're gonna have good luck!
~ingrid

foodhoe said...

mmm, that looks very delicious... does it fall under side dish or dessert? it looks like a good stick to the ribs dish either way.

George Gaston said...

Grace, you are so right about fixing our favorite foods year round. This looks and sounds delicious. Thanks for the Thanksgiving wishes and may you also have a blessed day, too!

Hungry Dog said...

Sounds fabulous. Happy thanksgiving!!

Laura said...

You can never make a favorite too many times. Looks delicious!

The Blonde Duck said...

Can I be a co-worker? Yum!

pigpigscorner said...

I've never tried this! Looks and sounds great!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

This is so creative! It actually looks like a fruit crumble (which I am very partial to). And agreed, some foods just cannot be eaten only on special occasions!

The Teacher Cooks said...

Just found your blog. I love it! I love your Southern touches. I am a Georgia girl.

Faith said...

I love squash in and of itself, but I'll admit that my favorite reason to eat it is the fantastic topping! Your streusel topping looks amazing...coconut and pecans?! Oh yes!

Happy Thanksgiving, Grace!

♥peachkins♥ said...

it looks divine!

Kathy Walker said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Grace. This sounds great! If zucchini works in cake, this should also!

MaryBeth said...

This sounds simply delish... Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Unknown said...

This looks soo good! I hope you have a terrific thanksgiving!

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Oh my this looks awesome! I love all the coconut and pecans in the topping....yum!

Unknown said...

oooh i love this!! it's like a modern foodie updated better replacement for candied yams! YUM!!!!

Emily said...

Oh my gosh. I love squash! This would be my favorite dish at the Thanksgiving table, I guarantee it. You're such a southern gal!

Mimi said...

This is the only way my kids wil eat sweet potatoes.
Happy Thanksgiving
Mimi

shaz said...

Absolutely no contest that topping is a winner. Yum!
Happy Thanksgiving:)

oneordinaryday said...

Mmm. Love that topping. That would be welcome on my Thanksgiving table!
Happy Thanksgiving, Grace!

Robin said...

This is a winner! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Grace!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Perfect for the holidays Grace.

lisaiscooking said...

The oats and coconut in the topping sound great! Great tip about acorn squash too. Happy Thanksgiving!

Dolce said...

It must be heavenly with the coconut topping. Happy Thanksgiving to you :)

Kate at Serendipity said...

Amazing. I never thought about doing squash this way. I HAVE TO TRY THIS!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pam said...

Bookmarked! This looks fantastic Grace and you are totally right - the topping is the best part. Period.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving - see you next week.

Cheri | Kitchen Simplicity said...

That topping is to die for! What a perfect way to eat squash.

Sandy said...

Grace, Happy TG, sweet friend!

Wish we could go on a run together, uh, the day AFTER TG when "I'd" need it! :)

Love, S

Julie said...

Looks great...my dad would have loved this! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Lori said...

Hmmmmmmmm good. Deeeelicious. Not to mention nutritious.

Cafe Fashionista said...

I have never before tasted squash - this sounds like the perfect way to test it out. Loving your recipes, darling! :)

Gloria Baker said...

Grace this is absolutely fantastic! Love this feast is so nice! but we dont celebrate but I whish you with love to you and allyou celebrate a very HAPPY THANKS GIVING!!!! gloria

Jaime said...

what a great dish! I've never had a squash casserole but this looks so delicious!

Jaime said...

oh and happy Thanksgiving! :)

kat said...

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Kerstin said...

Sold at coconuts and pecans on top - YUM!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anita said...

That topping sounds superb!! - so good.

Jessica@Foodmayhem said...

That definitely looks festive, and acorn squash is certainly under-appreciated. Great Thanksgiving dish!

tiffany @ the garden apartment said...

This would be great to make with leftover sweet potato puree. . . yum- looks delicious!

Donna-FFW said...

OMG! I could live on that topping alone. What a fantastically tweaked dish, printing this out now to make in december. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

That topping is to die for! Love it! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Lyndas recipe box said...

I've never made squash casserole with acorn, always butternut, but why not! Acorn squash is so delicious and with this awsome streusel topping I could eat the whole pan- forget the turkey and give me the squash and tators any day!I shall try your version here next time I'm craving squash, (which is often). :)

Melissa said...

I've been following your blog for quite a while and enjoying your wealth of good recipes. When Foodista announced that they are going to publish the best food blogs in a full color book that will be published by Andrews McMeel Publishing Fall 2010, I naturally thought of you. This recipe would be a good submission! You can enter here: http://www.foodista.com/blogbook/submit

Cheers,
Melissa

melissa@foodista.com
Editor and Community Developer
Foodista.com -- The Cooking Encyclopedia Everyone Can Edit