When my younger cousin was in grade school, her mom cooked the holiday turkey. After Thanksgiving, she and her classmates would exchange stories about the gigantic bird, mashed potatoes, and other fixings that graced the table. For some reason, the turkey she ate never seemed to match the enormity of the ones her friends described. When she questioned her mom about the discrepancy, her mom reassured her."I always serve turkey."
Soon after my cousin learned to read, she walked into the kitchen as her mom was prepping the turkey. Skeptical, she cross examined her mom about the bird. Her mom insisted that it was a turkey. Unconvinced, my cousin dragged a chair to their kitchen counter.
Gazing down at the bird, she read the label out loud: "C-H-I-C-K-E-N!"
I felt redeemed when I heard about my aunt's mischief. I love to host guests for Thanksgiving, but hate roasting turkey. It's cumbersome and boring. Luckily, a relative is hosting this year. So I can devote my attention to preparing hor d'oeuvres, sides, and dessert.
I turned to the farmer's market for inspiration as I had done all summer and carried home several acorn squash. They were lovely roasted with a thin layer of olive oil. But it was the roasted seeds, which tasted like freshly made popcorn, that drew me into the kitchen all afternoon.
ROASTED ACORN SQUASH SEEDS
Rinse seeds and layer on a paper towel to air dry.
Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt.
Cook until seeds turn light brown.
