Butternut Squash Purée - Recipe

     It is always a special time when the butternut squashes start appearing in the stores and farm markets.  It seems to be a herald of fall weather and slow cooking recipes to come.  Sort of like what my grandmother used to say about katydids.  The first hard frost will come 90 days after the first katydids start to chirp.  Katydids are those bush cricket bugs that you hear in the fall.  It is only fitting to reminise about grandparents, because mine use to make a butternut squash purée like this for Sunday suppers.  They never used a recipe, but I have tried to make mine as close to theirs as possible.  I can still see it sitting on their kitchen counter, and me sneaking a taste.

2 Medium Butternut Squashes
Water

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 c. Brown Sugar

2 T. Butter

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the squash in large pieces and discard the seeds by scraping them out with a spoon. Place squash flesh side down in a large baking dish. Pour the water into the dish to fill 1/4 inch high and bake for 45 minutes until soft when pierced with a fork. If not soft, continue baking and check every 15 minutes. Let cool. When cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh off the skin with a spoon and place in a mixing bowl. Stir in the salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter. Place the mixture in a casserole dish and warm, uncovered, in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes till heated through.