Pie-Spiced Roast Butternut Squash

One can't be expected to be rational in an irrational situation.

(Or so they teach us.  In medical school. At least. That was the take home message that our class on "how to be a good, empathetic, professional doctor" left us with.  Along with a take home final. They left us with that too. Personally, I would have given both back in exchange for my time.  But that didn't seem to be an option.)

So when things started to go crazy.

When a tornado watch was issued for New York City.

When I watched an entire hour of the 6 o'clock news at the gym and didn't get bored.

When the Empire State Building Lighting Partner Program decided that, although it's okay for them to honor such "non-controversial" (ha) figures as Mariah Carey and Mao Zedong. Mother Theresa? Out of the question

When I got a runner's high from a spin class.  (Okay it was a spin class, an abs class, and an upper body class.  Two solid hours of sweat.  Exactly what I needed to make me truly happy for the first time since...November.  Not that I haven't been happy.  But running was just...my life.  And having it taken away was slightly soul-crushing.  So you can imagine how shocked I was when I found myself positively GLOWING after spinning.  And then again after I woke up the next day and was sore in places that I forgot you could be sore in.  I missed that feeling.)

When all this was going on.

I made the executive decision that.

So long as hell was freezing over.

I might as well eat butternut squash.  In June.

And so I did.

This butternut squash recipe is not just your plain jane throw a squash in the oven, roast it up and hope for the best kind of thing.  Instead, it has you mix up a pumpkin pie spice blend and rub it on the squash.  You can cut the squash up into dice and toss it in the spices or you can be lazy (like me) and just cut the squash in half, rub the spices on top and throw it in the oven.  Up to you.

And when you smell the squash baking?  When the smell of pumpkin pie is permeating every cell in your body and making it swoon? You will swear it is November again and that you've just gotten home from a 20 mile run.  And that you have never been happier.

Pie-Spiced Roast Butternut Squash
Serves 4, adapted from Seasonal Ontario 

2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1/4 tsp black peppercorns, ground
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 large butternut squash
1 tsp vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Ground the seeds and mix together the spices, from coriander through ginger.

3. Either cut the squash into dice or cut it in half. Rub the oil on the squash (or toss it if using diced squash).  Rub the spices onto the squash (or toss).

4. Bake for 40 minutes or until squash is fork-tender.