Acorn Squash with Cranberry Stuffing -- The Food That Connects Every Version of Me

Week 447. Fall 2024. I am 41 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like cinnamon and falling leaves and this is my life. This is the life I built.

I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.

Mason is 13 and navigating middle school with the quiet competence that has always been his way — focused, kind, certain of who he is in a way that took me thirty years to achieve.

Lily is 11 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made roasted Brussels sprouts this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

I didn’t plan the Brussels sprouts — I rarely plan anything anymore, I just cook — but when I was pulling things together for the week I found an acorn squash on the counter and a bag of cranberries in the freezer and something in me said yes, that. It felt like fall in the way that fall is supposed to feel: a little sweet, a little tart, warm from the oven, the kind of food that asks nothing of you except to sit down and eat it. After 447 weeks of building this life back up from the ground, that felt exactly right.

Acorn Squash with Cranberry Stuffing

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice or brown rice
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the cut sides of each squash half with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 35–40 minutes, until fork-tender.
2. Cook the cranberry filling. While the squash roasts, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook for 5–6 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Add the fruit and seasoning. Stir in the fresh cranberries, dried cranberries, maple syrup, thyme, cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fresh cranberries begin to burst and the mixture is fragrant.
4. Fold in the rice and nuts. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the cooked rice and chopped pecans until evenly combined.
5. Stuff and finish. Flip the roasted squash halves cut-side up. Divide the cranberry-rice stuffing evenly among the four halves, mounding it generously. Return to the oven for 12–15 minutes until the tops are lightly golden.
6. Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and an extra drizzle of maple syrup if desired. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 320mg