He Said, She Said: The Tale of a Doomed Dinner (And an Acorn Squash Recipe)

As if you needed more proof that 2Chili and I are polar opposites when it comes to our dining opinions, last night’s Test Kitchen Tuesday is proof beyond a shadow of a doubt.

This week, as per typical protocol, I provided a few options of what we could try out, and received solid a “no” on just about everything. 2Chili decided that since I was unable to provide ideas he deemed worthy, that he would select the dinner and informed me he’d like tofu sloppy Joes, and I could pick the side dish.

Now, it should be noted that I don’t really care for BBQ sauce. Yes, I grew up in Texas. Yes, BBQ is close to religion in Texas. I still don’t really like it. I can tolerate it, but, I would pretty much never select anything with BBQ sauce on purpose. To 2Chili, BBQ sauce is a staple, alongside ketchup and mustard.

It should also be noted that 2Chili’s middle name is “Finicky.” Well, technically, it’s BreadBowl, as in 2ChiliBreadBowlReady, but, my point is the boy is as picky as the day is long.

As for the side  dish to the sloppy Joes, I chose this recipe from Emeril’s site: Braised Apples, Acorn Squash and Thyme. I had an acorn squash handy, and we just received some nice Fuji apples in our CSA box, so it was an easy decision. The recipe is heavy on butter, so I cut that down dramatically.

The final result was split right down the middle. I really liked the side dish, but only could tolerate two bites of the sloppy Joe. 2Chili ate his whole sloppy Joe and only two bites of the side dish (he basically dug out all the apples). We both ended up with a bowl of cereal after the fact!

Braised Apples and Acorn Squash

Original Recipe Inspiration: Emeril’s Braised Apples, Acorn Squash and Fresh Thyme

I made two minor alterations to the recipe:

• Reduced the butter to 2 tablespoons total (one for the squash, one for the apples)
• Omitted the thyme, trying to help it go over better with 2Chili

Time Required:

· 10 minutes to chop squash and apples

· 15 minutes to cook squash and apples

· 1 minute to incorporate squash and apples

Skill Level: 

2Chili’s Taster Rating:

The Cook’s Taster Rating:

The Verdict: This dish was sweet and savory, and somewhat reminiscent of the spiced apples I like so much from Boston Market. I liked it a lot, but if I make it again, I won’t put in the onions – I found the onion taste with the squash and apples a little odd. It was fast and easy, perfect for an quick side dish on a work night.

Nutrition

For reduced butter version. Click to enlarge.