Sausage and Cornbread Stuffed Acorn Squash

Today was a pretty good Monday. I started my day off with notice that 2 of my kids were out sick. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my students and hate that they're sick, but a little time to catch up on some needed work was great. Not to mention that one of my teacher aides told me she went to a cupcake bakery this past weekend and said that my Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes were better than the professional bakery's. Damn right they are!

Today was also a good Monday because I tried acorn squash for the first time. I've been dying to eat squash again and as I stood in the grocery store I came to a predicament. What kind of squash should I get? Then when I decided it was acorn squash, I had to decide between the regular or the white acorn squash. I went with the regular before my head exploded. I bought 2 like the recipe said, but only cooked one. I'm going to use the other one tomorrow night, so be prepared for Acorn Squash Round 2. I adapted this recipe a bit. I only cooked one squash, which I only ate half of, one whole squash is supposed to feed one person...that seems like a lot to me. I had some left over stuffing, but not enough to fill 4 squash halves, so the recipe would need to be tweaked a bit of making the original using 2 squashes.

Sausage and Cornbread Stuffed Acorn Squash 
adapted from Five and Spice

1 acorn squash
olive oil
dried sage
salt and pepper
butter
3-4 breakfast sausage links, defrosted if frozen (more if you really like sausage)
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 cups (loosely packed) of 1/2 inch chunks of cornbread (or corn muffin) (or corn muffin toaster cakes like I used)
raisins or dried cranberries (which I forgot)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (I used a single-serving steamer bag)
1/4 chicken broth or water (do the broth, it adds more flavor)
a drizzle of maple syrup
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut squash in half and clean out the seeds and ribs by scraping the sides with a spoon. Cut off a bit of the top and bottom of the squash halves so they can sit flat. Rub the flesh with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a pinch of sage. Place on a baking pan, cut side down, and roast for 40-45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt a big chunk of butter in a medium-large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sausage and stir. Fry the sausage, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the raisins, corn and cornbread.
3. Stir for a couple of minutes and then add the broth and a drizzle (about a tbsp) of maple syrup. Give it a stir, then let cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. When the squash are done, fill each half with the stuffing and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.