Butternut Squash-Yogurt Sauce

Time for fall, time for squash. Time for a change in leaf color, in apparel, in the type of weather you discuss on the elevator ride up. Time for feeling excited upon exiting the apartment, not because you're headed anywhere particularly interesting, but because the air gently teasing your windbreaker is bright and bold and carries an offer of change that says Good. Time for layers, peeled off indoors, packed on outdoors, then peeled off again once the sun bullies its way through the crisping leaves. Time for frisky dogs. Time for down comforter capes. Time for turning the oven on too early, just so that the whole kitchen feels like an oven. Time for acrobatic maneuvers to get from real clothes-to-jammies-to-bed in as little time as possible. Time for faces warmed in hot tea's steam. Time for bowls of mush that are delicious because that mush is squash mush. Time for fall.







Butternut Squash-Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (use 3 unpeeled, whole garlic cloves if you have them. I did not)
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/3 cup water

Directions
--Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dice squash and place in an 8x8-inch, foil-lined baking pan. Add oil, salt, basil, and garlic powder and toss to coat the squash. NOTE: Eventually you will want to remove the squash skin. I did so after roasting and found it very easy, if time consuming. You can peel the squash beforehand, but will likely lose a little more of the flesh.
--Roast for 35 minutes or until squash is fork-tender. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, add to a blender. (If you roasted skin-on, remove before adding to the blender by scraping the flesh off with a fork). Add yogurt and water and blend until smooth.