Autumn Acorn Squash

Ingredients
1 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Turn acorn squash upside down onto a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees oven until it begins to soften, approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove squash from the oven and turn onto a plate so that the flesh is facing upwards. Place butter and brown sugar into the squash, and place remaining squash over the other piece. Place squash in a baking dish (so the squash won't slide around too much) while baking.

Place squash in the 350 degrees F oven and bake another 30 minutes.

Autumn Glazed Pork Chops and Sugarsnap Peas

This was the main dish I made for Heather on the night I proposed. It can't be too bad, right?

Ingredients:
2 boneless pork chops
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons apple cider
1/4 cup cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
3/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 oz. sugarsnap peas
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons molasses
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick coating. Heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of chops with pepper. Brown chops on each side in hot skillet. Add apple cider. Cover tightly; cook over low heat for 5-6 minutes or until chops are just done. Drain off juices. In a small bowl combine cranberry sauce, honey, orange juice concentrate, half the ginger and nutmeg. Pour over chops. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until heated through. Remove chops.

In the same skillet with juices from chops, cook the peas in soy sauce, vinegar, molasses, remaining ginger and red pepper flakes for 4 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender. Return pork to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until glazed.