Syd's Sweet Squash

My pre-teen daughter accompanied me on a trip to our local farmer's market.  Unlike my son, my daughters have adventurous palates and both love fresh veggies so the farmers market is full of exciting prospects.  We got our usual tomatoes, some green beans, cucumbers, fresh mozzarella and some lettuce.  As we were turning to leave, her eyes caught something that really got her excited....squash. 

There's a long-standing joke in my house about my aversion to zucchini and squash.   Try as I might, the flavors just are not for me.  My kids, however, have come to love both.  Admittedly, the squash at the market looked great - bright yellow and healthy....bursting with all the nutrition I was denying my children if I turned down Sydney's request.  Darn you, squash!  So I agreed to get them (two for a dollar, not bad) if she agreed to cook them.  Her eyes lit up and we brainstormed on the way home about how to prepare her finds.

All three of the kids loved it and my darling Syd was beaming with pride at her culinary creation.  It also sparked an idea.  Every week, I plan to bring one of the kids with me to the market.  They'll be responsible for choosing one vegetable and preparing it.  It might be a hard sell with my son but then again, it might be a good way to get him to expand his horizons.

Syd's Sweet Squash


Ingredients
2 good sized yellow squash
3 strips of bacon
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a large saute pan until crispy.  Remove to drain on paper towels, leaving the bacon drippings in the pan.
2. Wash and thinly slice the squash (less than 1/4 inch slices).  Add squash to the pan with the bacon drippings and begin cooking.  Be sure to turn them frequently, sprinkling both sides with the cinnamon. 
3.  Chop the bacon into small pieces (bigger than a bacon bit but not huge pieces) and add back into the pan after the squash has cooked for 5 minutes.  Stir in the brown sugar and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.  Squash should be softened but not mushy. 
4. Transfer the squash to a serving dish and dust with the salt and pepper to taste.