two squash recipes from my friend squashy-jen!

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Sure thing.  The spaghetti squash is super easy.  The only hard part is
getting the stupid thing split in two.  The easiest way to get a squash into
lengthwise halves seems to be to put it on a folded up towel so it doesn't
roll away, wedge a knife in as much as you can and then slam the knife in
with a hammer or mallet.  Then all you need to do is scoop out the seeds,
put it in a baking dish face down, prick the skin with a fork and cook it
for 30-40 minutes at 350.
I use a really simple sauce in it because I don't want to drown out the
flavor of the squash.
for one squash:
2 lb tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
8-9 green onions
2-3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

all amounts are totally approximate, I like a garlicy, but not very sweet
sauce, as you can tell.
Just peel, seed and chop the tomatoes, slice the onions, mince the garlic.
Cook the onions and garlic in the oil for a couple of minutes, add
everything else and let it simmer.
When the squash is done, get a fork and scrape those puppies out, top with
sauce and, voila, a lovely meal in under an hour.

Now my squash soup is another thing.  I really think that I wrote down my
favorite recipe, but I can't find it.  Really, though, it's one of those
wing-it things.  Here's a vague list of what I use:

butternut squash, peeled, seeded, chopped into 1/2-1 inch chunks
granny smith apple(1-2 depending on size) chopped pretty finely
vegetable broth (about 4 cups)
onion or leek, chopped
a couple cloves of garlic, minced
the hottest pepper you can find, preferably a scotch bonnett
curry powder
salt
pepper
cinnamon
I like a few sprigs of thyme, too

It's probably easiest to cook the squash in the oven first.  Just halve it,
seed it, peel it, and throw it in the oven for about 20 minutes.  Then it'll
be easier to chop and you won't have to cook your soup for so long.  Cook
the onion and garlic ina little oil first, then add everything else and
simmer.  If you get a really hot pepper, just snip it a little bit with a
pair of scissors and throw the whole pepper in.  If you get a less hot
pepper, mince it up and throw it in when you cook the garlic and onion.  Let
the whole thing simmer until everything's tender.  Now there're two
conflicting ways to serve this, blended or chunky.  I prefer chunky, Brian
prefers blended, can we agree on nothing?
At any rate fish the pepper out if you used a hot hot hot one and the sprigs
of thyme, too, if you used those.  Then you can either serve it as is
(chunky) or blend it with an immersion blender or by pouring it into a
regular blender.  Obviously this is a feel free to experiment kind of
recipe, but I hope this is a good starting point, at least.

have fun and eat lots of squash, that's my motto.
-Jen