Every cook has one — that very special recipe they treasure and keep a carefully guarded secret, and selfishly decline to share. Today, because I’ve decided that life is just too damn short to be stingy, I’m sharing my Top Secret Special Recipe, right here and now.

Squash muffins.
Now, don’t run off! It’s not at all what you think…

Here’s how I described these muffins to Tammy, over at Food on the Food, who seems to have more squash than she knows what to do with:

More cake-ish than breakfast-ish, even squash-haters love those gorgeous muffins. They’ll be buying up industrial-sized bags of squash to drop at your door, begging for “spontaneous baked goods” and bringing round friends to taste the vegetable miracle…

“Gorgeous Squash Muffins” are my secret weapon, guaranteed to bring college-age nephews (and their girlfriends, and their roommates, and their roommates’ girlfriends) around the house on a regular basis to brighten up the kitchen with lively gossip and philosophical debate and requests for advice both social and domestic.

And when Emily was a little tyke, she urged her doubtful-looking visiting chum to “just try” a squash muffin. “They don’t taste like squash,” she said. “They taste just like muffins. Really good ones!”

Buttercup quash, butternut squash, acorn squash or Hubbard or turban-top, it doesn’t matter — cook it and mash it and you’re ready to make some muffins. You can even use pumpkin, if you’ve had enough pumpkin pie for one holiday season…

Gorgeous Squash Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:
¾ cup white sugar
½ cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cooked squash
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1½ cups flour

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a muffin pan large enough for 12 muffins, or line with paper muffin cups.

Cream together the sugar and shortening, until very light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg and squash.

In a small bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

Add this to the creamed mixture very gradually, beating well after each addition.

Spoon into 12 muffin cups.

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Tip:
If you’re really doubtful about your family’s acceptance of squash in a dessert muffin… go ahead and add a dash of nutmeg and a sprinkle of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. It gives the squash that little extra “pumpkin pie” kind of flavour that is so very very popular…

Tired of the same-old same-old Thanksgiving decorations?

You can’t go wrong with the classic turkey (or a cocky classic rooster, for that matter), but here’s a fun new twist on the rustic Autumn yard art.

No carving.
No mess.
Reusable for years to come, of course, and very affordable at $11.95 (or less) at Gardeners.com.

Just push these simple iron silhouette pieces — turkey or rooster — head, wings, legs and tail — into a squash or a pumpkin, or any similar large round vegetable, come to that… Instantly, you’ve got an amusing vegetable sculpture to strut its stuff on your front porch or lawn!