Stuffed Squash for Two

courtesy of Lydia's blog ( see links)

1 medium acorn squash
1 T butter, melted
2 T brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 lb ground beef
3 T chopped celery
3 T chopped onion
2 T flour
1/2 tsp rubbed sage or ground sage
3/4 cup milk
1 cup salad croutons
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cut squash in halt; discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in an 9x13 baking dish; add 1/2 in of water. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes. Drain water from pan; turn squash cut side up. Brush with butter; sprinkle with brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Bake 30-40 minutes longer or until squash is tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the beef, celery and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in flour, sage and remaining salt. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

3.Remove from the heat; stir in croutons.
4.Spoon into squash halves. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Suzanne's Note: I have made this a couple of times. The first time I followed the recipe exactly. I noticed that the filling tasted delicious. But after following step four it seemed to lose some of it's flavor.
When making this the last time, I was in a hurry and made a few adjustments to the original recipe. I skipped step one. Instead I scooped out the seeds, put the squash face down in a glass baking dish and put 1/2 inch water in the pan. Then you cook it in the microwave,covered for 8-10 minutes. (I ommitted the butter and brown sugar)
I made the filling exactly as it says in step two and three. I skipped step four and instead served the filling over the cooked, mashed squash.
The result was very delicious and much quicker and more convenient then the oringial experience. I also love the croutons in it because you could get different flavored croutons to change it up a bit.