Live for Today: roasted kale and butternut squash with pecans and parmesan

I bought a butternut squash at the pumpkin patch last weekend.

Butternut squashes slightly scare me when it comes to cooking them.

Last year I attempted butternut squash fries, because I love sweet potato fries. Huge bomb.

But butternut squash is such a symbol of fall, and I love fall, so I tried again to befriend the squash.

This time I made my friend Michelle's roasted kale and butternut squash dish. Michelle is another one of my chef friends with a rock star cooking blog. I aspire to be her.

I followed her directions precisely and my dish was a huge success and so incredibly yummy.

The hardest part is by far the peeling war with the butternut squash. My vegetable peeler didn't do the trick, so I resorted to a giant knife. Not ideal, but it worked.

Next you scoop out the seeds and the gushy stuff, very pumpkin-like.

Then you chop the squash into cubes, mix it with 2 TBSP of olive oil and bake it in a dish at 400F for 25 minutes.

While it was baking, I got working on the kale.

This whole dish was really a growing experience for me because kale is another thing I haven't really used before. I've tasted kale chips but have never made them.

Wash the kale and remove the stems.

And chop.

When the squash is done, add the kale, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the kale is wilted (be careful, it burns easily if you don't watch it).