Love & Lemons Cooking Club – October!

Join the Love & Lemons Cooking Club Challenge this month! It's easy to enter, and one lucky winner will receive a prize. Find all the details below.

Our Cooking Club is a fun way to celebrate the Love & Lemons community of readers. The concept is super simple—each month, I choose a recipe. You make it, and you email me a photo. At the end of the month, I randomly select one winner to receive a prize.

I love the sense of community that comes from so many people cooking one recipe each month. We’re kicking off our October challenge today with our butternut squash mac and cheese recipe, and I hope you’ll join in the fun. Here’s how it works:

The Prize: A $200 Whole Foods Gift Card!

At the end of the month, I’ll randomly select a winner and post all of the photos. This time, we’re giving away a $200 Whole Foods Gift Card.

October’s Recipe: Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

In October, I start craving all things butternut squash. If you do too, you’ll love this month’s recipe: my butternut squash mac and cheese!

The recipe features an amazing creamy sauce made from pureed squash, balsamic vinegar, fall spices, and cheddar and Gruyere cheese. For my money, it’s even creamier than classic mac and cheese, and I love the depth of flavor that the squash and seasonings add. Make it on a crisp night this month—a bowl of this comforting pasta is the perfect way to warm up!

• To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
• For a vegan alternative, make my creamy butternut squash pasta. Leave a comment on that blog post for a bonus cooking club entry!

Last Month’s Recipe

Last month’s recipe was my baked oatmeal. I received so many wonderful messages with your submissions! I thought I’d share a few here:

• “My mom and I enjoyed this so much that I’ve made it 3 times this month.” –Angela
• “This recipe was DELICIOUS! My whole kitchen smells amazing.” –Emily
• “One of my fave cooking club recipes of all time! Loved having this on the table for breakfast in the morning!” –Samantha

I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Here are all your photos:

Congrats to our winner, Lauren!

To Recap

Enter the October Cooking Club Challenge by…

1. Making my butternut squash mac and cheese recipe sometime in October.
2. Sending a picture of it to LoveAndLemonsCookingClub@gmail.com by October 31.
3. Leaving a comment on the butternut squash mac and cheese blog post for a bonus entry after you submit your photo. (One photo entry and one bonus entry per person – please leave your first and last name on your comment so I can match it to your photo submission.)
4. For another bonus entry, post your photo on Instagram, tagging @loveandlemons and #loveandlemonscookingclub.

Happy cooking!