Continuing on the theme of roasted vegetables (with fruit!), this is a nice option when you want to eat dessert for supper: sweet, spicy and festive.  It can be eaten as a side for a saltier, more savory main course or heaped solo into a bowl and served along with a salad of bitter greens to set off the sweetness some.

What you need:

• 1 medium Carnival squash, seeded, peeled and cut into 3/4” chunks (acorn squash makes a good substitute if Carnival isn’t available; since the dish is already pretty sweet, stay away from butternut, buttercup or red kuri unless you cut the maple syrup a bit)
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4” chunks, 3-1/2 cups chopped
• 2 cups chopped pineapple, 3/4” chunks
• 3 cups halved baby potatoes (the really small ones, about 1-2” across)
• 1 very large onions or 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 3/4” chunks
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, apple-juice sweetened preferred
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• A couple of pinches of ground cinnamon
• Sea salt to taste

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F and line two 8-1/2”x11” or 9”x12” rimmed pans with parchment paper. Make sure the racks are separated to allow a pan of vegetables on each level.
2. Divide all ingredients equally between the two pans.
3. Cook for 30 minutes, toss the roasting vegetables and fruit around and return to the oven. Switch the pan that was on the bottom rack to the top and the one from the top rack to the bottom.                                                              
4. After another 30 minutes, remove the pans from the oven and mix again. The vegetables should be cooked through with lots of golden bits.  Decide if it’s roasted enough or if they need another 5-10 minutes.                                                          
5. When roasted to taste, transfer to plates or a serving dish and enjoy.