Thanks for the ideas - I didn't buy these two squash, someone at work gave them to me. It would be a shame to waste them, but a trip to the ER would be an even larger shame. I wonder if I were to stab one of them a few dozen times and put the whole thing in the oven for 10-15 minutes would soften that thick skin up a bit... I don't have a serrated knife large enough for this though it might be good to have one large enough for this purpose anyway.