Summer Goodness From The Kitchen Garden

It is absolutely blissful to be able to stroll into my rather smallish backyard and emerge with an armful of fresh produce. Yesterday afternoon, in between Beryl's rain bands, while we hung out at the pool with some friends a spur of the moment Memorial Day cookout was contrived. It was more of a suggestion, "hey why don't you guys bring your stuff, we will put it with our stuff and feast," but it turned out to be a great idea. The mound of summer squash had been accumulating in the vegetable basket that resides on our kitchen counter so I decided to empty the basket and raid the pantry and refrigerator to "create" some goodness. I hurriedly checked the internet for a squash casserole recipe that would meet two requirements, it must be quick (we were headed to the neighbors house in about an hour) and since a trip to the grocery store was not happening the ingredient list had to match our provisions. Well, I found a couple of possibilities but it just wasn't exactly what I had in mind, so as I often do, I went into "modification mode." And what resulted was, well, I think pretty darn good.


So, I wanted to share with you. I regret that I didn't take the time to snap a picture of the tureen as it emerged all hot and bubbly from the oven, I told you we were in a real hurry as I could still hear the dish bubbling as I placed the dish into the back of the car for the short drive. I could have provided a picture of the empty casserole afterwards, but other than providing an affirmative exclamation point, it just wouldn't add much to the post.

The story here just isn't another cooking piece, nor is it to convey the benefits of square foot gardening, although both topics are satisfied by my contribution to this blog today. Nope, the story ends with an impromptu gathering of families around a large formal southern style dining room table in a tastefully and smartly decorated southern dining room enjoying a spontaneous and very informal holiday supper, on paper plates. Ahhh, summertime! And the livin' is EEEEEEEEZZZZZZY!

Summer Squash Medley
Ingredients
1 zucchini squash
1 pat-a-pan squash
1 yellow summer squash
3 eggs beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 cups stuffing mix
1 cup grated parm/romano cheese
1/2 onion
1/2 stick of butter cut into 1/4 inch slabs
bacon grease
salt and pepper

Preparation
1- Slice Onion and seperate into rings, prep squash into 1/2 inch slices
2- Simmer onion and squash in a large skillet in bacon grease until tender (don't over cook)
3- Place squash and onions into large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, saving the beaten eggs for last.
4- Gently toss to mix and place the mixture into an adequately sized glass casserole dish
5- Sprinkle extra bread crumbs and grated parm/romano on top
6- Bake at 375 for 40 minutes
7- Remove from oven, cover with foil and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving