Roasted Squash

Boy have I enjoyed having all the fresh veggies from my Daddy’s garden. I’ve been trying to cook them a few new ways for us so we don’t get bored with them. But seriously, who can get bored of fresh deliciousness?? Squash is one of my favorite vegetables, I love it cooked anyway you can possibly think of. I’ve been roasting a lot of veggies lately, but haven’t ever tried it with squash. Well guess what.....it’s time to roast some squash. Tonight was my lucky night because I found a new favorite way to eat squash. I think roasting is my new favorite way to eat every veggie. I headed to Pinterest to find the perfect recipe. I ended on one of Martha Stewart’s recipes, appropriate right? Of course, I changed it up, but it was a nice start. Thanks Martha, but my version is just a touch better.  Ha! I’m sure she’s never heard that before. Don’t tell her I dissed her on my blog. Let me tell you the best way to eat squash....but first, take a moment to admire my Daddy's garden. A beautiful site!

Now that you've admired let’s get those ingredients together:

 

2 pounds squash – mix yellow with zucchini if you have it

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

crushed red pepper flakes, just a sprinkle

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice squash, about an inch thick. Throw the squash in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, toss to combine. Once thoroughly coated, add parmesan cheese and mix until evenly coated.

 

Spread squash evenly on baking sheet that has already been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place on middle rack in oven and roast until caramelized, about 12 minutes. Half way through, stir squash and rotate pan. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Transfer squash to platter, drizzle with 2 T olive oil, season with sea salt and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.

This was such a great way to prepare squash! I don’t know why I’ve never tried this before, but it certainly won’t be the last! Try it and let me know if you liked it. Enjoy!

Squash Casserole

Being a  nice southern girl, like I am, you must know how to make a good squash casserole. I love me some squash.  Make it into a casserole, throw some cheese on it, and it’s one of the best thing you’ve ever tasted. My Daddy grows squash in his garden and I miss living close by and getting a regular supply. His just seem to taste better. But until I can make a trip to collect some fresh veggies, I’ll have to keep frequenting the local produce stand.

 

Now I found this squash casserole many years ago, before I found the Food Network or there were a million food blogs out there. This is Art Smith’s recipe (slightly enhanced), Oprah’s chef, from his cookbook Back to the Table. He used to come on her show and make some delicious recipes. I’ve had his cookbook for some time now, but had forgotten about it. I pulled it out the other day and found my squash casserole recipe waiting on me. I was so happy! Art didn’t add cheese, but everyone knows you’ve got to have cheese in a squash casserole! See if you like my enhanced version of Art’s squash casserole:

 

Ingredients:

3 medium yellow squash , cut into 1/2-inch half-moons

1 medium onion , chopped

2 cloves garlic , minced

1/2 cup chicken broth or canned low-sodium broth

1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (make in the blender or food processor)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (+) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish. Slice squash and dice onion.

Bring the squash, onion, garlic and broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.

 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth evaporates and the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Stir in the sour cream and oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

 

Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese and spread in the baking dish. Sprinkle with a little more cheese, then breadcrumbs and drizzle with the oil.

 

I usually have breadcrumbs on hand, but this time I didn’t so I made my own. I was pretty excited! I toasted a couple of slices of bread, threw them in the blender and viola! Bread crumbs! Pretty cool. I’ll definitely make them again.

Bake until the juices are simmering and the top is crusty, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve hot. I served with some yummy grilled chicken and rice with kale. What a delicious and healthy meal, right?? Have I mentioned.....I love food?? I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

 

 

Hearty Veggie Soup

It’s getting colder so it’s getting time for some great soup recipes! We love good soup around here! Well, who likes bad soup?? I’ve already made chicken noodle soup, the hubby’s favorite, now time for my favorite, a yummy veggie soup with pasta. Mmmm....mmmmmm.....good. This really is a great recipe. It’s very hearty and healthy. What’s better than that, right? Thanks again to Pinterest I found the start of a good recipe. I found a couple of recipes that I liked, combined a few ingredients, added a few of my own and viola, you have the perfect veggie soup recipe. You are so welcome. I am here to make things easier on you. This is your one stop blog for the best recipes ever! Yes, I am just a bit prejudiced on that. Can you blame me though? I’ve really made some yummy things. I’m not bragging. Trust me, I’m still amazed that  I even attempted some of these recipes! If I did it, you can do it too. Want to know how to make a delicious vegetable soup?? Let’s get started:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 carrots, finely chopped

4 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 onion, diced

2 zucchini, diced

3 – 14 oz cans diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken stock

1 Tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves

1 Tablespoon thyme

2 bay leaves

handful fresh parsley

2 cup pasta shells

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound ground turkey

Directions:

Brown turkey in a separate pan. While meat is browning, in a large pot, over medium heat, cook onions, celery and carrots until soft. Put the lid on and cook about 20-30 minutes (that’s how long it took mine to get good and soft). We want those veggies to get good and soft. Remember, no crunchy veggies in our soup!

Such a pretty veggie medley

Add zucchini and garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until squash is soft.

Stir in rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and stir. Add can tomatoes, meat and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

How pretty does that look??? Yummers!

Add pasta, cook about 10 minutes or until pasta is done.

Add fresh parsley, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

You can also make this soup without the meat and it will be just as delicious. I needed to add the meat for the hubby. He might wonder what’s up if I serve him a meal without meat! :-)

Yellow Squash, Zucchini & Feta Casserole

One of my favorite casseroles ever! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, made a few changes, threw on some feta, and now it’s perfect! I LOVE squash, especially the ones picked fresh from my daddy’s garden. They just taste better. I love yellow and zucchini squash so this recipe was right up my alley. Well, to even take it further, I love tomatoes cooked in anything and feta is my favorite cheese so this just got even better when I threw the the feta on top. This casserole has all of my loves, so it is perfection!

This is easy to assemble, just like a vegetable lasagna. I slice the vegetables length-wise, but you can certainly slice them any way you’d like. It will still taste delicious. My dad made this and added a layer of Vidalia onion. That’s probably pretty tasty too. Feel free to throw that on if you’d like.

Here’s what you need to get started:





Nice size squash, right?? Thanks Terry.



• Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow squash
• 2 large zucchini
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 2 cups grated Italian blend cheese (or really whatever you like)
• 1/2 cup butter, divided
• 2 T Italian seasoning
• 1/4 c feta cheese (or really how ever much you’d like. Sometimes I use more because it makes me happy)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Cut the zucchini and squash into long, thin layers. Lightly grease a 7x11-inch baking dish and layer the squash, zucchini, and tomatoes into the baking dish.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and add pats of butter between each layer of vegetables, and season each layer with salt, ground black pepper to taste, and Italian seasoning.

Continue this layering process until all the vegetables are used up and top this off with the remaining butter and grated cheese and feta.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until vegetables are to desired tenderness and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Take off lid during the last 10 minutes so the cheese will brown.

Looks yummy, doesn't it??

Now all you have to do is eat and enjoy!