Squash Casserole

My student worker, Chris, brought in some summer squash, and since we were having company, I decided to do something different with it. And I spotted the perfect recipe from the July issue of Southern Living. The casserole is much prettier than the picture ... yes, yes, I forgot to take a picture of the casserole when it came out of the oven in its pretty glass dish.

3 lb yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (I used Vidalia)
1 1/2 salt, divided
1 cup grated carrots
1 (10 3/4-oz) can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 (8-oz) container light sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (I used flat leaf parsley)
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup crushed French fried onions
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cut squash into 1/4-inch thick slices; place in a Dutch oven. Add onion, 1 tsp. salt, and enough water to just cover squash. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 5 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Stir together grated carrots, cream of chicken soup, sour cream and chopped chives, and remaining salt in a large bowl. Fold in squash mixture. Spoon into a lightly greased 2-qt oval baking dish.

4. In a small bowl stir together cornflakes, French fried onions, pepper and melted butter. Sprinkle over squash mixture.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Cover with foil after 20 -25 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

4th July Burgers

1 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, grated
2 Tbsp. Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped flatleaf parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. In a medium bowl mix all ingredients together with a fork. Be sure to mix everything lightly ... do not mash down or compact the ground beef.

2. Using your hands, form the beef mixture into four (4 oz.) patties, making sure not to pack the mixture too well. I make sure to make an indentation in the center of the burgers so that they cook better since they usually puff up in the center.

3. Wrap the burgers and let them sit in the fridge for at least two hours to let the flavors meld together. An hour before cooking the burgers, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature on the countertop.

4. Grill the burgers to whatever temperature suits you. I like my meat with no pink! Serve with white American cheese, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, onion, ketchup and mustard.

Company Omelet

The Barefoot Contessa calls this an omelet for two ... don't know how much she eats but I made this recipe for company and it could feed eight of us! Well, it could feed four if this is the only thing you are serving but I also had a lemon coffeecake, so most people only had one wedge of the omelet. The picture below is of the recipe that I halved which serves four.

4 rashers of thick cut bacon, cut into pieces
3 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
6 medium sized eggs
2 Tbsp. cream or milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In an ovenproof saucepan, saute bacon bits until brown and crisp, stirring often. Remove bacon from saucepan and drain on paper towel. Drain most of bacon grease from saucepan. Add butter and swirl around.

3. Add potato to saucepan and stir to coat with hot butter & grease. Add onion and stir well. Put a lid on potato and onion mixture to help them cook quickly. Stir mixture from time to time until potato is cooked through when pierced with a fork. Add the bacon pieces to the mixture.

4. Beat the eggs with the milk, add the parsley, cheese, salt and pepper, and pour over the potato mixture in the pan. Place saucepan in the oven and cook for 10 - 15 minutes until the center is almost set and omelet is puffy.

5. Cut into four to eight wedges and serve hot.

Note: My recipe is a little different from the Barefoot Contessa's because I made adjustments as usual.