Last week, my Lincoln got to pick his very first night-before-the-first-day-of-school dinner.  He’s been riding a gas-powered 4 wheeler since he was 2, shooting a Red Ryder since he was 3 and firing a bow and arrow for a year now.  He’s not scared to camo up and take off through the pasture until I can’t see him anymore or push a 1000 pound quarter horse out of his way.  So it should have been no surprise that I was only allowed to walk him in the first day.  But man, he looks so little walking those big ol’ halls.

While I miss him and his antics at home, I know it’s time to share his awesome with the world.  Or at least with our little Small Town, U.S.A.

Lincoln’s not much into sweets.  He’s a solid meat and potatoes kind of guy already.  He does, after all, need to nourish all those big adventures of his.  So he didn’t ask for anything fancy; just spaghetti and cheesy meatballs…emphasis on the cheesy meatballs.

Now, we all know I’m not one to skimp on flavor for the sake of a few calories, but I always make these with Italian Turkey instead of beef or sausage.  I’m sure they would be excellent with either of them, but our whole carnivorous family loves them with the turkey.  And then I don’t feel quite so guilty when the kids go back for seconds.  Or thirds.

This is one of our simplest and most favorite recipes. Easy prep and crock pot cooking makes it great for busy school days.  And you can even make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze until the day you need them.

So from our table to yours….Cheese Stuffed Meatballs.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground sweet Italian turkey sausage
• 1 c Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbs mayonnaise
• 1 egg
• 20-30 cheese cubes
• 1 – 2 c. Mozerella cheese
• Big jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (~40 ounces)
• 12-15 oz of your favorite noodles
• Lots and lots of napkins – at least if you have toddlers

1.  Spray the inside of a crockpot with nonstick cooking spray

2.  Mix your turkey sausage, mayonnaise, egg and breadcrumbs.  Why mayo, you ask?  Because turkey cooks a lot drier than pork or beef, so the mayonnaise helps keep it moist. Just like my meatloaf, I use my KitchenAid mixer, but you can certainly do it by hand.

*If you can’t find ground Italian turkey sausage (like me this time), you can buy the Italian turkey sausage links in the fresh meat section.  The casings open very easily…just squeeze the meat out right into your bowl.  It’s not pretty.  But it works!

(I’ll spare you the picture)

3.  Form about 2 Tbs of your ground turkey mixture loosely into a meatball.  It should be about the size of a golf ball.

4.  Insert 1 cheese cube into the middle and reform your meat around the cube to make a meatball.  Drop into the bottom of your prepared crockpot.

5.  Repeat until all of your meat is formed and stuffed into meatballs.

6.  Pour the entire jar of spaghetti sauce over the top.

7.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

8.  When your meatballs are fully cooked and you start to see cheese ooze out, turn your crock pot off.  Top with mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese, and put the lid back on.  Let them sit while you prepare your noodles (as directed on the box).

9.  You can either dump your noodles into the crockpot and stir into the sauce and meatballs -OR- you can serve each plate individually.  Just top a pile of noodles with spaghetti sauce and meatballs and dig in!

Lincoln’s first day was an enormous success!  I hope these put as much pep in your step as they did his 🙂

I attribute a lot of my creativity to my parents. In highschool, they let me paint my room wild colors.  They let me trade out my bed for an old couch so I could have a lounge.  They let me stay up till all hours of the night baking fancy cakes for friends’ birthdays, and they always encouraged me to write.  My Mom is the one that taught me the value of handmade and insanely thoughtful gifts.  She’s always been really good at that.

I’d like to think my taste has reformed since the days I chose navy blue window sills, but I’m still a lot the same.  Still tinkering with projects and recipes all the time.

So this is a recipe my Mom and I made together when I was little, both for us and for gifts.  I was going to wait another month or so to share it, but it was 30 degrees when I got in my truck this morning.  Y’all, that’s colder than most of my life’s Christmases. So you can bet your biscuits I’ll be wearing fuzzy socks and drinking hot chocolate tonight…. and you should too!

So make a batch (or three) and embrace Blue Bell’s mantra…drink all you can and give away the rest.
Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c. nonfat powdered milk
• 1/4 c. Cocoa powder
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• A dash of salt
• 1/3 c powdered flavored coffee creamer – get creative here.  We always made it with amaretto growing up.  Lately we’ve preferred the peppermint mocha.  Just pick your favorite!
• Optional toppings: marshmallows, candycanes, whipped cream, sprinkles…get crazy.

1.  Mix all of he dry ingredients in a big bowl or canister or jar.  I like a jar (but let’s face it, I think  everything’s better in a jar).  Shake it, stir it, mix it well.  Store in an airtight container until ready for use.

2.  For each cup, add 6-8 oz of hot water to 5 Tbs of powdered mix.  Stir well.

3.  My kids like to top it with marshmallows and a candy cane.  I prefer to keep a jar (shocker, I know) of whipped heavy cream in the fridge for topping.  A few Tbs of cream topped with candycane crumbles and I’m in Heaven.

To make whipped cream, pour 1 c of cold heavy whipping cream into a metal bowl.  Mix on high with an electric mixer until thick and soft peaks form; a couple of minutes.  If you over mix, it will still taste good, but it will be lumpy.  You can store this in a closed container in the fridge for a few days.

This is going to be longer and gushier than most of my posts, but frankly, it’s hard to encompass a legend of a woman with just a few choice words.

See, I come from a long line of strong Texas women; all of whom have left or are leaving a significant mark in their worlds.

My Mom:  She listened to me gush about boys and stress about tests. And now she lets me vent about my kids and she encourages me in my marriage and my endeavors. She’s been a web designer at Texas A&M, an author, a decorator; and now she’s taking the real estate market by storm.  She goes after what she wants with grace and imminent success. And always looks good doing it!

My Mimi:  She’s owned dress and make-up shops for as far back as I can remember.  And it always suited her perfectly, because what she does best is make other people feel good about themselves.  She’s always been my biggest cheerleader and encourager.

My Great Granny Vera, and to whom I attribute this post and much of our strength:  She was the Annie Oakley of Rockdale, Texas.  I remember feeding catfish on her farm and helping her in the garden; bent over, one hand pulling weeds and the other holding her nightgown up far enough to not drag in the dirt.  She had story after story of pulling her gun on salesman who wouldn’t leave, killing snakes on the back porch, starting business, dealing with unruly renters, even getting shot in the hind-end with a shotgun.  She was fearless.  She would sell you the shirt off her back if she’d make a dime.  She sometimes cussed like a sailor.  But was always respectful and well-respected in return. Rumor has it she was even the first woman in town to wear pants instead of a skirt.

In one of her many endeavors, and perhaps the one she’s still most known for, she opened Singer’s Grill in 1947.  It was during its 28 years of operation that Apple Squares were born.

Apple squares; this beautiful concoction where apple pie meets cake.  Two layers of flaky crust sandwiching apple pie filling, topped with a thin layer of creamy icing and pecans.

Singers Grill burned to the ground in 1975, and Granny went home to Jesus in 2005, but her Apple Squares live on. There’s not a holiday where one of us doesn’t bring them to dinner.  And while my kids weren’t fortunate enough to know Granny Vera, it warms my heart that they love her recipe and carry the same strength and stubbornness she did.

I sincerely hope your family loves them as much as ours does.  So from The Singer’s Grill and our table to yours…Granny’ Apple Squares.

As I turned into my driveway this morning, I realized that all of a sudden fall is actually upon us.  Being from Texas, where fall means temperatures in the low 90s and trees turning all shades of brown, I am fascinated by all of the gorgeous colors popping up in the hills of Tennessee!

I’ve been meaning to share this recipe for some time, and what better season than fall…when the taste and smell of anything Apple compliments the crisp, cool air.

I got this recipe in 2004 from my friend in Ohio, Aleta.  Although I haven’t physically laid eyes on her in years, Aleta will always hold a sweet spot in my heart.  She was my partner in crime, my fishing buddy and my baking mentor back when my mashed potatoes were barely edible.  She always had something delicious baked and ready for all those times I barged into her house unannounced.  Aleta was my friend through a very confusing part of my life-journey…she never ever judged me and always, always made me laugh.  I will forever be grateful to her for that…And for this recipe!

So here it is…one of our favorites.  It’s great any season, but I seem to make it weekly during the fall, for  Jay and Oliver especially.  It’s their favorite.  You’ll love the cake and you’ll love how warm and cozy it makes your house smell.   It’s not fancy or overly sweet.  It’s just good, moist, bread-like, completely delicious apple cake.

So from our kitchen to yours,  Aleta’s Apple Cake.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 c unsweetened, natural apple sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 cups chopped Granny Smith apples
• 1 Tbs sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon for topping

1.  Grease and flour an 8 or 9 in springform pan.

2.  Beat sugar, butter, vanilla and apple sauce until well blended.  I use vanilla paste instead of exctract because I love, love, love the flavor.  But exctract works just fine too.

3.  Add eggs and beat until blended.

4.  Add flour and baking powder and 1 tsp cinnamon.

5.  Aleta’s original recipe calls for just 3 cups of chopped, peeled apples. We prefer 4 cups, chopped, not peeled, and we like Granny Smith.  The tartness compliments the sweet very well and they hold their consistency.  Whichever and however much you chose, stir them in.  🙂

We have also added 1/2 cup of raisins several times. Its really good too!

6.  Spread that thick, lumpy batter evenly into your pan.

7.  Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and sugar.  This is the magic.  The sweet cinnamonny crust that forms over top is the perfect crunchy bite on this moist cake.

8.  Bake for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees until the cake just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.

9.  Let the cake cool for 30 minutes and then remove the sides of the pan.

10.  Serve it warm or cold; with coffee for breakfast or with ice cream for dessert.  You will love it any which way….promise 🙂

What’s not to love about springtime in Texas?  It’s those few months between deer season and the scorching heat where we all huddle for pictures in bluebonnet fields and stock our freezers full of wild dewberries for jams and cobblers.  For those of you that don’t know, a dewberry is very similar to a blackberry, but they grow in brambles rather than upright or arching vines.  Fighting the stickers to get them makes them nearly worth their weight in gold, but their taste is well worth it!  I highly recommend boots, jeans and gloves to make it through the adventure with fewer war wounds.  We eat as many right off the vine as we put away in the bucket…so it’s a time consuming process.

Although they’re good any which way you eat them, we love a very simple cobbler.  Milk, butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and dewberries.  It’s really that simple.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 c. flour
• 1 1/3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. milk
• 3 c. dewberries
• 2 tsp. cinnamon/sugar mix

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a medium baking dish.

2.  Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3. Melt butter in a microwavable dish.  Whisk milk into butter slowly.

4. Whisk butter and milk into dry ingredients until smooth.

5. Rinse dewberries in a colander.  Drain and pat dry.  Fresh or frozen works just fine.  I used frozen here, and as I rinsed them, they softened up considerably.

After letting them drain for a couple of minutes, I dumped them out onto paper towels and patted the tops with more towels.  They’re quite delicate (and lets face it, after braving the stickers and snakes to get them, you don’t want to smoosh them at the last minute) so be gentle.

6.  Spray a medium sized baking pan with baking spray or smear with butter.  I prefer a glass dish so I don’t have to guess how done the bottom of my cobbler is.  When it starts looking done on top, I simply lift up the pan and check out the bottom. Cheating?  Maybe.  But I’m ok with that.

7. Sprinkle berries evenly on top.

8. Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar evenly on top of berries.  I enlisted help for this.

9.  Put it in a 350 oven for 45-50 minutes, until the crust has risen above the berries and is a beautiful golden brown.  The sugar will brown the top edges, so don’t panic if it starts to look burnt.  Again, I cheat and look at the bottom.  I like mine about the same color as the top.  Mmmm, please ignore the bite out of the corner.  It was too irresistible to wait another second to try.

Let it cool a few minutes before serving warm with a scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, or wait and eat it later.  It really doesn’t matter if you wait.  It’s ridiculously delicious…warm, cool, or cold; breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

 

 

I love, love, love making recipes that have been passed down….either through families or from friends. I think eating engages so many senses that memories can’t help but flood your mind when you eat or smell something from your past: where you were when you first had it, who made it for you, who was at the table with you, what you were doing when you first smelled it from the kitchen.

It just so happens that the 2 top requested desserts around our house are just like that. One is my good friend, Aleta’s, Apple Cake (which my husband requested as I wrote this, so I will post really, really soon!) and the other is my Grandma Hons’ Cherry Cookies. Right after Christmas every year, we used to drive 8 hours up to Seymour, Texas to visit the Hons side of our family. Grandma always had a batch of these waiting on us. We weren’t the first generation she made them for, and even though she’s no longer here to make them, I’m happy to say we won’t be the last generation to enjoy them either.

Now, I’m not going to lie, I don’t just love making cookies. I love baking, but making cookies is like doing laundry…I can’t do it all at once, so frankly by the last batch I’ve lost momentum. But my 7 year old especially loves these. And it does this mama’s heart good that he requests them, so I happily oblige.

These are great for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, New Years and well, Tuesdays. They’re pretty much just good anytime. They’re pretty; they’re yummy; and they’re even simple to bake…so they’re kind of the perfect cookie!

I’m posting her original recipe, but these are such a hit, I always double it to make a total of 45ish cookies.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 eggs, ½ c. of Oil, 2 Tbs. of juice from Maraschino Cherries and 1 box of Duncan Hines Strawberry Supreme Deluxe Cake Mix.  I have tried others, and although they’re all good, I do think Duncan Hines comes out the gooiest…which we love. The Pilsbury like I found today is excellent, but more cake like.

Once the batter is pretty, pink and mixed well, add in 1 cup of chopped nuts. We usually use pecans, but I’m sure walnuts would be good too. Just make sure they’re chopped small. Beat again until well mixed.

On a paper towel lined plate or cutting board, cut about 12 cherries in half. I think Grandma used to quarter them, but my kids always go for the ones with the bigger cherries. I have used whole ones before, too, but found the juice cooks out into the cookie, and makes the cherry fall out of the middle when it’s picked up. Hence, the reason for cutting it on the paper towel and soaking up some of the excess liquid.

Drop by tablespoons onto a cold cookie sheet or baking stone. They will grow quite a bit, so leave some room for Jesus. Put one cherry half, cut side down, in the middle of each cookie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Ooooohhh, my house is smelling so good right about now! It takes me right back to those visits; the pallet I shared with my brother on the bedroom floor, the smell of The Hons Haus, all the inventions Grandpa had in his back shed.

These glorious little bites of cherry Heaven burn very quickly, so watch them close. Take them out before they start to turn brown, and leave them on the pan to cool for a few minutes so the bottoms firm up, but don’t get crispy.

Cool them completely on a cooling rack before transferring to a plate or air tight container (Ours never make it to storage). If you put them in too soon, they mush together…still taste excellent, but they’re not nearly as pretty.

I also highly suggest cooling and washing your pan in between batches. Mostly, it just gives uniformity and keeps your bottoms from cooking faster than your tops. Like I said, I’m not terribly patient with multiple batches of anything, but this has proven to be a pretty important step for these cookies especially.

Doubling the original recipe gave me exactly 45 cookies today. That number varies depending on some very scientific factors….mostly how much of the batter gets eaten in the process. We were good today…so we got a full 45.

I get asked for this recipe almost every time I make them. And I’m always happy to share. It may be a small part of her legacy, but I’m sure Grandma Hons would be happy to share too.  I’m also sure she’d be happy to see how excited her great grandson was when he walked in the door after school today and found a plate full of her cookies on the counter!

 

Here’s the short version:

• 1 package of Duncan Hines Strawberry Supreme Deluxe Cake Mix
• ½ cup of Oil
• 1 jar of Maraschino cherries, halved
• 2 Tbs juice from the Maraschino Cherries
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Cup Chopped Nuts

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix cake mix, oil, eggs, and cherry juice.
2. Add in nuts and mix well.
3. Cut each cherry in half on a paper towel lined plate or cutting board.
4. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet.
5. Place one half cherry, cut side down, in the middle of each cookie.
6. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
7. Cool on cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
8. Cool completely and enjoy!!

 

It’s 11:00 on a gorgeous 69 degree summer morning.  We’ve picked our first strawberries out of our garden, cut a few roses and played some catch.   We finally figured out how that one pesky chicken keeps escaping the coop and how Fiona the house pig keeps getting into it.  We’ve planned the rest of our day around what we’ll eat and when.  So I’ve got my windows open, fresh flowers by my bed, and an old moonshine jar full of lemon sweet tea trying to capture how much I’m loving this moment.

Now I’d be amiss if I didn’t admit, there have been constant requests for more milk, several Nerf re-configurations, 2^nd and 3^rd rounds of breakfast, bickering, tattling and at least 3 wardrobe changes thus far.  Oh, and the pig got into the ice cream. It’s just about everything good and chaotic that a Southern Summer should be with a family of six.

So we broke out the big guns to start this day.  Fried green tomatoes with southwest ranch and fresh peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream.  Yep, you might as well just go ahead and unbutton your britches, and belly up to the picnic table.

The Peach Cobbler belongs to Mrs. Etha Curtis, my Nana.  One of the best gifts I ever received was a handwritten recipe book that my Aunt Leann gave me.  She must have spent hours collecting and re-writing each of these recipes.  It’s full of Nana’s simple and depression era goodies, as well as, her own Cajun treats.

I remember lots of Saturdays walking with my brother down the dirt road to my Nana’s; stopping to moo at the cows and play on the oil well.  She always had a freezer stocked with Schwann ice cream,  Aquanet in the bathroom and a quilt hanging in the entry.  She was always quick to butter a piece of toast for us and slather it with her homemade pear preserves.

When we needed a break from that Texas heat, she’d have a pad of paper to draw on or tell us to twiddle our thumbs. And when we got bored of that…she’d tell us to stop and twiddle the other direction. She had stories about picking cotton in that field we’d just played in, and stories about the war. I wish now I could remember more of them.

So this peach cobbler is just like I remember my Nana; simple, but divine.  Enjoy it by itself, with ice cream, warm or cold.  Just be prepared to want to go back for seconds!

Happiest summer days from our table to yours!

Ingredients:

• 1 c. Shortening
• 1 Tbs. Milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 2/3 c. Flour
• ¼ c. Water
• 8 cups Peaches (or fruit of choice), washed and cut into bite size pieces
• ½ c. butter
• 1 c. + 1/3 c. Sugar

1. Mix shortening and milk until light and fluffy.

2. Mix in flour and salt until you have a crumbly mixture.

3. Add in ¼ cup of water to make a dough that can be handled easily.

4.  Divide the dough in half.

5.  Roll out the first half on a floured surface. This is going on the bottom, yall.  So it’s more important to be even than it is to be pretty.  Lay it gently in a deep 9×13 casserole dish.

If it’s not perfect, it’s no big deal to press in leftover pieces to make a solid bottom.

6.  Spread peaches evenly.

7.  Slice butter into pats and lay over peaches.

8.  Sprinkle 1 c. sugar on top of the peaches and butter.

9. Roll out second half of crust.

10. You can either lay it over the top for a full crust or cut it into 1 in. strips for a lattice top crust. Either way makes a mean cobbler!

M11. Using a baking brush or the back of a spoon, brush about 3 Tbs of water on the crust.  Top with remaining 1/3 c. of sugar.

12. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until crust is lightly browned and peaches are bubbly.

Admittedly, I do not like to bake cookies; mostly just because by the third batch, I’m ready to be done and have a clean kitchen again.  Patience is not my strongsuit.  And honestly, unless they’re smothered in that white fluffy icing, I don’t even really love to eat cookies.  Give me cake or pie or ice cream every single time.

But then there are these beauties; this magical bite of 2 kinds of chocolate, brown sugar, and enough oatmeal to make you feel like you’re being healthy.  Frankly, I’m not sure why they’re not a staple cookie recipe like snickerdoodles or sugar cookies.  Kids love them, grown ups love them, my critters love to steal them….you seriously can’t lose with these on display.

Now, Texas Tall Tale Cookies are not a Mama Merica original.  Aside from a few tiny changes, this recipe is from the 2007 edition of Texas A&M Women’s Club’s compilation of Aggielands Best Recipes….right out of my hometown.

I’ve made this recipe so many times that my copy opens effortlessly to page 272; the page that’s crinkly from flour and butter spills.

So here goes.  Don’t be intimidated by the rather lengthy list of ingredients.  Every one is absolutely worth it!!

Ingredients:

• 1c butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 c flour
• 2 1/2 c dry oatmeal (don’t use instant!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 oz milk chocolate Hershey bar
• 1 1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans

1.  Cream together the butter and both sugars.

2. Add eggs and vanilla.

3. Alternate adding in the flour and oats about 1/2 cup at a time.

4. Add salt, baking powder and baking soda.

5.  Rough chop your Hershey bar into small pieces.  Stir in both chocolates and the nuts.

6.  Make golf ball sized cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

7.  Bake for 9-10 minutes.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan.

Word to the wise: To *help* avoid those crispy burnt bottoms that we all despise, cool your cookie pan before starting a new batch. 🙂

I am very fortunate to have an extraordinary mother-in-law!  We don’t get to see her often, but when we do, we all enjoy our time together.  We do big stuff like Dollywood, little stuff like cooking, and all that in-between stuff like building TP’s in the bathroom for her grandson’s birthday.

No, seriously.

And it turned out really cute, too, I might add!

Anyway, in addition to her stellar hot gluing skills, our whole crew insists she make these cheesy potatoes every time she comes to visit.  Whether you’re from her native Yooper territory or down far below the Mason Dixon like me, you’ll want to add this to your reportiore today!

Cheryl’s version is a perfect side dish to bring to any potluck or serve alongside almost any main dish.  I like to add some extra seasonings and ham and call it a meal.  (In fact, it’s an excellent alternative to use up any leftover holiday ham.). Either way, it is guaranteed to be a show-stopper!

 
Ingredients:

• 1 14 oz bag of hash brown squares
• 1 diced onion
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 c. Melted butter
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 4 Tbs. sour cream
• 1 ranch packet
• 2 cups of cubed ham
• 6 cups of potato chips

1.  Pull your hashbrowns out of the freezer and to let them thaw slightly.  Preheat your oven to 375.

2.  Mix everything except the chips and hashbrowns.  (onion, cream of chicken soup, melted butter, shredded cheese, sour cream, ranch seasoning, and ham).

3.  Add in hash browns.

4.  Spread in a greased 9×13 pan.

*If you have a deeper foil pan, you can grease it and then mix all of your ingredients there.  It may stick a little on the corners, but it does eliminate an extra bowl to wash.  I’m just saying.

5.  Measure 6 cups of potato chips.  Crunch them.  Cheryl likes Lays.  I like kettle cooked.  As long as they’re crispy and greasy, they’ll work well.  Sprinkle on top of your casserole.

6.  Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

7.  Broil for 1-2 minutes to brown up those chips a little more.

8.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy!  And don’t be bashful about getting in line….it’ll be gone before you know it!!

I don’t usually post more than one recipe a week, but I’m very excited about this.  Maybe because it’s ridiculously delicious, or maybe it’s because I very much enjoyed the challenge of coming up with a recipe.  See, last week, a friend asked me if I had a good squash casserole recipe.  And it pained me to say that I didn’t.  So I rushed out to try a family recipe, and I didn’t love it.  And then I perused Pinterest, but everything seemed complicated and less like squash casserole.  So I scrapped all of it, and started from scratch.

I’ll be honest and say, that rarely works out as perfectly as I imagine it will, but tonight, the stars aligned, the heavens opened up, the fat lady sang…it was glorious.  My kids had 2nds and 3rds…of squash.  Even my husband, the lean, mean meat smokin’ machine went back for seconds.

So here it is.  It’s cheesy, it’s crunchy, it’s gooey, it’s delicious. May it be as successful around your table as it was mine.

Ingredients:

• 5-6 Medium Squash, cubed into small pieces
• ½ Onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs. Better than Bouillon Chicken Paste
• 1Egg
• ½ c. Sour Cream
• 1 Packet of Ranch Seasoning
• ½ c. Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 2 c. Shredded Cheddar
• 1-2 cups of French Fried Onions

1. Bring 4-5 cups of water to a full boil in a pot or dutch oven. Drop in squash, onion and Better than Bouillon. Boil until tender, about 15 minutes.

2. While your squash boils, beat egg in a separate bowl. Whisk in sour cream and then the ranch seasoning.

3. When squash is tender, drain well, and roughly mash with a potato masher. I like to leave some chunks, but mostly mashed.

4. Using a spatula, add egg mixture to squash and onions. Mix well.

5. Add in bread crumbs and cheddar and fold until well mixed.

6. If you’re using a Dutch oven like I did, you can top the casserole with French fried onions and bake uncovered in the same dutch oven. Or, if you prefer to transfer it to a glass baking dish, do so here. Then, top with enough French fried onions to cover your casserole.

7. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the onions on top become a beautiful golden brown.

8. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then dig in!