“Cajun-Inspired Shrimp-Stuffed Patty Pan Squash” may be my best recipe ever for fixing all the numerous summer squashes which grow my garden. I used these cute little “space ship” shaped patty pan squash and stuffed them with a savory shrimp filling. The patty pan squash are very bland compared to other summer squash varieties. They pair perfectly with a classic Cajun-type shrimp stuffing. If you are looking for an unique dish to share with family and friends, here it is.
Aunt Gaye has done it again. She provided me with another great recipe idea. This one is for yellow squash pickles. I was tempted to say, “yuck.” But Aunt Gaye’s recipes somehow always work out even when it doesn’t seem plausible. And, as luck would have it, our local produce market was selling four yellow squash for one dollar. I couldn’t pass up the bargain and came home with a large bag full of squash. Then I spent several hours making Aunt Gaye’s yellow squash pickle recipe. And they turned out great!
Summer is a great time of the year to load up meals with fresh, seasonal vegetables such as zucchini and yellow squash. The quality of fresh picked vegetables is excellent and the price is usually inexpensive. But what if you don’t like summer squash? In searching for ideas to use a huge zucchini growing in my garden, I found a recipe which is absolutely delicious. Zucchini is a mild flavored squash and this recipe tones the flavor down even further by stuffing the zucchini with a meat mixture and topping it with pasta sauce. It is a good way to learn to like a new food and is the best recipe I’ve found in a long time.
We stopped at a farmer’s market on our recent trip to Upstate New York. What fun it was to walk up and down the isles and see what was for sale that we don’t have in Louisiana. I loaded up the car with produce to bring back to Louisiana since this was a road trip. One of my bounty prizes was butternut squash. Much less expensive than in Louisiana. 
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Let’s cook something new. Winter squash are in season in grocery stores; my favorite is acorn squash. The squash has a mild, almost sweet flavor with the texture like a pumpkin. It’s easy to cook–just add margarine, salt and pepper. Or for something more fancy add a stuffing; both ways are delicious. A local grocery store featured winter squash in a large bin; I had to purchase several and that sent me scrambling to my recipe file to locate a favorite recipe.
This week I have my favorite recipe for yellow summer squash. This squash is plentiful in stores in the summertime, why not eat it more often? I can pinpoint “Aunt Fanny’s Summer Squash Casserole” as the turning point in “how I learned to like to eat squash.” I never liked “squash”, but this casserole changed my mind. 
Several weeks ago, we visited New Orleans and ate at a tiny but exquisite restaurant in the mid-city section of New Orleans. All the food arrived at the table in a beautiful presentation. We tried the nightly special: grilled baby summer squash served with hummus, feta cheese and pumpkin seeds. It was a wonderful combination of flavors and textures. I decided to make my own version of our supper entree.
Eat your vegetables. Never thought that this could include summer squash — squash was not a favorite vegetable when I was young. But over the years, I’ve discovered some tasty ways to prepare this vegetable. I have a plentiful supply of basil and summer squash growing in my garden and found two very similar recipes which include these two ingredients — one is sweet; the other sour.
Eat your vegetables! We heard this when growing up and it’s just as important as we get older. This homemade spaghetti sauce recipe is full of garden fresh vegetables–eggplant, squash, bell peppers, tomatoes. It’s a good way to incorporate some of summer’s produce into a meal.
Every now and then I’ll find a recipe that just absolutely “wows” the main ingredient. Such is the recipe, “Mrs. Elias’ Stuffed Yellow Squash.” Yellow squash is plentiful in the summertime; I’ve been looking at it in the grocery stores for a while now. It’s a good vegetable to include in meals while in season.
There are so many creative ways to cook yellow squash–beyond boiled. A local Lebanese diner serves stuffed baby yellow squash on their cafeteria-style menu every day. I’ve always been curious about how the squash dish was made. I found a similar recipe in a saved newspaper clipping and tried it; the recipe was delicious–one of the best I’ve made in a while.
beyondgumbo 