Aunt Vashti's Browned Squash in the Crock Pot!

I had a sweet lady at church bring me a bag of yellow squash. It was enough that I shared some with my brother. He loves Aunt Vashti's squash, but says that his crowd will only eat it if it's breaded and fried. I had enough for him to do both, thank goodness! Aunt Vashti's recipe is below, and then my crock pot version below that...

Aunt Vashti used:

Yellow Squash... about 4 or 5 

3 T butter

1 onion, minced 

Basil

3 cloves minced garlic

Salt and black pepper, to taste.

Cook in a sauce pan on medium low, stirring occasionally. I covered it for the first 30-45 minutes for it to cook down. Then let it simmer and turn golden brown. (about an hour to an hour and a half) Aunt Vashti's squash was always a deep bark brown,  and caramelized to perfection! YUM!

This time, I put all of the ingredients in my crock pot, and I added mushrooms. I cut it on high and got it up to temperature. Then I cut it back to low and let it simmer all night... Voila!

It was very good, but I still like it pan fried like Aunt Vashti made it!

Great-Aunt Vashti's Browned Squash

Last night, I attempted once again to re-create an old family recipe... My Great-Aunt Vashti's Browned Squash! To get the intense browning that she did, I have to cook it low and slow on the stove-top. If the temp is not just right, it will burn and you'll end up with a bitter flavor. I discovered that I don't have the patience to cook this dish often! It took me 2 hours to even get close!

Aunt Vashti used:

Yellow Squash... about 4 or 5 

3 T butter

1 onion, minced 

Basil

3 cloves minced garlic

Salt and black pepper, to taste.

Cook in a sauce pan on medium low, stirring occasionally. I covered it for the first 30-45 minutes for it to cook down. Then let it simmer and turn golden brown. (about an hour to an hour and a half) Aunt Vashti's squash was always a deep bark brown,  and caramelized to perfection! YUM!

 Mine is not a brown as hers was, but like I said, I'm not as patient! :-)

Zucchini and Cheddar Tartlets

These little vegetable tartlets are so yummy and can be made with almost any veggies you may have on hand. I had yellow squash, so that's what I used!

1 cup zucchini or yellow squash, seeded and grated
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
1/4 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded fine
1 large eggs, beaten
Basil, Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper, to taste
Basil leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with cooking oil. Combine ingredients in a bowl and drop by spoonfuls into pans. Pat mixture down. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Pull tartlets from pans with the edge of a knife. If stuck, run a knife around the edges and they should pop right out. Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with basil leaves.
Makes 12 mini tarts.

My Great-Aunt Vashti's Browned Squash

Last night, I attempted once again to re-create an old family recipe... My Great-Aunt Vashti's Browned Squash! To get the intense browning that she did, I have to cook it low and slow on the stove-top. If the temp is not just right, it will burn and you'll end up with a bitter flavor. I discovered that I don't have the patience to cook this dish often! It took me 2 hours to even get close!

I started with yellow squash and zucchini

(because I packaged them together last year in the freezer)

Aunt Vashti only used yellow squash...
I added 3 T butter, minced onion, basil, garlic powder,

red and black pepper, salt and a little lemon juice.

After stirring and cooking for 2 hours, it looks like this...

in all its caramelized goodness!

 We also had pork chops...

and Red Beans and Rice :-)

Mama's Squash Casserole Recipes

Here are two of Mama's favorite squash casserole recipes. I thought I'd share these since my squash is coming in now... Thanks to my little brother watching over them!!! I've been really busy starting a new job, training, and everything else that's going on!
I'll be making many squash dishes very soon :-)

Creamy Squash Casserole

2 pounds Tender Yellow Squash
½ cup Onion, chopped
¾ cup Saltine Cracker Crumbs
2 T Butter
1 ½ cups White American Cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Eggs, beaten
½ cup Light Cream or Evaporated Milk

Slice squash. Cook in water with onion until soft. Drain. Add cracker crumbs, butter and 1 cup of the cheese. Add salt and pepper. Mix beaten eggs and cream and mix into squash mixture. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 425 until done.

Squash Casserole

1 pint Squash

1 small Onion
2 Carrots, grated
1 cup Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 pkg Cornbread Stuffing Mix
1 stick Butter

Cook fresh squash until tender. Drain and mash with fork. Add onion, carrots, soup and sour cream. Mix stuffing and butter. Put some in bottom of a buttered baking dish. Pour in squash mixture and then the rest of the stuffing. Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.
Mama's Notes: “Just another way to get ‘em to eat what they ‘think’ they don’t like! Ha!”

Oven Roasted Vegetables

6 new potatoes, halved

1 container large button mushrooms, halved
2 red onions, quartered
2 med zucchini, cut into chunks
2 med yellow squash, cut into chunks
1 container cherry tomatoes

1 8oz bag baby carrots

1/3 cup oil

House seasoning*

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss vegetables with oil and a generous coating of seasoning. Dump vegetables onto a large baking pan. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

*House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix together and pour in a shaker.

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

1 large spaghetti squash

½ pound ground chuck
½ pound bulk sausage
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup diced Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
½ cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush with butter. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool, and shred pulp with a fork. Reserve the shells.

Brown meat in a skillet over medium high heat. Remove meat from the pan. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan and add tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 or 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add squash and meat and toss. Finally, add cheeses and spoon mixture into the squash shells. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.