Weekend Eats

If you asked of what foods made me think of Summer two that could come to mind instantly would be yellow squash and peaches. I can't remember a Summer when squash casserole and peach cobbler weren't regulars on the dinner table.


This peach cobbler is one of the easiest recipes you can imagine. It comes from one of my most coveted cookbooks, "The Blue Willow Inn Cookbook". This is wonderful cookbook to pick up if you are interested in how to make all great Southern staples. It even has a menu for all major holidays and occasions to help planning a meal easier. The Blue Willow Inn is not just a cookbook, but also an amazing restaurant as well. This establishment holds a special place in my heart because it is located in the same city as where my husband Jake's family hails from, Social Circle, Ga. The restaurant is an experience to say the least. It's located on main street in downtown Social Circle in an antebellum home. If you go at the right time, you'll even find young women dressed as Scarlett O'Hara who greet you on the large front porch with pitchers of sweet tea! The menu here is all buffet, and includes multiple meats and veggies, along a sprawling dessert table. If you are ever near Social Circle ( and even if you're not) got check some of the best Southern food you'll ever eat!

Peach Cobbler

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup self rising flour
1/4 plus 1/4 cup melted butter
1 (28 oz) can sliced peaches

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl coarsely mix the 2/3 cup sugar, flour, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle about one-third of this mixture on the bottom of a baking dish. Add the peaches and juice. Top the peaches with the remaining flour mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. Serve hot. With vanilla ice cream!

* Fresh peaches can be used as well, just peel, slice, and cover with 1/3 cup of sugar, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before assembling cobbler. If your peaches are still a little firm, place them in a brown paper sack and leave them on the counter for a day or so until they have some give to them!

Squash casserole is one of those things that just make a meal. It's a nice balance of something creamy, but with a little crunch. Here in Alaska the yellow squash we get are a little different than what I remember picking out of my parents garden. Back home the squash tend to be

smaller with a more curved neck. In Alaska then tend to run a little larger, with a straighter body and neck. This recipe comes from a cookbook I've mentioned before, Trish Yearwood's "Home Cooking with Trish Yearwood". What I love about this is that it's simple and you always

have the ingredients on hand!

Squash Casserole

2 lbs. yellow summer squash, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese ( about 2 oz)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup butter crackers, such as Ritz, crushed ( about 12 crackers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish.

Place the sliced squash and the onion in a medium saucepan with about a cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool.

Mix the egg, mayonnaise, cheese, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the squash/onion mixture and mix until combined. Pour into the prepared dish, top with the crumbs, and back for 30 minutes.

Stay tuned this week, because I'm going to share and amazing master mix that can make everything from waffles to those special cheese biscuits from Red Lobster that we all love!