Squash it!

In my last post, I told you that there would be some squash recipes coming soon.  Well, here we are.  I've been teaching a class this week at the local community college, so I've neglected my garden until today.  Here is my squash harvest:

Well, this is actually minus the three squash I used to go with dinner tonight.  These all came from 4 squash plant in our garden!  There are about 10 additional squash out there that will be ready in another 24-48 hours too!  And, what is up with those conjoined squash???  Oh well...

I love squash.  Whenever I think of summer, I think of squash (and tomatoes, and corn, and okra...).  When I was a kid, my dad's schedule seemed super busy in the summer - I am sure it was super-busy during other seasons too, but I guess when I was out of school, I noticed just how busy he was.  He would get up to milk cows, hours before the sun rose, come in and try to sleep an hour (with my 3 sisters and I running around the house), and then return back to plant, fertilize, spray, or harvest the crops.  Plus, he had to go back to tend to the cows during the day, then milk the cows again mid-afternoon each day.  I remember he would come home to eat lunch, or we'd all eat lunch over at my Memaw's house, and there always seemed to be some fried squash available.  I always wanted the fried squash that had almost gotten burned - I liked them crispy.  :)

As an adult, when I fry squash, I am always taken back to those lunches around the table during summer time, when my Daddy would come home to eat.  Lunch was usually a hot dog, a bologna sandwich, or left overs, along with sides of whatever was available from the garden - and that almost always included squash!  I try to utilize the squash that we harvest from our garden.  I hate to see them go to waste, so now with plenty of squash coming out of our garden, most of our dinners include a side of squash!  I have to change it up, so that no one gets sick of squash.  Here is one variation on a squash side dish.  It's healthy too!

Steamed Squash & Onions

Here's What You'll Need:
3-4 squash, sliced (cut off both ends, then slice about 1/2" thick slices)
1/2 onion, cut into thin wedges
salt/pepper and Nature's Seasoning
1 Tbsp. butter (optional)
Non-stick spray
Foil

Here's What You'll Do:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Tear off a large sheet of aluminum foil (large enough to hold squash slices on one half of the sheet). Spray the foil with non-stick spray.
3. Place squash slices and onion onto one half of the foil.  Season with salt & paper and Nature's Seasoning.  Cut up the Tbsp. of butter and put dabs of the butter around on top of the squash & onions.

4.  Fold foil over and roll up the edges, so it forms a sealed packet.

5. Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Carefully open up the packet (the steam that will come out will be very hot!) and serve.

Quick & simple & yummy too.  Clean up just involves throwing away the foil!
Now I'll move on to figure out how to use the remaining 24 squash that came out of the garden tonight.  Maybe I'll take some over to my Mom & Dad's house, and fry them up tomorrow for lunch.  I bet I can even find stuff to make a bologna sandwich to go with them!
Happy Summer Y'all!!