Sick of summer squash

M is sick of summer squash. Not that he ever likes it, really just tolerates it. We wisely only planted 1 summer squash plant this year in our garden - patapan squash - because even between that 1 plant and the CSA we have had more than enough. It grows really well in Wisconsin (any many other places). Cucumbers grow similarly well, but we like cucumbers much more, so it's not really a problem. I digress.

I really appreciated this dish. It was easy to prepare - I find that many of my favorite vegetable recipes require a lot of peeling, slicing, etc that eats up a lot of time, this one doesn't. It is (almost) a 1 pot meal. M liked it ("well, if you have to eat squash, this tastes OK" "I can't really tell what's squash"). It's also a casserole, but not all stuck together and fatty like a casserole. So, here it is:

Here is the original link:
https://easyfamilyrecipes.com/chicken-zucchini-casserole/

Here is my version:
Preheat oven to 375
Use a medium to large sized casserole dish
Rinse and pat dry 1 package of chicken breast or tenders (about 1.25-1.5 lbs)
 Line bottom of dish with chicken - try to spread out evenly and as flat as possible
Season chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper
Coarsely chop 1 medium yellow onion and 1.5 or so summer squash (I used patapan)
Spread the vegetables out over top of the chicken
Top with a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
Top with dollops of pesto (about 1/4 cup total), torn basil, additional black pepper and garlic powder
Top THAT with about 1/4 lb crumbled feta and about 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bake 40 minutes or so - until thermometer stuck into chicken measures 165 degrees (nb: may have to move it around a little - if it's not in the chicken, but between, it may measure way lower)

Serve over brown rice

Variations: you could truly do a lot with this recipe!
Omit tomatoes
Use different cheese (blue?)
More pesto
No pesto, just fresh herbs
Mix different kinds of summer squash

Serves 3-4

Penne Rigate salad

Adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4767-penne-pasta-with-ginger-and-basil

Serves 4

Add 8 oz. penne and 1/4 t. salt to boiling water.  Bring to a boil again and cook to al dente, 10 - 12 min.  Drain and reserve 1/4 c. liquid.  If you forget to save the liquid, use 1/4 c. vermouth instead.  I used red.

In the same pan (now emptied), melt 1 T butter, add 2 T shallots and 2 t garlic, both chopt.  The NYT includes 1T minced ginger.  Cook til wilted.

Add pasta back to the pan, the liquid, 1 T. butter, 1/4 c. grated parmesan, and 4 T. chopt basil.  NYT adds 1/8 t. pepper flakes.  Mix then serve.

Rhubarb/Raspberry sauce

Yet another use for that rhubarb sour syrup, if you are not making those whiskey sours . . .

In a saucepan combine 2 c. raspberries and 1 3/4 c of the syrup.  Cook for 30 min, then strain.  Meanwhile, mix 2 T cornstarch and 1 T water.  After straining the fruit mix, add this thickener, bring to a boil, and cook 1 min.

Rhubarb pudding

This is based on the recipes for almond milk chocolate pudding and rhubarb sour from this blog, and the one for lemon almond pudding, from this blog:  http://gustia-food-finds-feasts.blogspot.com/2013/03/lemon-pudding-with-fresh-almond-milk.html

In a 2 qt. saucepan, mix

• 1/3 c. cornstarch
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 T. + 1/2 t. lemon zest (one big lemon should suffice), which you first rub with about 1 t. sugar 
• 1 t. cinnamon

Then separately stir together

• 3/4 c. of the rhubarb/lemon syrup from the cocktail recipe 
• 1 egg yolk
• juice of 1 lemon

and whisk this into the cornstarch mixture, over low heat.  Begin adding a total of 3 c. almond milk.  It took a lot longer for this to congeal than happens with the chocolate recipe, so, concerned about the effects of the lemon and rhubarb, I abstained from adding more of these. 

When your whisk leaves marks in the mixture, remove it from the heat, let it cool a bit, add 1 t. vanilla, and pour it into 6 teacups/pinot glasses/ramekins.

It's not a dazzlingly strong taste.  I will serve it with some raspberry sauce cooked with the rhubarb sour syrup.  I am taking it to Suzanne's for a dinner with her and Michael and Meg and Dave Tenenbaum, inaugurating their new dining table.

Rhubarb pie

• 5 cups sliced rhubarb
• 2/3 cup sugar (save 1/4 c for bottom to prevent soggy crust)
• 5 tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom?
• 1/2 t. orange zest or campari?
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter

Try marinating the rhubarb in the sugar mix.  Not having done that, my one venture with this pie suffered from too big a contrast between tart fruit and sweet filling. 

Sprinkle sugar on to purchased crust; add mix; sprinkle chopt butter on top.  Bake 425 for 15 minutes; reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 30 min

rhubarb bourbon sour

Rhubarb Bourbon Sour

A refreshing spring cocktail made from fresh rhubarb syrup and bourbon, with a hint of vanilla.

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. chopped fresh rhubarb
• 1 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Bourbon
• few drops bitters

Instructions

1. Combine the rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat and simmer gently until the rhubarb is completely soft and the mixture is syrupy, about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t boil over. Strain the liquid into a bowl or glass jar. Stir the vanilla extract into the rhubarb syrup. Keep the stewed rhubarb for another use.
2. For each cocktail, add ice, 1 part rhubarb syrup, 1 part Bourbon, and a few drops of bitters to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds, until foamy, then strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with extra rhubarb stalks if desired, and serve immediately.

15

Easter Bunny rolls

Tried these for Gabriel, 2019.  Generously, one might say it was a proof of concept effort.  Made 9 bunnies, but maybe smaller ones would have been more convincing.

Make a white bread dough with 3 c. flour, 1 c. water, 1 T. yeast, 1 t. salt.  I added 3 T. sugar, 4 T. melted butter, and 4 T. buttermilk powder.

After it had risen, I took roll-sized portions of dough and rolled them between both hands until they were 10 or so skinny inches long.  It helps to twirl them like jump ropes.  Then, in my hands, I crossed one end over the middle, then crossed it back under the remains of the other end.  The ears took a lot of pinching, and it helped to tuck the higher ear firmly under the other one so that they remained both at about the same level.  Photo shows only partial success.

If you think they are looking at you, give them mouths and ear-insides. Otherwise give them tails.  These tails are rolled in brown sugar.