What do you eat when you have no plan?

This week was a week of odd menus. I did way more planning for the serial and my agent packages than I did for family meals. As a result, we have a refrigerator full of half-eaten casserole experiments that are seemingly going nowhere.

Have you ever tried a recipe, felt completely meh about the results but there's enough of it that you don't want to waste it, so it languishes in your refrigerator for years upon years? There's nothing left to do but shore up your trousers and dig in, but I really, really, really wish I could open the fridge to find beautiful, sparkling, empty shelves. (Because the refrigerator fairies would do a thorough cleaning after finishing up the mediocre casseroles.)

One of my culinary experiments this week was inspired by forty-five minutes spent huffing and puffing on the treadmill at the gym. It was a busy night at the 'ol gym, and there was only one machine open. This one had a TV mounted to the top, and typically, I like to use the machines without them. There are televisions plastered all over the place, and it's almost impossible not to watch one because they're everywhere you look. I assume the philosophy behind this is that most people like to think about anything but what they're actually doing there, sweating and breathing hard. I like to use my treadmill time to think through snarls in my plot or to map out character motivations. Yes, I am a nerd.

Anyway, I had to use an elliptical machine with a TV so I turned it to the most un-obnoxious channel I could find, the Food Network. Mrs. Paula Deen and her uncle, Uncle Bubba, (I am not making that up) were cooking, and next thing I know, I'm craving crab stuffed flounder and frozen banana split pie. Maybe it was because Lulabelle was on my mind, but their squash casserole with butter cracker crust looked d-i-v-i-n-e. Now mind you, I was reading lips and guessing as to the ingredients, because I refused to actually plug my headphones into the TV. That would have been admitting defeat.

Twenty minutes into the program, my stomach was rumbling. I honestly didn't think I'd make it through the hour. And just to prove that I wasn't in my right mind, instead of going directly home to whip up that squash casserole for the family, I went to the grocery store. The GROCERY STORE!

So there I am, trolling the aisles with wide eyes, my hands curled like claws, ready to pounce on anything and devour it. I felt like a lion on the Serengeti, stalking a herd of gazelle. If that extra-large bag of sour-cream-and-onion potato chips made one wrong move, it was a goner. I'm amazed the manager didn't call Animal Control. When I finally got home, I had the oddest assortment of groceries ever: bananas, sour cream, a bar of dark chocolate, organic zucchini, kettle corn, and yogurt covered pretzels. Excellent planning on my part. (And I don't even like yogurt covered pretzels!)

Here's the squash casserole that I made based on reading the lips of Paula Deen and her cohort. It turned out to be rather tasty, although the Husband wouldn't eat it because of the cracker crust. Who knew he was afraid of such a thing? And if you've never eaten anything with crushed crackers on top, well you should try this and expand your repertoire. It's a little slice of the South, ya'll.

Squash Casserole

2 yellow squash, sliced
Handful shredded carrots
½ Vidalia onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp thyme
1 dollop sour cream
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Handful butter crackers, crushed

Sauté squash, onions in a tablespoon of olive oil. (If you’re a fan of Paula Deen’s cooking, then I expect you should add a tablespoon of butter as well.) Cook until the onions begin to soften and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Mix vegetables with sour cream and two cheeses in a medium bowl. Spread evenly into small casserole dish. Sprinkle crushed crackers on top.

Bake in 350° oven for 20 minutes.

Comments

[Rebecca]

Oh, I can't wait to try crack crumb topping! I'm already a fan of the buttered bread crumb....put it on anything that holds still long enough.

[Janet Eisenbise]

Hmmm...it looks pretty in the skillet. I'm relieved that you didn't find a home there for the yogurt covered pretzels. What is that rule of thumb? Never grocery shop when you're hungry and sharpening your claws on the way in?