“Last year our son in Oklahoma had so much zucchini that he was tempted to sneak out after dark and leave some on the neighbors’ porches,” says Bobbie Earle of New Prospect Church in Laurens. “So I sent him this recipe to help use a lot of those squash this year. It’s really good.”
There are a lot of jokes about how prolifically the zucchini plant will produce, but we should be grateful because there are a lot of good dishes you can make with this bright green squash – and this is one of them.
Bobbie and her husband Jack are active members of New Prospect. Soon they will be going with other church members to Joplin, Mo., to assist with the rebuilding following the flood disasters this spring. In the meantime, Jack is serving as Sunday school superintendent and Bobbie teaches the 4th-6th grade Sunday school class.
Their church of roughly 200 active members is part of the Laurens Association. Rev. Josh Culbertson has been pastor for four years, and Rev. Eric Groover is the associate pastor. New Prospect offers a full range of Southern Baptist programs.
Jack, a retired engineer, enjoys working in the yard and especially building and hanging bird feeders for hummingbirds. These feeders are constantly visited by raccoons in the early evening and the Earles’ daughter Patty calls this the “morning caffeine boost” for the nocturnal raccoons.
Bobbie Earle
Bobbie works at a senior apartment complex as congregate care manager, developing activities such as bingo, movies, crafts, cooking and a potluck dinner each month. This is a good project for Bobbie because she loves to cook. She also likes finding recipes to share with the cooking class each month at the Laurelwood Apartments in Laurens.
The Earles, who have been married 55 years, have three daughters, one son, nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
One can never have too many squash recipes, so add this one to your collection. Assemble the dish in the morning (including baking the crust), then finish baking it when you get home from church for a good-tasting and healthy … Sunday Dinner.
Summer Squash Casserole
Cornmeal crust
1 8.5-ounce box corn meal mix
1 egg
4-5 tablespoons ice water
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine corn meal muffin mix, egg and ice water until mixture is crumbly. Press it into a 9×13-inch casserole dish and bake 15 minutes.
Squash filling
¼ cup butter
4 cups thinly sliced yellow squash
4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1 5-ounce package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 5-ounce package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, beaten
¼ teaspoon dried dill
⅓ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add squash, zucchini and onion, and sauté until tender. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
In a large bowl, mix together the cheeses, egg, salt, dill and pepper. Add the squash/zucchini/onion mixture and gently stir. Spoon mixture onto the cornbread crust.
Bake at 350 degrees 35-40 minutes until lightly browned. Cut into squares to serve.