"Squashed" for Six Word Saturday

"I'm feeling a little bit squashed!"

and 

"If it grows, we'll eat it!"

After planting Zucchini Squash for the last couple of years, we decided to change it up some by planting Hubbard Squash last year and this year...Acorn Squash.
It doesn't matter which variety you choose,
three little plants can soon overtake your garden,
sending vines climbing up nearby shrubs, and can  produce enough squash to feed half the neighborhood.
One can tire very quickly of steamed squash,
so I am always searching for new recipes to liven things up. 
Here are just a few of the ways we've been
enjoying our squash....
 

Rice Stuffed Squash with a side salad.

Baked Brown Sugar Squash
This is the fastest and easiest way to cook squash.

Zucchini Casserole

Just because we didn't plant zucchini ourselves,

doesn't stop other people from giving theirs away.

The hubby brought home the mother load of all zucchinis from work

and I chopped it up to produce this yummy dish.

It is definitely a repeater!

Zucchini Casserole
8 cups sliced zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
2 cups cooked rice (I used Brown rice)
1 cup fat free sour cream (I used plain yogurt)
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
*(I didn't have Italian bread crumbs so I toasted 4 slices of bread, let them cool and them tore them up into chunky bread crumbs...the more bread crumbs the better for me and I threw a teaspoon of Italian seasoning into the casserole)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 3 ingredients in a dutch oven, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain; partially mash with a potato masher. Combine zucchini mixture, rice, sour cream, cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and eggs in a bowl; stir gently. Spoon zucchini mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden.
Preheat broiler. Broil one minute or until lightly browned.

For a fantastic zucchini recipe

to satisfy the sweet tooth in your family see 

"Dreamin' Zucchini."

Caribbean Zucchini Bread has become 

one of our favorite

zucchini bread recipes.

Join Cate at Show My Face for more Six Word Saturdays.

DREAMIN' ZUCCHINI

I'm still dreamin' zucchini.
I have to say, of the various zucchini breads I've baked over the years,
this recipe is number 1!

Caribbean Zucchini Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 9x5-inch loaf pans.
Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Beat the bananas, eggs, vegetable oil, applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla together in a separate large bowl. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Fold the zucchini, walnuts, and coconut into the batter until evenly combined. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pans for 25 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack

IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE

Not only does it feel like the tropics
with all the heat,
rain
and humidity
we've been having lately,
it's starting to look pretty tropical as well.

...the dense foliage of the cucumber bed.

I've conquered the slugs and cucumber beetle
and now
the zucchini plants
are towering above the compost bin
and producing
a steady supply of zucchini.
There will be plenty of
roasted zucchini,
fried zucchini and onions,
pickled zucchini,
and to keep the beast of the jungle happy
and to calm his savage soul,
... some zucchini muffins,
zucchini breads
and chocolate zucchini cake.

Ta ta! ...our mammoth size tomato plants!
I have never seen tomato plants
this large in my life
...must be the combination of
plentiful rain,
the mushroom compost we added
and the special compost tea I've been brewing every week.
There seems to be quite a few tomatoes there,
whether they ripen or not
is yet to be seen,
but we hope to have lots.
If not,
we will be eating
fried green tomatoes,
Nova Scotia Chow Chow,
and
Green Tomato Mincemeat.

V ...FOR VICTORY!

Ta ta! ...presenting...my first zucchini blossom... and visions of more to come. My persistent attack on my nemesis, the slug, is finally starting to show promise. The enemy has been forced into retreat, allowing my poor ravished plants a chance of survival (unfortunately , I was so focused on saving my zucchini I neglected my dill which have been completely devoured). But, if as they say, one zucchini plant will bare enough fruit to feed a starving nation, I will feel vindicated for casting a pox on the greedy little buggers. Yea...V... for victory!

Impatient for a taste of one of my favorite vegetables, technically a fruit, I stopped at a market and purchased my first local zucchini of the season to make one of my favorite dishes, "Roasted Zucchini With Veggies and Cheese.

ROASTED ZUCCHINI WITH VEGGIES AND CHEESE

Slice 3 small zucchini lengthwise into three slices.
Add olive oil to baking pan to coat.
Place zucchini slices in pan then turn over to coat both sides with oil.
Arrange slices close together in pan.
Spoon your favorite pasta sauce over zucchini.
Throw on a handful of this
and
a handful of that.
(I added chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, green onion, and parsley)
Sprinkle with your favorite spices.
(I used basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary)
Top with grated cheese.
(I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
Bake at 400 degrees for about 1/2 hour.
Eat it while it's piping hot!

So easy, so simple, and if I do say so myself...
so perfectly perfect!