Summer Squash Casserole

Summer is here and my zucchini are going crazy.  Last year I got one. Seriously, I had to BUY them from the fruit stand.  What do you do with all of them when you've exhausted yourself with the standard zucchini recipes....bread, fried, etc.  I googled a casserole recipe that came from Paula Deen.  It was quite a bit different from the casserole I have had before that has cream of chicken soup and stuffing mix.  That recipe is really good as well, but I was looking for a little bit lighter version and this is it!

Squash Casserole ala Paula Deen

6 cups sliced zucchini and yellow squash
1 diced onion
4 T. butter
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c. Ritz cracker crumbs

Slice up your squash and put it in a frying pan with some oil. Cook until the squash is super soft, about 20 minutes over medium heat.  Pour into a colander and drain the liquid off. Cook onions in the butter until soft and a little brown. Combine the squash, cooked onions, sour cream and cheese together, salt and pepper to taste, and pour into a casserole dish. Cover the top with the Ritz cracker crumbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

So good!

Zucchini and Pepper Relish

I like Zucchini....small! When I received some logs of zucchini recently I wasn't really sure what to do with it. There is only so much zucchini bread I can take! Blech! I love relish, though! So I started searching for a recipe and I found a keeper!

Zucchini and Pepper Relish

Makes 5 pints

 

6 cups chopped green bell pepper-about 8 whole peppers
6 cups grated zucchini-about 3 pound
2 1/2 cups grated onion-about 2 large onions
4 cups apple cider vinegar, divided

2 cups sugar
2 T. sea salt *(I used canning salt)
2 T. mustard seeds
1 t. celery seed
1/2 red pepper flakes

 

Prepare a boiling water bath and 5 regular mouth pint jars. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

 

Combine the chopped bell pepper, zucchini, and onion in a large, non-reactive pot. Stir in 2 cups of the apple cider vinegar and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the vegetables have cooked down, about 30 minutes.

 

Drain the vegetables and return to the pot. Add the remaining apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

 

Ladle the relish into the prepared jas leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling waterbath for 10 minutes.

 

Recipe from Food in Jars-by Marisa McClellan