Chef Judy

You've heard of Judge Judy? Here's Chef Judy! Yes, my cousin, who rarely cooks, submitted a recipe for squash casserole to the local paper for a special cookbook edition. Hers was selected as the best vegetable recipe, and she was told to make her recipe and bring it down to the newspaper office. She got her picture taken, as you can see. It will appear in the paper sometime in November.

Here is the squash casserole:

Mind you, Judy didn't even make THIS one! My sister Nancy and I turned out three of them in order to choose the "perfect" one. This one looked the best, mostly because it was in the prettiest pan!

Here is the recipe, for those interested:

Favorite Squash/Zucchini Casserole

Boil: In large boiling pan until tender
3 cups sliced squash or zucchini (or combination of) and
1 large sliced onion
Drain and set aside
Combine: In small sauce pan
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp grated cheese (any kind; I usually use cheddar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp paprika
Cook: Over medium heat until melted
Remove pan from heat and stir in:
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp dried chopped chives
Mix all together in a 9” x 9” oven safe casserole dish
If desired, sprinkle over all
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)
Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until cheese melts

We've all had a good laugh over this, because Nancy, my cousin Sharon and I all cook A LOT -- but Judy got the kudos! And to be fair, Judy would cook if she didn't have such a hard time standing up in the kitchen.

In other news, my Aunt Rosie and Uncle Dan have been visiting.

They have stayed with us for a couple of weeks and have also spent a week at The Mill House in Flat Rock, where they had this lovely view:

Now they are visiting friends and family in Indiana, and will swing by NC again on their way back to Florida.

Last Sunday, Nancy and Ware took me to lunch at the Daniel Boone Inn in Boone, NC. It was a LONG drive -- let's just say that getting to Boone, NC, involves driving through Tennessee. Lots of mountain scenery. Here is the inn:

And an interior view:

By the way, I don't know any of these people -- they were just at the next table.

The inn serves one menu family style. You get fried chicken, country-fried steak, ham biscuits, and a bunch of sides and desserts -- whether you want them or not! Luckily, in this case, you do want them. Good, old-fashioned country fare. It reminded me a lot of places I went in Virginia way back in the 70's.

Judy and I are re-doing the landscaping (which was all torn up when the addition was added). Next time I will show pictures of the "new" yard, but for now, here is a picture I took at the garden center when we were shopping for plants:

Pretty, huh?

That's all for now!