Two things influenced our dinners this past week. One was an abundance of yellow summer squash. The other was the absence of Daughter; she went off to visit friends on the Northwest Coast and I could use some ingredients she is normally averse to. You’ll notice in the second and third recipes the use of pepper flakes and green chiles, two ingredients to which she is ultrasensitive. Constant Companion and I enjoyed all.

Southern Baked Yellow Squash. My usual, easiest solution for summer squash is thinly sliced and sautéed with onions and garlic. This was one of two new found dishes. Constant Companion and I agree that it’s a keeper.

Start by preheating the oven to 375 F and greasing a 2-quart baking pan. Next, cut 3 or 4 summer squashes into small cubes. Put in a large saucepan, covered with water, and boil until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain really well and mash, drain again.

Add ½ cup of bread crumbs, ½ cup of chopped onions, 2 beaten eggs, and either some cooking oil or ½ cup of melted butter (I tend not to cook with butter), salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Spread in the baking dish and top with some more oil or butter and ¼ cup bread crumbs. Bake for about 1 hour, should be brown on top.

Bow Tie Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Spinach. This is an easy meal in one pan. Summer squash was not an ingredient in this recipe, but I improvised and threw it in. It works! Vegetarian friends, simply leave out the sausage, add some other veges – broccoli pieces, zucchini, artichoke hearts, chickpeas – could all work.

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound of chicken sausage cut into chunks and brown. Cook a 1-pound package of bow tie pasta per the package directions, but for half the recommended time.  Remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon.  Add two clove of chopped garlic and some red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Add ½ cup of white wine,* stirring to loosen any bits on the bottom of the pan.  Add 1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes+, 2 chopped summer squashes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring it all to a boil.  Return the sausage, 2 tbsp. fresh basil, and stir to combine.

Add 1 cup (or more as needed) of pasta water to the sauce. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Add 1 pound fresh baby spinach and cover for a minute or two. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

*I did not feel like wine with dinner and did not have an open bottle, I just used water; you could use broth.

+I had some cherry tomatoes I’d roasted earlier in the week and substituted these.

Meatloaf and potatoes. Part of this week’s cooking exercises was also to excavate neglected ingredients in the freezer. I knew I had one more package of Hatch chiles. Hatch chiles get their name from the source, Hatch, New Mexico (https://www.hatch-green-chile.com/). I don’t know when I started using them, but every fall when they show up in the marker I bring home a pack, roast and peel them, and stash them in the freezer for a time like this past week.

For this vege-rich, freeform meatloaf I mixed together 1 pound of ground turkey with 1 pound of ground lamb. Into the mix I added a finely chopped green pepper, the thawed chopped Hatch chiles, about 8 chopped mushrooms, 1 small chopped onion, 2 stalks of chopped celery (lots of chopping). I don’t remember if I added an egg, a normal ingredient. I know I forgot about breadcrumbs or oatmeal, other regulars – too busy with the chopping. I think I added no spicing, nor salt or pepper (we did salt the finished dish to taste). I mounded the mixture on my holiday silpat and surrounded it with roughly chopped Yukon gold potatoes (another pantry ingredient asking to be used). Bake at 350 F for one hour. Delicious with a salad on the side.

Daughter comes home this week and I’m off for a month on another Annette adventure. Stay tuned!

I must say, none of these photos look particularly appetizing. Don’t be fooled, they all made delicious leftovers as well!