Crookneck Squash Recipe

This post was inspired by my dear cousin Erin Wood. Her blog post about cookin' up garden veggies kept me going during the moments of despair ;)

I don't know what it is about my neighborhood and crookneck squash but we get bags of it left by our front door all the time. Daniel loves it but it's not my favorite. I prefer zucchini but no one plants it here. What's up with that?! It's like a Mormon garden staple! Due to pregnancies and renting, we haven't been able to plant a garden so we depend on the kindness of our neighbor's bounty to fill our need for garden freshness.

I've diligently tried to come up with ways of preparing crookneck squash so that I enjoy it. If I make something that I think I could get used to, Daniel always asks why I'm not just steaming it like before since that's his favorite. I've never hit on a big win/win for us . . . until now. (It's not super healthy but it's close ;)

I'm sorry that I don't have specific measurements - I kinda made this up on the fly. Maybe once I've made it a couple more times I'll be able to be more specific. I don't even have a name for it yet. If you have an idea - tell me.

(For those of you who are wondering what crookneck squash is, it's a type of summer squash. It's sometimes called yellow summer squash or yellow squash. Some varieties are more bumpy or warty while others are super smooth. The smooth kind is what I like best because the skin is thinner but the neighbors all plant the heartier bumpy kind with thicker skins. The nice thing about summer squash is that you don't need to peel them - you can eat everything - seeds and all.)

Crookneck squash, sliced
Chicken tenders
Onion, sliced
Mrs. Dash (spicy)
1-2 cans petite chopped tomatoes (with green peppers)
Sour cream
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with a few layers of sliced summer squash. Then place the chicken on top and cover with sliced onion. Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash to season (we really liked the flavor of the spicy Mrs. Dash but I'm sure you could use the regular kind or any other type of seasoning you enjoy).

In a separate bowl, mix the tomatoes with the sour cream until it has the look of the type of sauce you like (you may want to add a little milk if you think it's too thick). Pour the sour cream and tomatoes over the onions. Cover the casserole dish with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake for five minutes or until the cheese melts.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! I'm making it again tonight so if there's something I forgot or if I decide to add something else that really improves the flavor I'll let you know.