Yellow Squash and Corn Cassarole

Sometimes it's those little things in life that make you happy enough to get through the day. Sometimes it's the simple things that just turn out to be special. Sometimes we're idiots and forget what these things are.

I've been rediscovering a few of these things lately. Some of you have followed me long enough to watch me battle against my food biases like onions. You may also remember the rebirth of the sandwich. Or eggs. Or any number of things I tend to forget about. However, there is a special category of good food that I always miss. It's the food that I actually like, KNOW I like, and then insist I don't. I have no idea why, really.

For example, I am completely biased towards cinnamon. I like cinnamon. It complements so many flavors, but if I see it worm its way too prominently into a recipe, I may just skip it. This tended to slip my notice until I read about these espresso chocolate cinnamon cookies that rocked every one's world. Duh. But admitting you have a problem is the first step and I try not to let my knee-jerk reaction keep me from something so obviously good.

Which brings us to corn. Sweet or salty, it has been a staple food since who cares when. Nutritious and versatile it has a plethora of uses. And I like it. I just don't seem to understand that for some reason. Until my recent camping trip, I couldn't even tell you how long it had been since I'd spooned up a serving. Like cinnamon, I tended to go out of my way to avoid it even knowing I generally liked it.

On this camping trip, a simple meal went a long way. Tomatoes, black beans, and corn warmed on a camp flame and slopped on a tortilla was the healthiest thing I had managed to eat due to a schedule from Crazyland. And the corn was delicious.

With a newly opened mind, I tried to think of corn in a more forgiving light. Hell, I even recreated the camping burritos at home because they were so good. Now enter yellow squash season. Yellow squash is something i know I like. I'll eat it every day if you give me the chance. So, on a mission to find another squash casserole, I came across this recipe. I followed some of the tips and used this recipe as a base guide.

Now prepare to be amazed: I used fresh corn. I know. The recipe called for a can of creamed corn, but I said no! I shall use fresh! In hind sight, it would have been better with the canned, but it's the thought that counts, right? And the extra effort made it taste better.



Changes made: used fresh corn (2 cobs), sauteed vegetables in butter, used minced dried onions instead of fresh, used a little over 3 cups of squash, added cheddar on top, halved sugar and doubled garlic.

Next time I'll: Saute vegetables longer, use creamed corn, use more squash, top with more cheese.

Yellow Squash and Corn Casserole

2 eggs
2 cobs fresh sweet corn
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped onions (or 1/8 c dried)
3 cups sliced yellow squash
1/2 cup biscuit baking mix
1/2 cup grated cheddar

Boil water for corn and throw in a bit of sugar if desired. Cook corn until done and put aside to cool. Once it's cool enough to work with, slice off kernels. Melt a knob or so of butter in a skillet and saute corn, onions, and squash until soft or even until onions are slightly caramelized if you prefer.

Preheat oven to 350F and grease 9x9 casserole dish.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese, oil, sugar, garlic, pepper, and biscuit mix. Fold in onions, squash, and corn. Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, adding cheddar to the top of casserole during the last 5-10 minutes.