My grandmother was a true country lady. And when I say country – I mean country. Her cooking skills even led to her working in the Piedmont College cafeteria for a number of years. I remember being dropped off at the school by my mom on the weekends just to sneak a piece of pizza or some other item that she cooked for the school.

Born and raised in the hills of north Georgia, she could cook like no other. I still to this day can’t replicate some of her best meals – the home canned green beans cooked all day with a ham bone – or the fresh coconut cake that she painstakingly worked on through the whole day. Every egg came from their backyard. They even had a traditional smokehouse where country ham would be hung or put in a salt box. I don’t remember there ever being a meal that was bad. 

One of the things we always had as a staple at my grandmother’s was fried squash. The squash always came from the family garden. For me, I never could replicate the way she pulled off fried squash. But, as I grew older, my dad continued to give me squash from his personal garden. Trying to sort out the best way to use it, I ran across a recipe for squash casserole. Over the years, I’ve made it my own.

While not one of my grandmother’s recipes, it’s become a family favorite and something I’m asked to make for every holiday. Given how rich and delicious it is, it may not have came from my grandmother’s recipe book, but it always reminds me of those big family holidays with my grandparents. 

Ingredients

(can be doubled for larger family gatherings)

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 medium sliced yellow squash
• 3 medium sliced zucchini
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (or 1 medium thinly sliced Vidalia onion)
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• “Slap Ya Mama” cajun seasoning to taste
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 sleeve Ritz® crackers

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the squash, onion powder, cajun seasoning and butter until vegetables are soft.
3. I always add the cajun seasoning while cooking the vegetables. Our family likes the spice that it brings but you may not. I usually add a tablespoon or more at this point. Use at your discretion.
4. Transfer to a bowl (or the casserole dish) and stir in the parmesan, cheddar and sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Place in the casserole dish and sprinkle cracker crumbs evenly over the top. You can also add extra butter (melted) over the crackers if you choose. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly on the sides.