But I Don't Even Know What Patty Pan Squash Is. Oh Well, Put Butter in It

JULY 20 * DINNER * KELLY

So, we've started to get a mess of squash again. We're not even partial to squash. So, we go headlong into our search for recipes that don't make us sick of squash. Again, thanks epicurious.

I'm pretty sure tonight's dinner made Liz love me more. I generally shy away from butter except when baking. It makes her sad. Anyway, out of desperation with the freaky, squat patty pans I buckled to a recipe that featured butter. The overall dinner was buttered and herbed squashes (patty pan and zucchini), pan-cooked salmon (sautéed in olive oil, salt, and pepper), and hot pepper sour dough bread (for which I can take no responsibility). I must have enjoyed it, as I was finished when Liz was only half through (but that's nothing new. One would think my parents didn't feed me.)

So, on to the squash recipe. It's really easy. The only thing that made the process difficult was uninstalling an old AC (whose water we dumped all over the kitchen) and installing a new one while sautéing the squash.

So, buttered and herbed squash recipe (whose base came from here):

What you need:
Approx 2 cups sliced zucchini (one large)
Approx 2 cups patty pan squash (one and a half particularly large patty pan)
2T butter
About 20 basil leaves (chop small)

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and cut into half inch slices. Cut patty pans in half (through the middle, not topmto bottom). Melt 2T butter in a heavy skillet. Sautée squashes until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When finished mix basil with squash.

In the end, it was more delicious than I generally find squash. Maybe it was just the butter.

The salmon was a nice complement. Liz had just purchased a fillet from Whole Foods. To avoid running the oven, she cooked it on the stovetop. She's going to have to tell you for how long. All I know is that we covered both sides in olive oil and salt and pepper and it was tasty and delicious and tender.

I'm finding the pressure of being in charge of the cooking a little stressful, but Ms. Flauto is always there when I start to look panicky. I am not self-sufficient.