Pattypan And Yellow Squash Casserole.

Every summer, I anticipate the first squash from my garden.
And here it is. Yellow squash and basil from the garden.
Roma tomato and onion from the Teeter.
Pattypan squash from a friend.

I liked this picture of the pattypan
and my gardenias which smell glorious.

Thinly slice your squash.
You can, of course, substitute zucchini if you like.

Sliced pattypan squash.
Sliced yellow squash.
Peeled, juiced, and seeded tomato.
Sliced onion.
Chopped basil.
3 TB melted butter.

Layer of pattypan and yellow squash slices,
freshly ground salt and pepper, and a drizzle of butter.

Add a layer of tomatoes, onions, and basil.
Continue layering and drizzling.

Drizzle rest of butter over top.

For the topping, I'm using 6 Ritz crackers,
2 Melba toasts,
a handful of Panko breadcrumbs,
sliced Mozzarella cheese, and butter.

Crumble Ritz and Melba over top.

Add sliced Mozzarella and sprinkle panko over top.

Top with butter.

And some more panko.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

You want the top nicely browned.

Here's Rosie's exciting, avant-garde casserole video,
starring Junior.
More of Rosie's innovative videography, starring Junior.

I love colorful, pretty food.

Too bad you can't go to a restaurant
and get something like this.
And I don't understand why so many restaurants
don't take advantage of seasonal ingredients.
I know they say they do,
but do you ever see side dishes
 in the summertime offering summer's bounty?
Fresh squash or zucchini, anyone?

I don't know of any restaurant
that serves anything like this
 and I don't really understand why.
It's simple.
It's easy.
It uses seasonally available vegetables.
Why can't I get a side of squash casserole
 at a restaurant instead of the ubiquitous bun served with everything?

This tastes like summer.