A Beatuiful, Bountiful Start to August

 First, I just want to say thank you for all the loving and supportive responses I have gotten on my last post. I shared that because I wanted it to inspire and instead it is I who feel inspired by all the caring responses I have gotten :). It was truly a bit overwhelming to receive not only comments, but also encouraging messages. Let me just say that I am touched and I feel very blessed to have such a completely supportive circle of friends. Thank you…kisses and hugs…and enough said on that subject :).

 Now back at the ranch…I mean farm ;)… Last weekend was another absolutely beautiful weekend at Lachenman Gothic! I’m happy to report that all our little critters are doing beautifully and no “goat drama”! Though Guss did give us a bit of a scare when we could not spot him in the back paddock. Then we realized that he was safe and sound hanging out in one of our large garden bins…silly goat, tricks are for rabbits…or something like that ;). Seriously, both Guss and Finn are doing really well and are helping to clean up the fence lines by munching on weeds – nice!

 We have discovered that when you live on a farm the question “What’s for dinner?” in August is answered by what came out of the garden that morning. For us this weekend it meant a bounty of zucchini, summer squash, the biggest cucumber I’ve ever seen, tomatoes and even a beautiful centerpiece as well (does anyone know what those pink flowers are? They were a gorgeous surprise in my perennial bed). With these veggies as my inspiration, I remembered a casserole that my Mom would make around this same time of year with veggies from our garden. I thought that she got it from The Virginia Hospitality Cookbook that I am now an excited owner of, but when I couldn’t find it, I called her and learned that it was a recipe that she made up! It’s soooo yummy and such a good way to incorporate summer veggies into a single meal that I’m sharing it below.

 We also established a lovely, private picnic area on the grounds underneath one of our favorite Maple trees – why didn’t we think of this sooner? You really couldn’t find better seating at a 5 star restaurant ;).


I don’t know what to call it, but here is my Mom’s best squash casserole…well, maybe that’s a good name for it! Enjoy!

This recipe really lends itself to alteration based on taste, but this is based on what I made…

1lb ground beef (could also use ground turkey or sausage)
1 medium onion
1 Cup uncooked brown rice
2 to 4 medium size summer squash and/or zucchini (whatever the garden yields!)
About 4 Cups of diced, fresh tomatoes
About 4 Cups of shredded cheddar cheese (can use a different cheese if desired)

1. Cook rice and set aside.
2. Dice onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. Add ground beef and brown seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Combine rice and meat and set aside.
4. Grease a casserole pan and spread half of the meat/rice mixture on bottom.
5. Slice squash thin and layer half on top of meat mixture
6. Layer half of diced tomatoes on top of squash
7. Top with half of shredded cheese.
8. Repeat layering process starting with meat/rice mixture (like a lasagna)
9 Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes (or until squash is cooked through).
10. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes and serve!