Oh Farmers' Market, how do I love thee...

I love summer because the bounty at the local farmers' markets is fabulous. My hubby and I have a tradition every Saturday morning from May through October (the period during which our local farmers' market operates) of heading to the market. It is within walking distance of our house and the vendors are just wonderful. We always stop and pick up a chocolate croissant from a great bread company that sets up a booth there. Their breads are wonderful as well (I recommend the garlic asiago foccacia and the cinnamon swirl) but their chocolate croissants are to die for. I look forward to it every weekend. The vendors are also great. Really kind, genuine folks working hard to bring wonderful produce to the market. We've really enjoyed getting to know some of the vendors over the past year and a half and we're such regulars that they notice if we miss a weekend (which only happens if we are out of town). Heck, they even notice if we are later than usual on a Saturday morning. This is just one of the things I love about my small, suburban town. I'm within 15 minutes of the "city" and all it has to offer (including the large state farmers' market, which is also great) but I can enjoy the quiet, small town life too.

This summer at the market has been great with some new vendors stopping by. I've been able to really get most all of the produce that I need each week. In May and June there were fresh strawberries, and now in the heat of summer we have lots of goodies--squash, zucchini, peppers, fresh herbs, corn, red potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, green beans and okra, just to name a few of my purchases in the past few weeks. Almost every week during the summer, we have "farmers' market special" dinners where we cook up a lot of the fresh veggies we got at the market that week. One of my favorite ways to use my squash is to make squash casserole. This is my parents' recipe and both my husband and I love it. I don't use exact measurements, but the basic recipe is:

Squash Casserole

5-7 small to medium size squash, sliced
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped (depends on how big your onion is, use your best judgment)
1 cup sour cream (light works fine)
1 can cream of celery soup (I always use the Healthy Request version)
1-2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing
1 tbsp of olive oil (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat (you could opt to use another fat like butter or bacon grease here or you might be able to get away with cooking spray). Sautee the squash and onions in the olive oil until they are soft and slightly browning. Pour into a baking dish and combine with remaining ingredients. It should be slightly creamy (I recommend mixing in your sour cream and soup first, then adding the stuffing until you reach the consistency you desire). Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.