LASACHINI

It's that time of year when the garden is past its peak yet still producing on a regular basis...less than it has been but still more than I can consume>>>comfortably. This recipe seemed a GREAT way to use up the goodies before Mother Nature decided waht to do with my harvest. You will love the dish...and comin' from a fat boy...that's a pretty good endorsement.

LASACHINI


Ingredients:

3-4 Summer squash
3-4 Zucchini
1 diced Sweet onion (medium)
1 diced Green pepper (medium)
1 standard container of white button mushrooms (washed and sliced)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground sausage
1 tbsp butter
8 oz. sliced mozzarella (approximately 12 slices)
1 lb. mixed shredded Italian cheese (blend of Asiago, romano, parmesan, and mozzarella)
32 ozs. PREGO pasta sauce
1/2 tsp course Sea salt
1/4 tsp coursely ground Black pepper
1/4 tsp oregano


>Peel the zucchini and squash
>Using a mandolin, or carefully by hand, slice lengthwise the zucchini and squash into 1/8" thick slices

>Place the onion, pepper, and butter in a deep frying pan and saute the mixture over low heat until the onion is translucent and the pepper lightly carmelized
>Add the black pepper and oregano and stir
>Into the sauteed onions and pepper slowly incorpoarate the ground beef and cook until the meat has browned
>Render the ground beef mixture from the frying pan and set it aside in a bowl
>Into the same frying pan cook the sausage until brown and set it aside in a separate bowl
>Lightly coat two 9" x 13" casseroles dishes with extra virgin olive oil
>Layer some of both zucchini and squash slices into each casserole to create a single layer
>Lightly coat the zucchini and squash layer with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt
>Spread a liberal amount of pasta sauce over this first layer

>Divide the ground beef mixture equally between the two casseroles and spread the mix over the first layer of zucchini/squash and sauce

>Cover the resulting layer with the mozzarella cheese (6 slices per casserole)

>Add a second layer of zucchini and squash, lightly coat with more extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and another liberal coat of pasta sauce
>As before with the ground beef mixture, add the sausage evenly over the second zucchini/squash layer and incorporate the sliced mushrooms

>Liberally add a fourth of the shredded Italian cheese mixture over the sausage layer in each casserole
>Add any remaining zucchini and squash as a final third layer and finish with the remaining pasta sauce and shredded cheese
>Pepper and salt the top of the casseroles

>Cover each casserole with aluminum foil
>Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes
>Let the casseroles stand after cooking for 20-30 minutes
>Serve with a granish of freshly sloced tomatoes or a sprinkling of parmesan cheese

Each casserole will serve 8 people...and the dish is even better reheated the next day! That's a fact! Whatcha wanna know?

SQUASH CASSEROLE

Put that mandolin to use again!

Slice up 5 Summer squash, 2 zucchini and 2 medium onions.
Throw a stick of butter into a pan (...a good pan mind you...) and simmer those onions until they are transparent.
Add some pepper and salt too...(1/4 tsp of each)



Once the onions are just about carmelized, add the squash and zucchini and simmer until they wilt...about 10 minutes or so.



While the squash and zucchini are do what they need to do, chop up a green pepper and add it to the concoction.



Once all is wilted and bubblin', layer the veggies into a buttered casserole dish: a layer of veggies topped with pinches of Vermont sharp cheddar cheese. Repeat until all the veggies are used up and you end with a good layer of cheddar on top.

Cook in an oven at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes or until you see little bubbles of cheese dancing around.

Serve with fried chicken or a good ol' filet of flounder.



Y'all come to the house...there's always somethin' on the table!

COOL CUCUMBER SALAD

4-5 cucumbers
2 medium sweet onions
1/4 cup "lite" olive oil (no need for extra virgin...we want olives that have been squeezed plenty of times but still maintain their taste)
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of a good mayonnaise...if you like mayo go for it!
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp seeded mustard (Plochmann's or the like)
1/2 tsp dill, a bit less if you use it fresh from the garden
1/4 tsp Sea salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper

>Using a mandolin...or a very steady hand...thinly slice 4-5 cucumbers and 2 medium sized onions.
>Place them in a pretty bowl (...like this gem from Dean & DeLuca!)
>Salt and pepper the slices and set aside while you mix up the mayo base.



>Whisk together the olive oil,vinegar and mayonnaise thoroughly.
>Add the mustard into the base mixture.
>Slowly fold in the dill...not too fast to avoid clumping the dill into the mix.
>Gently combine the base and the veggies.
>Chill until ready to serve.



This salad is the perfect side for a lite lunch of egg salad and pumpernickel sandwiches or for an early supper on a summer Saturday with freshly grilled chicken breasts.

Y'all come to the house...there's always somethin' on the table!

COLE SALAD

Ingredients:

1/2 head of cabbage
3-4 Summer squash
3-4 cucumbers (peeled)
1-2 two medium Sweet onions
1/2 cup "chopped" carrots
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Caesar vinaigrette
1/2 tsp course Sea salt
1/4 teaspoon coursely ground Black pepper

>Divide the cabbage half into thirds by slicing the wedge root to crown
>Shred the resulting thirds by slicing cross-wise to julienne the cabbage
>Place into a mixing bowl
>Add the olive oil and toss to thoroughly coat the cabbage

>Halve the squash by cutting length-wise and slice across those halves into thin pie-shaped wedges
>Slice the cucumbers into thin disc-shaped pieces
>Halve the onions by dividing the bulb root to crown and then slice again cross-wise into thin strips...do not dice the onions
>Add the squash, carrots, onions, and cucumbers into the cabbage, mixture thoroughly folding each ingredient at a time into the mixture
>Add the salt and pepper, toss lightly and chill the mix overnight.
>Before serving, add the Caesar vinaigrette and additional salt and pepper to taste



Serve chilled. Feeds 8-10

This salad goes well with barbecued meat, especially baby-back ribs, chicken or pulled pork

A bit old, but I think the message prevails...

Taking just a moment to bid farewell to the Bush's. While things got rough on his watch towards the end, I do feel it a bit unnecessary to blame it all on his administration. He, himself, nor was his administration, the one responsible for the "crooks" on Wall Street who stole every opportunity to pad their own pockets, stealing from one to pay the other no matter whether it was a stranger or their own family, stealing from charities they themselves founded to further their masquerade as being trustworthy, philanthropic...someone you went to if you wanted to get things done. This wasn't the Bush's fault.

The housing crisis was seeded by greed and cultivated by creative financing that used formulas wherein the loan originators not only got commission on the first loan but as well on the second and third attempts the consumer was forced into in order to resolve the mess they were lead into in the first place. The Bush's weren’t the ones writing the bogus housing assessments used to artificially inflate prices so commissions were bigger.

Oil...yeah a family commodity for the Bush's for generations, but I dare say they were not the ones who controlled the ground from where the supply begins its travel. Oil was priced by a group of individuals whose avarice was superseded only by their gluttony for wealth and the sadistic pleasure of seeing the world squirm within their clutch.

I can go on, but I won't. Things got bad, but maybe it had to happen so that we become more aware of what and who to look out for. Suffice it to say that I wish the Bush's well and hope that the good things that did come from their administration continue as our country takes a turn onto a new avenue along our journey. I wish the new regime well and that they keep their focus as fresh as it is during these first days. We have a president, but we also have a House and a Senate brought together by the people and for the people. We need to work together as one people if it is to be successful. Quit passing the blame. Good luck to the Bush's and to the Obama administration. Our trust is in you.

More about "MOI"

Here are 25 comments on the 25 things I've divulged about myself; addendums meant to further expound upon my original "things".

#1>Here's another cheap promo of the book I have been writing despite its year-long hiatus. The book is titled "That Certain Pause", most probably abbreviated to "Pause" for the movie. It's about that single moment in life when you realize you've fallen in love...that moment when your heart bounces a single flutter and the world stalls as you catch your breath; a moment you never see coming yet one you will never forget... for it truly happens only once in your life.

#2>If I could be friends with anyone it would be the inimitable Harvey Fierstein, although I admire this man so much that I would induct him into my world as "family"...and I can count a couple of fingers of one hand those who have achieved that level of love and admiration from me. A close second...calling Hugh Dancy ("Evening", "Jane Austen Book Club", and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" to be his recent clakms to fame) "friend" would be great. He is, so far, my leading choice to play the main character in my film...his persona that by which I had originally fashioned the main character. It was by luck that I came to know of him in "Evening" and how eerily he embodied the character in my book.

#3>Regrets, yeah I've had a few, but then again...too few to mention. (Imagine me singing)

#4>"Hope" is the last foothold on believing something will happen. It's usually that precarious reach we take once whatever "faith" we used to get us going somehow seems flawed.

#5>I have had two beautiful little boys who called me "Daddy"...Matisse and Mossimo.



#6>The car I'd love to own if I could? It's a toss up: either a black Bentley Arnage or a black Ranger Rover. If I'm dreaming...WTF! Go for both!

#7>I ran for SCA president in the fifth grade, but lost. Perhaps it was the fact that I listed my being a mmeber of the "HOTWHEELS Club" as a measure of my personal achievements. I felt important as a member, so...

#8>I had probably the largest set of Lincoln Logs anyone has ever amassed. Set upon set used to make immense log mansions and nearly entire log cities.

#9>What others horrors have I had to deal with? They need to remain private...too many demons still lurking on that one. Oops! There's one...



#10>While I love blondes, I have never dated one! I have been a blonde, though.

#11>I don't find total nudity to be a "turn-on". Leaving something to be discovered is hotter!

#12>As for other means of transportation I have used, during my early teens I made stilts from 2x4's and walked around the neighborhood. They were high enough to let me step over a fence. I was even able to dance while using them!

#13>I will not buy a house where the address numbers add up to thirteen.

#14>I love to garden...



#15>The worst movie I have ever seen is "THE HAPPENING". Believe me...nothing happened except the DVD becoming a frisbee tossed into the woods!

#16>I did own one cat in my life. His name was "Blue", a blue seal-point Himalayan given to me my then partner by David Belafonte (Harry's son). David's family was renovating their apartment and "Blue" (originally named "Shumo") was petrified of the process and would hide and not come out to even eat. Though I am not a cat-lover, I agreed to give him a quiet home.

#17>I find Summer to be my least favorite time of year. One can never take enough off to be cool. Give me a late Autumn day...a tweed blazer and I'm happy.

#18>I love the beach...New England beaches most of all. Although I have not been there to make a valid judgment, I do not see what people see in Hawaii or any other tropical ports of call. I love how the change of seasons affects the colors of the ocean, and there ain't no better time to walk the beach than an early Winter's morning.



#19>In additon to my "blonde" summer, I once sported a curly perm that evolved into a "do" mimicking Bette Midler in "The Rose". It was not a pretty site.

#20>I love Paula Dean...and Martha, each for their own special reason.

#21>I believe there really is a Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot.

#22>I think the best thing to know about me is my honesty (I'm lyin'!).

#23>I think senatorial terms should be limited to 2 just like the President. We might get things done a bit easier with a constant flow of new blood.

#24>If I could be starting any project right now, I'd be breaking ground on a new house. I love building.



#25>My favorite fabric is linen.

That's what I want you to know...for now

And the TONY goes to...

Just a quick note to congratulate all the winners...and nominees...frmo the TONY AWARDS. The show was one of the best I've seen, and host Neal Patrick Harris a perfect fit for the role. Liza looked awesome...the musical numbers were flawless...and Harvey Fierstein's voice was music to my ears. I have often wondered why I didn't see more shows during my ten years in NYC. Now I know it was a stupid oversight on my behalf. So whether its a trip up to a matinee and back or seeing the show's touring company...as God as my witness I will see more theatre. It is an art form our society cannot afford to lose.

Again...congrats to all! WAY TO GO BILLY ELLIOTT! (Love ya Elton!)