Zucchini and Squash (well actually zucchini squash and squash)

This story makes me chuckle because at our ice cream date mentioned below, we were talking about what to do if you can't find the exact ingredients listed in a recipe. Jamie gave the example of if it calls for zucchini and all the supermarket has is zucchini squash, is it the same thing? We didn't know the answer, but decided that it was close enough. It also made me hungry for the only dish in which I have enjoyed zucchini and squash- a fresh, delicious pasta primavera dish from a restaurant in Tulsa, OK called Nibbles.

I was at the store picking up a few quick things and decided to to give making a zucchini and squash dish a go at home the next night. Of course, they only had zucchini squash, but since we had previously determined that that was the same thing as zucchini, it didn't deter me. I picked out a baby sized one of each the zuccini squash and squash and left deciding how I was going to prepare them for a later time.

I came home from work the next day and was really craving the Nibbles dish and figured now was as good a time as any to give these unknown vegetables a try. I figured I would sautee them in some butter and just throw some spices in and see how it went (kinda went with the theory of sautee-ing mushrooms). The only problem was- I had no idea how to prepare zucchini or squash. Do you peel them? I think I got a vegetable peeler in one of my wedding shower gifts, but haven't used it yet. I think you peel cucumbers. A zucchini is kinda like a cucumber, right?

I turned to a book that I knew would be helpful in situations like these- How to Boil Water by the Food Network. I found the vegetable section and for both zucchini and squash it just said to slice in half lengthwise and slice. So that's what I did. I kept the slices thin, I figred this would speed up the process. The recipe I threw together:

Sauteed Zucchini and Squash
-About 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat.
-Add sliced zucchini and squash
-Add a couple shakes of minced garlic (dried)
-Add a couple basil leaves (fresh- I do have a basil plant bought to impress my gourmet brother)
-Add salt and fresh ground pepper
Scoot those around in the skillet for a couple of minutes until some of them looked a little brown and others a little transparent.

Man o man was it good! And very easy! I was quite proud of myself for throwing that together and was very impressed with the results. I figured it could probably be made into a great pasta dish when I try it next time or just leave it as is and use as a delicious side dish. I hope you enjoyed my zucchini and squash story. Until next time! With Love,