I just needed a taste of my favorite holiday to come. Cooking for family is one of my passions, and today I worked on the menu for Thanksgiving. My family knows I am eating more blue zone style meals. Yes, my husband and I have added several meatless meals to our week. I even had to promise a friend that there will be no tofurky at any Orsini holiday meals.

Although I hope for twenty or so for Thanksgiving, tonight I was solo and starving. I liberated from the freezer a quart bag of my garden squash. While digging I also ran across a partial bag of cornbread crumbles. Yes!

Thinking about Thanksgiving today and finding cornbread had me wanted something Thanksgiving-y. Comfort food was on my mind, but I was still trying to lean toward a meatless supper. So, I sautéed the thawed squash in olive oil and sprinkled liberally with dried onions. Once the squash was cooked, I added about a cup and a half of the cornbread crumbles and a can of gluten free cream of mushroom soup. It was a little tight, so I added about a half cup of chicken broth. Could have used veggie broth, but grabbed the chicken broth first. Finally, I added a little salt and some fresh ground black pepper. Tasted and tasted again. Was surprised how good this was! So, I tasted again. Ha.

Still using the same skillet, I mixed this concoction together, stirred in an egg and threw it all in a 400º oven for about 35 minutes or until the dressing was set. Ya’ll—it was wonderful!

So a quick recap…the ingredients were as follows: A quart of frozen squash, 3 T olive oil, 2 T dried onions, 1.5 cups of cornbread crumbs (leftover is fine), 1 can gluten free or regular cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of broth, salt and pepper to taste and one egg.

I ate my squash dressing with some seasoned lima beans for a total three-sisters meal for myself and a healthy nod to the ancestors who put together the maize, beans and squash hundreds of years ago.

If you are my relative, I am serving regular dressing for Thanksgiving. Don’t worry.

Happy early Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for my followers and readers.

Bon Appetito! Your Iron Maiden, Kim Orsini