Squash Casserole

Ingredients:
6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini
Vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon House seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed butter crackers (recommended: Ritz)


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15 to 20 minutes. Line a colander with a clean tea towel. Place the cooked squash in the lined colander. Squeeze excess moisture from the squash. Set aside.
In a medium size skillet, saute the onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Caramelized Onion Dip

Makes 1 cup
Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 30 minutes
Refrigerate: 1 hour

1 Large Sweet Onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup light Mayo
1 carton (8 oz.) reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups cut-up raw veggies, such as carrots, sweet peppers, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower, for dipping

1. Cut onion in half, then thinly slice. Cut the slices in half. Heat oil in non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and thyme to pan and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes or until golden-brown. Remove cover, cook 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. While onions cook, whisk together Mayo, sour cream, salt and pepper.
3. Once onions have cooled completely, add to mayo mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with raw veggies.

French Toast Sticks

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking Spray
1 small banana peeled
6 slices whole grain or whole wheat bread
6 tablespoons tub-style light (or regular) cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole (or fat free) milk
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly coat baking pan with nonstick spray. Peel and slice banana and cut crusts off bread (if you want).

Spread cream cheese on three of the bread slices. Top with Banana slices and cover with remaining bread slices. Cut each sandwich into three pieces.

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat. Add milk and cinnamon and beat until combined.

Dip each sandwich piece into egg mixture, making sure to coat all sides. Hold it over bowl and let egg mixture drip off. Put in prepared pan and repeat. Pour any leftover egg mixture over sandwich pieces in pan.

Bake about 20 minutes or until pieces are brown and toasted, turning once.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Neely's HOME!!!!

Neely came home today! She still has a long road of recovery with lots of therapy of different types, but has such an awesome support system. I can only think by the picture I am including that Neely is trilled to be coming home! The doctors warn that although Neely looks completely healthy on the outside, her body is still healing and repairing on the inside. She still has some swelling inside her brain so she is scheduled for a follow up MRI in two weeks. Christy and Jamie and Ava are thrilled to be back home under one roof. Neely is still taking all the meds she was in the hospital and doctors have told Christy and Jamie to keep visitors to a minimum and to keep Neely out of public places for a few months, due to the immune-suppressants that she takes. We are all so grateful to the doctors and staff at GHS for the care they gave Neely and her family during the 19 day stay. Neely's recovery has been nothing short of a miricle and there is only one who we can think for that.

Go Neely Go!

Good News! Just spoke with Christy and there is a big possibility that Neely may come home tomorrow! She is making unbelievable progress and everyday we get a little more Neely back. Don't really know alot of details yet, but we keep praying that she continues on the remarkable recovery track.

Neely is all settled into the Roger C Peace Rehab Center. New room...new staff...new toys...lots of new stuff to get used to these days. She is extra timid and unsure of the new staff as they come into the room to meet her. The visitation at the Rehab Center is very strict. Visitors are allowed after 4:30pm on weekdays and after 1pm on Saturdays. She will begin her intensive physical therapy tomorrow with Daddy by her side. Christy and Jamie switched shifts tonight. We have no idea how long she will be here.We visited with Neely this evening and are very proud to report the unbelievable and encouraging progress that she has made. Apparently, Dr Honeycutt wrote the order to move Neely to rehab three days ago. The therapists are looking at that old information and expecting to see Neely in that condition when they come in to work with her. Much to their surprise, they see a playful and alert little girl in the room. From following these posts, you know that the past three days have shown exponential improvement.Tonight, Jon and I saw her walking around her room, coloring, playing and laughing with Ava, and eating on her own. Tonight's menu was chicken fingers (by request of the princess) and she wanted to share with us. She asked for dipping sauce and drank all of her chocolate milk. The steroid treatments she has received cause an increase in appetite and will help her gain back the weight she has lost.She has realized what the buttons on her bed can do, including calling the nurse, which she did several times just for a laugh. We see so much more of our Neely every time we see her and we couldn't be happier.