Funny - I was just thinking about this over the weekend - planning what and how much we should can this year. I made some elderberry-port wine jelly and it makes a great sauce for meat. Melt some, add some broth, thicken and serve with grilled steaks or filets (we eat a lot of venison and this flavor goes wonderfully with that). It would be good on pork, too. I've started putting up most things "plain" - beets, tomatoes, peaches, cherries, etc. so I can tweak them however I want when I open the jar. Instead of jam, I make fruit chutneys instead. Rhubarb, gooseberry, cranberry and plum so far. DH loves them with meat or on a sandwich, and if I get my once-in-a-blue-moon craving for a PB&J, I just use one of the sweeter chutneys. They work for both sweet and savory. Great with a fruit and cheese plate, too, which we have for dessert a lot in the summer. I still make some jellies and jams, but mostly for gifts, so I make small 4 oz. jars, which everyone loves for Christmas. I finally used up the applesauce from last year. We don't eat it by itself, so I use it in quick breads (any that call for a cup of vegetable oil, I substitute 1/2 cup of applesauce for 1/2 of the oil).

Eating Well did an entire spread on squash this last issue, but these two caught my eye. I've had the cakes and like them, and a friend had the soup and said it was good. ________________________________________ Golden Summer Squash & Corn Soup 1 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium shallot, chopped 2 medium summer squash (about a pound) 3 t chopped fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, etc.) 14 ounces low sodium chicken broth 1/4 t salt 1 c corn 1/2 c feta cheese 1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, stirring, 1 minute. Add squash and 1 t herbs, stirring occasionally, until squash softens (about 3-5 minutes). 2. Add broth and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmering until squash is mostly translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to blender, use stick blender, etc. blend until smooth. Return soup to pan and stir in corn. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until corn is tender, 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Garnish with 2 teaspoons herbs and feta. ________________________________________ Parmesan-Squash Cakes 1 large egg 2/3 cup finely chopped **shallots 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 cups shredded seeded summer squash (2-3 medium, about 1 pound; see Tip) 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2. Beat egg in a large bowl. Stir in shallots, parsley, salt and pepper. Place shredded squash in the center of a clean kitchen towel; gather up the ends and twist to squeeze out any liquid. Add the squash and cheese to the bowl; stir to combine. 3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pack a 1/3-cup measuring cup with the squash mixture and unmold it into the pan; gently pat it down to form a 3-inch cake. Repeat, making 4 squash cakes. Cook until browned and crispy on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the cakes over and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately. NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 130 calories; 8 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 62 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 1 g fiber; 322 mg sodium; 406 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (35% daily value), Calcium & Vitamin A (15% dv). 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 1/2 fat TIP: Tip: To remove the seeds from summer squash, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. To shred the squash, use the large-holed side of a **doesn't work with a stronger onion. Here is a link that might be useful: Eating Well squash recipe collection

I have an abundance of yellow squash right now so here is a recipe I tried yesterday. It was very good. I will make it again. I couldn't find the instant corn bread stuffing mix so I used a small box of corn bread muffin mix with Stove Top Savory Stuffing and that is what I will use again next time. I also used more cheese for the topping. Everyone went back for more. Squash Stuffing Casserole 3/4 cups water 1/4 tsp salt 6 cups sliced yellow summer squash 1 small onion sliced 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 1 cup sour cream 1 pkg instant corn bread stuffing mix 1 can 4 ounce chopped green chilies salt and pepper to taste 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add the squash and onion. Reduce the heat; cover and cook until the squash is crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. drain well; set aside. In a bowl, combine soup, sour cream, stuffing and the contents of the seasoning packet, chilies, salt and pepper, mix well. Fold in the squash mixture. Pour into a greased shallow 2-qt baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. If you have any leftovers they can be frozen. Casserole Cooking Taste of Home Books

Here's a quick and easy standby, if you're really feeling pressed for time. Or you can always do pumpkin pie using a Pillsbury crust. Becky Lompoc, CA * Exported from MasterCook * Pumpkin Pie Cake Recipe By :Carole Steel Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup sugar 29 ounces canned pumpkin 1 can evaporated milk 3 eggs -- beaten 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 box yellow cake mix 1 cup nuts -- chopped 1 1/2 sticks butter -- melted Mix first 9 ingredients (through ground ginger) and pour into 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the top - push cake mix into the pumpkin mixture uniil you can see the mixture coming through the cake mix. Drizzle butter over top and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 375F for 1 hour. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -