where squash and beans meet in HEAVEN

A good neighbor is hard to find, right?  One thing we have noticed in 22 years of dog owning, from Chicago to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Ithaca, is that people walking their dogs get to know their neighbors.  Sure, I might be very solitary and shy, but I always get to know the people around my house, because we walk the dog...which has become rare.  Nobody walks anywhere anymore, nobody knows their neighbors, nobody sits on their front porch greeting their walking neighbors.
If you walk your cute little beagle you have a wonderful introduction to all the people who live near you...which is how we got to know Yogi's family better than others, because they walk their dog too.  And when they were getting a puppy 2 years ago, they asked me to take care of Yogi when they weren't able to.  Yogi's personality is different from my own beagle, for example, he likes other dogs and Penny does not like most.

SO, I was in a conundrum Saturday, invited out to a get together with other people and their dogs and asked to also babysit Yogi...but that was solved:  I just took Yogi! I wish I had more photos of him with the other dogs...then we went to East Hill Rail Trail for a late evening hike, gosh it was a gorgeous day.

Yogi's family keeps giving me cartloads of veggies from their garden, and we have enjoyed every last one, either canning or eating it all.  They told me they grated summer squash into their spaghetti sauce and loved it and I figured it would also be true with chili....and HOT DAMN it is true, and I make the most lazy but tasty squash chili on earth--I have made it 3 times in a row!...***
(of course, with good seasonings and simmered all day, old shoes and gym socks would make great chili too!)
I said "this squash is bigger than a football!"


***ridiculously easy lazy summer squash chili

You can simmer in a large soup pot or use a slow cooker, I have done both.
-grate a summer squash, dice a bell pepper (and any other veggies hanging around)
-toss in pot with some olive oil, start heating
-drain and rinse can of either black or red beans, add
-add 3/4-1 cup spaghetti sauce (use more with a big squash, same below)
-add 3/4-1 cup water
-add 1/4-1/2 cup BBQ sauce (I use Dinosaur BBQ habanero...it will make anything take superb!)
-all your favorite spices, like hot pepper, black pepper, oregano, garlic, whatever
-simmer in the slow cooker 5+ hours, in your soup pot 1+ hours---the grated squash seems to vanish, becoming a nice thick sauce
- about 20 minutes before dinner toss in a handful of pasta, and I like to top with cheese and corn chips, mmmm
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