Saturday, June 22, 2013

Tea Room Recipe #25 - Chocolate Biscuit Tearoom (Trussville, Ala.)

It's been more than a decade now, but I still have fond memories of the day my mom, aunt, sister, nieces and I visited the Chocolate Biscuit Tearoom in Trussville, Ala. This was more of a "ladies luncheon" place than a fancy afternoon tea kind of place, but the food was very good and we really enjoyed ourselves. This week, I was pondering whether any of my tea room cookbooks might have a recipe that would use up some of the (treasured!) squash from my Daddy's garden. I had a feeling the Chocolate Biscuit cookbook might turn up a squash casserole recipe, and indeed it had several!

This book, in fact, has recipes for *eight* squash casseroles, as well as squash croquettes and a squash souffle, so it looks like my squash-baking needs are good for a while! This tearoom, incidentally, is still in business and really did serve Chocolate Biscuits (biscuits with a rich chocolate sauce) the day I visited. They were great!

Now I've rarely met a squash casserole I didn't like because, really, you have to work pretty hard to mess this up. But this one called for a couple of ingredients I haven't used in such casseroles before, garlic salt and oregano. I must say I love the way these additions perked up this dish, one of my all-time favorite ways to eat vegetables. If you're a squash fan too, you just might want to give this a try!

Squash Casserole

3 cups squash, cooked with 1 small onion, chopped
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 stick margarine, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup crushed butter cracker crumbs
Dash of garlic salt
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain the squash and onion and pour into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and combine well. Spoon into an 8 x 8-inch casserole dish prepared with cooking spray and bake for 25-30 minutes. Said to freeze well, but I can guarantee you that at my house there will be no leftovers to freeze!

11 comments:

  1. Love the name of this tea room! And happy to hear they are still in business. That squash casserole looks delicious!

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  2. Hi Angela! I visited this tea room a long time ago. I'll have to wait until I return home to find out exactly when it was. I have the cookbook too. Fond memories!

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  3. I think this is a great recipe and I imagine those other squash recipes would be too!

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  4. I like the name of the tea room, and noticed they spelled it as one word.
    I've used squash to make soup but generally just bake it to have with dinner. Can't believe I've never made a casserole with squash and will take your word it is good, certainly looks it!
    Judith

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  5. This has kindled a memory of the long-ago hot Southern days of canning and filling the freezer with my Mother. She'd say every time, "Now, don't blanch THIS squash as long as the others---it's for casseroles, and you know you have to cook it some more."

    I've been trying to plan a visit from SIS and BIL with several good old homey dishes one night, and I'd totally forgotten Mother's Squash Casserole. (A tee-ninecy bit of pimiento stirred in just before it went into the oven was her great secret).

    Thank you for this memory and the idea---Sis will LOVE this surprise.

    rachel

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  6. Hi Angela, this recipe looks delicious! Glad to hear the tearoom is still in business. Hope you have a nice weekend, Joanie

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  7. I am learning to like squash and with all the additional goodies I can imagine it is quite good. How nice to hear a tearoom with such a fun name is still in business.

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  8. Sounds like oregano and garlic powder would be a good addition to any squash casserole!

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  9. Delicious, the best squash casserole I've ever had!

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  10. Tried this tonighy and it was very good. Ever consider sharing any of the other squash recipes from this book?

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