You know, life gets us all down at some point. We get caught on a bad day. It happens to all of us. As the saying goes, “Some days you’re the pigeon; some days you’re the statue.” It’s okay to be the statue. We all have to take our turn. We all can’t always be pigeons. You just have to accept that those days will happen and know that they will eventually pass. But, you can’t let the “statue days” control your life. Yesterday was my wife’s birthday – and a great day it was for her. But today started as if it was her “statue day.” The morning was one of those where nothing goes right. You know the ones I’m talking about. You’re running late, you burn breakfast, you forget your lunch, the gas pump you pull up to is out of order – those kinds of days. Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and risk spousal abuse by saying that she’s not normally the most optimistic person. She rarely see’s the silver lining in the dark clouds, but today was different. Today, she realized that she will only get one chance at this particular day. The truth is, at the end of the day you can go to bed feeling defeated or feeling like you gave it your all to make it the best.  Don’t let your “statue days” defeat you, use them to prove to yourself that you can overcome them. Sure it’s work, but it’s worth it. If y’all see my wife today, tell her I said, “Watch out for those pigeons!” 🙂
Y’all, this Zucchini and Tomato bake is simple, easy, and delicious and just tastes like summer to me. If you prefer, you can use yellow summer squash in place of the zucchini, but you’ll lose some of that pretty color. Y’all enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced in ¼ inch slices
- 3 medium tomatoes, sliced in ¼ inch slices
- 1 medium sweet onion, sliced in ¼ inch slices
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 tablespoon butter, melted
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs, or crushed butter crackers - like Ritz
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 2 ½-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine the zucchini, tomatoes, and onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder and toss to coat. Put the vegetables into the prepared dish and sprinkle with the cheese.
- In a small bowl, stir the melted butter and the bread crumbs together. Sprinkle the crumbs over the casserole. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the crumbs have browned.
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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I have made this twice and we both love. Hubby says it is a keeper! We ate the all of it. So very good with home grown veggies. If you love veggies, you need to make this one.
Thanks so much, Nelda! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Great recipe but I used crush up cheez-its for the topping
Love that idea!
What a great combination of tastes, textures and flavors. I just put mine in the oven after a few tweaks because of what I had/didn’t have in the pantry. I used real garlic and fresh basil. I substituted olive oil for the butter (just drizzled it over the cheese and bread crumbs). I didn’t have any sweet onions so used red ones. Grated a big hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese instead of the cheddar. Fingers crossed. Thank you, Stacey, for this recipe. Smells heavenly!
LOVE your statue analogy!! 🙂
HA! Thanks!!
Sounds amazing! Hope it turned out great for you!!
I made this for supper tonight and it was very good. As you said, “tastes like summer”. Nice fresh taste. Easy to put together. A definite keeper. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Just made this with pattypan squash instead of zucchini and added 1 red bell pepper and crabmeat…yummy!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
I am making this tonight except I am using squash instead of zucchini. My zucchini didn’t do as well as the squash and I am using cherry tomatoes and lemon drop tomatoes because I have tons of them. I am excited about this recipe. Thanks Stacey!!
Sounds great! Hope y’all enjoyed it!
It feels like I’ve been The Statue all week…I blame Mercury in retrograde.. Thanks for the reminder that this too shall pass. And for the absolutely divine – and simple – recipe. I cannot wait to make this one!
Candance – It’s tough being the statue, but it does get better. It always does. Keep yuor chin up and just hope that your week-long stint as the statue will give way to many weeks of being the bird. Good luck! 🙂
Looks good. I’m so ready to try this. I giggled when I saw that you have to “pout” the vegetables into the dish.
LOL! We can’t all be perfect!
Served this dish with white navy beans and some crusty bread..very yummy!
Glad you enjoyed it!!
I have an excess amount of both zucchini and tomatoes on hand right now. This recipe is SO going to happen today! Thanks for sharing, it looks fantastic!
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
That looks delicious Stacey….thanks for sharing !
Absoutely! Thanks!
What a delightful post and oh so true. At my age I seem to get more “statue” days than I do “pigeon” days. But like you said, you’ve just got to NOT let them get you down! I do so enjoy getting your newsletter. The recipe is just what I was looking for to use up some fresh Zucchini I bought. I’m making this for tomorrow’s supper.
Thanks, Claudine! I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Another great post Stacey! You made me smile with that pigeon/ statue metaphor! I’m sure you have been an encouragement to many today!
Great recipe!
Thanks so much, Tina!
I love your food so much.
Thanks, Carmen!
Just made this with pattypan squash instead of zucchini and added 1 red bell pepper and crabmeat…yummy!