By Brianna's week. The fireflies in the backyard at dusk. Plant had a quality issue Wednesday. Caught it. Antoine and I rebuilt fourteen Jeeps in three hours. Earned the team a pizza party.
Pop's tireder. Sugar runs low some days. Mama monitors. Pop complains. The system holds. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.
Brisket on the smoker. Fourteen hours. Bark like asphalt. Sliced thin against the grain.
Aiden's 11. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 8. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.
I went to bed Sunday at 10. Slept eight hours. The body said thank you.
I read for an hour Sunday night. A book about the auto industry. Half memoir, half history. Made me think about Pop and the line and the fragile contract that built the middle of this country. I underlined the parts that hit.
I cleaned the smoker Sunday morning. Brushed the grates. Emptied the ash. Wiped down the body. The smoker repays attention. So does most everything that matters.
Stopped at Eastern Market Saturday. Got chicken thighs, bacon, a watermelon, and a pound of greens that I did not need but bought anyway. The vendors know me by name now. Three of them asked about the family.
I made grocery lists on the back of envelopes the way Mama did. The list this week was short — onions, garlic, half-and-half, cornmeal, a pound of bacon. The list is the recipe of the week before it happens.
The grass came in fast this week. Cut it Saturday morning before the heat. The mower had been sitting all winter. Took three pulls to start. Once it ran, it ran. Some things just need patience.
The custody calendar holds. Aiden and Zaria alternate weeks. Brianna and I co-parent without drama now. We do not always have to like each other to do this right.
A catering inquiry came in this week — fifty-person family reunion. Booked. Saturday after next.
The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.
Filled the propane tank Wednesday. The smoker is the only appliance I baby. Wiped it down. Checked the gaskets. Checked the temperature gauge. The smoker is mine the way Pop's torque wrench was his.
Truck needed an oil change Saturday. Did it myself in the driveway. Took an hour. The neighbor across the street gave me a thumbs-up from his porch. I gave him one back. Detroit men do not waste words on car maintenance.
The kids next door knocked over my trash cans Tuesday night. Their dad made them help me clean up Wednesday morning. Good man. The kids apologized. I gave them each a Capri Sun. Cycle complete.
Mr. Williams across the street had a heart scare. He is okay. We are all watching each other now. I took him a plate of greens and chicken Wednesday. He said, "DeShawn. You're a good neighbor." I said, "We're even, Mr. Williams. You shoveled my walk in 2024." He laughed.
Pop sat in the recliner Sunday. He fell asleep before the third quarter. We covered him with a blanket.
The block had a small drama Tuesday. Somebody parked in front of Ms. Diane's driveway. Ms. Diane addressed it directly. The car moved within the hour. The neighborhood polices itself on small things.
A neighbor down the street gave me a tomato plant Saturday. He grows them on his porch. Said he had extra. I put it next to the back step where it gets the afternoon sun. Detroit gardens are improvised victories.
The brisket gets all the glory—fourteen hours, that bark, sliced thin—but every plate needs something to sit beside it that was made with the same care. Zaria was on her step stool asking about seasoning when I had this one going, and I'll be honest, she had a point about the parmesan. This Baked Parmesan Breaded Squash came together quick, held up on the plate, and didn’t compete with the smoke. That’s all you can ask of a side dish on a Sunday like that one.
Baked Parmesan Breaded Squash
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and coat lightly with cooking spray.
- Mix the coating. In a shallow bowl, combine the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and smoked paprika. Stir until evenly mixed.
- Prep the squash. Pat the squash rounds dry with a paper towel—this is the step most people skip and then wonder why the coating slides off. Brush or toss each round lightly with olive oil.
- Coat each round. Press each oiled squash slice firmly into the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides. Lay them flat on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer without overlapping.
- Bake until golden. Bake for 20–25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the coating is golden and crisp and the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Serve hot. Pull them straight from the oven and serve immediately. They lose their crisp fast, so don’t let them sit. Plate alongside brisket, chicken, or anything else coming off the smoker.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 165 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg