Rice With Summer Squash -- The Food That Connects Every Version of Me

Week 448. Fall 2024. I am 41 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like cinnamon and falling leaves and this is my life. This is the life I built.

I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.

Mason is 13 and navigating middle school with the quiet competence that has always been his way — focused, kind, certain of who he is in a way that took me thirty years to achieve.

Lily is 11 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made roasted Brussels sprouts this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The Brussels sprouts were already roasting when I started thinking about the week — Mason’s quiet focus, Lily’s fearlessness, the greenbelt still holding its green even in October — and I wanted something else on the table, something soft and warm and uncomplicated. Rice with summer squash is the kind of dish that doesn’t ask anything of you. You make it almost without thinking, the way you live a good week almost without thinking, and then you sit down and realize: this is enough. This has always been enough.

Rice With Summer Squash

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 medium yellow summer squash, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Cook the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4–5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
2. Toast the rice. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice smells slightly nutty.
3. Add broth and squash. Pour in the broth and add the diced squash, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer covered. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 18–20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Do not lift the lid during cooking.
5. Finish and rest. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Serve. Fluff with a fork, garnish with fresh parsley if using, and serve warm alongside your main dish.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 230 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 39g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 380mg