Squash Medley — The Quiet Abundance of a Summer Table

The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 4 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.

I drove to Tarpon Springs for Sunday dinner. The drive takes forty minutes if the traffic behaves. It never behaves. But I make the drive because the table at Mama's house is non-negotiable, and Sunday dinner is the thread that holds this family together.

I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.

I made a watermelon and feta salad with fresh mint and olive oil. Sweet, salty, refreshing — the taste of summer distilled into a bowl. The kitchen smelled like honey and butter and I thought: this is what survives. Not the money or the stress or the arguments about phyllo. The food survives. The recipes survive. The love baked into every dish survives.

The house was quiet this evening. I sat at the kitchen table with a glass of wine and the remains of dinner and I thought about all the tables I have sat at — Mama's table in Tarpon Springs, the table in the South Tampa house I lost, the table in the apartment where I started over, this table where I have fed my children for years. Every table is a different chapter. The food connects them all.

The watermelon and feta salad was the heart of that evening, but what carried dinner from one side of the table to the other was a simple squash medley — colorful, warm, smelling of olive oil and fresh herbs, the kind of side dish that asks nothing of you and gives everything back. It felt right for a week like this one: steady, unhurried, honest. Baba would have taken two helpings without saying a word, and that is the highest praise I know.

Squash Medley

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Prep the vegetables. Slice the zucchini and yellow squash into 1/4-inch rounds. Dice the bell pepper, thinly slice the red onion, and mince the garlic. Set everything aside.
2. Heat the oil. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Sauté the aromatics. Add the red onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and just beginning to color at the edges.
4. Add the squash. Add the zucchini and yellow squash to the pan in a single layer as best you can. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes to develop a light golden sear, then stir and cook another 4 to 5 minutes until tender but not mushy.
5. Add the garlic and seasoning. Push the vegetables to the edges and add the minced garlic to the center of the pan. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir everything together. Season with oregano, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
6. Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and scatter the chopped parsley over the top. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 120 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 300mg