If you've been reading this column for a while, you know that I spent the summers at my grandparents' house in South Carolina on a lake that borders Georgia. As a child, the setting was perfect: waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs, heading out to the water for a full day of waterskiing and wakeboarding, returning home to a home-cooked meal, and then, if we were lucky, an evening of peering at the stars or setting off fireworks on the dock. No matter what the day held, we kids were always treated to a wholesome meal to fuel our youthful fires.

At the end of April, my grandmother – my last surviving grandparent – passed away, so our small family headed down to her homestead to get things in order and begin the process of going through years of accumulated possessions. Luckily, I am the proud recipient of all of her cookbooks (including her 1943 edition of the Joy of Cooking, whose pages containing pie recipes are thoroughly splattered, strongly resembling a cook's version of Rorschach prints), as well as her recipe box, which contains myriad newspaper and magazine clippings along with handwritten and typed recipes that remain a staple in my family.

Summers in the South always brought an abundance of cucumbers and squash, and poring over her recipes, I found a few using these two ingredients that I want to share. Because of the events of the past couple of weeks, I have been unable to test these, but I can assure you that they are well-tested. Enjoy these recipes, and be sure to share your knowledge of cooking with those whom you love, be they children, parents, spouses or friends. Let us never forget our roots, both literally and figuratively, as they are what connects us to this earth and binds us to one another.

(The recipes are typed as they appeared. Additions are in parentheses.)

Squash Casserole

I found two recipes for squash casserole in my grandmother's recipe box, one of which was written in my mother's handwriting. This is the one I share here. I assure you it is delicious (even those who claim to dislike squash will love it, as it resembles a slightly more nutritious macaroni and cheese casserole).

1 ½ cups cooked yellow squash
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, mozzarella or a combination – actually any cheese would suffice)
2 eggs, well-beaten
1 cup bread crumbs (preferably made from whole wheat or home-baked bread)
3 tablespoons onion, cut fine
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, reserving a small amount of bread crumbs and cheese), adding milk last. Pour into greased 6" x 12" pan. Bake one hour at 350°. Just before removing from oven, sprinkle casserole with reserved cheese and crumbs and let brown. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Cucumber Soup

Written by my grandmother on a scrap of paper, this soup is sure to be refreshing and is very easy to assemble. If you desire a vegetarian version of the soup, you may substitute cream of celery soup for the cream of chicken.

2-3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, sliced or chopped
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
1 cup sour cream
Dash of curry powder
Dash of celery salt
2 green onions
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Juice of half a lemon

Puree in a blender and chill. (No yield is provided, but probably makes about 4-6 servings.)

"Unnamed Pickles"

This recipe is from the kitchen of Lois Maffett, my grandmother's neighbor and dear friend for many, many years. When we were visiting for the funeral, Lois brought over a jar of her pickles, which, unlike this recipe, contained yellow squash and green pepper strips. They are close to a bread and butter pickle, and are so delicious I couldn't stop eating them.

4 quarts (16 cups) sliced unpared medium cucumbers
6 medium yellow onions, sliced (6 cups)
1/3 cup granulated pickling salt
5 cups sugar
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
1 ½ teaspoons celery seed
2 tablespoons mustard seed

Combine cucumbers and onions. Add salt and cover with cracked ice. Mix thoroughly and let stand 3 hours (or overnite, if you wish). When ready to can drain this mixture well. Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, drop cucumbers in and let them get good and hot, if boiled hard they will get soft. Fill jars with pickles. After the jars are filled, drain the juice from the jars (back) into boiler of vinegar and let it come to a rolling boil. Pour into jars over the pickles and seal. (Written by my grandfather, the recipe card says, "Made 7 Pints.")