Heavenly Recipes

Heavenly Recipes

Story and Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Tyler’s Squash Casserole

Tyler Reynolds, employee benefits coordinator in the Office of Human Resources for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, shares his recipe for squash casserole in this month’s Heavenly Recipes. Tyler is from Monroe, LA, and lived in Shreveport until 1988 when he was six years old. “My father was the assistant manager of Piccadilly Cafeteria in Shreveport and took the manger job in Houma when it was offered to him. So I grew up around food and was around the kitchen a lot in Piccadilly. I worked there in high school and have deep roots in my childhood at that cafeteria.”

Tyler’s wife Lisa is from Cut Off. The couple have three children.:Allie Grace, 11; and boys Liam Tyler, 6; and Owen Ellis, 5. The Reynolds family live in Summerfield in Houma.

Tyler recalls meeting Lisa in 2005. “My mom and her sister were working for the same business company and they set us up on a blind date. It was funny because I remembered her face from school. She was in one of my classes at Nicholls.”

Tyler says his mom did most of the cooking while he was growing up. He says they definitely ate a lot of “North Louisiana food.” “This recipe is from my stepmom Bessie. My wife is a picky eater. Bessie made it for us and we fell in love with it. My wife cooks it all the time now.”

The Reynolds family are parishioners of St. Bernadette, where their children attend school.

Tyler became interested in the insurance industry through his father. “My father was in the insurance industry. I was licensed in 2007. I worked for State Farm for a few years. In 2016, I made the decision to go into the insurance industry full time. I also converted to Catholicism in 2016, when my mom passed away suddenly. That made me discover my faith.” a

Heavenly Recipes

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

6 medium squash 1 onion, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, chopped (optional) 1 clove garlic, minced 3/4 lb. smoked sausage or ham 1 egg 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1 sleeve crackers (Ritz or regular) Season to taste Butter

Directions:

Slice and cover squash in salted water and boil until tender for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Saute’ onion, garlic and bell pepper in butter until tender. Add sausage or ham and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Combine with squash and crumbled crackers, egg and cheese. Season and mix well. Pour into greased casserole dish. Bake in preheated oven on 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Tyler says that changes in the insurance industry helped him decide on applying for the employee benefits position at the diocese. “Things fell into place when I discovered that the position was open in the diocese. I absolutely love working for the diocese. I enjoy helping people with their insurance claims and helping them understand their situations with insurance.”

Tyler believes that going through the RCIA program at St. Bernadette and becoming Catholic was one of the best decisions that he has made in his life. “As a human being you want people to believe the same things that you believe. Tyler reflects a lot on this quote from Pope Paul VI: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” BC

Church Life

transitional diaConate ordination

Davis ahimbisibwe was ordained as a transitional deacon recently at the cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in houma. archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville, Ky, was the ordaining prelate. The cathedral was filled with priests, friends and well wishers.

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Church Life