Life

Name: Wanda Dailey.

Home: Middletown.

Work: She works part-time at Boymel Pavillion Retirement Village in Middletown.

How long she's been cooking: Dailey started cooking 56 years ago when she was 10 years old. Her first dish was homemade biscuits, which was supervised by her late mom, Mabel Charles.

How often she cooks: She cooks five to seven days a week.

Cooking mentor: Her mom and her late Aunt Mary Spencer. She also likes to experiment with recipes she's gotten from TV cooking shows.

Cooking specialty: She likes country cooking, casseroles and baking cookies with her granddaughter.

Favorite cookbook or recipe resource: Better Homes & Garden Cookbook. She watches Martha Stewart and other TV cooking shows for inspiration. When she eats out, she likes to go home to her own kitchen and try to imitate some of the dishes.

Most memorable kitchen experience: One time when

Dailey's brother, Orville Charles, and his wife were coming to visit, Dailey was making a carrot cake. While it

was baking, she sat down and accidentally fell asleep. When she awoke, smoke was coming from the kitchen and the cake was charcoal. It had to be pitched.

Two favorite recipes: Layered zucchini casserole and Spanish rice.

Layered zucchini

1 pound bacon, fried and crumbled (reserve grease)

4 cups zucchini, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups small yellow winter squash, chopped, unpeeled

1 cup red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, sliced

4 cups fresh sliced Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup butter, more or less

salt and pepper or seasoning salt, to taste

chopped fresh or dried parsley, to taste

chopped fresh or dried basil, to taste

shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

Parmesan cheese

On the stove top in a skillet, fry

bacon; set aside. Preheat oven to

350 degrees.

In a large baking pan, layer first with zucchini, then squash, onion, garlic and Roma tomatoes. (She uses Roma because they have less water in them and they give the casserole a great flavor. Any fresh tomatoes in the summer work well, too.) Season with salt and pepper or seasoning salt. Add butter, bacon grease and crumbled bacon. Sprinkle top of casserole with parsley and basil. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle top with all cheese. Return to oven and continue baking until cheese is melted and browned and beginning to crust, or about 10 more minutes. (Note: Dailey uses this as a side dish as is, or as a main dish when she adds pasta to it.)

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Spanish rice

1 pound bacon

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup mixed red, green and yellow bell peppers, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes

2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

4 cups cold water

12 - 16 slices American cheese, or more

Place bacon in a single layer in a large 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until browned. Drain grease off into a large skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels.

In the skillet with the grease, fry onion and peppers until tender. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes; stir. Simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.

In a large pot, add rice and water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat on low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Mix together sauce mixture and rice. Stir in crumbled bacon. Layer 1/2 of the rice mixture in the bottom of the 9 x 13-inch pan that the bacon was cooked in. Put a layer of cheese slices over that. Layer the remaining 1/2 of the rice mixture over the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese slices. Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven until the cheese melts and is slightly browned, or about 15 to 20 minutes. Yield: 8 - 10 servings.