Beflowered Baked Squash Blossoms #LitHappens #FoodieReads

I had originally intended this for the 'B' edition of our 2026 Alphabet Challenge. But this week has been challenging and I missed the deadline. So, here I am...late. So, instead, I am also sharing this after reading The Essential Elizabeth Stone by Jennifer Banash. I invited folks to read this for our October #LitHappens online group last year and never posted. Do you see a trend? Missing deadlines, tired all the time, and just plain flaky. Yes. All the signs of an overextended person. I will try to get better this year.

B is for...

• Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing by Food Lust People Love

• Bateta Ringad Nu Shaak by Mayuri’s Jikoni

• Beef and Noodles by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Beet and Cheese Rolls by Magical Ingredients

• Beflowered Baked Squash Blossoms by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Black Bean Salad with Corn, Avocados, Tomatoes, and Red Onions by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

• Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts by Blogghetti

• Brown Bread Omelette by Sneha’s Recipe

• Brown Sugar Banana Bread by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

• Creamy Broccoli Soup by A Messy Kitchen

• Small-Batch Blue Cheese Dip with Dried Herbs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

On the Page

Elizabeth Stone is essentially a Martha Stewart, a female entrepreneur, a lifestyle brand and an idol. But, with her death, her company is floundering. Her daughter Juliet steps in; and to keep her mother's name alive, Juliet begins to write a book about her mom's legacy and career. Then she discovers that Elizabeth Stone wasn't what she seemed.

The story is told in two timelines: the present told from Juliet's perspective and throughout the years told from Elizabeth's point of view. It turns out Elizabeth wasn't the flawless domestic maven she purported to be. She was deeply flawed and made questionable decisions. But who hasn't?

Maybe it was the tone of the story, but I couldn’t like Juliet. She lacked a lot of personality. Granted she was floundering in her grief, so her mother’s biography is more of a journey of self-discovery for her than about her mother. She must learn who she is apart from her mother and learn to forgive her mother's mistakes.

When I picked this book up, I was expecting family drama, secrets, and a lot of food. And the story isn’t as dramatic as I was hoping. It’s a serious telling, and I was expecting something more lighthearted. While I didn’t fully connect with this book, there isn’t anything wrong with it. It just needs the right reader. And I wasn’t that.

On the Plate

There was so much food on the pages. So. Much. Food.

"There were bowls of vinegary potato salad, an enormous tray of bright-red lobsters, and ears of corn rubbed with the garlic-and-rosemary butter she’d mixed herself. Raspberry tartlets waited patiently for a drizzle of balsamic reduction...."

"The turkey, the flowers, the table settings. Her mother’s famous cranberry sauce, redolent of orange peel and clove. The lobster bisque that always preceded the main course. The cheese board: Boursin, Comté, ash-dusted goat. Fig jam, her father’s favorite. The silver bowl filled with toasted walnuts and hazelnuts. But this time, Jules would have to do it all alone, without her mother to guide the way."

"The silver tray of canapés she held between her hands was lined with small bites of seared sea scallops and crimson roe, the shellfish bathed in butter and sautéed till golden, and though her stomach rumbled in protest, she didn’t dare sneak even a morsel. Billie plucked at the collar of the short-sleeved blouse she wore, sweating beneath the demure high neck, the sleeves puffed as mooncakes."

But what sent me into the kitchen was this passage...

Reporters filled the cobblestone courtyard, talking and laughing while nibbling at fried squash blossoms, golden and delicately puffed, and buttery periwinkles still tasting of the sea. Loaves of New England brown bread rested on the long wooden tables,

I decided to try a baked version of the squash blossoms. And I swapped in smoked salmon instead of the traditional anchovies. And I thought it would be perfect for the 'B' edition of our 2026 Alphabet Challenge.

Ingredients

• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I used organic panko breadcrumbs)

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 cup organic mini flowers + more for garnish (optional!)

• 1 cup fresh ricotta

• 8 ounces smoked salmon, diced

• freshly ground pepper

• 10 large organic squash blossoms, destemmed*

• shredded parmesan cheese

• fresh marinara sauce for serving (for this round, I used an heirloom tomato chutney)

*Note: I originally left the stems on because I liked how they looked. However, they were scorched in the baking process, so I snipped them off before plating them.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together ricotta, salmon, and mini flowers. Season with freshly ground pepper. Place 2 eggs in a bowl and whisk. Put the breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Gently open the petals of each flower and carefully pinch out the filaments inside. Spoon some of the cheese mixture into each flower and press the petals closed.

Twist loosely at the end to close.

Dip each stuffed squash blossom in egg, then breadcrumbs.

Lay them on a silicone mat-lined or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle them with parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. As I mentioned, I served this with an heirloom tomato chutney in a small bowl. Then I scattered more mini flowers over the platter.

The Previous Years' Offerings

My posts link to everyone else's

• A Reclaimed Æbleskiver Pan + Æbleskiver Bread Pudding (2024), The Polarizing Anchovy + Egg Salad Niçoise (2025)

• Börek with a California Twist (2024), A Belated Birthday Bûche De Noël (Yule Log) (2025)

That's a wrap for my 'b' offering for the Alphabet Challenge...just two days late. Apologies again! Stay tuned for the letter 'c' in two weeks! This is also a tardy #LitHappen and #FoodieReads post.