We're hot too...

We have seasonal foods for a reason.... Think of whole foods that are cool and refreshing. Foods that hydrate you. Light, not heavy fare. Save those sick-to-your-ribs foods for fall and winter. These whole foods are nature's summertime "FAST FOOD", wash, peel (if necessary), slice and eat.....

-cucumbers
-watermelon
-cantaloupe
-salad fixings
-fruit
-boiled eggs (and all the things you can make with them)
-tabouli
-taco salad
-berries
-grilled meat
-fresh veggies and hummus or dips
-flat breads (including pitas, wraps, etc...)
-sprouts
-stir-fry

-Grainlady

thank you great ideas...

I'm craving fresh tuna salad in an avocado half!

I just got home from the grocery store. It's 91F and humid, something we are not used to.

I hit the produce dept big time. A soba noodle salad is what I'm making tonight....of course there's no soba noodles to be found here, but I did find Spicey Sesame Linguini and will use that. It should work. No meat tonight, nothing was appealing.

Then I stopped at a small store where I bought local organic ice cream to go with my first local strawberries.

Can't wait!

Nancy

I LOVE large beefsteak tomatos stuffed with chicken or tuna salad when it's really hot out.

Same with cucumbers (cut in half and seeded) or bell peppers, preferably the red or orange ones.

We recently had egg salad, steak salad, and I'm making a cucumber spread tonight for cool tea sandwiches. Ugh. This weather we're having lately is MUGLY!

It has inspired me to whip up some ice cream tonight however. I may have to make some of my watermelon popsicles.

For me, anything that doesn't heat up the kitchen works. I won't turn the oven on even for a short time.
Tonight was grilled ham, asparagus and swiss cheese sandwiches along with fresh peaches.

One of my favorite cold meals is a pasta/tuna salad.
Tuna, macaroni, dill pickles, celery, onion, mayo, salt & pepper.
Here, it MUST be served with BBQ potato chips!

I like an italian pasta salad too.

Cheese, cracker, cold cuts, pickles, olives, fresh veggies, sardines, cocktail shrimp, salmon dip, etc.

Last night we just had strawberry shortcake!! Once won't kill ya!

Chef Salad
Sandwiches (be a kid again, have a PBJ!)
Four bean salad
Tortilla or lettuce wraps
Coleslaw

Deanna

Antipasto,
A bed of lettuce on a platter. Arrange red tomatoes,
rolled provolone cheese, sliced of red and green yellow pepper. rolled cappacola, rolled ham, sliced carrot for color. pepperocinis etc.olives. In middle of platter, place can of
tonno brand tuna with olive oil. To one side, marinated
artichoke hearts. Pour some vinegar and olive oil over all.
Serve with crusty fresh French or Italian bread.

sheshe

We are in the middle of a heat wave here, after coming back from Florida. I make up a couple of salads on the weekend and for lunch when it is the hottest we have sandwiches and salads. My 6 year old and 2 year old will be fine with just having salads for any lunch or dinner, or breakfast. Another hint is using the crock pot for meals instead of using the oven. I want to make some rhubarb and banana bread but it is just too darn hot.

Stacie

Don't forget the ever-handy rotisserie chicken from Costco. I can get a lot of cold meals out of one of those!

A six pack of Guinness stout is always nice.

We're into triple digit weather here in Dallas - definitely not my cup of tea. Gazpacho makes for a great meal (you could stop and get a nice loaf of French bread to go with.) This has become my favorite recipe for it:

Gazpacho
Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Pizza, Pasta & More!," Random House, 2000
Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Inactive Prep Time: 0 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Level: 0
Serves: 3 quarts, 6 to 8 servings

2 pounds, about 10 Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
1/2-cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the soup. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until almost pureed, leaving a little texture. Season with salt and pepper. Return to bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Prepare topping mixture. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To serve: Ladle 10 to 12 ounces into chilled soup plates. On a large serving spoon, place 1/4 cup of the topping mixture, top with 2 shrimp, and garnish with a sprig of cilantro. Carefully place in the center of the plate of soup. Place a wedge of lime on the rim of the plate.

Topping mixture:
1/4 cup red bell pepper, cored, seeded, trimmed, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, trimmed, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup red onion, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup red and yellow pear tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Garnishes:
12 to 16 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, butterflied, poached, and chilled
6 to 8 sprigs fresh cilantro
6 to 8 wedges lime

I made this as one of the 3 soup shooters I served at a party.

Lori

I have little appetite when it's hot, as Nancy mentioned it's 90+ and humid here, which is not supposed to happen in Michigan, ever.

I tend to graze a bit when it's hot, things like hummus with celery sticks, a handful of fresh strawberries, a cold hardboiled egg from the fridge. Lunch today was a can of sardines with crackers, if supper happens at all it'll be a bowl of cold cereal or a salad.

In spite of the heat, I'll be baking tonight. elery and I are leaving tomorrow night to visit his Dad and stepmom and I'm making molasses cookies to take along. She's diabetic and I'm using half whole wheat flour and subbing brown sugar Splenda for the dark brown sugar. We'll see how it goes.....

Annie

I do a salad like Dgkritch's, but with rice, and add sliced black olives, and sometimes I make it with chicken.

Clair:
Just have a Hot Dog an Italian Water Ice.

Put a Beach Chair in the living room , set a fan in front and close your eyes.
Sip on the water Ice and eat the hot dog. Don't open your eyes.
Imagine your at the beach. Don't forget the Suntan Lotion.

Or , you could make a Luigi Salad,
with pieces, from mostly the center of an Iceberg Lettuce.

Add pieces of Sharp Provolone. Feta,Good Tomatoes, Onions,
Ham , Pepperoni, Etc.

Sprinkle on some Parmesan, Garlic Powder, Salt , Pepper,
Oregano,add whatever you may like.
1/2 cup of Tomato Juice and Toss. And EVOO
Add Shrimp, if you want a Surf and Turf.

Have some Garlic Bread for dippin.

Then you can sit on the Beach Chair and close your eyes.

I'll join you. ( Separate Beach Chairs, of Course )
Lou

We're having lobster salad in avocado halves, devilled eggs and crackers. I steamed the lobster tails (Fathers' Day special at the market) and cooked the eggs this morning.

They also had nice juicy limes @ 15 for $2 so I made a double batch of lime Italian water ice for later in the evening.

Ruthanna that sounds so good to me. I just came in from mowing and it is HOT! I could barely stand a luke warm bath.

Ruthanna !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WATER ICE!!! Did you have to put that in here.???
How did you make your's ? Can you make it in the Ice Cream Maker.

Trixie:
I would be worser than worse, if you couldn't take a bath !
Only went to 82 Deg. here. I'm going to take a Shower.
and then, turn it Cold, Whooeeee !
LOU

Hawk, I confess that if I had to do a Throwdown with Bobby Flay on one item, I'd do it on my Italian water ice.

Here's the recipe without the long story preface of how I came to acquire it.

LEMON SLUSH

1 quart water
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
Grated rind of 1 lemon (no white part)

Boil water and sugar together for 5 minutes. Cool. Stir in juice and peel. Pour into shallow bowl and put in freezer. As it starts to freeze, keep stirring the outside crystals into the center and mix in peel. Do about every half hour. When real slushy, stop and freeze overnight. To serve, you must scrape very thin layers of the slush off the top. I use a big spoon with sharp edges moving it sideways.

My notes: This wonÂt turn out unless you do both the stirring thing and the scraping thing. It really is all about the technique, not the ingredients, which is why you wonÂt get the same results in an ice cream freezer, even though IÂve tried it. I usually divide the ingredients in half for a smaller batch unless I'm sharing with friends or neighbors because the syrup starts to congeal after about 2 or 3 days.

For all of these, follow the same method as the Lemon Ice, boiling water and sugar together, add other ingredients, then freezing as directed:

LEMON-LIME WATER ICE (my personal favorite)

Make as above but use 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 lime juice and equal amounts of lemon and lime peel.

LIME ICE
Make as above using lime juice and peel instead of the lemon.

FRESH PEACH WATER ICE

1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups peeled and sliced ripe peaches
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. lemon juice

Puree peaches in blender with lemon juice.

ORANGE WATER ICE

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 grated orange rind (no white part)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

GRAPE WATER ICE

2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup grape juice
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. lemon juice

It's been crazy hot here in central FL too. I'm a FL native and I don't remember it ever being this hot before.

Watermelon and fresh fruit and smoothies are how I cool down. I still use the oven, but when I do, I put the a/c down on 60!

I tend to go for salads, fruit, and fresh veggies. Tonight was a ceasar salad top with cold grilled chicken.

I guess the temp and season does play on what I might eat at any time of the year. Love the fresh produce and veggies that are available. Having said that I still cook and eat what would be considered cool weather things too. If I'm craving pot roast, soup, chili, or whatever I make it. Really I think for the most part I eat and or make what I want no matter the weather. Granted, time and what I have on hand plays into that too.

I hope things cool off for you....very hot here too.

David

Ruthanna:
Thanks, I never thought of doing it that way.
My wife made it for her Father to sell in Philly.

She used a Wine Barrel, to hold Ice with a center Metal container, for the Ingredients,
It had a handle on the lid that was used to turn the container and
Rock salt was sprinkled around the top of the Ice.
The center metal container was turned until a Slush formed on the inside.
It was scraped away , like you said.

It was turned until the whole container was Slush.

The ingredients sound the same. I think she added the squeezed pulp of the Lemons and oranges.
Are you from Philly ???

I have to make some now !!!
Lou

David:
I think everyone should go to an Air Conditioned Restaurant to eat.

Until Fall or when the heat wave is over.
Whichever comes first.

I just took a look at the outside Thermometer.
It went down to 64 Degrees.

Anyone is welcome to visit. Bring some Water Ice.

It's hot here tonight.

So, I just had, as a snack, a bowl of frozen blueberries sprinkled with sugar.

WOW! Fantastic!

Ruthanna, I copied all those recipes! I can't wait to try them. We used to make it like that years ago but it's been literally decades since I've made any. You've inspired me and now Christy can't wait too. Smiles.

Like David, I tend to cook whatever I feel like eating. This week I've been having my lentils for breakfast, plain or with a slice of grain bread. My kitchen is pretty big so I don't really mind putting the oven on as long as I put the fan on over it and turn the air conditioner on in there. We have room air conditioners so it's easy to regulate. Also I have a ceiling fan. For lunches I've been having some of the smoothies I had stockpiled in the freezer from a big batch of leftover bananas and strawberries. I take one out of the freezer after breakfast and there's just a small lump frozen by lunch and I can stir it in and the whole thing is nice and cold.

So, I guess for hot weather I like to eat smoothies made with frozen fruit and yogurt. Salads and stuffed tomatoes are favorites. We do tend to use leftover meats made into salads when it's hot. I also like to make taco's made with leftover chicken or other meat.

Also, don't forget that you can put a wet bandanna around your neck to cool you off or put on a wet piece of clothing. My pool isn't happening anymore, but I will often wear a wet bathing suit with something over it and you can't believe how cool that keeps you. I just put towels or waterproof pads on the chairs. I also make those neck wraps out of bandannas filled with water saving crystals. (they're controversial in the garden these days so a good use for them] Just soak the wrap, put it in fridge and it will keep you cool for several hours. I had a friend who was dying and I made him a bunch of pads made out of them because he was hot all the time. They helped a lot.

Yes, that's the Philly-style water ice.

Our house is not air-conditioned so I certainly do a lot less baking when the weather is hot. Sometimes I drag out my old electric fying pan and cook out on a table by our pool. DH runs over to the Chinese restaurant for a container of cooked rice and I'll make this to serve on top.

SUMMER SKILLET SUPPER

1 (1 lb.) fully-cooked ham slice
2 large tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium size green pepper
1 medium size onion
1 medium size yellow squash (about 1/ 2 lb.)
2 medium zucchini (about 1 lb. total)
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/ 2 cup chicken broth or 1 envelope instant chicken broth mixed with 1/ 2 cup water
2 tsp.fresh chopped basil or 1/ 2 tsp. dried basil
1/ 2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp. pepper

Cut ham into 1/ 4 inch strips, about 1-1/ 2 inches long. Cut each tomato into 8 wedges; cut pepper into 1/ 2 inch wide strips and onion into thin lengthwise slivers. Cut squashes into 1/ 4 inch wide slices, halving lengthwise if larger than 1 inch in diameter.

In wok or large skillet over medium high heat, cook ham and all vegetables, except tomatoes, in hot oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining ingredients, except tomatoes; stir and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add tomato wedges and continue cooking until tomatoes are heated through.

My kitchen stove is now officially closed with a flower vase on it. Any cooking will be done outside on the grill.

Chicago has been in the mid 90's since last Friday, so Saturday morning very early I made a huge bowl of potato salad that lasted until Wednesday. Makes grilling much easier when one part is done in advance. I paired it up with a standing rib roast (good for two nights), pork chops another night, and pulled pre-cooked chicken out for a Caesar salad with pasta(also pre-frozen). This heat triggered a migraine, so last night I sent Dad to pick up some Popeyes chicken and I had a container of store bought mac salad and a green one from the garden.

Too hot to cook stand-bys here are the Chicken or shrimp Caesar or a Cobb salad, seafood salad/cerviche,steak salads, chicken salads, hard boiled eggs (always cook a dozen). A freezer stocked with cooked chicken, shrimp and steak, plus things like pulled pork, Italian beef/french dip is a big help on hot days. Keep hard rolls/french bread in the freezer too. Just defrost and warm on the grill. And cook on your grill or use the microwave. If you buy a bird at Costco/Sams, grab two and freeze one.

Peppi

Coconut:
Are you sure you are not from Mars? - Smoothie's ??? LOL

We are talking about Italian Water Ice !!!
They have that where you live.

I like you wet clothes thing. That would cool your Vital's

Ruthanne:
I have to make a small Water Ice maker that turns with a
motor.
If I do I'll let you know.

Right now I'm doing it in a SS 2 Quart, 10 in.high X
6 in. round, Steam Table container.
Lou

Peppi:
It went to 62 Deg. here last nite. I have a beach chair for you on the Deck.

Ruthanne:
I forgot the Water Ice Mix in the Freezer. It was almost solid Slush.

Did a job on it with a Wisk and put it back into the freezer. Tasted good !!!
Do I leave it in the freezer ??? Will it freeze solid.

Maybe I'll stand a stick in the middle, so I could have one, BIG , Orange Popsickle.
Lou

Apart from all mixed salads with plenty of crisp greens, I like to make a rice salad. Cook the rice earlier in the day and let it cool, then refrigerate for a while, add some cooked frozen green peas, grated carrot, minced onion, chicken or tuna bits, salt, pepper and a light mayonnaise. Goes nicely also with shrimp and stuffed into beefsteak tomato, avocado or a half red pepper. A bowl of cooked rice in the fridge is very handy for converting into a cool meal.

SharonCb

Lou, thank you, but I now have a cottage rented for next week in Door County Wisconsin, right on the bay.

Sharon, I do the same with a bowl of orzo. Add some roasted veggies, some feta cheese and a lemony dressing and you are done.

Yesterday evening I watched a Spanish cooking channel prepare a fresh gazpacho then blend chunks of watermelon into it with a hand blender, making a tangy-sweet, fruity gazpacho. Looked interesting, so I will try it and come back with my opinion.

SharonCb

Hawk, if you took it out and shaved all of it, it will not freeze into a solid blob. If you didn't, it will.

It hit 106 here today. I knew it was coming, so I rubbed a pork cushion roast this morning and made some cold slaw. I had boiled potatoes last night and made extra, so mashed potatoes were just a matter of adding milk & butter to zap. The garden stand a couple of blocks away had some green beans so fresh the smell made me salivate...no need for long cooking, just blanched, really, topped with a bit of butter and dill. The pork went on the bbq, and the stove was on for all of 5 minutes.

I'm big on tossing meat on the bbq when it's hot. DH has strung misters out there for me, so it's pretty comfortable, even when we're over 3 digits. I generally make extra, so as to have cold meat for sandwiches, salads, or Asian cold noodle dishes.

I like to prep fruit into chunks and keep it in the fridge for snacking...mmmm, Summer fruits, icy cold on a hot day.

I try to think ahead when I know a heat wave is coming, and do whatever cooking I can get away with in the early morning hours, when it's still cool enough to have all the windows/doors open. Even if I want to serve a hot dish, I'll often cook it ahead so all I have to use is the microwave later.

Chilled blanched and raw vegetables, cold boiled potato wedges, composed on a plate with some cold meat, drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice & maybe sprinkled with feta or blue cheese and fresh herbs from my garden. Very easy and just right for Summer appetites.

Salmon, Tuna or Shrimp, off the grill, served warm with a pile of baby lettuces (I like to add some shredded iceberg for crunch) and garden tomatoes, topped with any one of a number of vinaigrette varieties. Asian style, roasted shallot, orange cilantro, lemon thyme..etc. Mmm, that sounds good, and I've some shrimp on hand!