Well, my husband is suffering from shingles--painful to the max! So, I cooked 1/2 turkey breast on the grill with home made cranberry sauce and cornbread dressing. He can eat whatever he wants--his appetite is whimsy so anything left is good for leftovers. He had surgery in February for his third type of cancer, and as caregiver, let's just get is done! I love the dude, but ........

Anyway, the turkey if off the grill and just waiting for the dressing. Thanksgiving in June where it is hot, muggy and dreadful!

rachelellen,

I don't have much in the way of outdoor cooking facilities but your post has me thinking. Homes I visited in Latin America had nothing but outdoor kitchens. That wouldn't work here in January but for a few months of the year it would be very nice.

beachlily,

My little troubles are insignificant compared to yours and, even more so, to your husband's. I'm wishing you the best as you work your way through it.

Jim

Rachel:
Good Post I'm sure you will get a zillion responses.

It is a little cooler here. I just use a ceiling fan now.
I Baked a Pork Roast today, for Dinner tommorrow.

My Grandson and GrandDaughter; with the new baby, are coming up to terrorise me, tommorrow.
Will have some Photo's.

When I lived in Philly, long, long ago, everyone had 2 kitchens. One in the basement.
Kept the house cooler. No air then.

We must be twins, my birthday is the same as your's.

- - - - - - -

Beachlady:
Wish I had the right words for you.
I went through the same; with my wife, for over 12 years. and 4 major operations.
But everyone was glad they still had her here.

I made many meals for her, most of which she couldn't eat,
during treatments.
But there were many good periods in between that made up for the bad times.
Think that was because of all the prayers.
Sorry for getting side tracked.
Lou

Oh yeah. I used to live in the central valley, so I know where you're coming from. Even though it's hot there, you don't have the sordid mugglies we're having (it's always worse somewhere else, isn't it?) I spent 15 minutes outside tonight and went in nauseated from the heat. I do remember cooking everything outside in the summer when I lived where you did; we had turned the end of our driveway into our ''pretend patio'' and I did a major portion of my cooking outside. My antique cookstove lived out there hooked up to a propane tank, and it worked quite well for me there.

The good news is today we bought a new grill, so hooray for me! Now if it would only cool off enough so I could use it...Sadly, it's probably safer here to stay in than go out considering how high the humidity is right now. I'm thinking anything cold out of the fridge is golden for me at the moment!

Enjoy your meals; it sounds like you have it all figured out.

Ha! I forgot to include the fact that my sweet husband strung up misters for me, around the bbq grill area. So not only do I not have to heat up the house cooking in the kitchen, but there are days when it is actually more comfortable to cook on the patio than make sandwiches indoors!

Anyone who lives in a hot climate...misters are worth the money, for sure!

Here in Utah, the high today was upper 50s, and the low tonight will be 45. Tomorrow is supposed to get up to the low 60s.

So...anything but hot weather! I cooked a winter dish tonight (chicken, white beans & rosemary), and had a wonderful California Zin with it.

Don't think we're going to see hot weather for at least 10 days or so....

When my old Weber was killed in a freak wind storm 2 years ago, I spent more on the new grill than on my stove. Come summer weather, there is no cooking indoors. So on Friday when the temp went to 90 and the humidiity was 75%, I realized I had everything for a Cobb salad for dinner. Eggs were HB'd in the micro and chicken breasts were grilled and dinner served on the patio.

Our basement is the coolest area of the house and we still have a natural gas conection where eons ago a small stove was, pre A/C days. Some days I am tempted to buy a cheapy and put it down there again for canning in the summer or baking.

Yesterday the temp never went higher than 68, and today it is gray, humid and only 61. But the whole chicken will go on the grill. (Unless we get a pour down again).

Oh man...wish I could take some of that heat off your hands! It has been chilly ans wet here for nearly two weeks!

Rain, rain, GO AWAY!

Our old gas grill gets a good workout in summer. But for now, I am making soups and chili! LOL

Linda

I should do more outside cooking, but the mosquitoes here are so bad they tend to chase us inside. It was cool and rainy up until the end of May, the Boom! the heat got turned up to high, and it's stayed there since. We do grill veggies from time to time, but the other problem is our back porch needs a cover, but it's not in the budget, so it's blazing hot - worse than cooking indoors. Listen to me...Whine, whine, whine. That's all minor stuff.

Beachlily, my heart goes out to you and your hubby. I hope he gets better quickly. I don't know what shingles feels like, but it can't feel good. Having been in a caregiving situation before, I kind of know what you're going through, except it was my mother that was ill, not my husband. Taking care of a husband has to be quite different than taking care of a mother. I'll be thinking of you both.

Sally

Our house doesn't have air conditioning so I have what I call my "summer kitchen". It's just a small section of our property under a maple tree with a butcher block table, garbage can, hose, heavy duty extension cord and two rocking chairs.

I can sit there and watch the birds and animals while I do prep work like husking corn, shelling peas or this morning, hulling and slicing strawberries. Sometimes I bring out a radio/CD player but usually I prefer the tranquility.

I can plug in an electric frying pan out there if someone gets a mess of fish, or a crockpot for heating previously frozen soups or stews, although recently had an incident of a raccoon knocking over a crockpot of fish broth and he and some feral cats making a feast of it.

"an incident of a raccoon knocking over a crockpot of fish broth and he and some feral cats making a feast of it"

LOLOL!!

I know shingles are awful, beachlily, because my stepmother had them once. About drove her crazy, and she's the most uncomplaining person I know. Poor man!

Sally, you should look into one of those inexpensive canopy type structures. Being that we rent, we don't want to pay for anything permanent, so we use them, and they're great. You have to replace them once every season or two, depending on weather and on how good you are about taking them down for the Winter, :D , but if your porch/deck is next to windows, the shade they provide also helps you keep your house cooler. We attach the legs to cinderblocks on our patio to ensure against a windy day.

Here is a link that might be useful: Canopy

Ruthanna:
If I did that, there would be all kinds of animals around me , waiting for a handout, Including the Bears.

When I was enclosing the front Mud Room,
I turned and there was a Bear lying down, 5 ft. from me,
watching me work and waiting patiently.
Lou

To move in or to eat you?

Yep, I was cranky last night. Tired too! Thanks for the good words folks! He is making progress, but it has turned him from this patient, kind husband into a cranky sort just like his wife!

I learned when he was in chemo that he wouldn't be hungry period. But, if I cooked something he liked (and cooked it with the fan on high as he slept) he would eat. He isn't and wasn't happy to smell stuff as it cooks--has to do with nausea. This is the same thing. Tonight is leftovers of the best kind. We will both enjoy!

I did enjoy reading these posts, but it puts me back in time. It has been nine months now, and I still miss him and I don't resent in any way the time spent taking care of him. He did not have cancer,but that nasty old Parkinsons, which, no matter how hard you try,you can't be happy with much of anything, He tried so hard though--so just give them an extra hug and depend on God to give you the strength to get through the bad times. Happy thoughts to you all and God Bless. - Barb

Rachel:
I asked the Bear what he was doing. Then I walked him down the front driveway.

Went in the garage to get a scoop of corn. Walked him to the grass and put the corn there.
He laid down and started eating. I told him not to bother me any more but he didn't listen .
Had to get out the broom.

Beachlady:
Hang in there. My wife had Shingles too. She said it was worst than the operations and treatments.
I even took her for Accupunture.
They say it will ease up in a couple months.
I don't know your Religious beliefs ?

If you want I'll put your husbands name, in with my wifes Prayer Group.
I am still in contact with them.

Before all of this, I had to move my mother here from Phila. and
built an addition over the Garage with 2 bedrooms.
I drove her everywhere for treatments too.

Up here , treatments are 75 miles round trip.

It has been a rough 15 years but believe me I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, if I could.
Lou

beachlily, my stepdad had shingles and it was awful, there were days when even the collar on his shirt hurt him. I'm sorry that your hubs has this to deal with too. Hang in there, I'm sending prayers and hugs, as you know.

Ruthanna, like you, I don't have air conditioning at all, and I cook outside on the deck sometimes. I should have an awning out there, but I don't. I do have an outside plug, so I put a crockpot out there, or my Nesco roaster or my small countertop "convection oven". I also have a camp stove, so I can make breakfast out there if it suits me and I have canned out there occasionally.

I keep threatening to get one of those "screen houses" because the mosquitos here are awful, the people who keep track of such things say it's the worst year for mosquitos in a long time, that we're having the "perfect storm" of heat and wet for them. The bats and barn swallows are loving it, though.

It got to be 92 here on Friday and 88 on Saturday, with humidity hovering in the high 80s. I decided to just ignore it and so on Saturday I mowed the lawn, finally cleaned and folded the pool cover, gave the outside trim on the house a coat of Kilz because we're painting the house, and then went inside and canned a batch of Habenero Gold. I figure if it's hot, it just is and a bit more doesn't make a difference.

Yesterday I compensated by spending 7 hours in the garden, rototilling, raking and hoeing. There was a decent breeze and it only went up to 84F so it wasn't so bad, but it didn't cool down at night and Elery ended up sleeping on the couch in front of the open sliding door and with the fan blowing With both dogs.

His house has air conditioning and so he's not used to it.

Annie

That canopy is cheap. I've seen things a little fancier - just a little, for a couple hundred bucks. I'll show this to DH.

Sally

And from experience, Sally, the more expensive ones really don't last all that much longer than the cheapies. I have bought cheapie canopies for $20 on sale at stores like KMART or WalMart that worked fine for the whole season. Our gazebo uses a cloth cover that costs us about $100 to replace, and it really doesn't last all that much longer. Just be sure and weight it or tie it down, or you'll be searching the neighborhood for it the first time it gets really windy...don't ask me how I know this.

Rachel:
" ...Don't ask me how I know this "
Seems I've heard this before. LOL !!! :)
Lou