A crockpot would probably keep the temps low? Especially if you cooked it in the garage ;)

That said, I like watermelon from the fridge. Corn straight from the fridge after it's been cooked. Sliced tomatoes, with a sprinkle of salt, a drizzle of oil and a bit of basil ripped on top. Iced double strength coffee, and a scoop of coffee ice cream.

Funny, I've been thinking I've got to braise something. It's been too long!

When I think summer+light, I think seafood. Mmm...scallops.

Love love love cantaloupe, cottage cheese and crackers!

Cottage cheese with chopped garden fresh tomatoes, onion and bell pepper with crackers!

We like bacon and tomato sandwiches when it is to hot to cook. We use our crockpot outside on a counter that we have for cooking. We also eat lots of watermelons and cantelopes. Taco salads or taco's are nice in hot weather.

If I'm feeding people who have been swimming or playing hard outside, I always make something hot and with some substantial carbs (pasta or even soup and crackers), which is good for the oversunned, overdone shakiness, and I push liquids. Lunch style sandwiches are another favorite, but I might heat them. Other times, when perhaps there has been a goodly lunch, and it has just gotten hotter, I, myself, don't want more than a little frozen yoghurt and some berries. :) Not a daily thing, but now and then the only thing I can face. :)

For dinner, I like to make a taco salad, shrimp and early June pea salad, and a Chinese cantaloupe and chicken salad. I also enjoy a nice Hero sandwich with Italian dressing. My son makes cold fruit soups that are yummy. For lunch I love cottage cheese with vine ripened tomatoes and sliced hard boiled egg or cottage cheese with canned pineapple chunks and shredded cheddar cheese. I adore BLTs with vine ripened tomatoes any time.

Ooooh y'all are making me hungry.

Tomatoes stuffed with tuna or chicken salad.

Quiche Lorraine

Avacadoes stuffed with shrimp or crab salad.

Frittata

Gazpacho

I think my favorite is crab cakes with corn relish and remoulade.

OK, I'm making a run to Costco tomorrow!

Crab salad. Served on crackers. You can buy it at the deli of your grocery store or make it. Or....pasta salad. I like broccoli & ham with ranch dressing. A little pimento for color. Simple but good!

I also make a cold taco salad:

Crush a bag of tortilla chips

2 diced Roma tomatoes

4 oz diced green chilies

1 cup shredded cheese

1 can chili beans w/ sauce

1 head iceberg lettuce shredded

1 12 oz bottle green goddess salad dressing

Mix/serve...

We have easy meals. Taco salad, Caesar salad with grilled chicken or blackened salmon……actually, it's not a true Caesar, i put in tomatoes, red onions, shaved parm. with Caesar dressing. That way I have a whole meat in one dish. Curried chicken salad, egg salad on pumpernickel bread, BLT's, quesadilla's, hamburgers or hot dogs with potato salad, three bean salad end cole slaw, pasta with lemon butter sauce and cherry tomatoes, shrimp and pasta, etc. The other night I did baby back ribs in the crockpot. So easy!

My favorite is a salad with a big dollop of either tuna or chicken salad put in the middle of it. I also like a salad topped with sliced almonds and cold shrimp.

Salads like shrimp salad, crab, egg, chicken, tuna all of those types of salad. Grilled shrimp and grilled vegetables with mixed melons or mixed fruit salad. Boiled shrimp, crabs any seafood will do. Macaroni and pea salad. Blt and club sandwiches.

We eat a lot of salads and grill in the summer. The grill works three ways--I don't have to be the one near the heat, house does not heat up and the time standing over hot water washing dishes is greatly reduced. I have always been blessed DH is not a man who INSISTS on "hot meal =meat&potatoes every night.

My favorite cold dinner is cubed cooked chicken breast, grapes and mandarin orange sections in a mix of equal parts mayo and sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. I also enjoy Salad Nicoise, canned tuna over lettuce with hard boiled eggs, green beans and a vinegarette dressing.

A favorite dish of mine is a cold cucumber yogurt soup. I also have a pretty good gazpacho recipe, but don't yet have any ripe tomatoes to make it. I usually make them fairly smooth so it is almost like a salad that you can drink.

When the hot weather hits, we eat salads, salads and more salads topped with whatever is handy. I keep lots of chopped raw vegetables on hand in the summer. We have a wonderful fast food chain called El Pollo Loco that makes the best fire-grilled chicken, so we'll stop by and get two pieces to pull off the bone and chop up to top a salad. I'll also make a batch of potato salad or orzo salad when I can do it early in the morning on the weekend and we'll have that as a side for a few meals with grilled chicken or fish.

The weather here has been relatively cool for a few weeks so I've been able to cook normal meals this year. Our hottest weather is in August and September...even October. When the rest of the country is starting to cool off and enjoy crisp autumn days, we are usually wilting in the heat.

And one of my favorite summer time favorites, NOW, but not as a child, is tomato aspic with chicken salad.

arby's cold chicken salad sandwich....

Shrimp or crab or tuna in cottage cheese with chopped onion and pepper...a little celery. I always add a little mayo or salad dressing. I use the crockpot all the time in the summer. MY husband likes a hearty meal...He loves sandwiches so I could get away with sandwiches easily...but if it looks like a salad, he would want to know what the main course was going to be.

Went to the store this morning and there were some beautiful avocados. I'm going to make tostadas for dinner with premade crisp tostadas, and a smidgen of refried beans, and then lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa and avocado.

Jemdandy what a mouthwatering description of a sandwich from garden produce, especially your fresh tomato description.

When its high temperatures like we are having right now, I wouldn't like hot meals at all due to they heat you up and make it worse, whew. NO, I like cold meals of cooked chicken, fresh fruit, pickles, cheese, bread, deli meats, salads, anything that is cold to eat as just don't want to eat anything in this heat my condo is a sweat box, we have no air conditioning where we live here, doesn't exist.

Grilled, marinated eggplant salad (Marcella Hazan), serve chilled with artisan bread. A bit of tasty pate' with it ;)

There is a Hunan version of marinated eggplant salad. Both are yummy hot, cold or room temperature.

Baba ganoush on pita bread with fresh greens, sweet onion, tomato, lemon juice.

Green Papaya Salad (I omit the dried shrimp).

Thai beef salad w noodles, Thai rolls/summer rolls.

Tabouli - lots of fresh spearmint and parsley.

Egyptian Salad with Duka

Small red potato salad w finely minced celery hearts, scallions, dill weed, cider vinegar (put onto the hot drained potatoes and covered and tossed), bit of minced or pressed haic, sea salt, Dijon mustard, EVOO, black pepper. Ahh.

Cold Asian Noodle salad. Any cold pasta salad ;)

I'm hungry and it's going to be a very hot day (again).

DH and I are never hungry if it's hot. Probably because we're both so full of beverages. DS is always hungry. We do a lot of sandwiches and fresh fruit or large salads with grilled chicken or skirt steak, and fruit.