July 6, 2021

What to Eat When It's Too Hot to Cook

As the temperatures creep up (in some places they've already crept past the point of an inferno), the last thing you want to do is heat up your kitchen. What can you prepare that's still delicious and beats the heat?

Watermelon Pizza

Watermelon Pizza. One sweet no bake dessert for summer!

Grilled Stone Fruit as an Easy Dessert

Don't forget to grill fruits for delicious desserts. Stone fruits, especially peaches and nectarines and pineapple are perfect for grilling.

Tomato Salad with Burrata

This is a favorite dish to make tomatoes are peaking in summer. Sliced beefsteak tomatoes with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, burrata, sprigs of basil, pine nuts and pita toast crisps. Follow your nose to the stand in the farmers market.You know a ripe tomato by the smell. I make the most of tomato season; the best dishes have few items and little fuss.

Smitten Kitchen Watermelon Cucumber Salad

Heres a twist on two hot weather faves, watermelon and cucumbers.

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

This chicken salad was inspired by a post on a favorite food group. It used leftover rotisserie chicken and an array of veggies; dressed with a Thai basil peanut dressing, it's delicious. I used (measurements aren't exact and eyeballed the quantities): a cup of chicken, sliced Napa cabbage, minced scallions, sliced celery, carrots, cilantro, peanuts, and a Thai basil dressing:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

Blend dressing until smooth. Dress salad just before serving.

This dressing also pairs well over a broccoli salad with dried cherries.

Broccoli Salad