What to eat when it's too hot outside

     I don't know how hot it is where you live, but here in the Northeast, is has been hot and humid for days.  It makes it hard to work up an appetite when you're sweating, and it's hard to breathe. Aside from that, you really don't want to heat up the house by turning on the oven. So what should we have to eat? Let's think about some cool options.

     There's sandwiches galore- how about a BLT? Nothing like having one with your own garden fresh lettuce and juicy tomatoes. If you don't have a garden, be prepared to pay a fortune at the Whole Food or the local farm stand, but it's probably worth it. If you're lucky, you may have an ethnic store nearby with more reasonable prices. Trader Joe's also has good prices for fresh and frozen veggies.

     Other tasty and quick sandwiches- grilled cheese, with your favorite filling (ham, tomato), tuna melt with pickle on the side. Yum!

     A salad is a good choice on a hot day- how about a refreshing fruit salad? With two or three types of melon, grapes, pineapple, maybe some cherries or mandarin orange segments.

    Then there are cool salads like macaroni salad, or tuna or chicken salad plate. How about tacos, or a taco salad?  Or a "Stimulating Salmon Salad", as Donna Reed once inquired?

    If you don't mind firing up the grill (which does get hot blowing on you) there are the old standbys, hot dogs and hamburgers.  Swordfish and corn on the cob are delicious grilled, also.

      If it's really hot, you may want to just go straight to the fridge and grab some jello, a Popsicle, some yogurt, or my favorite, ice cream!

Stay cool!

    

    

Enjoying the Summer Bounty

     I can't believe I haven't written here since April! Now here is the July Fourth holiday upon us already!  So I thought it was time to write about a subject close to my heart: seasonal fruits and vegetables. Preferably, they are ones you grew in your own garden!

    We had a very late start with our home garden this year.  We actually have not purchased our tomato plants yet, because we considered giving the soil a rest. If you plant tomatoes in the same place every year, it depletes the soil.  Anyway, we did buy some basil plants and four types of peppers. We also got two zucchini plants, but they are looking pretty sickly right now, after languishing in a pot all this time. I hope they survive the transition.

     If you don't have a garden, you can still enjoy the benefits of one by going to the farm stand. The variety is pretty good, and the veggies are fresh.  Tonight I got 12 ears of locally raised corn for $1.99. You can't beat that price!  I cut the corn off the cob tonight, and may add some diced peppers for mexi-corn. I will make a corn chowder at some point, too.  There's nothing like corn when it's very fresh, crunchy and juicy, without being starchy.  MMM. It's important not to over boil, that's what ruins it. 

      We like to plant a lot of basil because it is very expensive. There are dozens of varieties to choose from, but you need to order seeds to get that kind of selection. The farm stands  tend to sell only three or four kinds. I use it in many dishes, especially pork chops. 

     Beans are probably the easiest thing to grow from seeds. The return is very good on how easy and quick they are, and how prolific the crop turns out. You can grow bush beans or pole beans. There are dozens of varieties to choose from, and they are all good!

     Well, it's time to go water the plants, so I'll go. Hopefully I will be back with a new post soon!

I Love Pancakes!

I Love Pancakes. Don't you? They are a perfect food that I love, but rarely make for myself. I finally got around to making them, and boy, were they yummy!

I didn't have any milk on hand, so I used heavy cream, and mixed with a little water. Two eggs, a good stir, and we're good to go.  As they came out out of the pan, a nice pat of butter and a liberal amount of vanilla-infused maple syrup.  Delicious!  I should have taken a picture to insert here, but  I couldn't wait.

Pancakes are kind of in vogue lately- I bought that "Pancake Puffs" kit that was on TV a few years ago-you put the batter in the little canals, and if you wanted to, put sweet or savory fillings in, like sausage, hot dog, or fruit.
I'm sorry to say the kit has been collecting dust and I never even tried it. But maybe I will soon.

Another tasty way to serve pancakes is to make Zucchini pancakes.  All you do is make your pancake batter as usual, adding a grated onion and grated zucchini, along with salt and pepper. Fry as you would regular pancakes, and be sure to put some butter on it. 

I love waffles too, but that's a story for another day! Why not make yourself a nice batch of pancakes over this Easter weekend? You'll be glad you did!

Making a new meal from leftovers is a tasty solution

    It's great fun to improvise a recipe with things you have on hand, as well as leftover cooked food. The beauty of it is, no waste, a makeover of the leftover, saving money, etc.

     Tonight I did all of these things when I made a cheesy noodle dish. I used flat Pastene spaghetti that was already cooked (big time-saver), a small canned ham, a package of shredded cheese -six cheese Italian blend, and some broccoli. It was as simple as steaming the broccoli, frying chunks of ham, dumping the macaroni in, heating up with a pat of butter and a little heavy cream, the cheese, then the broccoli. It was very satisfying and filling. I ate more than I should have. The rest I froze to use as a lunch. I'm trying to get smart and not waste money on take-out. It's faster, cheaper and tastier to make lunches from leftovers. Feel free to share your best recipes from leftovers!

Take Care!

Karin

I'm thinking about a trip to the bakery!

Do you love decadent desserts as much as I do? There's nothing like going to a bakery, and splurging on treats that you wouldn't make at home- eclairs, bismarks, cream puffs, neapolitins, butter cookies, and the list goes on.  

Around here, you have to go to another town or another part of town to get the goodies- Watertown is where we go when it's time.

It's not cheap--I spent almost thirty dollars for a box of eight pastries. When I think of it that way, I look in my cookbooks and see that it really isn't that hard to make cream puffs - it's just a pain in the neck. That's half the reason we pay a lot for it- convenience. 

Cupcake shops are all the rage now, but you won't see me paying three or four dollars for one cupcake. Those I can make myself!

I'll leave you with a picture of the aforementioned treats-they looked so good I had to take a picture of them.

Enjoy!

What's Cookin' This week!

I feel bad that I started this blog, and then didn't post anything since. Truth is, I've been so busy I haven't had time.  But I have lots of ideas for future columns, so eventually I'll be up and running.
This was a good week for eating-- asparagus was on sale, for 1.77 lb, so I stocked up.  Yesterday I got a nice piece of haddock fillet, which was delicious fried in butter, and served with white rice.  Tonight I made pot roast in an oven cooking bag with carrots and potato quarters. It made it's own gravy.  
What are your favorite foods and meals?
I'll be back soon!

Welcome to my new blog, FUN WITH FOOD!

   Hi there!  I started this blog because I love food. I love to cook it, and I love to eat it. Hopefully, you do too.  I used to be a cook, way back when.  It's a little different when you cook for a living, it's not nearly as fun, because it's hard grueling work!
    I spent 15 years as the cook at St. Joseph's Convent in Needham. It was only a part time job, but I look back on it very fondly.  For one thing, at the end of the week I got to take home any leftover roast ends, and vegetables. 
I'll elaborate on my past at a later date, but for the moment, would like to discuss what this blog is all about.
    Food encompasses many other areas of one's life.  Food can be associated with memories good and bad.  Recipes can remind you of people you love, and the smell of the food can transport you back in time. It's kind of weird, but usually wonderful.
    Since I love so many types of food, running the gamut from soups, snacks, and desserts, we'll talk about any and all.  There will be recipes at times, but mostly essays about food, cooking, and the fun I have doing it.
Hopefully, you will participate!
So until next time, remember: Butter rules!