It's too darn hot to cook!

[Katy]

We have a gas stove/oven and an AC that barely works beyond the very room it's in. This means come summer, I can't use the oven and I try to avoid the stove at all costs.

We already do salads at least once a week, but I'm lost as to what else to do day to day, week to week.

Any suggestions?

[MLA]

You can get all sorts of great prepared foods at Trader Joe's that are microwavable. They have really good frozen shepherd's pie, and they have awesome stuffed red peppers in their veggie department.

:)

[Katy]

yeah, a TJ meal is actually the plan for tonight (unless hubby decides he'd rather go out). In fact, we just took my FIL over to TJ this weekend to pick up the pre-packaged foods just for this very, HOT, reason. Thanks for reminding to follow my own advice to him :D

[southerner]

I hear ya on this one :rolleyes:

We've been eating frozen crockpot meal kits from Banhquet. There's a beef stew, chicken and dumplings and chicken and rice meal. Also, we get the Tyson chicken fajita and quesidlilla dinner kits. They are a little more pricey and we try not to have them too much!!!!

[boilermaker]

Can you grill? We use our grill 3-4 times a week during the summer (and 1-2 times in the winter). We'll put all kinds of stuff on the grill, from your basic chicken or steak or hot dogs to veggies and potatoes to garlic bread.

The George Foreman would work also I think. I've only used mine once, so I'm not an expert on those.

[chefker]

I feel your pain...I am dying here!

I'm really having to revise my menus for the week. I do have a veggie garden, so have salad nearly every day. I was thinking of buying a rotisserie chicken at the store, and making a chicken caesar salad or something like that. Maybe some gazpacho.

I have leftover pizza which will be tonight's dinner, but tomorrow I may do the rotisserie chicken thing. It sucks though, getting take out food (even from the market), can get to be very expensive. I have no AC in my kitchen, so I know how miserable it is to even make a grilled cheese on the stove top in this heat!

[kimthebride]

As a new mom with NO time to dawdle over a hot stove, here are some dishes I have come up with:

Uncle Ben's 90-second rice comes in a good variety of flavors...
- Serve the Spanish rice with an Amy's microwavable burrito. Top both with a little shredded cheddar

Perdue makes breaded loe fat chicken breast that can be heated in the oven or microwave.
- Serve the regular recipe kind with Uncle Ben's Rice Pilaf or Whole Grain & wild rice, top chicken with chopped tomoto & basil in a tough of olive oil and squeeze lemon on top
- Serve Italian style with a side of pasta and top with tomato sauce & melted parm

[tlew12778]

You can do other cold dishes aside form salad. I make lots of cold grain salads in the summer with stuff like barley, orzo, bulgur, couscous, rice, etc.

Tabbouleh is a favorite of ours.

You can make lots of cold bean and corn dishes. Just look up bean salad or corn salad on a site like allrecipes and you'll get tons of hits.

Bruschetta is a good option as well. You can top off bruschetta bread not only with tomatoes, but different pates or veggies (grilled is a great way to go here).

How about panini? Get some foccacia, make a nice sandwich and grill it (like on a George Foreman) for a couple minutes.

[laurenc]

My kitchen was 86 degrees last night. I wanted to do sushi, but DH insisted on cooking. So, I let him cook. He sure regretted THAT move... ;)

We've been using our George Foreman grill a lot this summer, because it's easier and cleaner than going outside with the charcoal. We've been grilling lots of shrimp, chicken tenderloins, and veggies because they cook quicker than, say, a thick steak. We've made a few stir-fries on hot days, because the cooking time is very brief and we can get rice from the Chinese restaurant up the street.

Also, there are lots of cold soups to try -- gazpacho and cucumber-and-melon soup are two that come to mind. And cold noodle dishes are always yummy -- you may even be able to find pre-cooked noodles or pasta at the grocery store.

[mom_to_zoe]

You can paoch chicken breast, which barely heats up your kitchen, and then tear the meat and toss it over all kinds of salads. I made a salad with corn, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and a lime juice and olive oil dressing, added some poached chicken breasts and it was great. Also, try cold soups like gazpacho.

[Katy]

thanks for the suggestions ladies. Keep 'em coming. I don't know what temperature our kitchen gets to during the day, but the fan in our bedroom read 87 degrees when I decided it would be the perfect time to move furniture around and clean it. Yeah, sometimes, I don't think straight...but I did get Mexican and a margarita because it was so darn hot!

[chefker]

Oooh, Mexican. Now I think I'll order take-out from Baja Fresh for tomorrow night's dinner. :)

[jarm]

What about sandwiches? You could make chicken salad by buying one of the rotissieres at the store (or Boston Market).

[emmjay]

I am in the same boat - we have a tiny galley kitchen with a gas stove, and the a/c only works in one room. I try to stay away from anything that produces a lot of steam (like stir-fry, although that's pretty quick to make) or anything that requires a lot of pre-heating of the oven. I do use my broiler a lot because it heats up quickly - for salmon, mostly.

What about a bunch of appetizers? My in-laws came a few weeks ago and for the night they arrived I just had a bunch of cheese and crackers, ham, roasted peppers (jarred), dried fruits and nuts. Or hummus and veggie pitas?

[jarm]

reuben sandwiches...yummy!

[Katy]

It's that time of year again (at least in our house). Anyone have any new ideas?

[jimmysgirl424]

Katy: I just started a summer salad thread with some recipes that might interest you! :D

[ignutzz]

I have to reiterate the person who said GRILL!! Grill, grill, grill, grill!!!

We've had the grill open since early april and DH cooks on it 9 nights out of ten. We do fish, chicken, lamb, beef, garlic bread, vegetables, ribs, grilled cheese and on and on. Dinner rarely takes more than 1/2 an hour to prepare and he serves it with sliced avacodos, tomato salad (cherry/heirloom tomatoes, onion, basil, olive oil, white balsamic, salt and pepper), reg. salad, or some other grilled veggie. SO good and SO easy.

grill grill grill grill :D:D

[Katy]

Katy: I just started a summer salad thread with some recipes that might interest you! :D
That's actually what made me bump up this old thread. I was searching to find that previous salad thread (I know we had one) and found this old one that I started way back when ;)

[MES in Chicago]

This is my kind of thread! I will defintely be lurking and hopefully contributing.

[chefker]

I've got some good recipes for tequila ceviche and for a southwestern spicy gravlax, if anyone is interested, I'll post them later.

Right now I'm at work, and the recipes are at home, but I'd be glad to post them later if anyone would like to see them. :)

[kissmary]

There's a great recipe for gazpacho from June's Cooking Light that I want to try:

Chunky Tomato-Fruit Gazpacho

The mangoes, melons, and nectarines, along with the cucumber, give the gazpacho a sweet spin. Don't seed the jalapeño if you like a soup with more zip.

2 cups finely chopped tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups finely diced honeydew melon (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups finely diced cantaloupe (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup finely diced mango (about 1 medium)
1 cup finely diced seeded peeled cucumber (about 1 medium)
1 cup finely diced nectarines (about 3 medium)
1 cup fresh orange juice (about 4 oranges)
1/2 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Yield: 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 95(5% from fat); FAT 0.5g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 2.1g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 189mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23g

[sabrespa]

I have a Nesco Roaster that I use nearly all summer. You can bake, steam, roast, everything and anything. It's very handy and doesn't heat up the kitchen like the oven does.

[Smillow]

I spent the suummer of '03 with out an oven:) I cooked all of our meals in the crockpot, an electric frying pan, a george forman grill, the microwave and a hot pot! When we got a new oven in October, I couldn't remember what I needed it for! Now I can't for the life of me remember what I cooked for dinner every night! I know I boiled pasta in the hot pot... It was messy...

[EJH]

Quickie meal that we love and is great for the hot weather...

Perdue shortcut chicken breasts (just nuke for 30 seconds).
Avocado/tomato/fresh mozzerella salad with homemade balsamic vinagrette
couscous

Fast and non kitchen heating. Which is good, since we haven't put in the a/c yet!

[sinderstorm]

I've not turned on my oven in a month- and likely won't for the next few if I can help it. I do almost all of my cooking out on the grill. I'll cook meat for the next few nights' dinners and just reheat them as necessary. So usually I'll do some pork chops, chicken, fish (eaten that night, not reheated) and either some brats or hamburgers.

we've become big fans of salad meals. Chef salad, chicken ceasar, etc make great cool meals.

[strwbrygirl]

I just tried a great crockpot recipe (I've been trying not to turn on the oven)-

Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=549820)

No-boil lasagna noodles are perfect for this recipe, as they absorb all the juices that accumulate in the crockpot. Use 2 (10-ounce) packages of frozen chopped spinach in place of fresh, if you prefer. Also, any mushroom will work.


4 cups torn spinach
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 cup commercial pesto
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded provolone cheese
1 (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 (25.5-ounce) bottle fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
Cooking spray
1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles (12 noodles)

Arrange the spinach in a vegetable steamer; steam, covered, 3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain, squeeze dry, and coarsely chop. Combine spinach, mushrooms, and pesto in a medium bowl, stirring to combine; set aside.

Combine mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, and beaten egg in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan, and set aside. Combine the pasta sauce and the tomato sauce in a medium bowl.

Spread 1 cup pasta sauce mixture in the bottom of a 6-quart oval electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over pasta sauce mixture; top with 1 cup cheese mixture and 1 cup spinach mixture. Repeat the layers, ending with spinach mixture. Arrange 3 noodles over spinach mixture; top with remaining 1 cup cheese mixture and 1 cup pasta sauce mixture. Place remaining 3 noodles over sauce mixture; spread remaining sauce mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover with lid; cook on LOW 5 hours or until done.


Yield: 8 servings

CALORIES 398(41% from fat); FAT 18.2g (sat 7.8g,mono 6.6g,poly 2.3g); PROTEIN 22.2g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 407mg; SODIUM 1036mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 2.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.5g
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2003

[{b}]

We've been eating later, which helps some with the heat.

Our usual Saturday lunch is fresh mozzarella and tomato sandwiches - they've made an appearance for a couple dinners as well.

We've also been doing a lot of turkey burgers on the Foreman grill.

[Katy]

I pulled out the GF grill just the other night for some chicken. We need to buy the next size up though - the one we have is the smallest and too small for the two of us.

[chefker]

*bump* due to heat wave!

[kk junebug]

our summer fave so far has been chicken ceasar salad.
we grill chicken on the GF grill, cut it into strips or bite size pieces and toss it into a Ceasar salad kit (i think Dole makes it)..it gives you everything you need. and is sooooo good & FAST!

[vee05]

Make a LOT of pasta!!!!!!

then get TJ's roasted red peppersin the bottle, drain the water, in the blender they go with cilntro, basil, some cheese, cream, maybe spring onion, jalapeno peppers, salt, pepper, olive oil to thicken and cream it more, and water to thin it just in case....hmm easy easy easy....i bottle them and store it for a quick dinner just heat it and serve pasta :)

Also, the sauce can be used on salads etc and cold too...it tastes great on the grill aswell with chicken and fish :)

[vwinkel]

Grilling can be more than just burgers and hot dogs. Here are some ideas:

Pizzas on the grill - check out the "homemade pizza" thread

Fajitas on the grill

Grilled Veggies - eggplant, red onion, mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, and many others are great as a meal tossed with balsamic vinegar and kosher salt

Beer Can Chicken

[greenbunny]

Breakfast for dinner! DH and I like to make sandwiches of English muffins and scrambled eggs, with veggies tossed in as the garden provides. Make the eggs in a bowl in the microwave and toast the muffins, and you're good to go.

[lil_geek]

We don't have a kitchen right now. So ALL our cookingh has been in the toaster oven, microwave or BBQ.

Pasta in the Microwave - great to make cold pasta salad for a dinner/lunch or side

I did an entire roast chicken in my toaster oven. It heat the house, but not nearly as much as a real oven would. Have done fish, pork chops, bacon etc. EVERYTHING in here!

BBQ - we do EVERYTHING and anything on the grill. I'm going to attempt fajitas tonight with a cast Iiron pan on the bbq.

[Amuse Bouche]

It's HOT here, and our A/C isn't working properly. What do you make for dinner when it's too hot to cook?


(Mods, I know there was a similar thread, but I have searched and can't find it. Feel free to bump and merge)

[ysolde]

Kosher hot dogs in the toaster oven (buns optional) and a salad. Lots of Diet Coke.

[laura]

We grill a lot when it's hot. Honestly I am wondering this right now b/c it is HOT here too. I had planned to make veggie quesadillas tonight, which aren't too 'heavy' for hot weather, but I'm just not sure if I'm feeling the effort. Maybe we'll go out for sushi instead! :p

[Ericka_Jarett]

pasta salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, italian dressing and rotini pasta)

[Rico'sAlice]

Gazpacho!

I just use the recipe from the Joy of Cooking. But there are probably more interesting ones online.

We'll also just make a big salad and put leftover grilled chicken or steak or something on it.

But to be honest, a lot of times we just end up making sandwiches. Usually turkey w/ swiss, lettuce and tomato.

Also, if you have leftover pasta, I like that served cold w/ pesto sauce.

[myshel]

Here are a few things we tend to eat in "hot" weather:

* BLTs (or BLOs for DH-- onion instead of tomato)
* Cottage cheese in various forms-- with fruit or veggies in it
* Hobo stew on the grill-- potato slices, carrots, onions, ground beef, and seasonings grilled in a pan, served with cottage cheese
* Sandwiches
* Pita pockets-- I buy fajita chicken strips and put them in pitas with lettuce, cheese, and spicy ranch dressing

[Amuse Bouche]

I made a chopped salad last night, and when tomatoes are good I've made a tomato soup by tossing ripe tomatoes in the food processor with some salt and basil and topping with pesto and mascarpone.

I think tonight we'll have ranchero omelets -- Omelets with salsa and shredded cheese.

[Asha]

i really don't like to eat hot foods in the summer, but my dh thinks i am crazy bc he likes his home cooked food. so, i use the toaster oven and the crockpot a lot. i find cooking over the stove is just as bad as using the oven bc i am required to be at the stove in front of the heat for longer.

tacos are a good hot weather option. i make guacomole tacos with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and homemade salsa. the only thing you have to heat up are the tortillas, and that is pretty quick.

[shopaholic]

ice cream! :D

[Bloomwood]

tomato, moz and basil salad. yummy.

[Sol]

Tonight we're having just smoothies. Mango, milk and sugar for him, banana, strawberry and milk for me. I'm a fan of sandwich and yogurt summer dinners too.

[Fenway]

ice cream! :D

Ditto!

[Missy2U]

Macaroni salad with those little salad shrimp in it

Larger shrimp - like come in the frozen rings - thaw them and then just munch on them with cocktail sauce or some butter and garlic melted in the microwave

Whenever it's on sale we pick some up.

[allison]

Ice cold (sometimes frozen) watermelon, mangos, oranges! Yummm!

[Ohana]

I love Asian Chicken Wraps. You can use cut up teriyaki chicken or whatever you like, wrapped up in spinach wraps with shredded cabbage and ginger soy salad dressing. It's even better if you use Miso Shoyu Chicken:

Miso Shoyu Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
equal parts miso, soy sauce (shoyu), beer, and brown sugar

Mix together miso, soy sauce, beer, and brown sugar. Add chicken and marinate for up to 24 hours. Grill.

I generally budget 2 thighs per person. If you're grilling say 8 thighs, you will probably need 2-3 TBSP of each marinade ingredient.

[Katy]

(Mods, I know there was a similar thread, but I have searched and can't find it. Feel free to bump and merge)I found it and merged.

I tend to do a lot of salads in the summer. That and pasta-type dishes. And of course, I swear by my toaster oven (though I'd like to upgrade to a larger size, just for this season). I also got my new, bigger George Foreman that I'm jonesing to try out.

ETA: My favorite, easy salad lately is TJ's lettuce wrap chicken, shredded broccoli slaw, some cukes, peppers and tomatoes sliced up and all tossed with a little asian dressing (since the chicken comes with a flavor packet). Super simple and super tasty. It makes just a little more than enough for the two of us (keep some slaw aside for lunch the next day)

[margarita]

any new ideas? We have a heat wave on the horizon.

[j*east]

We did a bunch of steamed veggies the other night after a trip to our next-door farm market. We had just come back from being out of town and the only thing missing from this meal was some kind of protein (which we didn't have in the house). Next time, we'll make veggie burgers or something to go with it. I like making meals out of veggies though--feels very healthy!

Anyway, here's what we did, all in the same big pot with a steam insert. The nice thing is you just put in the veggies and then walk away--no need to stand over the stove.

About 10-15 red baby potatoes, scrubbed
4 small ears of corn, husked
A pint of fresh peas, shelled

Put a big pot of water on the stove with steam insert, on high heat. (If you don't have one, a metal collander would work too.) Make sure the water doesn't go into the steaming insert or collander.

When the water boils, add potatoes and cover with lid. Steam 10 minutes.

Add corn. Do not remove potatoes. Steam another 10 minutes.

Add peas. Leave corn and potatoes. Steam about 4-5 minutes.

Check that everything is tender and cooked through. Remove steam insert or collander. Serve veggies with butter, herbs, salt and pepper, parmesan, whatever.

You could easily use other or additional veggies. There's tons at our farm's market right now.

[dziner]

I do sandwiches one night a week - something more involved than I'd fix for lunch. These are great all year long - with soup during winter, salad or fruit/chips during summer. Some successes:

Monte Cristos (had these tonight - dijon mustard, turkey or ham, provolone or swiss cheese, dunk the whole thing in beaten egg and milk mixture and cook in pan with a cover like French Toast. Dip in slightly warm raspberry jam...YUM.)

tuna melts - really awesome in a sandwich press

curried chicken salad on good bakery bread

turkey, cheddar, dijon and apple slices on good bakery bread

mock lobster rolls - mix mock lobster pieces with mayo, celery and lemon juice; put into hot dog bun. Serve w/corn on cob and watermelon.

tuna nicoise sandwiches - tuna, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, hard boiled egg if you like, all tucked into a pita or on foccacia with a bit of Italian dressing

eggplant parm sandwiches - I use the breaded eggplant slices from Trader Joe's (frozen). Just defrost, add sauce and mozzarella on roll, and put whole thing in toaster oven.

[vwinkel]

Yum dziner! For some reason I forget to make sandwiches!

Where do you find mock lobster? Do you mean immitation crab?

[dziner]

There is imitation lobster that's just like the imitation crab, both in the seafood section, same packaging. It's good in pasta w/sauce, too!

[vwinkel]

Thanks!

[myshel]

I made this Turkey Club Salad with Avocado Dressing (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_28187,00.html?rsrc=search)for supper tonight. It was pretty darn good. We used the veggies we had around-- tomato, onion, orange bell pepper, and cucumbers. I also used red pepper deli turkey and added some shredded cheddar cheese. The dressing is more like a spread, but I still liked it quite a bit.

Since we have left over tortillas around, DH made wraps with the salad as filling and the dressing as a spread. He loved them (I just gor braces and can't quite chew the tortillas just yet).