We're breaking records here in NJ. We did the fried egg experiment in our driveway early this afternoon and it worked a little.

I spent Saturday preparing for the church picnic - baking, baking roasting red peppers. I made 3 things: 2 for the picnic and 1 for Piglet's Sunday School class party. (end of the year celebration)

What do you cook for dinners when it gets really sweltering? I love my kids but I don't feel like cooking in the kitchen. Today I'm reheating things in the microwave - the blueberry muffins, the pancakes I make most Saturday mornings to last for the week...

Anybody else- what do you do?

Since we have central Air conditioning cooking in the heat isn't that big a problem. However with the heat and humidity we had last week and lately when it is not storming and raining and the air isn't on...I can relate on what to cook.

We do grilling outside and my dh is good about deep frying stuff in the garage if it is really hot in the house. Actually I don't like the sound and smell of things deep frying so he does that alot (I became sensitive to the smell of deep fried foods when I was on Chemo and it made me sick and still gets to me).

Have you ever done like the hamburger, potato, onion type meal made on the grill? I also have premade lasagne sauce and cooked my lasagne on the grill when camping.

I liked grilled chicken breasts also. I also do BBQ chicken by pre-cooking the chicken in a pie plate in the microwave for about 20-25 minutes. I check it occasionally to dump the fat off. Anyway then we put the chicken on the grill and then spread on the BBQ sauce. It is much quicker than grilling it the regular way.

I am not much of a cook (not my cup of tea at all...dh is the cook here most of the time) so I am sure others will lots of ideas for you. In IL we get some nasty hot and humid weather in the summer...but I will take that over winter any day.

Ooops - should've mentioned: I'm a vegetarian. And no, we don't have a grill. Dh cook outside? Now that's funny. He's not that manly I guess. just kidding.

LOL around here it is manly to fry up some catfish in a deep fryer outside, or grill a steak. Men around here think they are manly if they smoke food (like a Turkey) in the smoker outside in November even. Not my idea of fun but what ever floats their boats.

So, you don't any meat, fish or poultry? I don't eat alot of meat... or maybe it just seems like it. I am trying to learn to eat healthier but I have a long ways to go.

Perhaps with gentle persuasion you dh would enjoy cooking outside...then again? I am a blessed woman to have a man that cooks...ofcourse it could just be because he likes to eat and finally figured out he needed to learn how if he wanted decent meals.

Pity my dh he has been putting up with me for 36 yrs as of tomorrow.

Happy Anniversary! (and already I forget who said they're having an anniversary tomorrow )

I'm allergic to meat and dairy. But I'm still overweight - those french fries and potato chips.

I am tempted to get my dh one of those little hibachi-type of grills. Sometimes when he does cook (he does so on one of those little electric things for burgers) he'll say he's putting on his maid's apron. It would be nice to cook outside. We always smell the other barbecues going around our neighborhood and I get tempted to crash their parties. But I probably couldn't have anything they're cookin' anyway..

Oh boy, I hear you. French fries...ugh!

Since my heart attack I have been trying to wean myself off them. I am improving as yesterday instead of dh and I each getting an order we shared an order. But with my cholesterol I need to eat none... I am finding lifestyle changes don't happen overnight. But with God's help I am slowly making some better choices and changes.

Like you I love the smell of the neighbors grilling out. Our one neighbors house is like 20 feet from our kitchen window so when they grill out and the window is open I want to run over and ask what we are having for supper. (I haven't ever done it...but I sure get the urge.)

I don't know that you call it cooking, but I do salads and lots of 'um.

I don't do too many salads (though I should, being a vegetarian, huh? ) but it sounds like a great idea especially this time of year.

They're saying it's supposed to break tonight - we'll be getting rain (hopefully!). I'm gonna plan on potato pancakes tomorrow night for dinner tomorrow!

Do share the potato pancake recipe - they sound really delicious!

I kinda throw it together:

potatoes - peel and shred finely - 5 or 6 medium sized

onion - peel and shred finely (just 1 small onion)

1 egg

1 heaping tablespoon of flour or self-rising flour

1 tablespoon of milk (soymilk or any other kinda milk works fine)

Before mixing the potation and onion, drain out most of the liquids from them. Mix all ingredients together. Fry on a nonstick skillet with olive oil, til bottom is brown, then turn over. Again fry until browned. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Add a drop of oil before adding more potato mixture, let it heat up a few seconds before adding the mixture (batter). After all are done, warm in 225 degree oven for a few minutes so all are warm enough to serve. Serve with applesauce or sour cream. (my dh eats it with ketchup!) Yum!

How's that? I make these a lot. Some like to add pepper to the batter, others like to omit the onion. These are also known as latkes. Hope
you like it!

Sounds good, I'm going to have to this some night - though I'm sure my husband will have to have steak or some sort of sausage with it.

Thanks for the recipe.

Blessings.

We barbecue and do more cold salads in the summer.

I also use my toaster oven a lot more because it doesn't heat up my kitchen the way my standard oven does. And if it was really hot, I could always take my toaster oven outside and cook out there.