100° + weather dinners

When it's that hot, if I have an appetite at all, it's for cold salads or sandwiches. I don't like hot food when it's that hot out. I'm talking pasta salad, macaroni salad, garden salad, Cesar salad, potato salad. I've also done just a charcuterie board. I keep it as simple as possible in that kind of heat.

Stay cool!

Ice cream for me. But I know that doesn’t help you. 

I like a vinaigrette pasta salad with tuna, salami, chicken or beans. Even a mayo pasta salad seems heavy when it's hot!

Smoothies work well, too.

We have sandwich equivalent for lunch, so we need something more substantial for dinner. I'm really into cold pasta salads at the moment. It's so easy just to put a pan of pasta on to boil, then throw together some other stuff in a bowl while I'm waiting, and add and mix the pasta last. I use Dove's Farm rice pasta, entirely gluten and corn free, and boil it for 7 minutes then pour away the hot water and rinse twice with cold water.

Yesterday we had tinned tuna, sheep cheese, chopped celery, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds, a can of artichoke hearts that I found in the back of the cupboard and lemon oil. Last week I did lettuce, cherry tomatoes, celery, truffle cheese, tinned salmon and olives.

I'm thinking of sardines in tomato with black beans and greens one day, also sun-dried tomatoes with avocado, and smoked salmon, hard-boiled egg and spinach as inspired by mother-in-law. So many different ideas to choose from.

When I know hot weather is coming, I usually grill some meats ahead of time or run the oven on a cooler day.

BLTs, pasta salad, green salads, sandwiches, curried chicken salad, and take-away are some of the meals we’ve had in the past week. It’s not nearly that warm here, but it’s been close to 80 and I’m unwilling to heat the house up.

Sushi

Sandwiches, cereal, snacks.

I grill a lot.

DH doesn't want heavy foods, but he still needs the calories to get through the day.

I tend to go with more chicken and pork during the summer months. Grilled meat sandwiches usually at dinner (that's the noon meal for us). And I might do something like a grilled chicken salad with hard boiled eggs, cheese, etc. on it, for supper. I also use my smoker quite a bit for things like ribs, pulled pork, etc. Burgers are good on the smoker too.

It's a little bit cooler out so far today, so it is a prime pork roast, with carrots, mashed potatoes, and I am not sure what else. LOL  I need to get cooking! 

I usually have pasta and potato salads on hand when we are busy with planting, cow working, and harvest - so I tend to not have those all the time in the summer, so we don't get burnt out on them.

DH likes a little something sweet sometimes, so a Jello Poke Cake topped with cool whip goes over big! Just a small slice of that seems to hit the spot when he comes in for coffee break.

I keep giant pitchers of brewed iced tea on hand too - and I am a Midwesterner, so none of that sweet tea!

I assume from your name you must be near me...I'm going to die. I hate summer.

Tuna macaroni salad
BLTs once tomatoes are in season
BBQ Chicken
Anything on the grill

I envy all of these cool things. I have a hard time finding a balance.

My dad is a meat, potatoes, veg kind of guy. DH likes pasta salad but is a carnivore at heart. DS is all about the carbs, but doesn't like cold pasta salad.

Personally, I would be happy with a bowl of cereal or a tomato sandwich for supper.

When it is warm, I love to do a pasta salad with all the vegetables I have in the crisper (except carrots), and some zesty Italian dressing and topped with a bit of feta and grilled chicken.