Summer Cooking: How Not To Turn Your Kitchen Into An Inferno

by Jen L.

I love summertime, but I don't love the extreme temperatures associated with living in the deep south. Sometimes the very thought of heating up the kitchen to make a meal makes me want to cry. If only popsicles and ice cream counted as a balanced meal for a family of three.  *Sigh*

In the hottest months, we do a lot of grilling. We've got a nice canopy over our back deck to provide some shade and, quite often, we can make an entire meal on the grill.  One of our favorite dinners is this chicken with fresh herbs from my garden alongside grilled asparagus and a cold salad.

Speaking of cold salads, they're a great way to serve a wholesome, filling meal without making your kitchen feel like it's sitting on the equator. Here's a trick I've learned: Cook on the coolest day of the week, and cook a LOT. That way your kitchen only gets heated up once and you've got quick, easy dinner solutions for the rest of the week! Cook up two dinners' worth of chicken breats, which can be chopped up and used in salads or even stovetop stir-fry another night. Grill extra burgers and use the spare patties for burritos. Make 2 batches of pork chops, eat one whole, then use the second batch for pork fried rice.  Cooking on the stovetop doesn't make your kitchen feel like an oven like, um, cooking in the oven.

Another favorite dinner for my family in the summertime is what we call "Deconstructed Antipasto." Behold:

 

It's not that fancy when I do it at home, but you get the picture. Take out your cutting board, toss on your favorite sliced meats and cheeses (we like salami, ham, pepperjack, smoked gouda and fresh mozzarella around here), throw some pepperonccini peppers and olives on the table alongside a loaf of fresh bread and you've got yourself a fine dinner!

How do you cook in the summertime without heating up the kitchen?

Photo credit: thibeaultstablerecipes.blogspot.com

Comments

[jennielynn]

I break out the crock-pot. Pulled pork, bbq beef or chicken are all easy, as is chicken taco meat and ribs.

[Wendi]

I also break out the crock pot for summer meals! :)

Oven cooking doesn't heat my house up the way stove-top cooking does...the flames on the gas burners just turn my kitchen into a sauna. I'll turn to an oven-baked meal before a stove-top-cooked meal, if possible.