To Cool Off, Add Ice Cubes to Drinks

To Cool Off, Add Ice Cubes to Drinks.

That was the "100 Ways to Cool Off in Summer" tip #36 in a Seventeen magazine (or maybe it was Glamour), I treated myself to in junior high to conquer a bout of summer boredom. Along with "wear cotton" and "eat cucumbers!" it was one of the more jaw dropping cutlines. I can remember distinctly thinking, "Honestly, I can't believe they paid someone to write this."

Little did I know how that stupid line would linger like the jaunty refrain to "Afternoon Delight" that invades the human brain like those alien cockroaches in Wrath of Khan. No summer, no heat wave can I endure without opening the freezer, seeing that white plastic tray and thinking, To Cool Off, Add Ice Cubes to Drinks.

Because we're in it now, the heat. The month-long Accuweather forecast shows no mercy aside from a 79 degree here or there. And let me just state right now that I am not a summer girl. I did not move to the frigid mountains of Vermont to work on my tan. I long for crisp breezes, falling orange and red leaves shuffling around my feet, wood smoke, snow.

But God doesn't take orders from me, unfortunately, and so I must persevere, trying to find joy in the afternoon read in a swaying hammock, swimming in secret river holes, freshly picked blueberries, a lush green vegetable garden and the occasional chilled glass of pinot grigio. (Note Seventeen failed to mention THAT!)

Cooking, however, falls to the wayside. To save my sanity, I basically produce five dishes during the summer and here they are:

1) Homemade pesto from the Silver Palate. Fresh basil, chopped garlic, walnuts ('cause I HATE pine nuts), really good parmesan grated, excellent virgin olive oil and light cream. Combine all but the cream in a food processor and whir but not too much. Mix some with the cream and pour over linguine. A side dish of fresh REAL tomatoes, slices, plus balsamic vinegar & olive oil dressing = fantastic.

2) Fresh mozzarella, tomato, pesto (see above), balsamic vinaigrette sandwich on Red Hen bakery's French loaf. Cut loaf in half. Smear pesto on one side (without the cream). Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette on the other. In the middle, slices of fresh mozzarella, real tomatoes and, possibly, prosciutto. Best. Sandwich. Ever.

3) Cold poached salmon with caper, dill, red onion sauce. In the morning, poach fillets of salmon in water seasoned with sliced lemons and bay leaves. Cook until red is gone. Slip onto pie plates, cover and chill. Into sour cream, whisk capers, caper juice, chopped fresh dill, chopped red onion. Serve on the side with cold poached asparagus.

4) Nancy Strohmeyer's Potato Salad. Five pounds of new red potatoes halved. Boil just until a fork can pass through. Meanwhile, chop up celery and red onion. Have bottle of Robusto Italian ready along with cider vinegar. While potatoes are still warm (no gain without pain) slice thinly mixing with chopped celery and red onion and a few shakes of Robusto Italian. Stir gently. Continue this process until all the potatoes are sliced. It's okay to leave on the red skins. Cool in fridge. Right before serving, add a few dollops of mayonnaise. (I love the canola.) Stir and serve on lettuce with REAL tomatoes.

5) Grilled chicken breasts. Pound breasts. Marinate in Newman's Creamy Caesar. While you're at it, toss thickly chopped zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers and red onions in same in separate bow. Grill chicken and vegetables. Next day, distribute leftover vegetables on whole wheat pizza shell topped with homemade pesto (see above), a little mozzarella and grill. Awesome.

And that's it, though with Sam away, I did experiment with some new additions. I absolutely LOVED Mark Bittman's watermelon & cherry tomato salad with vinaigrette, gorgonzola and cayenne pepper and was strangely impressed by the massaged kale & mango salad I made with kale from my own backyard. Our vegan relatives introduced us to beets and Swiss chard over fettuccine, though it was definitely improved with some chevre and, rumor has it, crumbled sausage.