Readers, Welcome to my blog (formerly Birds, Blooms, Books, etc). I'm entering a new decade taking on the challenge of moving from Maryland after living there 46 years and learning about my new home here in New England in the Live Free or Die state - New Hampshire. Join me as a write this new chapter of my life.

Friday, August 13, 2021

Summer Meals

 Ok, so hot weather with no AC is not a good time to use the stove or oven.  Heat wave really started on Wednesday but Monday night I made a tomato and onion quiche which heated up the room.  

Tuesday I made pasta carbonara with bacon and zucchini which also required standing over a hot stove.

Wednesday morning I realized that standing over the stove to cook pork chops was not going to be fun so I got out the crock pot and a crock pot cookbook.  I couldn't find a recipe I liked so made up this one which was delicious. 

Slice a large onion.  Place several slices in bottom of crock pot.  Lay on the boneless pork chops. salt and pepper and give them some sprinkles of hot sauce.  Lay on rest of onion.  Empty a can of cream of mushroom soup over it all and add 1/2 can of water too.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  

Pork chops were so tender and moist.  Soup made a nice sauce.  I did make rice, mushrooms, and steamed some spinach to go with meal.  I didn't get as hot as the days before.

Thursday, another scorcher of a day I decided the stove was out for dinner.  I looked for a gazpacho recipe instead.  Found several and modified.  Never made this before and I didn't have a blender having gotten rid of it when we downsized in 2016.  Dan reminded me he did have a NutriBullet for smoothies so I used that making the soup in two batches.  Traditionally this is red cold soup but mine was yellow from the yellow tomatoes I used.

Yellow tomatoes (I used one large and a pint of cherry sized)

1/2 green pepper

1/2 large zucchini

1/2 sweet onion

1 clove garlic

1 slice bread with crusts removed, soaked in water, squeezed and added to mix.

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

chicken stock (I didn't measure because I had to add liquid to a line in the NutriBullet)

sprinkle cumin, rosemary, salt and pepper.

I cut everything fairly small so the NutriBullet didn't have to work very hard.  It did a grand job.

I chilled it in a large mouthed jar in the freezer for 15-20 minutes then served it with sour cream that I thinned with milk.  It was delicious.  We had crusty bread and olive oil to dip it in as an accompaniment.

There is only a small amount left for one of us to have at a lunch time.

Tonight we are having chicken salad.  The chicken breasts are simmering on the stove now.  Another cold meal in this heat.

What are you cooking that's cool?