too hot to cook
Jul. 25th, 2009 06:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
menupleaseNow that Shasta County is on the verge of a rather more severe heat wave than we've been enjoying for the last ten or so days, the thought of coming home on Monday or Tuesday and cooking is about as appealing as experimental dental surgery a la Marathon Man. It's tempting to simply pour some iced tea - or a beer - and call that dinner. Yet the heat can deplete the body's store of such vital nutrients as potassium and iron, so it's vital to replenish the body's necessary vitamins that are easily lost due to excessive sweating.
The very fine Mark Bittman - Bittman the Minimalist - in the New York Times writes appealingly of 101 Simple Salads for the Season. The amount of actual cooking - that is, turning on the stove or oven and further heating up the house - is minute. Many of these can be made with what you probably have already in your refrigerator - or make a quick stop at the market (better yet, the farmer's market) to be prepared for this week.
If you'd like something other than salad, Bittman has also compiled Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less . And if taking your meal out to the lake or the park is in the cards, Bittman is ready for that too, with 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics.
And please, please - lots of water. Even if you're not feeling thirsty, chug an 8-ounce glass of water (that's plain water, not soda, Kool-aid, coffee, beer, or scotch with a water back) frequently, more often if you're going outside (including driving in an air conditioned car). Mlle. de Joie recalls visiting Pere de Joie in Memorial Hospital (now Shasta Regional Medical Center) when he was felled with heat exhaustion and severe dehydration while working outdoors one summer during the Kennedy Administration. Don't let this happen to you.
- Femme de Joie
The very fine Mark Bittman - Bittman the Minimalist - in the New York Times writes appealingly of 101 Simple Salads for the Season. The amount of actual cooking - that is, turning on the stove or oven and further heating up the house - is minute. Many of these can be made with what you probably have already in your refrigerator - or make a quick stop at the market (better yet, the farmer's market) to be prepared for this week.
If you'd like something other than salad, Bittman has also compiled Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less . And if taking your meal out to the lake or the park is in the cards, Bittman is ready for that too, with 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics.
And please, please - lots of water. Even if you're not feeling thirsty, chug an 8-ounce glass of water (that's plain water, not soda, Kool-aid, coffee, beer, or scotch with a water back) frequently, more often if you're going outside (including driving in an air conditioned car). Mlle. de Joie recalls visiting Pere de Joie in Memorial Hospital (now Shasta Regional Medical Center) when he was felled with heat exhaustion and severe dehydration while working outdoors one summer during the Kennedy Administration. Don't let this happen to you.
- Femme de Joie
