Finally the relentless heat of the last several weeks is easing up a little and thinking about some serious grub doesn’t make me raise an eyebrow at my own sanity anymore~! Of course, it’s still summery warm outside, so going wild with pots, pans and my stove for any extended period of time is still out of the question and anything ending up on our plates absolutely needs a zingy, refreshing component to count as “edible”.
Continue reading “Spicy Beef & Mushroom Stirfry with String Bean & Plum Salad”
There’s no way to talk about summery foods without giving some extra attention to ice creams~! So, as a finishing touch to my Beat the Heat Special, I simply have to share one of the most refreshing and, sticking to the quick-fix requirement for the occasion, speediest frozen yummies in my summery collection with you guys today~!
With Summer comes, of course, outdoor-food season! Garden parties, picknicks, impromptu gatherings at a fireplace of one sort of another – most of the time, there’s hot coals, cold drinks and lots of meat involved. Good times~!
Hell-week is over and we’ve settled at the perfect-summer “hot during the day, cool at night” combo! Now this could go on for a couple of months, if I had to say anything in the matter… Oh well. Even though the temperatures might allow a couple of minutes in the kitchen right now, having a handful of edible aces up your sleeves for the really hot days never hurts, so I’ll stick to the general topic of “minimal stove-time” yummies, as promised.
When Hubby gave off a somewhat strangled noise, skirting the edge of panic last weekend while giving his weather forecast app a disdainful glare, I knew we were in trouble.
Yes, yes, I know, it’s way too hot for chocolate. Or so the occasional not-so-chocoholics like me might say. Especially since last week’s 
Very recently, on a seriously uncomfy hot and humid day of all inconvenient times, one of those off-the-rails cravings decided to settle in the tummy-area of my head. Much like the bewildering urge to have a bowl of ice cream in the dead of winter, my once-or-twice-a-year “Cake! Now!” hellspawn waltzed in and demanded immediate attention when I least expected it.
Oh yes~! Summer’s here and not willing to take prisoners. Getting anything down at 35°C during lunchtime is starting to be just as unappealing as skipping lunch altogether. There’s one thing though, that always works in situations like these. Quickly made, easily carried around and, in most cases, very healthy and satisfying: Cold soups.
As asparagus season is slowly coming to an end, I thought this would be the perfect time to go big for one last time – at least for this year~ I had planned on cooking up a three-stage asparagus storm that weekend, involving veal and strawberries and all that yummy jazz for you guys, but I got sidetracked – or more precisely: blindsided! – during our usual Saturday-trip to the farmer’s market. To my great surprise, my wary-of-sea-creatures hubby of all people, all but jumped up and down in excitement while pointing the fishmonger’s sign advertising his good deals on monkfish.
I’ve just spent a fantastic afternoon sitting in one of our city’s pretty parks, switching between bookworming and watching a show no TV or Big Screen could have competed with. By some lucky coincidence, I’d picked a spot near a herb garden for today’s outdoor-reading session, and the bees busying themselves with the overflowing array of fragrant blossoms did a spectacular job at distracting me from the masterful deductions of Mr. Sherlock Holmes.
Nahdala's Kitchen 