Hottest day of the year so far (91°F and rising)… tonight it is just warmed, olive oiled corn tortillas, ice cold grated extra-sharp cheddar, guac, salsa, lime wedges, and a couple of Coronas.
So what’s your simplest no cook Summer evening serve ups?
This probably won’t be a popular opinion, but I’m all about a great salad on a hot day. Tonight I’m tossing chickpeas, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, some peppers, and feta over romaine. Drizzle on a little vinaigrette and I’m set out on the balcony to watch the sun set tonight. Hope you enjoy your meal!
Sounds pretty good to me. Tomorrow I’ll be doing this chicken salad, and if it still hot the next day maybe something similar to what you’re doing with falafel.
No-cook meals with smoked fish, tapas/meze/mezze-style.
Only lifting a finger to open tins and packages
Cold shrimp with cocktail sauce and sourdough bread.
Charcuterie and crudités, or cold seafood (shrimp cocktail, fruits de mer, etc.). If I’m willing to do a little more prep, grilled meat on a big salad. Ice cold rosé or Sauv blanc and all is right in the world!
Melon and prosciutto
Gazpacho
Carpaccio
Steak tartare
Cucumber yogurt soup, ceviche, salads, grilled veggies. Open-faced sammiches.
Delivery! 
I mean, I don’t disagree with you! Lol
Watermelon and feta salad
Tonight we grill. Today was only 100F. We’ll have grilled chicken thighs with chimichurri, street corn, simple spinach salad, and cherries. We were going to have last night but got over-served. I’ll grill a lot of thighs to use in salads. Who, other than vegetarians, doesn’t love grilled chicken tossed into a salad? I’ll also turn some of them into chicken salad with mayonnaise, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and chiffonade basil, makings for good lunches.
Another favorite no cook dinner is cold artichokes with mayonnaise and cold salmon grilled over alder wood, with capered mayonnaise.
However, here where most of June it has hit or topped 100F daily, the grill is our best friend. No barbecuing. Who wants to sit outside for 14 hours and tend a brisket or a pork shoulder, or even six for ribs?
Simplest? Bourbon on the rocks and cheese.
Caprese salad, ‘cold cuts’ or outdoors grilled sandwich
Gazpacho with grilled garlic toast on the side
Simple chiclen or shrimp salad on a nice soft, yest crusty baguette
Cold Asian style sesame noodles with lots of veggies and cilantro!
Cold marinated squid and cannelini bean salad
For dessert, huckleberry pie made early in the day with hand cranked ice cream, preferably vanilla bean
87° was our high today, just about hot enough to not use the oven or stove.
Whoosh! It’s hot where you live.
My back deck was 12x24 feet. When we had it covered and turned into a sunroom (12x18 of the 24 length along the house, with the remaining 6 feet covered with a simple shed-style roof for the grilling area), I put in a wall A/C. No matter how hot it gets, I can sit out there in the nicely air conditioned sunroom and occasionally tend to a nice brisket. I drink a bit, nod off on the sofa, wake up and tend, then drink a bit more… lather, rinse, repeat.
P.S. Of my family of 6, I’m the only one who likes thigh meat in the chicken salad recipes. So I usually make breasts, even though thighs are better.
Curiously, thighs these days are not truly dark meat. I’ll bet you could grill thighs and not tell them and get away with it!
Hi Tim, can you explain this a little? Is it because the chickens get so little (leg) exercise?
I guess I’ve never had what might be called “heritage” chicken, e.g. the guys that max out around 2 pounds as in a 1960s US chicken, or even 4 pounds max at harvest as in a late 1970s chicken (see chart, note I’ve posted this chart before). Did those guys get a lot more exercise and so have what was true dark meat in the thighs?
Nope. Tried it. They’re too savvy for me. Two of the kids do like thighs, though, simply as eatin’ meat. Just not on or in salads so much.
Maybe not dinner, but certainly lunch: usually called Farmer Salad. Cottage cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, red onions, sweet peppers…… plus whatever else sounds good to you. Avocado, artichoke hearts?? Salt and pepper to taste.
One of my favorites, except I’ve never thought to mix sour cream into it - sounds good though. I do often add a splash of heavy cream or half-n-half, both to this salad and to just plain cottage cheese because I like it a bit extra creamy, and with a nice sprinkle of kosher salt and lots of black pepper.
The sour cream does that without getting it too loose. I grew up on this stuff.
