I hope you are staying cool wherever you are. It's 90 degrees where I live today. We are still in the middle of a heat wave, with highs expected to top off around 96 degrees on Wednesday until we cool off a bit on Thursday. Although it does cool off some in the evenings, so we can sit out on the front porch or back deck, as I'm doing now. I love sitting outside and hearing all the sounds of summer. Currently, I hear birds, crickets, and cicadas. Oh, and I see a few fireflies flying around. I love that it's 9pm, and it's still somewhat daylight! The AC can't seem to keep up with all the high heat, though, and the house is relatively warm, especially if I turn the oven on.
As you can see, I have a few times. I made our favorite meatballs, which are rather easy, and I don't have to turn the oven on for this one. I tried a new pasta dish from my new cookbook. It's a corn pesto pasta, and it was just ok; the corn made the dish too sweet, and I'm not a fan of anything sweet with my pasta; I probably won't make this dish again., but it wasn't bad. I don't have Valerie Bertinilli's new cookbook yet, but I plan to pick it up soon. I came across one of her recipes from the book here. It's the four-cheese baked ziti, and it was delicious. Everyone loved it, and we had leftovers for dinner the next day - even better. I also whipped up a very easy cheesecake from Smitten Kitchen, which was quite good. I know it's not the best picture, and it's supposed to get very dark on top, but it was nice, light, and silky and was delicious topped with a drizzle of homemade hot fudge, our favorite; seriously, I could eat this stuff by the spoonful, and I do! Other things pictured here - I still like to have a cup of hot tea most days, even during a heat wave! I picked up some peach iced tea bags, which are perfect for these hot summer days. Peach tea just says summer to me. It was not homemade by me, but a delicious loaf of cinnamon raisin bread from the farmer's market. So, how are you staying cool these days? Are you doing any cooking/baking/grilling? If so, what are you making? I'd love to know.
Charlotte and I have a girl's day planned for tomorrow—pedicures, lunch, and some shopping. It'll be really fun, and we are looking forward to it. I hope you have a great week!
Hello, lovely friend! We have the same tea kettle!!! And you will love Valerie's new cookbook! Have a wonderful day tomorrow. Stay cool!
ReplyDeleteAll that delicious food is making my mouth water. Summer has finally arrived here too, though we're not up to the nineties yet. We're really not geared up for hot weather, no air conditioning, so it's a case of opening the windows wide at night and trying to sleep, which is easier said than done when you're a lady of a certain age! Enjoy your day with Charlotte, that sounds like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks delicious!! It's been so hot here too but you are inspiring me to get back in the kitchen! Your meatballs look so good!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed your girls day with Charlotte! Stay cool, my friend! xx
Hi Julia! I enjoy my morning cup of tea with breakfast, regardless of the weather, too. I like your tea strainer pictured above! I have a couple that are very similar to it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing about the Everyday Meatball recipe. I've checked it out and cut and pasted it so I can give it a try. It sounds delicious and we enjoy having just meatballs at times. This one sounds perfect.
Hope you and Charlotte had a great day today!
Hi Dianna. My tea strainer is the OXO - Tea Infuser Basket from Amazon. Please let me know when you try the meatballs. I think you will love them!
DeleteHeat wave is definitely in full force here. So grateful for the air conditioning!:) I love your pink mug...would make me smile drinking tea (or coffee) from it each morning! The four-cheese ziti sounds delicious!! Happy eating...it all looks so tasty!
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer. My lovely mug is from Hogben Pottery in the UK and it's one of my favorites! The ziti was delicious and I would highly recommend this recipe. Hope you are staying cool!
ReplyDeleteThey all look so delicious. I'm looking forward to spending a little more time in the kitchen during summer break. At the moment meals need to be easy to prepare and quick to cook.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed your girl's day. X
The here in Philadelphia area has been HOT- so hot that we had company for 3 days and we couldn't do any outdoor activities! Your cooking looks delicious. I'm a sucker for melted cheese, so I would probably enjoy the four-cheese baked ziti. Somehow I although I will eat hot soup in the summer, I just don't want tea in hot weather. Sounds like a wonderful girls day- hope you enjoyed it.
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