Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Summer Kitchen Tips

Here in the U.S. we are approaching our HOT days!!!  I know many of you are enjoying fall/winter, but hopefully these ideas will help you in some way too.
There are so many little tips and tricks we can use to make life a little easier.  We all like easier!!!
Hope you find one or two you can use.

  • Hull fresh strawberries with a plastic straw.  Push the straw up through the bottom of strawberry to the upper stem area and the stem and hull pop right out.
  • Add a pinch of sugar to  water when boiling corn on the cob.  It tends to enhance the sweetness of the corn
  • Add crushed garlic, chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, horseradish,  relish, ketchup, mustard, etc. to mayonnaise to jazz up the flavor,  NO need to go buy something else.
  • Make a cool low fat smoothie - fruit juice, yogurt, and fruit - blend with 4 or 5 ice cubes.  YUM
  • A quick appetizer - a block of cream cheese topped with hot pepper jelly OR any jelly and serve with crackers.  Yummy and refreshing and EASY.  Makes a super easy treat for unexpected guests
  • Freeze grape juice, cranberry juice, or any flavor juice in ice cube trays to add to tea or lemonade.  Freeze tea or Kool-aid to in trays to use in drinks to keep them from getting watered down.  Add fruit, herbs or even fresh flowers to cubes for a festive addition to drinks.
  • Fill peppers - large or small - with leftover spaghetti/sauce add cheese and grill until warmed through and melted
  • Slice peaches, add some sugar and bit of 'fruit fresh' (or lemon juice) and place in individual size baggies and freeze.  To eat - remove from freezer and eat when partially  thawed.  Such a refreshing treat
  • Make a fruit pizza - a large sugar cookie - topped with cream cheese/sugar and top with any fruit you have.  These are so good.  You can make INDIVIDUAL FRUIT PIZZAS - a sugar cookie - a dollop of yogurt and sliced fruit!   What a fun treat
  • Make a root beer (or any flavor) float.  Super cool and yummy treat
  • Pudding shake - 1 1/2 C milk and 1/2 C premade pudding blended together makes for a smooth and creamy drink/dessert
  • Before cubing an angel food cake for layering or dipping - freeze it and partially thaw - then cut.  You get more cake and fewer crumbs
  • Salads - chicken, tuna, ham, egg, veggie of all types, fruit, pasta......  There are so many wonderful salads and combinations to make that makes for a cool and filling meal
  • Grill whatever you can!  Veggies, meat, Ka-bobs, fruit.  There is no limit to what you can grill.  Peach halves or fresh pineapple slices are incredible when grilled - top with ice cream!  I love veggies grilled and meat/fish just taste better.
Grilled stuffed peppers

Grilled zucchini steaks - Mmmmmmm
  • Eat what is in season - saves money, eat healthy - you grow, farm markets, etc.
  • Tortillas are your friend.  One of my summer favorites are roll-ups!!  Use meat, veggies, salad, fruit, etc. and roll it up in a tortilla.  Meat and veggies are a great replacement for a plain old sandwich and less calories.  These are easy to eat and refreshing.
  • Make breakfast roll-ups with pancakes - spread with jelly or peanut butter or yogurt and add sliced fruit - roll and eat on the go.  
Cool meals and desserts are always a must in my house.  There are so many ideas to eat well and yummy and stay cool.  I love any trick that helps me in the kitchen and makes my world a bit easier.  Have fun with food and keep summer kitchen life simple.
Remember - a meal CAN be whatever fills you up!!!!  It doesn't have to be many courses.

Do you have any special tricks or ideas to share?
ENJOY

15 comments:

  1. Yesterday I read a tip about making lemon ice cubes to add to tea. I thought that was so clever, and now you have these great tips on something similar. And those tortilla pinwheels look so good and refreshing. I need to make those soon. Thank you for the idea.

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    Replies
    1. Lemon ice cubes would be so refreshing. So many fun ideas out there.
      I love the pinwheels - one of my favorite summer foods. Good for entertaining as well.
      You are welcome!

      Delete
  2. Great ideas Cheryl. We freeze all our grapes for the grandkids. They love them.

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  3. I drink Gatorade after mowing or doing strenuous yard work and want to try making it to keep on hand in the summer. Found a recipe on Food.com I think I will try. Homemade has to be cheaper than $5.99 a 8-pack that I've been paying.

    Had a tuna salad sandwich today (after mowing). Nice and refreshing and good with potato chips and an apple.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to make Gatorade years ago with Kool-Aid. Much cheaper to make.
      Your lunch sounds just right!

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  4. Great tips! I tend to do my cooking early in the morning so that I miss the heat later in the day. Yesterday I made potato salad and a fruit salad and baked two potatoes in the microwave. This morning, I used a couple of mushy bananas for banana bread and made a small pot of loaded baked potato soup. With leftovers and some meat on the grill we'll have lots to eat.

    Take care and stay well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My goodness that all sounds wonderful. You are wise to do batch cooking and do it early in the day.
      YUM

      Delete
  5. Roll your corn on the cob in a wet paper towel and microwave it. We do 4 minutes for 2 ears. Use the warm towel for a clean up after eating the corn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will have to try that. Thank you so much for the tip.

      Delete
  6. Slice Zucchini and yellow summer squash lengthwise and scoop out some of the center. Add something beefy, cheesy and with a carb to the center of each. Bake about 20 min or whatever you need.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love stuffed zucchini. I have done that many times and it so very good. It makes for a meal!
      Thank you!

      Delete
  7. When I was still home, every summer there would be a big yruck... not a semi but lots bigger than a normal truck..anyway woukd would drive the backroads. It would have bushels and bushels of peaches. Mom always bought 1 or 2 bushels...we had all we wanted to eat, we canned them, and we peeled them, mashed the . Added sugar to taste, and bagged them. So good to eat when they were just beginning to thaw. At the crystal stage.

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    ReplyDelete