Monthly Archives: July 2015

For hot weather, some cool memories

Southwestern Tabbouleh Salad

Southwestern Tabbouleh Salad is cool, nutritious, low-fat — and ridiculously easy to prepare. And did I say cool? (Photo by Laura Groch)

Hot, muggy weather of the sort we’ve been having lately makes me want to find cool and easy summer meals. After 25 years of relying on fans, we’ve got A/C in our home now, which is nice, but I still don’t want to heat up the kitchen too much.

Which makes me wonder — what, in those long, hot summer days before widespread air-conditioning, did my mom and her fellow homemakers do to put dinner on the table?

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Singing the praises of soppressata

soppressata sandwich

A soppressata sandwich was a great way to wind down our brief getaway recently. (Photo by Laura Groch)

Spent a few days in San Antonio and Abilene, Texas, recently —- and I’m embarrassed to say that we never once tasted any authentic Texas cooking! Circumstances dictated that we did most of our eating at chain restaurants. Although I did manage to snag a forbidden sausage patty every morning at our hotels’ free breakfast buffets, Continue reading →

Top this: Slaw Dogs for the Fourth, and all summer long

slaw dog

Coleslaw might not be your first thought when it comes to hot dog toppings, but I find it very refreshing. Photo by Laura Groch

July 4 is a holiday full of patriotic observance, parades and flags, and rightly so. We also celebrate in that all-American of ways, by cooking and/or eating outdoors in a burger-hot-dog-ribs-chicken-picnic-barbecue fest. Also rightly so.

We’ll probably grill a few sausages and maybe a turkey hot dog or two. DH is strictly a mustard-and-onion topping guy, but I like to change things up. My latest favorite for hot dogs (and I might try this on a bratwurst, too) is a simple slaw. It’s Continue reading →