Romance Writers Weekly ~ Hot Summer, Cool Recipes

Welcome, welcome to the blog hop! We’re in the middle of summer, and it’s HOT! We have a little play pool in the backyard which is perfect for the kids.

My daughter just had her first birthday this past weekend. I can’t believe she’s ONE!!! Where did the last year go? We celebrated with my parents and uncle with social distancing, but it was so nice to have people there. I made a doggy cake, which she enjoyed a lot because she is obsessed with dogs and always barks back when she hears them.

This week the talented Leslie Hachtel asks us to share a recipe for the hot weather.

Summer and it’s hot. What is your favorite meal to cool off? Recipe please.

If you missed what the incredible Brenda Margriet had to say, just click and pop back or continue on the hop to the fantastic A.S. Fenichel and come back around.

I don’t have a specific meal that we eat when it’s hot, but we always BBQ in the summer. Pretty much all of our meals are on the BBQ or the smoker. We like meat, fish, poultry, veggies, pizzas, even some desserts!

Sometimes my husband will brave the winter weather and BBQ in the cold. Although it doesn’t get too cold here… 0C/32F.

I love appetizers, so I will share some of my favourite summer appetizers that I like to eat.

Caprese is a must in the summer! The fresh tomatoes and basil and the creamy mozzarella is delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 (16 ounce) package fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

• Step 1 Stir balsamic vinegar and honey together in a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the vinegar mixture has reduced to 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Set the balsamic reduction aside to cool.
• Step 2 Arrange alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella cheese decoratively on a serving platter. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, spread fresh basil leaves over the salad, and drizzle with olive oil and the balsamic reduction.

YUM!

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This next recipe is a quick, refreshing salsa with a twist… it’s watermelon salsa! It’s cooling and spicy at the same time and so yummy during those hot summer months.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups diced seedless watermelon
• 1 cup diced red onion (about half a medium red onion)
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1–2 jalapeno(s), seeded and finely diced (add more/less to taste)
• zest and juice of 1 lime

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Toss all ingredients together until combined.  Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

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Another favourite is bruschetta! I love the combination of crispy crunchy bread, soft tomatoes and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
• 26 oz. roma tomatoes, diced (about 7-8)
• 1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, then more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped basil ribbons (chiffonade)
• 1 (14.5 oz) loaf hearty french bread (such as La Brea), sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices (about 12 slices)

Instructions

1. For tomato mixture: Heat olive oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute until just starting to turn golden (don’t brown it), about 1 minute.
2. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Let cool while you chop the tomatoes and basil.
3. Pour tomatoes into bowl with cooled oil mixture. Add parmesan, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss mixture well. Serve right away over toasted bread (spoon some of the juices along with it). Garnish with more parmesan if desired.
4. To toast bread: position oven rack a few inches below broil and preheat broiler. Align bread slices on an 18 by 13-inch baking sheet. Broil first side until golden brown, about 1 minute (don’t walk away and keep and eye on them they’ll brown quickly), then flip slices to opposite side and broil opposite side until golden brown.

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Homemade popsicles always finish off the day. You can pretty much do any combination you can think of. I recently found one that has cauliflower in it! A sneaky way to get veggies into picky kids!

I hope you’ve enjoyed these recipes and use them to cool down in the summer. That’s it for me today. Don’t forget to check everyone else’s hot summer, cool recipes. Until next time!