Heating Up With The Summer Issue

Summer's here and that means one thing: fun food and treats! The New York Times Food section know this and today's issue was dedicated solely to all those summer pleasures. Find out about hot dogs and ice cream sandwiches, pot lucks and picnics. There's also a piece about an night market , full of tasty treats. This is summer at its' delicious best.

Everyone contributed to this keeper issue. Sam Sifton, Melissa Clark and Julia Moskin weighed in bout the best and worst hot dogs, participating in a taste test  to determine what's hot and what's not. This is a boon for hot dog lovers and grillers. The best are the all beef ones, namely Wellshire Farms Premium All Natural Uncured Beef franks and Hebrew National Beef. They also have a guide to label terms to help home chefs navigate towards the best grillers. They explain the difference between cured and uncured, along with the different types of casing. The trio also debunk the phrases old fashioned , premium, signature and classic - all marketing ploys. Ms. Clark also has her column about pot lucks too, perfect go withs for hot dogs. She offers a tomato and zucchini casserole with crisp cheddar topping. This dish will definitely take advantage of  a garden's bounty along with a plethora of such herbs such as mint and marjoram. There also is the extra recipe of pickled deviled eggs, always a fun summer treat. The dinner could end with Samantha Seneviratne's recipe for ice cream sandwiches made with homemade chocolate cake and good quality vanilla ice cream.

New York is known for summery nights and picnics in the park and there are articles on these as well. Tejal Rao goes on a picnic with Marisol and Angel Morales  They're not famous chefs but avid picnickers who love to go to their nearby park, Coffey Park for some tasty eating. Theirs is a mix of restaurant made grilled  chicken served with Ms. Morales  arroz con grandules. Ms. Rao also talked with Marnie Hanel who wrote the book "The Picnic: Recipes And Inspiration From Basket To Blanket . She suggests improvising. No cooler?No problem. Fill a  plastic wagon with ice to keep bottles cool. There's also a recipe for fried chicken  biscuits with hot honey butter.for an outdoor lunch or dinner. New York is also a city that never sleeps during the summer months.  This is true of the Queens Night Market, located where the 1964 World' Fair was held.It's where all sorts of tasty street food is sold. Here visitors can sip chicha morada , the Peruvian drink made form purple corn, pineapple peels, cinnamon and, cloves.  It's  definitely would soothe the heat of fuschka, an Indian semolina shell lined with a mash of yellow peas and chiles, splashed with tamarind..These are from the stand called Jhal NYC. Korean and Bolivian food are also there along with Indonesian  cakes of coconut and rice.Nigerian and Persian food is also represented too.

Summer is here. Enjoy the bounty of the season, whether at a picnic or all night fair. Take advantage of it and enjoy .

Ice Cream Sandwiches Yoru Way

Everyone loves a good ice cream sandwich. What's not to love? It's a great marriage of creamy coldness surrounded by crunchy (0r at least chewy) wafer or cookie. Now there's a new book out that indulges our love of these summery treats. There's all sorts of combos , all mouth watering good.

I Scream Sandwich!(Stewart Tabori &  Chang Publishers) is the ideal gift for both ice cream and cookie lovers. Food writer Jennie Schacht wrote this truly lovely valentine to America's best loved warm weather snack.  I love the fact that she includes the sandwich's history along with the invention of the various types such as the Harbor Bar a Maine treat, coated in chocolate and the San Francisco version the It's It along with the classic and elegant Sicilian version  granita stuffed in a buttery brioche.Another plus is that she offers easy alternatives for those who don't have an ice cream maker or just don't have the time.All recipes are pretty simple to replicate  so both pros and novices can feel comfortable with creating them,

Her recipes for both the chilled  fillings and the wafers that encase them are just scrumptious sounding. There is the cookies and milk one, taking a nod from the famed Italian latte gelato. This is  a simple milk flavored ice cream placed between homemade chocolate chip cookies. For fruit and yogurt lovers a plum flavored frozen yogurt is sandwiched between two lavender walnut shortbread rounds. Ms. Schacht even has an entire chapter dedicated to ice cream sandwich of the month. The holiday ones are the most interesting. There is a pumpkin pecan  ice cream with maple flavored shortbread for Thanksgiving while Christmas is the ultra fun mint chocolate ice cream with a brownie crust. these are cut out with gingerbread forms so they're super cute. There are even add in recipes  such as a salty caramel sauce or fudge for creating ripple effects in the ice cream.

For those who love their ice cream sandwiches. I Scream Sandwiches is the book for you.It is chock full of interesting cookies and ice cream combos. Each one is flavorful and unique  - perfect for a summer treat.