Summery Ades

 This is the time for a big glass of an icy drink. The summer lends its'elf to cool frosty lemonades and iced teas. They're just as easy to make as they are to drink.

Lemonade is a classic going back to ancient Egyptian times. There pharaohs drank it with dates mixed in for sweetness.As early as 1676 in Paris a company called Companie de Limonadiers sold the drink.In1833  the British combined lemonade and seltzer to more or less form the first lemon soda. here in the States it's a standard being made with freshly squeezed lemons, simple sugar and water. Everyone makes the mistake of adding just sugar. A simple syrup has to be cooked up first. This blends the best in any liquid , even cocktails and mocktails.It'sj ust cooking one cup of granulated sugar in a cup of water until you create a thin syrup. A good lemonade requires one cup of freshly squeezed lemonade, simple syrup and two to three cups of water to dilute it. Add plenty  of ice and stir. For a nice change try a strawberry lemonade.It just adding a half pound of hulled and pureed strawberries to the mix and stirring vigorously. Limeade is another fun drink with tropical vibes. Like lemonade it does require simple syrup and the juice of four to six Persian limes (what's sold in your grocery store). Squeeze and mix with the syrup and three cups of water. Mint can be added for flavor.

Iced tea is another homemade drink that 's been around since Marguerite Gardener, Lady Blessington, cohort of Lord Byron wrote about sipping it in Naples in 1823. It's a classic that 's grabbed the world by storm and is a summer must have. Like lemonade it's also easy to make. You need eight cups of water and six tea bags of black tea like Celestial Seasonings Earl Grey or English breakfast variety.  If you're not into black tea then try green or flavored tea. Celestial Seasonings has great fruit flavored herbal teas like tangerine orange that will make the drink punchy. It's just then brewing the bags in a saucepan for ten minutes. You should use eight cups of water.Any water filtered or tap can be used. As for sweeteners. granulated sugar works best but you can also add honey or agave syrup for a more organic and natural bent. Combine the tea with lemonade for the classic Arnold Palmer, always a fun accompaniment at a barbecue or summertime lunch. Fruit such as blueberries or strawberries can added for a tasty kick.Peach slices work too.

Nothing is more refreshing than a glass of lemonade,limeade or iced tea on a hot summer's day. Make any one to quench your thirst. It's a great way of cooling off.

Your Summer Kitchen

 Thanks to climate change it;s now virtually impossible to use your kitchen during the summer months. Yet you have to cook. What to do? Pare it down to a few appliances and foods.The simpler the better.

You don;t have to use the oven during this time. It'll just heat up a kitchen , even an air conditioned one.An air fryer can do the work of an oven. It's an easy cook with foods being perfectly done in just minutes. Burgers and hot dogs actually taste better in them anyway. You can also make better and crispier bacon too along with Taylor ham and Canadian bacon. Fries also come out better in an air fryer too. Keep in mind larger air fryers can also be used for baking if you want to bake anything. The microwave should be your best friend during this time too. You can even use it for breakfast instead of your stove top.It's an easy cook but keep in mind that eggs only take anywhere from a minute to two minutes to cook. Another must is an immersion blender. This works better than a traditional one. It's perfect for making gazpacho along with smoothies and malteds. You can also create fruit purees perfect for ladling on ice cream or mixing with plain vanilla yogurt.

As for food, again keep it simple.I always keep some kind of tomato in the house.San Marzano's are perfect for anything and everything. I love using the mini ones to create burst tomato sauce but the larger ones make for a sweeter gazpacho. Garlic is a must too,. The powdered form is handy but there's something about using freshly minced cloves. These are perfect in all sorts of dishes and add a bit of flavor to homemade hamburger patties.Another plus about garlic - if it's sprouting, plant it in your garden.It's fun to grow your kitchen ingredients and to watch something you've planted bloom and thrive.eggs are another must have .They're easy to cook, especially in a microwave or even on a stove top. Think a frittata ,loaded with ham and Parmesan for lunch or a spinach omelette for a Sunday brunch. vegans and vegetarians can use Just Egg instead to create the same dishes. A favorite is the Piedmontese tomatoes and eggs, made with Just Egg, and two or three chopped San Marzano tomatoes. A small minced clove of garlic along with salt and pepper flavors it. Add thick slices of French or Italian bread - other summer kitchen staples to mop it up.

Keep summer time cooking cool and simple. Don;t heat up the room. don;t over exert yourself. Just chill with what to make and how to make it.

Easy Summer Sandwiches

 Summer is here and that means little to no cooking. If you're going to make something then try sandwiches.They're easy and you can bring them everywhere and anywhere beach , camping , backyard. They're simplicity at its best.

THis was part of yesterday's  New York TImes Food Section  "City Of Sandwiches" guide. If you can''r go to New York , and enjoy their variety of sandwiches you can at least make some good ones at home.There is the Halloumi arugula and tomato sandwich taken from Brooklyn's Baby Blues LUnceonette Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese that's very salty .Its the perfect foil for sweet ,fresh from the vine tomatoes and peppery arugula.It's cooked in olive oil until it's  crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside Sourdough bread is used which is perfect to soak up both the dressing and mayo.You can toast it if you want. There is a homemade dressing - a vinaigrette spiked with lemon and oregano (Keep in mind this would be great on salads too).The mayo is also flavored with lemon and garlic powder. The Times recommends using the Kewpie brand because it's made with just egg yolks and not the whole egg. This gives the mayo a richer, more velvety texture .It's sold all over , from Acme to Target. Use your mayo, if you prefer it.

The other is the spicy cumin lamb burgers taken from the cookbook "New York's Favorite Noodle Shop"> This is a good departure from the average summer staple .There is the recipe to make the homemade buns or bao, which are like pillowy pita.These are a mix of flour, baking powder, dry yeast and sugar. Store bought English muffins can be subbed in for these, Boneless lamb is spiced with cumin but also scallions,ginger and Chile powder and cooked with onions and Longhorn peppers in a wok or a skillet. They're stuffed into the breads that have been fried in a skillet. For a meat free sandwich try the scuttlebutt taken from "Saltie A COokbook" by Caroline Roanch with Anna Dunn.  This is made with pickled beets and there's a pickled beets recipe included .However canned beets can do the trick just as well,Hard boiled eggs and julienned carrots join this along with mayo and a variety of spices. There are also olives and capers given for some saltiness.The spread is a pimenton aioli and you can make the mayo from scratch or you can buy it and add the pimenton or paprika to it. Slices of feta finish off this sandwich and you can use any bread.Try a French loaf for some crunch.

It's hot. Don;t cook.Make yummy sandwiches instead.

Sandwich City

 New York  is known for many things and many kinds of foods It comes as no surprise that it;s also the hub of sandwiches too. Tourists and New Yorkers themselves will love the new guide out today >There are so many to choose from, Try vegetarian one day , Italian the next. Save the classics for the weekend

Today's New York Times Wednesday Food section listed three (!) pages of delicious sandwiches to try around Manhattan and its' boroughs. It's not only the perfect guide for anyone visiting the city this summer but for locals looking for a fun place to take the kids on the weekend or having something different for a work day lunch.It's an international feast that features Xi'an's Famous Foods spicy cumin lamb burger which is a fluffy pita like bun filled with a cumin spiced ground lamb patty.It's one of the few dishes that owner Jason Wang enjoyed as a child. for those craving anything Italian then try BklynLarder's prosciutto with butter, The filling is  from whey fed Parma pigs and cured for thirty-six months before arriving in the States while the butter is Rudolphe le Meunier , one of France's finest,These are layered into a thick pile, almost as thick as both sides of the baguette.Mama's Too, a New York City chain has the chicken parm hero.They're more giant torpedoes that are quick blasted in pizza ovens before serving. They also have a version that has vodka sauce and strattichella cheese. Katsu, Japanese fried chicken is another popular filling, found in  many sandwiches throughout the city.

Vegans and vegetarians shouldn't be offended by this list.There is COurt Street Grocers Italian.The deli swaps the meat out for planks of zucchini in the summer and squash in the winter. There,s three kinds of cheese add along with sliced onions and arugula. For those who love lobster rolls try Aunts Et Uncles one made with hearts of palm. Diced red onions are added and it's all stuffed into a pretzel bun.Those who love  French onion soup will love Houseman's French Onion grilled cheese.It's loaded with caramelized onion topped with funky raclette cheese. It;;s served on a buttery brioche. American sandwiches are also featured in the guide. Hamburger America may serve everyone's favorite smash burger but they also featured a tasty hot ham sandwich .They slice the ham thin and then place it under a sheet of  Swiss cheese. Its encased in a hamburger bun.Agi's Counter has the absolute hot sandwich  - the tuna melt.It has oily cooked tuna layered with Alpine cheddar. pickled peppers, dill and slathered with Kewpie mayo on pillowy Pullman bread. The Commerce Inn has the patty melt with a patty that stretches the length and width of the rye bread it's on and topped with cheese and caramelized onions.

WHat would New York City be without its' sandwiches? This guide shows where to go for the best. Its'a great way to eat through the city.

Pasta Salad Days

 The weather is stifling hot. There's no way anyone wants to cook an elaborate meal in a hot kitchen.These are the salad days, whether they be tomato or pasta. They easy makes and easy eats.

One of my favorites is tomato salad

This is super simple. Just slice any kind of tomato.I like the larger San Marzano tomatoes or the beefsteaks. Since Drizzle olive oil on it. and then season with salt, pepper garlic cloves and otregano

These are the basics for any good summer salad. I like Lidl's olive oil the best along with their fresh pepper.Garlic is a must  along with oregano.

These also support a good pasta salad too. I used Wal-Mart's brand which is always a good buy.

Elbow macaroni is always a good buy for pasta salad. It;'sa quick boil in salted water. DO add salt or the macaroni will clump together.

 Now for the add in . I Sliced mini peppers and the San Marzano mini tomatoes leftover from Saturday night.

Slice them into bite size pieces.

You can add any Italian cold cut like sliced prosciutto, pepperoni or even both to add more weight to it.I like this salad for a dinner  on a very hot day.It's cool and refreshing while also being filling.Another plus is that it's even good a day later. This was dinner two nights in a row.

It's hot. Why cook? Boil up some pasta, slice some tomatoes, add some olive oil, and seasonings and voila - a meal! what an easy way to make a dinner during a heat wave!

Chinese Food And Kitties

 It's funny how animals have certain human or people food they love.Cats are especially guilty of this. They will eat anything and everything that their pet parents have.

This was true for my little king Otto who passed early yesterday morning. He had his favorites, chicken skewers from our local Chinese restaurant, Popeye's and anything from Acme or Stop and Shop.He did have to stick to his urinary tract diet. a special food hey never really too to . He had been in an dout of the animal hospital with various UTI infections. The staff there knew him well and even then I went to they nearby Stew Leonards to get him fried chicken.I'd eat the crunch skin part while I'd cut up the meat for him to eat. Like anyone else, he hated hospital food. He loved stealing Nutri from the other cats and he adored his Friskies broths and shreds. It was human food though that Otto adored. He'd come out when one friend would visit us and we'd order.I;d always order chicken skewers for him and for Lucky .Otto would devour a whole skewer's worth of chicken. He loved those crispy  crunchy pieces.He also like East Wok's shrimp in lobster sauce but not as much as with chicken.

He also went wild for Popeye's I'd always get the three piece dinner, eating the leg and part of the wing there along with their crunch coating . Everything else would be for Otto and for Lucky too. Both loved the succulent juicy meat.I 'd make sure they received as many pieces as they could eat - which for cats were a lot.As with any cat Otto loved his ham so I would buy the containers of ham ends from my local Acme, They were solid chunks that had t be sliced into little pieces for easy eating. Otto would eat piles of these along with the chopped turkey Acme also sold. He also had a fondness for Country Crock plant based butter as did Lucky. Both loved receiving teaspoons of it after they had their meds. Otto also did  love frosting . He licked an entire tablespoon of buttercream that I had scraped off a cupcake. Cat parents however have to be careful with how they feed their kitties treats. It's fine once in a great while but not too often.I know I overindulged Otto but he was irresistible. I could not resist his kitty charms.

Cat parents should be diligent with feeding their babies the right food. It can result in  a lot of diseases such as heart and diabetes. A treat is good every once in a while.

For my beloved Otto, here's to all the chicken in heaven you're having.

Burst Tomatoes WIth Sausage Dad's Treat

 For Father's Day think outside the box. Create a burst tomato sauce with sausage fro a twist on this  classic.It's a great way of celebrating the man of the house.

I went the vegan route using Fieldcrest's Italian style sausage with fennel. Fennel will give it a mild flavor but still a strong one. 

These were cut up and first grilled in COuntry Crock.

These give the sausage a nice crispy edge to it before it's added  to the sauce.I used mini San Marzano tomatoes for this. Be warmed they do have a tough skin so they will take longer to cook and burst.

Garlic is needed for this too. The recipe calls for six cloves but I feel this is too much, Four will suffice.

This was minced into tiny pieces and added to the sausage now sauteing in a mix of Lidl olive oil and plant butter.

The sausage cooked up a bit too quick and next time I 'll add it last.I also added freshly ground pepper and oregano for more flavor.

While this was cooking I sliced up a loaf of Melissa's Organic polenta. These were  quickly fried on a griddle.

Fry until golden yellow and crispy

The sauce takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to cook up.  When the skins  start to peel off the tomatoes then take a spatula or even a fork and smash them/ Give ti a quick stir and serve.

Layer three to four slices of the polenta on a plate or in a bowl and ladle a good amount of the sauce over them.

I  truly loved this. It was an interesting take on the burst tomato recipe. Adding the sausage gives the dish more oomph and compliments the tomatoes sweet flavor. You can try this with with a chunky pasta too.I may try this with rotelli this next time although I like the polenta as a base too.

Try this burst tomato with sausage for a Father;s Day treat.This is the perfect Sunday lunch for the man of the house,. Add a glass of his favorite wine and enjoy.