I HAD to choose the HOTTEST day of the year to come back!?!?!

Well, I've finally made my way back!!! Some months back, I took what I planned to be a short hiatus from writing this blog. Turns out "short" is a relative term.

Of course, I would pick the hottest day of the year (so far) to debut my cooking ideas!! Okay, again, I've lost focus. The goal here is FOOD, not necessarily cooking it.

My best suggestion for today is "Keep it cool!!!" It's 98 degrees outside, with a heat index of 107!!! The most strenuous food prep I wanted to do today was cut this cold melon.

I think there is nothing more refreshing on a hot day than a nice chunk of cold melon. I also find, we're much more likely to eat it up when it is already cut into chunks in a bowl as opposed to slices which can make for some pretty sloppy eating. Watermelon does tend to keep better, though when it is not cut. (This is NOT a problem at our house. It IS a problem making sure everybody gets a fair shot at the bowl before it's gone!) So, If it's going to take a few days to work your way through it, maybe you'll just want to cut a half at a time.

Want a quick cooler suggestion? Frozen grapes!!! Any grape will do and they're super simple. Simply rinse the grapes and drop them in the freezer for a bit. I like to spread mine out flat on a tray so they are frozen individually. You can grab a few by the handful for nibbling or, and I LOVE this, take a few of those frozen bits and drop them in your beverage in place of ice. I believe they stay colder longer than an ice cube AND they add a sweet touch. They look pretty, too!

Most important advice for the day: STAY COOL !!!!

In that vein, we're going out to eat tonight. why should I slave over a hot stove when we can pay someone else to do so? Seriously, our AC is malfunctioning so we just need to get out of the house.

What cool nibbling suggestions do YOU have for such HOT, HOT days?