Heat Wave!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, we’ve been having a major heat wave in the Midwest. Check out this picture from the Weather Channel. Gross. 

 

We don’t have central air conditioning in our apartment, so we have felt the full effects. Luckily, we have a window unit in our bedroom that my parents so graciously gave/lent to us! Otherwise, I seriously think we’d be shelling out some serious dough to stay in a hotel. I’m all for 4 seasons and enjoying the hotness when it’s hot, but this is pretty extreme. It was 91 in the apartment when I got home today!! 

Also, it was so hot, this centipede totally croaked in our bathroom!

 

This morning when I was getting ready I was remembering earlier this spring … At the end of March it was unusually warm – getting into the 80’s. Everyone was so happy and couldn’t believe how early they could bust out their shorts. But then it got cold again (back into the 50s and 60s), and everyone was all like, WTF Mother Nature?! -- this is too cold (even though it was average – maybe a little below average, but not tragic). And now it’s the beginning of July and it’s so effing hot out my face is literally melting off. 

We've been trying to come up with dinners that don't involve the oven in particular, but also not much work. We made cilantro lime chicken that I got from Women's Health March 2009. We, however, didn't broil it. I would recommend if you're not going to broil it, try it as a marinade. It was quite tasty, but that may have sealed the flavors in more.

 

Broiled Chicken Breast with Cilantro and Lime (Women’s Health, March 2009) Combine 3 Tbsp peanut oil, 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro leaves, 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 Tbsp chopped shallots, ¼ tsp cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread half in a pan and add the chicken; sprinkle meat with more salt and pepper, then top with the remaining mixture. Broil until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

We also made this potato corn salad that was surprisingly good. I thought it was going to be dry and potentially icky, but it was not. Oh, we also didn't let it come to room temperature because we figured it was pretty much boiling in our apartment anyways so serving it hot was room temperature.
 

Corn and Potato Salad (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Seven-Day Menu Planner, June 6, 2012) Place 3 ears fresh corn and 2 pounds medium red potatoes in a large pot. Add water to cover vegetables by 2 inches; add 1 tablespoon coarse salt. Boil, covered, about 2 to 4 minutes; remove corn. Continue to boil potatoes 10 to 15 minutes, or until very tender. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 1 medium finely chopped red onion, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon coarse salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cut the kernels from cobs and add to bowl. When potatoes are very tender, drain and add to the bowl with the onion and corn. Add ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil and smash the potatoes coarsely with a masher. Let mixture come to room temperature and add ½ cup finely chopped fresh basil and ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro; toss gently. (Adapted from “The Farm” by Ian Knauer, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012).

Tonight we made Cuban sandwiches and had leftover pasta salad from the 4th. Rob was skeptical about the sandwiches, but he ended up liking them too. 

In the meantime folks – stay cool with these tips!