Summer Cooking

During the summer it seems my desire to turn the oven on, especially in a house without air conditioning, is put on hold. After all, it is barbecue season.

Of course, here in the Northwest very few of us put our grills away for the winter. I mean, our weather is mild enough to barbecue all year long and rain really doesn’t deter us from being outside. But in the summer months our Weber gets a lot more attention, probably due to the lack of a pan or two to clean afterwards. Then again, that is also why I keep it up and running all year.

Grilled trout (if my partner went fishing that day or the day before), chicken or steak are the usual meaty things, and if asparagus is in the house that will get grilled too. Most of the time a simple garden salad and good bread finish out the meal, but occasionally a baked potato is in order. Of course, by baked I mean microwaved. What did the homemaker do before microwaves?

Nary a stove or oven is turned on in our home unless absolutely necessary when the temperature is expected to be in the upper 70s or above. I’m not looking forward to the August baking for cake orders I’ve taken from friends and family, as August and September here are the hottest months of the year. Oh, the things I do for those I love!

The best part about summer is that so many fruits and vegetables are in season that cooking anything might not even be required. But grilling many of these fruits and vegetables along with the rest of your meal will bring out a lot of hidden flavors, especially peaches and bell peppers. So tell your stove to take the summer off and enjoy what the grill can do for you.