[ameeker]

In the summer I like to get whatever is growing in the garden and eat with as little cooking as possible. My faves are semi-pickle salad, stuffed tomatoes, bruschetta and grilled zucchini. During the summer we use the grill A LOT, I have a special place in my heart for tin foil dinners. I also do things to cut the cooking time on things that have to be cooked, like I only boil corn on the cob 2-3 minutes, trust me on this one. I also like to do the shorter cooking time pastas, like gnocchi and angle hair (3-4 minutes tops). Often if I know it's going to be a scorcher, I'll do whatever cooking that can be done ahead before the sun comes up, like noodles or potatoes for a salad or something, bacon for a big fat BLT, or ground beef for tacos or nachos, or maybe honey nut chicken sticks (a RR recipe, which are GREAT cold). I also love a good bowl of coleslaw, it goes with everything and it stays crunchy for days. Yumm.... Another good way to keep the heat down is to use the broiler, it will cook most things in a just a few minutes, and then you shut it OFF before it heats up the kitchen. We use it for nachos, french bread pizzas, Mexican pizza, and pretty much any small snacky frozen food that needs a quick heat up before serving. I also like to use the crock pot, but I don't use that too often in the summer unless I need beer brats, a pot of chili or a batch of baked beans.