Cool dinners and treats

[PrincessPerky]

I know for most of the country I am early, but here in NC the temp is up, and I am avoiding my oven!

I do not have a crockpot which is the only 'fix and forget' meal maker I knew. Anyone have other simple easy ovenless minimal stove/work/cost meal ideas?

Also I try to send treats in to sunday school with the kids, but baking is well hot! What else can I do that is relativly easy and minimal mess to eat?

[Duchesse]

Salads and soup will never let you down.

Franks and beans. Quick and delicious.

Burgers and chips. Forget the fries it's too hot. Don't forget the pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, onions. mmmmmmm mmmmmmm

Tuna salad, chicken salad, crab salad, with crusty bread or crackers.

Grill chicken breast and slice into strips, Stack chicken, cheese and salsa on a tortilla . Tortilla can be grilled or placed into preheated oven, (yikes!) for 10 minutes.

Take the subway at home. Make Heros, some people call them hoagies.
turkey, ham, salami, roast beef, pastrami, corned beef.

If you must cook for a large amount of people indoors. Spaghetti with meat sauce can be make in less than 30 minutes. Add crusty bread and a salad. Voila!

[Fern]

I love cold summer salads.

One of my favorites: multicolored corkscrew or shell pasta, chopped fresh red pepper, sweet peas, crabmeat chunks tossed with italian dressing. maybe there was feta cheese in there too...

[LittleGopher]

My summertime meal plan includes grilling often. I make pasta salads in the morning, when it's cooler, for the evening meal (or if the ingredients don't hold up well mixed together for so long, refrigerate the prepared ingredients and mix before the meal.) I continue to use my crockpot two to three times a week in the summer. (If you get one, I'm sure you won't regret it...such an useful appliance!)

As far as the snacks for the kids goes ... have you tried creating a 'kids mix'? At the preschool where I work, we toss together all the little bits of leftover snacks, that aren't too revolting tastewise together, and create our special "Rainbow Mix" (our school is Rainbow Connection Preschool.) Usually the kids will eat any combination of treats, but a little sweet, a little salt, a little crunch makes a good mix. There are always a couple who will pick out the bits they don't like, and also keep in mind if there are any food allergies to work around.

At home I mix whatever is leftover - snacks and cereal - occasionally with sale-priced and stashed away M&Ms (my girls think any mix is superb when a bit of chocolate is added.) If you can get the ingredients for reasonable prices and/or generic, this is a fun one to share with the kids' friends. S'More Mix - combine together 3 Hershey's chocolate bars (broken into pieces), 4 cups of Golden Graham cereal and 2 cups of mini marshmallows. Ok, ok I know some of this is not the cheapest, but I can get the cereal in generic bags, and so far have bought the chocolate on sale... but it is a fun treat once in a while.

Also, I bake like crazy on any cooler days. Then I freeze it all, if I can get away with it! Try to make a stock pile of treats that way - just watch for freezer thieves - husbands can be just as bad as the kids!

How did this get to be so long? I spend too much time in my kitchen, I think! Good luck.

[PrincessPerky]

Thanks for the ideas.

How do you make tuna or chicken salad?

We don't do lunch meats/cold cuts..so that is out, though maybe we could use real meats, and cheeses....

I hate cold pasta salads, they are always tadting like italian, which I don't like...

I think sugary cereal and sugary marshmellows and sugary chocolate would give me a very suger high kid!

[boefixepa]

I cook outside. I use my camping stove and cook my chicken or burger on that. It uses those small propane things and they last a while. I even have a camping skillet and pan if the need is there. I also 'dutch oven' it. Sometime I eat a large lunch at work and just skip dinner altogether with a piece or too of fruit.

[Duchesse]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

Thanks for the ideas.

How do you make tuna or chicken salad?

We don't do lunch meats/cold cuts..so that is out, though maybe we could use real meats, and cheeses....

I hate cold pasta salads, they are always tadting like italian, which I don't like...

I think sugary cereal and sugary marshmellows and sugary chocolate would give me a very suger high kid!

Whenever you need a recipe just type it in on your browser. (tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. Many sites will come up with the recipe.
Some good sites: www.cooks.com, food.aol.com, bhg.com

As for Heros with "real" meats, of course Corned beef, roast beef, thin sliced chicken breast or pork chops with sauted onions, meatloaf , and sausage(italian or sage, even jimmy dean type sausage) with onions and peppers all make great heros. In fact any meat you can put on a slice of bread can be a hero. Remember "A Hero Ain't Nothing But A Sandwich," Be creative!

You can use any kind of cheese you want. You can even havea cheese hero with the mayo or mustard. Don't forget the pickles and the lettuce and tomato.

canned tuna or cubed chicken mixed with mayo, (optional ingredients like relish, finely chopped onion, celery, hard boiled eggs) and a little salt and pepper is great on Hero bread or toast.

Girl, you're gonna be eating tonight! mmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm

[PrincessPerky]

I have major troubles searching online for recipies, I always have to sift thru tons of 'stuff' that isn't what I want

but thanks for the cool ideas for sandwhiches, I think I will put the good hoagie style bread n the list, I am now in the mood for the crusty outside, soft center kind...pathetic I don't even know what that is called!

[Duchesse]

[quote=PrincessPerky]Thanks for the ideas.

How do you make tuna or chicken salad?

Canned tuna or cubed chicken, with mayo some people use salad dressing such as miracle whip (I sometimes use both) (optional ingredients like relish, finely chopped onion, celery, sweet green or red peppers, chopped hard boiled eggs) salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a bed of lettuce or bread.

If you use the tuna version and add some cooked pasta (elbow macaroni is what I use) You now have, macaroni salad a great main course on a bed of lettuce.

Feel free to ask any other questions, I like to cook, eat, and talk about food.

[lrjohnson]

Sometimes I poach/boil a chicken breast or two. More often I have a boiled potato or two in the fridge (for breakfast sauteed potatoes.) And sometimes I have hardboilded eggs in the fridge too, for lunches, breakfast. All three of those things lend themselves to a cold salad. Chicken, mayo, and a veggie (raw zuchinni, raw celery, can of drained greened beans, whatever). Egg and potato, maybe add some olives. Chicken with a vinaigrette (or italian or oil and vinegar)-or,. if you don't like that, whatever salad dressing you do like-ranch, thousand island..... Any sauces can add a zing-a spoon of barbecue with potato chicken, pesto, curry powder, asian soy sauce or sesame oil. Cutting the mayo with yogurt, non-fat sour cream, or mustard keeps a bit lighter.

Instead of chicken, it seems tuna, salami, cooked pork or whatever meat could be chunked and tossed in. I use more veggie/potato than meat-it's tasty, but not expensive. I use a half chicken breast for a salad for 2.

Lots of canned or frozen veggies work, if drained, as well as fresh. Peas, corn, garbonzo beans, other beans.

For me, it also tastes better when a little closer to room temperature, not straight out of a very cold fridge.

[PrincessPerky]

Thanks for the tips! I like the yogurt one, yogurt I have planty of, mayonaise I rarely use..

[lrjohnson]

Things that are particularly good with yogurt: cucumbers, dill dried or fresh, red peppers, curry paste or powder. (Not all at once.....)

I am making potato chicken currey salad, thanks to your inspiration.

Cold lentil salad can be really nice...cook the lentils until they are still slightly firm, and not mushy-distinct little guys. Mix with something wet-dressing, yogurt, whatever-seasonings, other goodies.

[mciangel]

Question...
How long can potatoes (baked) stay in the fridge (in their peels still) before they go bad?

Another Question....
How long can a pitcher of cold brewed coffee stay in the fridge before going bad?

Thanks