Our pipes are fixed! Hooray!
However, that doesn’t really resolve the issue of our kitchen being unbearably hot, even without the oven being turned on. These two appliances are definitely going to be my BFFs during the hot and humid summer:
That’s a slow cooker and a George Foreman grill. Lately I seem to be making a lot of soups in the slow cooker. I know it’s probably weird to be making soup during the summer, but what can I say? I’ve been wanting soup!
If anything, I’m hoping this will help me be a little more creative. I’m definitely going to try out grilling yellow summer squash, instead of my usual way (roasting it). And grilling tofu can be just as delicious as baking it.
Speaking of soup, I ended up making a nice hearty stew the other night in the slow cooker.
I ended up adapting it from this recipe. I forgot to put soy milk in it, but I actually think I like it better like that. I also added 2 T. of olive oil, some yellow summer squash, and some fresh herbs from my garden. Mmmm. It’s especially good with the whole grain herb bread from Vegan Planet.
I put fresh basil, chives, and parsley in it, as well as dried marjoram and thyme. This is quite possibly my favorite homemade bread.
Okay I’m a total hypocrite. I talk about hating to turn on my oven, and then I bake bread and the fudgy wudgy blueberry brownies from Veganomicon (they are SO ADDICTIVE and yummy). But I’m at least using my oven less than I usually do?
And in exciting news:
My first ripe pear tomatoes! My father informs me that pear tomato plants are prolific, so I’m hoping we’ll be dining on lots of these little guys throughout the summer.
I hope everyone else who is gardening is having lots of success!