Seattle heat wave recipe, wrong number, laughing texans

We are expected to crack a 100 in Seattle today. For folks in the south ...this is the norm. And they are set up for it. Central air in homes,cars,offices,nursing homes,daycares,etc...... So when you southerners are making fun of us yankees for dropping in heaps in this heat (cousin in Texas). Remember... the only air conditioning to be found in western WA tends to be in malls, hospitals and high rises. The rest of us have to rely on air flow, cold showers and nudity. So while you Texans are laughing at us and calling us wimps.... Keep in mind WE have some choice phrases for you folks when you panic and drive off the road or run screaming for shelter when you get a little rain!

I found out yesterday that the new Lowes in Olympia is one digit off my phone #. How did I discover this? By the 22 wrong number calls I got from desperate people looking for fans and window air conditioners. Some of them were really nasty about it too. I do a lot of bitching about poor customer service. But IF I worked at lowes... I'd hang up on some of these people. At least 2 of the people who called me accidentally yesterday DESERVE to be slow roasted in their own homes. I mean whatever happened to good manners? SHEESH

But onward. Heres a great recipe for the grill if you are tired of burgers and ribs but still need to cook outside... because one more degree hotter in your house will cause a critical-mass spontaneous combustion.

You will need some sort of grilling pan or cast iron skillet for this.

Boil a pan of pasta of your choice (I prefer fettucini) drain and coat with two tablespoons of olive oil.

This recipe is for 2... so adjust as needed. Also all the vegetables in this recipe are coming straight out of my garden so adjust what veggies you use accordingly.

2 medium carrots sliced longways 1/8 inch
1 yellow crookneck squash sliced
1 onion quartered
1/2 (or so) cup broccolli

Coat with this marinade (recommend mixing the marinade in a separate bowl first)
3 tablespoons (or so) olive oil
1/2 tablespoon vinegar (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 tablespoon each lighly ground (for powdered herbs use teaspoon)
oregano
basil
tarragon

1/2 teaspoon each
red pepper (careful with this one)
bay leaf
rosemary
sprinkle ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Put carrots on heated grill first and let cook for about 3 minutes on each side, then add rest of vegetables. Cook till vegetables are lighlty browned on both sides.
Remove from grill and add to pasta.

For a fesh cool salad to compliment this dish
do this

1 sliced tomatoe, 1 sliced cucumber, 1/2 onion diced, 1 finely chopped clove garlic.
Put in bowl
add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (with the mother if you have it), sprinkle with a little sea salt, refrigerate for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.

I highly recommend a nice Chianti with this dinner!

The whole thing takes about 30 minutes from the first chop to sitting in the shade with a plate on your lap. Bon Appetite!

Heat Wave in Seattle

Sorry I havent posted in a few days... I've been in dental delerium. But its ok cuz my new dentist is hot! Almost as hot as Seattle right now. Mini - break massge sent along a note this morning with some simple and easy advice to beat the heat.. To survive the heat wave in more comfort and get a quick cool-down.... when just sitting around, put your feet in a bucket of water. For sleeping, wrap frozen gel packs in a towel and put one in your pillow, the other at your feet. Ice packs on the wrists or back of the neck keep the body temp down. Thanks Mini Break Massage!
Then theres the pan of ice in front of a fan.
The house was still in the high 90's at 10 pm last night so Jimmy and I took a bottle of wine, a blanket and set the laptop up outside to watch classic movies under the stars. It was sweet and romantic. We had a bit of a mosquito problem at first and no citronella, so we improvised and lit incens sticks and placed them in a circle around the blanket. It worked very well and smelled better than citronella. The experience reminded me a bit of drive-in movies. We chose a Humphrey Bogart movie, Sahara. Appropriate.... dont you agree? I think tonight will be Casablanca. In fact I think as long as this heat wave continues, we will drag out every Bogart-in-a-hot-climate movie we own. Just an FYI for you big screen junkies.... It was totally dark last night and the laptop is high res, so the screen seemed huge. So,for a fun and unusual experiene (for seattle) dont hesitate to drag your honey or the kids (if ya got 'em) outside to watch a movie tonight.
Really , this heat thing isnt so bad if you are willing to adjust your routine a little.