[EvaClement]

I have been buying thin sliced cold cuts, sliced swiss cheese, heavy rye bread, and sauerkraut (in glass jar which I drain for easier use).

I just toast the bread in the toaster, melt cheese on it in microwave, and serve cold (rather than toasting it in a skillet with butter which is only nice on cold days when one is trying to warm up the kitchen). Served w/ sliced tomatoes.

We have had this several times a week since it's been so hot, and it works; I am just hoping someone can suggest something else for variety.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

I have a decent sized toaster oven that I plug in out on the deck and bake in that.

[JenB]

I have an electric wok I use all the time. It doesn't heat the place up much at all. I can make stir fry, curry, fajitas (today's lunch and dinner), and it's easy to clean up, too.

[tioga]

ping to the what's for dinner thread...

[stayathomemom]

Believe it or not, here in the Detroit area we have been having September weather all month. There have been some days when all we want is a cozy meal, so I haven't minded turning on an oven.

[alnick]

I'll take either a chicken brest tenderloin or an orange roughy filet and put it, frozen, on the George Foreman grill (it'll be done to perfection in minutes). I'll probably make a simple fried rice recipe or some stir-fried veggies as a side dish.

[alnick]

Oh, and for days when I need to use the oven, I use my Nesco Roaster instead. It doesn't heat up the kitchen, and it does a great job of baking. I also use it as a crock pot. I use hte heck out of that thing. I've rarely used the oven since I got my Nesco Roaster/slow cooker.

[hispanarepublicana]

Home-made Pimiento Cheese:
Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Toasted, Chopped Pecans to Taste
1 jar pimientos, to taste
mayonnaise, to taste
crushed red pepper or Tabasco sauce, to taste

[hispanarepublicana]

You could also "assemble" a crockpot/slow cooker dish in a cool kitchen, then plug the appliance in on your porch or in your garage, if your kitchen gets hot that easily.
Slow cookers have been known to SAVE FREEPER MARRIAGES and KEEP FREEPER CHILDREN FROM STARVING during more active FReeper episodes (Lewinsky, post-2000 Election, 9-11, Shock and Awe, etc.).
CROCKPOT FAJITAS:
Into a crockpot/slow cooker, stack in this order:
1 beef rump or shoulder roast
1 cup dried pinto beans, washed
1 small can chopped green chiles
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 onion, chopped
1 can Rotel chopped tomatoes and green chiles
1 can water
Stack in order above. DO NOT MIX. Cover and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours (the longer the better). DO NOT OPEN LID. DO NOT STIR. Do not even look at it until it's done. When done, remove all but the liquid from the crockpot and put into a large casserole dish. Drain off excess liquid. With large forks, shred the roast and mix up the whole thing.
Serve with flour tortiallas and eat like fajitas. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, etc.
Makes A LOT of food.

[Texan5]

I cook meat and fish on the charcoal grill on the deck whenever possible in the summer-although we have had an unusually cool summer this year-September weather here, too. My husband is fond of spareribs on Sundays, so that is what I'm making tonight. I use Jim Beam #7 grilling sauce for a base, thin it with water and add my own onions, garlic, hot mustard, etc. I steam a fresh vegetable, cook texmati and wild rice or scalloped potatoes (also fresh-not processed or boxed), and make a salad to go with them. Shrimp salad with vegetable rotini and (bagged) spring mix greens, radishes, cucumbers, etc is hubby's favorite cold supper. Why he likes bagged greens instead of fresh ones is beyond me, but it certainly is a lot less trouble for me. We do not eat processed or precooked food because we like everything fresh, and we do grow many of our own vegetables-it is a bit more trouble, but nutritionally friendly.

[diamond6]

Two great sites for recipes would be Foodtv.com and allrecipes.com. The later has a rating scale where people not only rate, but add their comments, suggestions and revisions.

[Clinging Bitterly]

One of my favorites (and I don't make it often enough), stolen from an old friend who actually made this meal for a feature in Sunset Magazine:

It has no name really, I'll just call it Al Fresco poached salmon fillet:

You can do this on a gas grill or charcoal.

Use a large shallow roasting dish or a cookie sheet with sides, line with foil.

Coat the bottom of the cooking dish with butter and place one or two salmon fillets skin side down. Spread softened butter on top of fillets, sprinkle with plenty of lemon pepper, and salt to taste. Pour beer over top of fish until it is about 1/4" deep in bottom of cooking dish.

Cook until fish is done halfway through (doesn't take long), pouring on more beer as needed to maintain liquid level. Carefully flip the fillets (to avoid breakage, it's easier with four hands and two large spatulas), then coat the cooked side with butter and sprinkle on more lemon pepper, and pour on a bit more beer. Cook until done (and again it will cook rather quickly), then flip skin side down onto a serving dish.

Garnish as desired. For dinner I suggest serving with grilled chunks of marinated summer vegetables and your favorite dipping sauce - but this also makes an excellent brunch served with egg dishes.

On the patio I use a gas grill for economy and convenience, but I almost think charcoal cooks better (I hate those gas grill flare ups) and have been thinking about getting one of those big charcoal grill carts with the warming chamber on the side.

Also indispensable on the patio is a Coleman Steel Belted cooler stocked with a variety of cold beers. The Steel Belted will melt about a bag of ice a day in the 80s, nothing else can touch it.

[jellybean]

Carlo, seems Eva's lookin' for supper. You wanna give her a hand in the kitchen?