Easy cookin’ helps you keep summer cooler

If you are the type of cook who loves to linger over a stove, creating an intricate recipe, making sure everything is prepared properly and flawless in taste and appearance and would go to any length to assure this perfection, even in the swelter of summer, well, all I can say is, you deserve a medal for your heroism.

For the rest of us who are just trying to survive the heat without starving to death or draining our bank account on take-out orders, there are alternatives. Out of a mixture of necessity and creativity, many cooks, like myself, have come up with simple recipes to feed our families without perishing in the kitchen. Two weeks ago, I invited readers to submit their summer meal hacks and received a number of wonderful responses.

Mary Jo Furstenau, of Lewiston, writes that she likes to see local recipes because “lots of the ones they get as a wire story use things that most of us don’t have in the house!”

Furstenau sent a recipe that, she says, is great and “feeds a lot of people. I use the leftovers to make quesadillas.”

This recipe for Au Jus Beef Roast comes from “an old Lutheran Community Hospital Cookbook from Norfolk, Neb., dated 1995.”

Mary Jo Furstenau’s Au Jus Beef Roast

1 envelope au jus gravy seasoning packet

1 14.5 ounce can chicken or beef broth

1 packet dry Italian salad dressing mix

1 14.5 ounce can of water

1 3- to 4-pound beef rump roast

Place all ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on high for seven hours. Shred meat and serve on a hoagie bun or with a bowl of au jus dip.

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Barbara Cox, of Clarkston, offers her summertime magic meal that requires minimal cooking. It’s a quick, easy summer salad that “is good by itself or as a side to barbecued hamburgers or hot dogs,” Cox says. “I make it in the early morning and put in the refrigerator to cool. It (is) also great the next day.”

Barbara Cox’s Ham and Macaroni Salad with Peas

8 ounces salad macaroni

1 cup small diced ham cubes

1 cup thawed frozen peas

1½ cups mayonnaise

3 tablespoons white vinegar

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

Salt and black pepper to taste

½ cup diced red onion

1 diced stalk of celery

½ diced red pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining ingredients, including macaroni. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least one to four hours, but preferably overnight. Serve chilled. Refrigerate any leftovers.

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Finally, Charlotte Omoto, of Moscow, offers a few recipes for hot weather that don’t require any cooking.

“First is a dish I was introduced to in Italy, prosciutto and melon. I use cantaloupe and it is best when they are so ripe that you can smell them. Just cut wedges of cantaloupe, peel and wrap with sliced prosciutto. The basil are just for decoration. Easy, peasy.”

Charlotte, you’re my kind of woman.

Her second recipe, she says, “is a Japanese favorite: cold tofu with ginger. I think it’s quite refreshing on a hot day. It certainly was in hot and humid Japanese summer. People from Grangeville probably won’t like it, even if they can find soft tofu in a Grangeville grocery store, but my Caucasian husband likes it now — but we have been together for over 30 years.

“Use soft or silken tofu, sliced (into) squares and (and top with) grated fresh ginger (I actually keep my ginger frozen and take it out to grate). I also (top with) sliced green onion and drizzle (with) soy sauce.”

You can’t get much simpler than that. Thank you, Charlotte, Barbara and Mary Jo. (By the way, Charlotte, you can indeed find soft or silken tofu in Grangeville ... just sayin’).

Next week we will continue with a few more recipes from readers who like to do more with their summers than spend all that time cooking. See you then.

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.