Who’s ready to stop turning their oven on? I’m pretty sure everyone’s hand just went up.
It’s that time of year when it seems just too hot to cook with the oven or even the stovetop. The La Mesa Branch Library has ideas for you to explore on alternatives to creating meals that won’t make you feel like you might melt away while you prepare your food.
Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook by Tyler Mal gives 50 different recipes on unique flavors.
Mal gives clear instructions on how creating a base ice cream allows one to incorporate all kinds of different flavors. The author also encourages the reader on how to create your own flavor or recreate a flavor you may have been hunting for. Equally refreshing, Aguas Frescas and Paletas by Ericka Sanchez offers up traditional and refreshing Mexican drinks and frozen treats. If you are a fan of horchata and lime or want something more exotic like hibiscus and orange you will be in for a treat. These recipes tend to have less sugar than what is found in grocery stores and all are alcohol-free.
I suppose we can’t survive on snacks alone all summer. How about we go straight from the freezer to plate in a short amount of time? We can just skip the stove altogether.
Bruce Weinstein has figured out a way to eliminate standing over any kind of heating element with his book From Freezer to Instant Pot. There are over 75 recipes in which you go from the freezer, lock the lid, and in just a bit of time you’re ready to eat. A similar title, From Freezer to Cooker, by Polly Connor, expands on this concept to include all slow and pressure cookers. Connor offers lots of tips on how to tackle each device with frozen foods.
Luckily, we live in a part of the country where grilling can be done all year round.
The Best Grilling Book Ever Written by Two Idiots by Ryan Fey and Mark Anderson ensures “If we can grill it, you can grill it.” One of the authors’ goals of this book is to show readers how everything can be made on a grill. Another simple grilling book, which also includes cheat sheets, is Easy BBQ: Simple, Flavorful Recipes for Home Grilling by Glenn Connaughton. This book keeps the ingredients simple, but flavorful, and preparation time is down to a minimum.
Storytimes have returned to the La Mesa Branch on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
Each week will feature one of the following programs: Miss Sara will be presenting Dance Party Storytimes with high energy education through song and dance; on alternating Thursdays Mr. Alex will present Family Fun Storytime in which parachutes, shakers, bubbles and more are incorporated into the fun. The La Mesa Branch is also a Cool Zone where anyone can come into the branch to enjoy our air conditioning while conserving their own utilities.
If you have any questions or are interested in any of the titles above, call the branch at (619) 469-2151 or visit www.sdcl.org.
Photo credit: Pixabay.com.
