I'm melting.

It's hard to cook when it's 105 outside. My options are fairly limited-I mean, I can BBQ, but that means I have to go outside. And I can make something on the stove, but its already so hot in my kitchen I don't even have the light on.

See, we don't have a/c. We have what's called a Master Cool. Which is basically a glorified swamp cooler. Which, if you live in a normal climate and don't know, is this. We run it all night, so by morning the house is wonderfully chilly...it's the coming home from work part that's quite literally hellish.

But we'll survive. I grew up in heat, and even though seven years in San Diego completely spoiled me, I re-acclimate ok. As much as I don't want to.

And so, armed with the new issue of Cooking Light, I made my menu for the week. Of course, I could have started off with a no-cook meal, such the caprese I made this weekend:


Buuut I'm a glutton for punishment. I opted for a Baked French Onion (recipe courtesy the Parallel, who I am happy to say is writing not just one fabulous blog these days, but two. Who got the recipe from her sister, I believe...I do adore the MacVittie fam...) and wine-steamed chicken stuffed with gorgonzola and topped with a balsamic-honey reduction. Oh. Yes.


Hot? Yes. Worth it? Um, yessss. And now, I'm off to run through the sprinklers before taking my third cold shower of the day.


Baked French Onion
White onion
Beef bouillon cube
1 tsp butter
1 slice Swiss cheese
Tin foil
Parsley, to garnish

Easy. Cut ends off onion and peel it. Take a melon baller or small spoon (a teaspoon worked well) and scoop a hole in one end.


Place bouillon cube and butter in the hole. Top with cheese(break it up a bit). Wrap in foil, hole side up.


Either BBQ on med-high or bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. (I used the toaster oven.)

Not exactly the prettiest once you cut into it completely, but ridiculously easy and just as delicious as if you'd made soup. And way less time over a stove.


-posted out of necessity from my iPhone.