Heat Wave

It is very warm here at the moment, and it does not look like it will improve much anytime soon. Thankfully, the young men building the barn across the way showed some sense, and went home. It is impossibly humid as well.

After all, it is only 36 degrees...C. It sounds better than 96 F. though, doesn't it?

The house stays pretty cool as long as I cook late at night or early in the morning. We're microwaving last night's curry, so that shouldn't add too much to the suffering. Mr. Eat The Blog has an hour long commute without air conditioning in his car, which was made all the more brutal last night by two serious accidents shutting down the Interstate. By the time he got home, all he wanted was a cold drink. The nerve of people, having accidents at rush hour on the hottest day of the year!

So here is some unsolicited advice to help survive the warm weather, and a smoothie recipe at the end:

Make friends in Nunavut, and visit them!

Clothes take longer to dry in humid weather. I have a ceiling fan in the kitchen, so before bed, I hang the clothes on the wooden rack and position it beneath the fan. By morning, the clothes are dry.

We have two large, West facing windows in the dining room. In each window, I placed large, white foam boards from the craft shop. These help to reflect the light away from the house and block sun much better than curtains alone.

A damp dishtowel around your neck will keep you cool as you cook.

Someone suggested baking granola on a baking sheet on the front seat of the car-I'm seriously considering trying it. The only problem is that I'd be forced to go outside and stir it every once in a while.

Blueberry/Cherry Smoothie

The trick to this is having the fruit either frozen, or at the least, on the verge. This eliminates the need for ice cubes. You can of course use soy, rice or any other milk substitute.
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sugar to taste
Enough milk to thin

Blend well and serve it up in a pretty glass. We had these last night and they were delicious.