You may have noticed that I complain about the heat a lot. That’s because it is HOT here, people! It’s steam coming out of your ears hot. It’s fry an egg on the sidewalk hot. It’s the kind of hot that has Linda Ronstadt’s Heatwave on autoplay in your brain. Even your fingernails sweat here. And, don’t even get me started on the humidity!
I love how movies, like the 1981 classic, Body Heat, portray our sweltering Florida summers as sultry, sexy and steamy affairs where everyone moves about languidly peeling off their clothes. Pulleaze! There’s nothing remotely glamorous or sexy about triple digit temperatures. If people are peeling off clothes around here, it’s most likely to jump in the pool – not into bed. And, trust me, no one looks like a young Kathleen Turner did– except…well…maybe a young Kathleen Turner. Even she, apparently, had some frizz issues.
As uncomfortable as it is in my neck of the woods, those of us who live here have gotten used to it. If nothing else, we have industrial strength air conditioning wherever we go. This past week or so, however, has brought uncharacteristically hot weather all through the Midwest and Northeast. Friends in Michigan and Massachusetts have been reporting blistering temps climbing into the 100’s. That’s just brutal! Here I am, whining about 98 in the shade from my cool, air conditioned perch while half the country is roasting in Mother Nature’s great big, giant oven!
Speaking of ovens, mine hasn’t been getting a whole lot of action lately. It’s just too damn hot. However, we still have to eat. So, I focus on making things that don’t require me to slave over a hot stove, like salads, chilled soups and of course, reservations. 
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