Today the temperature climbed to the triple digits on Cape with a humidity percentage too high for me to repeat here accurately, so let's just say I showered this morning and by midday it looked like I was carrying a standard poodle on top of my head and I had to trade in the waist apron for the full length, wrap around your neck apron because I had sweat so much that my white work blouse was starting to make me look like I was donning an entirely different sort of maid's outfit...
So, by the time dinner rolled around, the steak we'd reserved for the broiler seemed like a sorry option. The dinner we rapidly improvised was cold, simple, and tasted like sweet relief. Dinner conversation, however, was somewhat lacking because my mother first asked, “How was your day?” and then responded to my, rather long, dialogue by saying, "You know, I think these clothes might actually be glued to me at this point," and I decided it was better to just enjoy the refreshingly chilled food in silence. In her defense, it really is that hot.
Shrimp cocktail (the shrimp were frozen, I'll admit, but not pre-cooked. If you do buy frozen shrimp, this is absolutely the best option because buying shrimp that are frozen and already cooked is pretty much paying for chewy water), assorted crudités -- a mix of vegetables from the store and the local farmer's market --, a salad of fresh mozzarella from the local Chatham Cheese Company, tossed with one, hunky, yellow, tomato from the garden, salt, pepper, and fresh cut basil, and then a quick carrot slaw with rice wine vinegar, olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, salt and pepper, mint, and fresh Thai basil (also from the garden. Gardening tip: unlike squash that starts to erode your patience by the end of the summer with its persistence, fresh basil rarely wears out its welcome). Too hot to cook? Never, just tweak the menu.
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