Surviving the Heat

Summer is finally here. We’ve waited so long, especially after all that rain we’ve been having. Now I’m not so sure if I am excited over the arrival of sunny and hot weather, because it is hot. 32 C outside and 32 C in our sunroom.

My wife and I are getting over a cold. Summer colds are no fun; difficult to get rid of. If you stay in the heat you suffer because of the sweating and if you go into an air-conditioned place you may get your cold back because you are sweating. Where we got this cold we don’t know. Who can we blame? Many times we get colds from our grandchildren, but this time it could also have happened at the funeral we were at last week. Funerals are sad affairs and it would be appropriate to walk away with a cold. It also possible we got it while eating out. But we are getting better.

Yesterday I felt pretty good and had a steak for supper, with a baked potato, steamed mushrooms and corn on the cob. And let’s not forget the beer I drank. A feast for a King (and Queen—my wife had a steak also). Well, this universe we live in is a trickster. Last night I barely slept because of the nauseous feeling and the lump in my stomach. Nothing is ever truly enjoyable.

Today I made a soup. We still had turkey bones in the freezer. I added a couple of chicken thighs and plenty of vegetables. Even used some of the Kale I’m growing in the garden and my own parsley. When my wife boils broccoli she doesn’t throw away the liquid. We save it, put it in the freezer and I use it for my soup instead of just plain water. It’s like a broth, but I still have to add spices. I don’t really have a recipe. I sort of just put everything together like a dash of this and a dash of that. I don’t add any salt. That comes later. If the taste isn’t strong enough, sometimes I add a carton of Chicken broth, again also later.

Speaking of broth. I’ve been reading in recipe books and on the internet how to make broth. They always cook the vegetables and then they disregard the vegetables and use only the liquid. What a waste! We throw nothing away. The vegetables end up in the soup.

We don’t throw much away. If it is usable we keep it for another day. It is probably our upbringing. We grew up during and after the Second World War and food was scarce. We were happy with anything we had and our parents made due. Nothing ever got thrown away. So many people today, especially in Canada or the US, would never survive the conditions we lived through. When I see all the waste in restaurants or other places I cringe. Also, many people don’t know how to make good-tasting meals with few ingredients. Perhaps they’re also too lazy to bother. They’d rather go and buy readymade unhealthy foods instead of making their own. Soups are the easiest to make and they are always good and healthy. Also cheaper than buying cans. There really is no excuse for not cooking your own food. You can find all kinds of recipes on the internet or just buy a cook book.

I enjoy making soups. Especially on a hot day like today. Also, it gives my wife a break. I told her to get out of the kitchen and just relax in the sunroom while I ‘slave’ in the kitchen making soup. Washing and cutting and slicing the vegetables is grueling work and I need the whole counter for that. I admit sometimes it gets a bit messy, but I always clean up after. By the way, we have a pressure cooker and you don’t have to simmer the soup on the stove for hours like in the old days. Once the soup boils then it takes about 15 minutes until it is done. Wonderful invention these pressure cookers.

Today, I don’t know who got the better deal—my wife or I. While she relaxed in the sunroom with 32 C, I spent a couple of hours in the air-conditioned kitchen where it was a comfortable 24 C.

While we were sitting in the sunroom, we got a small thunderstorm and it rained quite a bit. Fortunately, no hail, but the temperature dropped about 4 degrees, which made it more bearable sitting here.

We had a couple of bowls of the soup for supper. My wife is always the one who cleans the meat from the bones, which we discard. We eat the meat. We also add rice to our bowl and have a good meal. This soup tasted delicious, one of the best I’ve made in a long time. Of course, I haven’t made soup for quite some time. I didn’t have to add any spices. The soup tasted great the way it was, right out of the pot. I must say: I am a Soup-Smith.

Enjoy the Summer.

I’ll be back.