Black bean and corn salad.
I got this from who-knows-where. It’s great when it’s hot because it uses frozen corn without cooking it. That can help keep it all fresh as you transport it to the picnic.

2 cans black beans well drained
4 cups frozen corn (yellow, white, mixed, doesn’t matter)
2 small red bell peppers chopped.
1 small red onion diced
3 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce (sriracha adds an interesting twist)
2 limes, juiced
about 4 tablespoons olive oil. Eyeball it until it looks about right.
salt and pepper
Throw all the ingredients into a big bowl and mix. Let stand at least 15 minutes or else corn is too frozen. Toss and serve.

Of a recipe given to me by a beautiful Italian Fullbright scholar studying with our department when I was a grad student. This is what her father used to do on summer days when they’d eat dinner outside.
4 or five very ripe peaches.
two bottles of pinot grigio or other light, white wine. (a lighter savignon blanc could also work, or a good Austrian Gruner Veltliner would be perfect)
Wash and slice the peaches. Cut off the fuzzy skins and drop the peaches into a pitcher with the wine. Refrigerate. Bring out 15 minutes or so before serving. You can also dilute this with sparkling water to make a spritzer.

Or a drink I made up myself but haven’t had in a while. Hmmm. Ideas for tonight.
Next time you grill, take a big pineapple slice, brush with a little light oil and plop on the grill over medium direct heat for about 4 minutes per side. In a shaker, add:
1.5 oz good tequila
1/4 teaspoon real maple syrup
half the grilled pineapple slice.
muddle together until slice is broken into pieces
Add crushed ice
6 oz pineapple juice and shake well.

Strain and serve with other half of pineapple slice over ice.
Or you can throw the ingredients together with more ice and blend for the frozen version. Serve with other half of pineapple slice.

Plane
Gotta get up out of this chair and go marinate tonight’s dinner and see if we have any pineapple.

Not what you are asking, but we have had a run of record setting heat. Today, much cooler, overcast, talk of rain…windows open until aftenoon heat sets in. Nice, I have to say. Thanks for checking in.

It might sound a bit counter intuitive but:

During the morning hours, make fried chicken. Let it cool to room temperature then into the fridge to be brought back out for a picnic/dinner with say cole slaw and a spinach salad.

Another summer meal:
Fry some sausage patties (can you tell I grew up in the South?)
Some beefsteak tomato slices
Onion slices
Cottage Cheese

And if you do not have air conditioning, get some window fans and put in upstairs windows blowing out. They help to draw the hot air out and create cross ventilation.

I get hot flashes alot these days,heh,and one thing that helps me is an ice cube at the base of my neck. Works really well to cool things down fast,why I’m not sure,but it works.

I also keep baby teething rings in the freezer,I wrap a washcloth around them and take them with me when I work outside in the yard.

It’s actually cool here in HotLanta today,high is only supposed to hit 80. We’ll be back in the 90’s by mid week though.

Move slow. Sleep in the afternoon. Here in Tucson, the temperature has dropped to 100 degrees now, after a high of 103. One of the best devices I’ve ever found for keeping cool is one of these cooling neck scarves with water-absorbing polymer blobs inside. They really work. Also, of course, wear a hat whenever you’re outside, and cover yourself with cotton gauze fabric instead of letting the sun beat down on your bare skin.

I’m planning a crock pot dinner for tomorrow. Pork, leeks, potatoes and apples, with fresh tarragon. Maybe some savory, too.