Here Comes Summer

One thing we did not realize when we moved up here is that most people do not have air conditioning, in fact, people who DO have it are seen as kind of weird. So imagine our surprise when our rental does NOT have air conditioning. And it is supposed to be 31C for the next couple days.

So what do we do?

We throw open all the windows in the evening to get as much cool air in as possible, and leave as many open over night as is safe.

In the morning we close all windows with sunshine on them and open all those with shade and cool air until it gets too warm and we close them. (And by too warm I mean that we feel warm air starting to come in rather than refreshing cool air).

We turn on all the fans we have.

We open the shaded windows if there is cool air coming in.

We dress cool and all little girls have their hair up.

We eat cold meals as much as possible, do not turn on the oven if at all possible using the toaster oven, slow cooker and electric frying pan.

How do you keep cool in the heat...and please don't say air conditioning! :-)

Just for fun, here is a new pasta salad we made for lunches this week.

Layered Pasta Salad

layer the following:

3 cups cooked and cooled shell pasta
1 lg red onion diced
2 cups peas
1 cup of ham chopped (I used the sliced deli meat I got on sale)

Mix and spread on top"
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup ranch dressing (I used buttermilk ranch and it was yummy!)

Top with:
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup halved grape tomatoes (I just chopped up the romas I had)

Cool in fridge for several hours before serving, mix well before serving.