Much like you could have fried an egg on today’s asphalt, you could also defrost berries!
Berries that turned into the most delicious snack to date!!!!!!!!!!!!
Frozen/thawed raspberries, milk and CVILLE CLUSTER! I’ve been out of the most wonderful granola ever for a few days at home and broke up a bag at work. Matt was not happy since we only had 2 bags left (he’s waiting on a delivery to make more) and I stole a bag from the customers! I NEEDED it!
We came on home – wrapping up a nice day for a Monday – and I’m not sure who was sweating more, me or this:
It was so hot that I had to strip down and put on nothing but a tube-top dress. My beach coverup!
SO hot that….we turned on the air conditioning! I took a quick look at the forecast and deemed a 100* heat index + a day spent a lot at home tomorrow and a thermostat that read upwards of 85* (excluding humidity) worthy of air.
Believe it or not, Matt fought me to leave it off, but now that it’s on I’m almost chilled in here! But I don’t regret the decision. That is until the bill comes! [In all reality, I’ll probably turn it back off when this heat wave dies down a bit]
We have become experts at the 20 minute meal!
Catfish, which I had frozen and thawed yesterday, smothered in some Cajun seasoning, pan-seared and oven finished at 400* for 10 minutes
And a grilled corn, tomato, basil and garden greens salad
Flavored with salt, pepper, olive oil (1 tbspish) and a dash of apple cider vinegar. I massaged the swiss chard with my hands to help “cook” it down a bit.
The last of my gross chai tea
This dinner was a fake-out: we really ate in the dining room in the cool new air! But I’ll do anything for natural light.
Time to chill with my book!
Kristin @ eat healthy. be happy. live well. says
I definitely feel you on the A/C! Once it hit 85 in our house, we decided it was time to turn it on as well!! We will be cringing when the bill comes though…
Stay cool tomorrow!
Kalli says
I dislike using the air conditioner too but when it gets really hot sometimes you don’t have a choice. Enjoy your cool relaxing night kath! Looking forward to my overnight oats in the morn before my bike ride 🙂
Courtney@Courtney Grace: Love, Thoughts and Prayers says
What book are you reading? Mmm…good din din!
Baking 'n' Books says
Ditto. What is it your reading? Do you tend to favor fiction or non-fiction?
KathEats says
Still reading House of Riverton – I’m slow!
Jenny @ Fitness Health and Food says
Man it was hot here in MA as well. We were running around the north shore area looking at apartments and the heat of the sun was KILLING me! hopefully tomorrow will be easier!
Your snack and dinner look delicious! 🙂
Allie (Live Laugh Eat) says
We’re down to 3 bags of cluster?! Crazy! I hope I’m working when we make more!
Holly @ The Runny Egg says
It has been 90 degrees + for the past few days so we’ve had the AC on and then last night it broke 🙁
Laura @ Cookies vs. Carrots says
Oh man, I’ve been running the a.c. since April. It’s just too hot!
That dinner looks delicious!
Michelle @ Turning Over a New Leaf says
Same here! I live in West Texas and it’s been over 100* almost every day since mid-May! Our power bill was over $200 for the month of June. Yikes!!
Kristen @ Change of Pace says
Delicious salad… Not a big fan of catfish though 🙁 I think it’s one of those things where you are or aren’t. I’m the biggest whiner with the AC. I hate being hot. I could probably live in Alaska and be just fine 🙂
Pat says
You’d be fine today. It’s 65 and ovrcast in my little part of Alaska!
Carol says
NO A/C?!?!?!?! I live in Miami where my AC is on 24/7! LOL!
Hilary says
You could rival Rachael Ray with your whole 20 minute meal thing! 😉 And nice trick with the berries on asphalt!
cathy says
kath, that’s hilarious that you *stole* granola from the customers – love it.
i’ve caved to a/c, too – hot ‘n’ humid here. but i only put it on to sleep at night. it really bugs me when people up here complain about the heat! our season is far too short!!
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
Haha! I tried frying an egg on the sidewalk once… it didn’t work!
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio says
Enjoy chillin’ with your book verses sweatin’ with your book!! Tomorrow’s going to be super hot here in VA.
Julie H. says
No worries on the granola…. Now they have to come back for more bread AND granola! 😉 All’s well, Matt! ‘
What a snack! Yummmm! And stay cool, Kath!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
Gross chai tea…eh?
a tube-top dress. My beach coverup! = the print from the tiny bit I can really see looks like something very Anthropologie-ish. It’s adorable and I love it, where ever you got it from.
The tomatoes and ACV dressing on the greens..love it!
KathEats says
so not Anthro! I think cheap-o target
Krissy - Shiawase Life says
I still give you mad props about the AC, ours has def been on since May.
Pat says
Had to take folks to the airport today, so I got to go to GH Anchorage! Yay – 3 loaves, including my favorite cinnamon chip. 🙂
KathEats says
Number one store in the country!
Pat says
Oh my, I didn’t know that! 🙂 It had lots of lines yesterday noonish – one each for samples, breads and sandwiches!
Cait's Plate says
I’ll do anything for natural light as well. My boyfriend makes fun of the crazy positions I get myself into just for a little of it!
I actually wrote a whole post once about how where I take my pictures is not usually where I end up eating.
Katherina @ Zephyr Runs says
I can’t figure out the right keywords to search for that post… so I’m being lazy + polite – link plz? 😀
Cait's Plate says
Haha – no worries! I first “confessed” doing it here: http://caitsplate.me/2011/06/21/a-lovely-bowl-of-oats/
Then posted more about it here: http://caitsplate.me/2011/06/24/rain-in-my-oats/
🙂
Angie @ Musings of a Violet Monkey says
Supposed to be 99* here in CLT tomorrow, with heat index of 105*!
AC all the way… since April. 🙂
I would like to eat more fish… that looks good!
~
Miranda @ Working Mom Works Out says
I can’t believe you’ve made it this long with no AC. I think us Alabamians take it as a given that it just stays on all summer.
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
Your eats look amazing! YUM! I hear ya on the heat. It was crazy today! I was at the lake with the kids for an hour and a half and it was crazy hot! Enjoy your book tonight!
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife says
I am all about the AC, b/c it is SOOO hot & humid here! You start dripping the SECOND you step outside. Truth, I tell ya! 🙂
Jen says
That salad looks divine – great colours! Our a/c hasn’t been turned off for about a week now. We live in a perpetually warm apartment so once the humidex & temps jump up outside, that air goes on and stays on until we have a good storm to clear things out! Enjoy the chill!
Eileen says
haha – I also forced my husband to let me turn on the a/c when the thermostat hit 85. Otherwise I won’t get anything done, except sit around underneath the ceiling fan all day 🙂 Still have no working a/c in the car though, and am not looking forward to dealing with that tomorrow!
Katherina @ Zephyr Runs says
I love that yall are stingy about the a/c, so are my and my boo. Just at night when we’re sleepin’! (I’m in Orlando, man, it’s HOT. 90*+ every day!) I feel ya on the natural light… sometimes I just get lazy, but I’ve found myself in some strange positions trying to get in a good shot 😉
JenATX says
you are lucky that you & Matt are relatively on the same page when it comes to the AC…. I live in Texas and the bf doesn’t like to turn on the air when its 100 degrees out and his AC reads 80 degrees. Its awful, just awful. The heat makes me cranky and then we get in fights and its ridic! Argh! Excuse the rant…. it could be worse though i suppose
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
I’ve always wanted to actually try and fry and egg on asphalt. Today would’ve been a good one to test it out!
kaila @ healthy helper! says
You discovered my favorite snack! I have it all the time! The mix of frozen fruit crunchy granola and creamy almond milk is delicious! I always add some dried fruit too….either dried figs or raisins for some chew!
Kie says
That lunch looks great! Check out the famous Hong Kong egg tart: http://hongkongintern.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/egg-cellence/
Maria says
My Fiance and I are always in an A/C debate! I can’t help that I like to cuddle up with a blanket in the middle of summer! 🙂
Granted though, my conscious kicks in and we usually keep it off. But at 100 – no thank you!
jenna k says
i think the heat wave’s just supposed to last a couple more days, so your bill shouldn’t be tooooo bad. 🙂 our air broke at some point last week, and it was crazy hot in my apartment this weekend. 87 inside doesn’t work for this girl. it made baking and working out (i use dvds) impossible. thankfully, they came to fix it today, and i was even able to turn the temp up a bit since i’d acclimated to the warmer inside temp.
Kim@ The Future Dr. B-S says
Ugh – the heat index in NC was 103 today. I thought I would DIE. I keep the indoor temp at 76 – and even that didn’t seem to provide relief. I couldn’t do lunch because of it! LAME
Lisa @ Sunny Seed Stories says
My husband and I have that struggle against using the A/C–the heat as well. I am always the one who caves. But at least the end result is us being cool (or warm)! 🙂
lynn @ the actor's diet says
god my husband is addicted to A/C. luckily we don’t need it where we are in LA at all, but when we lived on the east coast our electricity bills were sky high!
Ellie@fitforthesoul says
haha Matt fought you?! That’s so funny~But yeah, that’s really something to think about! I bet when I’m married I’ll be a bit more concerned about the electricity bill due to AC 🙂
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes says
ugh the heat can be death!! glad you didnt melt 🙂
Hannah says
Clustered Kath = Happy Kath = Nicer to Customers Kath, so really the customers win by you taking their granola!
Lesley Lifting Life says
When it’s that hot, the AC is a very nice thing!!
Robyn @ Blueberries and Oats says
Yum that snack looks sooo refreshing!
Today was a blazer! It reached 94 here in Montana so I can only imagine the heat you guys felt there!! Stay cool!
Aine @ Something to Chew Over says
Cute dress! And good eats as usual 🙂
No need for AC here in Ireland!
Brittany @ Itty Bits of Balance says
Defrosting berries on the sidewalk!? Now that is what I call productivity 😉
Jumanah @ Healthy Living in the Middle East says
I am very impressed you have gone this long without AC! I would never be able to stand it!
Your salad is making my mouth water!
Cait @ Beyond Bananas says
Hahah love the defrosting berries on the sidewalk! Hope the weather cools down a little bit for you today!
Margo @ Peanut Butter Trees says
Agreed that AC is necessary with this heat wave! Hope it cools down soon.
Hillary says
Major props to you guys for going this long without air conditioning! I don’t know how you sleep in a house that hot at night!
Stephanie @cookinfanatic says
wowza i cant believe you haven’t used a.c. with temps like this here in va, i’ve never heard of that before?! i’d dieee sleeping, cooking, blow drying my hair…plus my dog who’s home all day would probably have a heat stroke haha! that tomato basil salad looks reallllly refreshing – yum! stay cool, i think you’ll be happy with that a.c. today since heat index is 109 degrees 😉
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
We barely ever turn on our AC – we really could have used it yesterday though. It was sweltering!!
Meredith says
I’m sure I could save money if I didn’t use the AC, and yes, my grandmother grew up in Georgia without it and my mother didn’t have it growing up … but by gum, if someone invented it and I can afford it, I’m going to use it! I’m not the least bit interested in being sweaty and grumpy to save some $$$.
Of course, once we get the electric bill after this recent 100 degree+ heatwave in South Carolina, I might feel differently…
Molly @ RDexposed says
My central AC is free with rent. It is always cold in here!
Katie says
I’m still reading The House at Riverton as well and have about 100 pages to go. I’m glad you got to “chill” with your book. I didn’t get a chance to read last night, but I read a little this morning and hope to finish in the next few days. Have you read The Forgotten Garden? I believe you recommended Sarah’s Keys in another post. A friend and I were talking last night about reading it together.
KathEats says
Riverton is pretty slow 🙁 I haven’t read the Forgot Garden
Hope says
I love your dinner! It looks asbolutely delicious! Stay cool! Today is supposed to be even worse. I can only imagine how high our electric bill is going to be from running the AC so much 🙁
Angel7 says
The C-ville cluster will be replenished eventually. You must have quality control on every 10th bag or so 🙂
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Tara says
This AC discussion is fascinating to me. I turn mine on as soon as I feel the slightest bit hot (usually in April), and then the AC is on constantly all summer. I keep it around 70 degrees because I have a dog who is easily overheated (she honestly starts panting when it hits 72 in the house).
For those who wait until 85 degrees+ to turn it on: is this due entirely to the high electricity bill, or do you just prefer it to be hot? I would pay almost any amount of money to be comfortable in my own home. If the money was an issue, I would rather pay for the AC and cut costs elsewhere.
KathEats says
I would freeze at 70*!
I honestly do like the house a bit warm. I like breezes and birds and fresh air circulating. I think AC feels sterile. The $$ part of it is a huge perk. But once the house goes from warm to HOT, then I think the $$ is worth it and since I no longer have my breezes and circulating air, I enjoy the AC.
Michelle @ Turning Over a New Leaf says
I’m toooootally the opposite. During the day I like my house no warmer than 75, or I feel like I’m going to die! I get so hot so easily!
I also cannot sleep with it over 69 degrees! I pretty much have to be in a frozen coma to sleep well. Hah!
We live in hot West Texas with very few trees to speak of. We’re usually unbelievably hot during the summer, but it’s even worse this year due to the chronic and acute lack of rain. Over 100* almost every day since mid-May and no significant, measureable rainfall since October. On a normal year we have our A/C cranked from April-November. It still gets into the 80’s here in November, at least on the days it’s not snowing…
E says
I’m the same way… We’re in Ohio and ours goes on usually in May and stays on probably through September. Our house just gets way too warm (this house heats up SO easily & I can’t stand it to be above about 75) and we have no cross-ventilation, so opening windows doesn’t help much. It’s not bad on a more cloudy day, but if the sun’s out, the house goes up about 4-5 degrees more in temperature. We keep our AC set around 72-73. I give people who can stand to go without a lot credit…it sure would save quite a bit of money!
Crystal says
I’m impressed that you can tolerate having the A/C off for so long. I try not to turn it down much past 78, but need a cool room to sleep!
Do you think Tge Charlotte GH will ever carry that granola? That snack sounds delicious!
KathEats says
Ask ’em!
Kristi @ Hiding in Honduras says
We are in 90 plus temps daily with high humidity (in Honduras) and NO air conditioning! In a poorly constructed cinderblock house with a tin roof (basically an oven)….it heats up all day and sometimes never cools of at night. When we went home to NC for a visit a few weeks ago I found the heat actually tolerable and the AC blasting everywhere was too much for me! I was cold all the time!
lee says
Sooooo…I’m curious. Why keep drinking the chai tea if it was gross? (And I hope that doesn’t come across rudely…maybe imagine it being asked in a, “silly old bear” type of tone??) I just thought it was interesting to see that you were still drinking it, even though it does not sound like you’re finding it delicious. =)
KathEats says
Because I couldn’t stand to waste it! It wasn’t bad gross, just not my cup of tea gross 😉
Ellen Pearce says
This is nice. I think it’s going to take me a long time to read it all. I think if I soaked the granola over night and put it in a smoothie, it would work better for me. I just started a blog. It’s called Good Green News.com Maybe you’d like to read it while your eating. I don’t like to cook. I just like to eat food other people prepare. I got too heavy though Going back to steamed food and poached or soft boiled eats instead of frying. Good Green News.com shows environmental problems from the point of view of solutions people have found. Positive choices.
Julie says
Oklahoma has been over 100 degrees every day for 23 days straight. Some days up to 110 degrees! No fun at all.
The granola, berries and milk looks so good that I am going to have to have that for my afternoon snack. : )
rumfunandsun says
That looks yummy! And now that we are in Brunswick, GA I am so grateful for air conditioning! It is just a different kind of heat this far south!
Sandy says
I turned the air on for three days for my pregnant daughter-in-law but they left this morning and it went off. Right now it is 88 in my house but cool air supposed to move in tonight. I feel like it is winter when I have to close the house and we get too much of that in Indiana. I love the sounds and smell of summer and need to cherish as much of it as I can. We just live on the front porch in the morning and in the pool in the afternoon.
natalie (the sweets life) says
haha you and i are definitely on the same page when it comes to AC…My husband, not so much, but I’m slowly but surely changing his ways 🙂
Audrey says
I was reading the comments and couldn’t help but smile-I don’t turn the A/C on until the house reaches 90. I live in northern California, so I’m used to 100+ degree days. Anything below 75 and I think it’s a little chilly haha.
Lauren @ HeyLo says
I love that you are defrosting the berries in the sun! Very energy efficient haha.. Actually, I grew up in a desert and I have tried frying egg on the ground! But unfortunately, I was never successful even when it was 120+ degrees outside!