ottawa foodies

So what do you all eat when it's too hot to cook?

My kids do not recognize any of the salad universe outside of green, fruit or potato, so I usually have a vat of fruit salad in the fridge for the kids. There's usually a dish of cucumbers in vinegar or radishes for me to snack on.
We tend to eat bagels, sushi or if the kids bug me enough I'll boil potatoes and eggs for potato salad. There's usually a huge jug of homemade ice tea in the fridge.
Occasionally I'll buy some tortellini and cook them to serve cold with dipping sauces.

At work the temperature is miserable, so iced coffee is what I live on all summer long.

I cook outside on the grill! And drink beer while doing it :-)

I usually have cold cuts and salad for dinner although last night was cheese and paté. Lunch is usually chilled soup or sandwich.

I eat a giant bowl of hot Pho, sweat profusely for a bit, hop in the shower, then chill out with a mojito or some such tasty but not too sweet cocktail. Once in a while, anyway... :-)

If it was up to me, I'd eat ice cream all summer ;-)

But seeing as that isn't the best choice, instead I opt for a diet of Salads (pretty much any kind will do), BBQ Whatever along with fresh Veggies (Corn on the Cob would be a favourite of "The Man") and Cold Cuts. Cheese, Crackers and Pate are always on standby. As is a jug of lemonade and a chilled bottle of wine. I love the selection of fresh fruit, so there is always some of that on hand as well.

And oh ya, that occasional pint of Haagen Daaz or a late night run to Dairy Queen is always an option on those truly steamy evenings.

I do a cold cucumber and dill soup (so refreshing!) and/or an antipasto platter of cheeses, cured meats, olives and crusty bread YUM!

I just torture myself and cook anyway ;)

To beat the heat, I start drinking pastis again. And I plan on making a lot of lemonade this year, too.

Dairy Queen in an emergency. It's good to give in once in a while.

Dark sunglasses, and a seat on an airy patio at some restaraunt in the Market where the beer is always better than the food...

Momomoto...mmmm... pastis...

Hot Pot with everything that looks good at kowloon, uni and local markets, and avacado shakes.

I cook Chinese food every day for dinner. Stir-fry is quick and I don't feel the heat (the AC does its job well too!)

Occasionally, I die for few scoops of Haagen Daaz chocolate ice cream. But I have to watch out my weight.

Two years ago, I consumed almost 2 boxes of Godiva Chocolate Ice Cream Bars that I bought from Costco (they no longer carry it). That summer, I gained almost 5 pounds. Since then, I have problem to reduce my weight. So, I started to stay away from ice cream. Last week when my son took out an ice cream drumstick from the freezer, I just can't resist and asked him to bring me one. He said "you are too fat now". Oh boy oh boy.... How come ice cream tastes so good!!!

Ashley - I also have a terrible weakness for ice cream and don't know how to stop the cravings - it's just so good!!
I can't keep it in the house or I will do exactly what you did with the Godiva!

We usually do BBQ every day and then I make a salad with that and try to keep them interesting by using basic ingredients and then varying the "garnish" ingredients (canned tangerine slices, strawberries, walnuts, pecans, dried figs, dried cranberries, dried apricots, avocado, canned corn, different cheeses etc...)Plus I make my own dressings. Otherwise salad can get painfully boring!

For drinking I squeeze some fresh lemons and mix with a bit of sugar and lots of water and then add 1/3 lemon mixture, 1/3 soda water, 1/3 Gin and ice - so refreshing on a hot day.......

Yayy summer!

BBQ for me too.... but with Caipirinhas, Brazil's national cocktail, made with cachaça, sugar and lime.

Cachaça is fermented sugar cane juice, while rum is made from molasses.

See this Wiki entry for more info --> en.wikipedia.org <--

I never came across anyone else in Ottawa that drinks these little yumm-yumms. Are there any Foodies out there that share my passion for a wickedly cold Caipirinha ?

Salad and barbeque with iced tea, white wine spritzers or sangria. I like to bbq extra protein (shrimp, salmon, tuna,tofu, chicken or steak) and throw it in the next days salad. Also love Salad Nicoise or Cobb Salad--perfect one plate meals.
Captain Caper--haven't tried it but that drink makes me want to travel to Rio!

I had some cachaca from a friend who visited down south - just shots with lime though, nothing mixed. It was nice! Does LCBO sell it?

I'd love to BBQ, but I live in an apartment. So what do I do? I tend to dine out a lot more in the summer. Otherwise, I'll make salads, veggie sandwiches, iced tea, or one pot meals (like chili or curry) that can be easily reheated in the microwave.

edit: the Aeropress coffee maker makes wicked iced coffee.

Hey Chimi:
Yes, The LCBO carries a cachaça. It's Pitú brand from Brasil.

PITU CACHACA
LCBO 600833 | 750 mL bottle
Price: $ 24.55
40% alc/vol

Not the best cachaça I ever had but not bad.

This one is the unaged clear style but I prefer the barrel aged stuff. And like aged tequila, it's straw colored.

Oh awesome, thanks CC! I've been wanting to try cachaça forever. I'll have to drop by the candy store and pick one up to flesh out my liquor cabinet!

Careful out here to everyone who has not tried cachaça and wants to.

I find it great in a Caipirinha, but some people like to shoot it straight (or should I neat), with no ice.

It has a very distinct after taste. I tried a few cachaça shooters and found it tastes like something run off my 'ol gran-pappy's still. ¡Aye Carumba! or should I say ¡Aye Caipirinha! ... so be warned.

Note that this cachaça is also available via the LCBO:

SAGATIBA PURA CACHACA BRAZILIAN RUM*
LCBO 74914 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 29.95
Spirits, ,
40.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Made in: Brazil, Brazil
By: Sagatiba Brasil S.A.

Wow... I missed the Sagatiba .... must be a relatively new listing.

Now if I could only get my lips on some Sagatiba Preciosa or Sagatiba Velha.

For more info follow this link --->
www.sagatiba.com <---

Just picked up a bottle of the Sagatiba that N8 told us about. Very nice! I haven't made a Caipirinha yet but I enjoyed a drop or two neat just to taste it. The predominant flavour is of white rum, but there's added complexity and depth. I'd almost say it has background flavours of Tequila and Gin. It's half way to a Long Island Iced Tea! ;-)

Hey FF:

I was on a Sagatiba hunt tonite while I was running an errand.

I landed at the large LCBO south on Bank St. (It used to be the flagship store and it is still the wharehousing point for Ottawa).

They said there database indicated that they had one bottle, but could not find it.

They also said the only stores (according to their database) with over 2 bottles were in Orleans or Kanata.

Maybe I'll try for a store to store transfer.

When the sun comes back out, I'm gonna have such a hankern' for a Caipirinha.

CC, the LCBO folks missed a location: Bells Corners (next to Loeb). They're showing an inventory of 5 right now (probably minus the one I bought this evening). Also, Barrhaven shows as having 3 bottles.

Oh my goodness, I believe the Mojito has just been dethroned. This Caipirinha is awesome! The only problem is that it goes down too quickly. ;-)

* 1 Lime, quartered
* 1 1/2 tsp White or blonde sugar
* Crushed ice
* 50 mL Cachaça

1. Muddle the lime and sugar in a tumbler. (I use a wooden spoon.)
2. Add crushed ice and Cachaça.
3. Stir and enjoy!

Okay, I have to pick up some Tequila to help me get rid of all that mint in my backyard come the summer, but since I don't grow limes I'll have to go buy some so I can try out a Caipirinha. I wonder if my homemade vanilla sugar would be good. Well, there's only one way to find out!