Kitchen

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

Do your meals change with the seasons?

I tend not to make the heavier meals like chicken n biscuits, pot roast, soups/stews, or even chile in the summer.

Last week was 90 and the thought of a heavy meal was not appealing.  It was too flippen hot and humid to even think of eating something like spaghetti and meatballs.

Summer it's grilling chicken, burgers/hot dogs, salads etc.  A lot of salads. I will put pork in the crock pot and use the meat for sandwiches occasionally.

I find cooking in the winter easier, more options and we have more of an appetite. 

[Kachina624]

I tend to want meals that are light and simple to prepare, like a salad, in the summer.  I wouldn't be opposed to a casserole that I could just reheat for several meals. 

[Carolina925]

I don't even want to think of cooking in the summer. Give me salads and a rotisserie chicken and I'll be content. One would think I should shrink down to a nice size in the summer, huh?

[SloopJohnB]

@CrazyKittyLvr2  Although realistically we don't have 4 seasons here......I do tend to cook lighter fare during the spring and summer months.  We will have a lot more salads and light dinners, like sometimes just cold cuts with fresh rolls.  Don't eat heavier, heartier stews and chilli and things like that.

[ALRATIBA]

Other than not using the oven in the summer - I generally eat the same types of foods all year.

A lot of what I make can be served hot or cold.  

[justashopper]

I totally agree-- the weather makes a difference.  Summer meals are lighter, but not always lighter in calories!  

In the winter, I make a huge pot vegetable soup every week.  In the summer, not at all.  In the summer I also like a lot of fruit that is not available in the winter-- melon, peaches, plums.  I also make more salads.  Not just greens, but beans, potato, macaroni, & ambrosia salads that last a few days in the fridge as sides.

So yeah it is a different menu for me as my pallete is, too.  Also if it's super hot, I don't want to heat up the house cooking... I keep the AC pretty cold, so I can use the oven or whatever and it's not that big of a deal.  but somthing about that hot kitchen is not appealing at all.  

[mspatmac]

I eat lighter in summer.  Love melons, fruits and salads.  

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

@justashopper   We eat a lot more fruit in the summer. I can eat more strawberries, blueberries etc. than I can citrus or apples. DD and I love any berries. Watermelon is great. I like cantalope, she doesn't. 

I like potato or mac salad, DD doesn't.  Same with baked beans.  She doesn't like colesalw either. It is a good thing I love DD she can be a pill when it comes to some food. lol

Your veg soup comment reminded of my Mom.  She had the best veg beef soup.  It is a simple thing to make but mine doesn't taste as good as hers did.  A pot of her veg soup and a loaf of crusty bread is my idea of a meal.

[aroc3435]

@CrazyKittyLvr2   I cook the same types of meals year round, but I do take advantage of sales and seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables.

Both my significant Other and I both enjoy cooking and between us we have a well stocked kitchen in terms of appliances, utensils--just name it!  He even makes pizza from scratch and is usually the dessert pie maker.

We have the Oster XL countertop convection oven, the  Instant Pot,  and the largest Nesco roaster so unless we have a crowd  we don't need to use the big oven, except at Thanksgiving--when everything gets used.

I even roast a complete turkey dinner at least once each summer in the Nesco or Oster countertop oven.  Frozen whole turkeys are usually marked down this time of year.

I always have homemade chicken stock and marinara and meat sauce in the freezer and keep a wide array of seasonings, condiments and spices on hand.

Tonight we will have the last of the lasagna we made Wednesday with a tossed garden salad and garlic bread.

We both like all kinds of cuisine so we are always trying new recipes to keep our "tried and true" recipes repetoire from becoming boring from too frequent repetition.

aroc3435

Washington, DC

[Sooner]

I'm not sure we eat a lot lighter, but we do cook and use all the fresh produce we can get.  But we do that in the winter too.

So because of this discussion it occurs to me we don't eat a lot of heavy food in the winter.  We often make stir frys, tacos or taco salads, veggie soups, chili, roasts, citrus, apples, beans, berries, burgers, salmon and shrimp, roasted veggies and such all year.  

So I'd say we don't eat a lot of heavy, carb laden food any time.  And I couldn't go all summer without chili.  Ever!