Meeting the Heat with Flexibility

This morning was a hot - muggy - 76* July morning in Loudon County, Tennessee.

Not normal - at all.

The Dallas grass around here was soggy wet.  So wet that the paws were just soaked on the pups when they came back up to the porch after their morning romp out in the yard to take care of business.

And just as soon as the sun began to peek over the edges of the tree canopy around  here - all that moisture began rising into the atmosphere - like a smoky blanket.

The air was heavy and humid enough to leave the smell of my onions in the dehydrator floating all around the back porch.

Trust me.  You never want to run a dehydrator full of onions inside the house.  The first five minutes will have your eyes wanting to run out of the house - tears falling down your face - uncontrollably.

The girls seemed to be curious enough about exploring in their yard.  They’re learning how to venture in and out of their house by tackling the little ramp Dwayne made for them.

But the warning came a day early - thankfully.

Today would be the beginning of a few days when it would just be too hot to cook on the stove inside the house.  Not because of the temperature inside the house.  But because the power around here goes off and on so often - when the temps soar outside.

Instead - supper began around 10:30 am this morning - out on the smoker - before the heat outside became too much to bear.  Before the afternoon thunderstorms showed up.

Grilled Boneless Chicken Filets - with my own special marinade - to be sliced and set upon a really nice - cool - flavorful - summer salad!

The next couple of evenings will be spent cooking up a few ingredients to chill - for what I call ' Truly Cool Meals ' that don't heat up the house - or - leave us feeling like we're still carrying a brick in our gut by the next morning.