My sister is impossibly picky (ok- maybe just seriously choosy). She’s got great taste but birthdays and Christmas cause my mom, husband and I more than a little moist-palmed angst. I was both amazed and delighted to see her pick up a copy of The Renaissance Gourmet, Angela Tunner’s new cookbook, Simply Summer- Gourmet Meals Made Deliciously Easy with Tips for Elegant Living. First she flipped through it and then she really started delving into Angela’s many tips, recipes, anecdotes, notes, and ideas. “This,” declared Claudia (or “Queen” Claudia as we affectionately call her), “is how I want to eat. I wish there was a restaurant around that serves food like this. Fantastic! Can I have this copy?”
Simply Summer
After I picked myself up off the floor, I told her that Angela was a chef in Toronto before she found her soul and mojo in British Columbia. Today, she shares an idyllic country home with her husband and little boy Cole on the west coast. Simply Summer is her ode to simplifying life and cooking during those steamy summer days when you feel like the most you can muster is a salad. Angela’s recipes are gourmet, unfussy, and delectable and offer more than mere salads. She eschews hot ovens and stoves for smaller kitchen appliances- hence her “no cook” cooking approach that appeals to the gourmand and environmentalist. Best of all, the book espouses Angela’s greatest joy- gathering family and loved ones around the table to reconnect in body, mind and soul- a beautiful tradition many of us have lost along the way in our daily, full-speed ahead lives.
Below, are some of Angela’s terrific tips for eating outdoors and staying cool when the mercury rises. In my next post, I’ll offer you a few of her tremendous, lip-smacking recipes that are sure to become family favourites, just as they are in Angela’s home.
The Outdoor Eating Basket
This is the perfect time of year for casual and relaxed al fresco dining. Eating outside can pose logistical challenges though which is why some of the following tips will make the outdoor transition all the smoother.
- Create your own outdoor eating basket by gathering what you use outdoors and keep it in one spot—a basket or bin that can be easily transported in and out, for example.
- Think of it as a picnic basket of sorts! Fill it with everything you need so you’re ready to go for your outdoor meals. Include cutlery, napkins, drinking glasses, placemats, or a tablecloth.
- Have a separate basket or bin to carry in the dirty dishes. Once the dishes, glasses, cutlery, and other items have been cleaned, put them back in the “picnic basket.”
- Use tableware meant specifically for outdoors. It should be tough, durable and ideally attractive. You can find a lovely selection of glass and dishware designed for the rigors and challenges of eating outdoors. Keep your good china for indoor dining. Nothing sounds worse than your grandmother’s tea cups shattering on the patio stones!
- Use a cutlery caddy to hold napkins as well. Cutlery, including the napkins, can be placed in the center of the table, secured so as not to blow away yet accessible so people can help themselves.
Here are some of Angela’s tried and true tips for beating the summer heat.
- Set a moving fan behind a moving water fountain or bowl of ice.
- Keep a spray bottle filled with spring water and lavender oil handy to keep you cool. Spray a bit on the inside of your elbows, the back of your neck, and behind your knees when you’re feeling hot. As the water evaporates, it cools your body.
- Sprinkle bed sheets with non-talc baby powder before climbing into bed.
- Like to work out? Do it in the morning while it’s still cool. Moving keeps you warmed up. Lie around for optimum cool!
- Close your blinds and drapes to keep your house cool. Use fans to circulate the air.
- Keep a pitcher of flavored water in the fridge to sip on. The addition of fresh lemon or lime slices makes the water much more refreshing and delicious.
- Wear breathable fabrics. Man made fabrics do not breathe like cottons and linens do . Loose tunics, skirts, and pants will keep you cooler and more comfortable.
More coming soon from The Renaissance Gourmet, Angela Tunner. You won't want to miss it!
