Libby Hires

Contributor

Happy birthday, America! I am very thankful to live in the land of the brave and free. How about you? OK OK I promise, no preaching this week. I’ll leave that to the ones that usually write the religion columns.

Well, except for one thing: If you think it’s hot HERE….

I have laughed before with Jimmy because he says that if the air conditioning goes off, he knows he better do something quickly because his wife is not going to be happy. It’s the truth. I do not deal well with the heat. I thought God would spare me during menopause and let me have chills instead of hot flashes since I’ve had the flashes ALL MY LIFE. Nope. Spare the rod, spoil the child, I guess. Hey, at least I can still say I’m one hot momma. It just comes in flashes. Usually one long continuous, stuck- on- 100- degrees- flash, but … I now laugh with Jimmy because HE cannot deal with the heat like years ago.

He says it’s my fault, that he has now become spoiled because of the air conditioning. I do the one eyebrow up, one down look. My fault? Like I MADE him stay in it? That’s like me blaming my being overweight on Sarah Lee, Coca Cola, and several other companies. Hmm maybe he has something there. There have been crazier court cases… I have learned that the best way to beat the heat is mindset, motivation, and watching Hallmark Christmas movies or any Christmas movie for that matter. Drinking something cold…even water…to lower the body temperature is awesome. Watching it snow on a TV movie…makes me think it’s 20 degrees outside (wishful thinking). OK the best way to beat the heat is to actually not go out there in it. That’s it. I’m now officially a hermit unless I absolutely, positively, have to go outside. You know…like if someone drags me out there. Good luck with that. You’re gonna strain your back because I’m gonna go kickin’ and screamin’. I’m exercising my freedom to stay inside in the air conditioning.

Ohhh, but I do love the 4th of July fireworks. Can we postpone them until maybe…ummm November?

Here are a couple recipes to help you beat the heat, especially if you are cooking out today!

Homemade Lemonade 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup water 9 medium lemons, or more as needed, room temperature*

7 cups ice-cold water Directions: Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat mixture over medium high, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Allow mixture to come to a boil; boil for 1 minute while continuing to stir.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Wash then cut lemons in half crosswise.

Squeeze lemons into a liquid measuring cup until you have 1 ½ cups fresh juice and pulp, discard seeds. Pour the 7 cups of water into a pitcher. Add lemon juice and simple syrup. Stir well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in ice filled glasses.

*Having lemons at room temperature helps them to release more juice than if they are chilled. You can use concentrated lemon juice, but fresh lemons taste so much better! You can also use a combination of 1 cup lemon juice and ½ cup lime juice for lemon-limeade that’s really good!

Fruit Bowl

(I learned how to make this the summer between 5th and 6th grade. It’s one of my favorite ways to survive summer… or any season…because I love fruit just about as much as I do steak…and that’s a whole lot!)

1 medium seedless watermelon 1 large cantaloupe 1 large honeydew 1- pint strawberries, sliced 2 lbs. seedless grapes Directions: Cut melons in half and seed them. Using a melon baller, scoop the fruit out and place it in a large bowl.

Add strawberries and grapes. Mix well and cover. Refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to meld. (If you do not have a melon baller, use a knife to create cubes.) Note: My favorite container to make this in is an extra-large bowl that has a lid that snaps onto the bowl. Mixing is a breeze ~ just shake the container a few times. You can put in a pretty dish to serve if you wish and then return to the storage container. Picnic?

These storage containers do well in a bed of ice for keeping things cool!