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In the cooler climate of the UK I’m reading about the US heat wave and have to admit feeling a bit envious. Its been raining here for days and the temperatures have hardly cracked the 70s which I know would sound ideal to many of you.
Which got me thinking to what I do to cool down when it gets so hot, since I grew up in Florida and lived for five years in Texas I know about heat. And some of my favorites ways to beat it are the obvious ones sitting in the pool or under a ceiling fan. But I also enjoy making granitas, sorbets, cool salads for dinner and of course frozen adult beverages.
A quick an easy granita combines one pot of your favorite coffee, 2/3 cup of sugar, combine them pour into a square baking dish (I use my lasagna one!) and then freeze, every hour you scrape the dessert and by dinner time you have a delicious frozen dessert that I add a little whipped cream to. 
In my upcoming release A CASE OF KISS AND TELL one of the secondary characters Jane is a lifestyle guru similar to Martha Stewart and she has a concoction called a firecracker mojito. I’ve been a fan of mojitos for a since I tried my first one with my then editor Natashya Wilson in San Francisco. We had pomegranate mojitos–truly delicious and since then I’ve been experimenting with mixing different flavors with the basic sugar water, mint and rum. My favorite right now is mango.
What’s your favorite way to beat the heat or mixed tropical drink? I’ve got a copy of A CASE OF KISS AND TELL (win it before you can buy it!) for two lucky blog participants.
Filed in: Jaunty Post,Katherine Garbera
Jun 26th
2012
5:28 am
MariaD. Said:
Nothing beats a very delicious chocolate ice cream. And my family loves making fruit shakes (especially mango).
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Jun 26th
2012
11:36 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
MariaD–chocolate is my fav ice cream too. I always have to add sprinkles but then I’m addicted to adding them to everything. We make these yummy strawberry shakes in the summer too.
Katherine
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Jun 26th
2012
7:33 am
Connie Fischer Said:
I love to have a big glass of cold water mixed with big splash of flavored seltzer water and lots of ice. When you are thirsty, this really hits the spot and no sugar or artificial sweeteners. Of course, at cocktail time, nothing beats a lemon drop martini! Yummy!!
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Jun 26th
2012
11:36 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Connie–that sounds delicious. I’m going to try it soon!
Katherine
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Jun 26th
2012
8:35 am
Nata Said:
We drink a mix of: green mandarin syrup, sparkling water & freshly squeezed lime juice. My boyfriend, being Sicilian, loves almond milk (during Summer time in Sicily you can buy it any bar).
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Jun 26th
2012
11:37 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Nata–that sounds really good. I’ll have to give it a try. I’ve never had almond milk–do you like it? Does it taste like regular milk?
Katherine
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Jun 26th
2012
4:35 pm
Natalija Said:
No, I’m not a big fan of almond milk (too sweet for my taste), but it’s healthy & has more vitamins than soy & rice milk.
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Jun 27th
2012
1:35 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Sounds like it might be too sweet for my taste
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Jun 26th
2012
8:46 am
Kirsten Said:
I like to have a Pina Colada when the sun comes out.
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Jun 26th
2012
11:38 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Kirsten–we need some lounge chairs and cabana boys to go with those pina coladas!
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Jun 26th
2012
10:21 am
CrystalGB Said:
I like to drink iced tea and iced water to beat the heat.
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Jun 26th
2012
11:39 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
CrystalGB–in my house we are always downing iced tea. I go through tons tea bags year round.
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Jun 26th
2012
10:32 am
StacieD Said:
I usually don’t drink but if I do have a cocktail it would be a Pina Colada or something else frozen. A vanilla shake is my usual way to cool off.
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Jun 26th
2012
11:40 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
StacieD–I love a good milk shake too! I suggested lounge chairs and cabana boys to go with those pina coladas.
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Jun 26th
2012
10:51 am
Margo Maguire Said:
We’re about to get hit with the heat wave. 5 or more days of upper 90s with high humidity. And we only have a few room air conditioners – in the family room and our bedrooms. Which is why I just made a huge pasta salad that should be good for dinners (and lunches) for anyone who wants a cool meal. And they can always toss a brat or a burger on the grill to go with.
There will be those who will enjoy an icy beer, but I usually stick with ice water. Nothing beats it.
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Jun 26th
2012
11:41 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Margo–what a great idea to make a huge pasta salad. My mom doesn’t cook inside from May through September (she lives in Florida) she grills everything to keep the house cooler.
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Jun 26th
2012
11:33 am
Kathleen O Said:
I make my own ice tea… Nothing better than a glass of tea, with a bit of lemon and sweetner, served in a tall glass with lots of ice. If I am in the mood for something with a kick I open a bottle of Smirnoff Ice and pour it over ice and ahhhh.. I feel cool already.
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Jun 26th
2012
11:41 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Kathleen; Smirnoff and ice–just the thought does make me cooler too!
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Jun 26th
2012
11:34 am
eap Said:
cold orange juice
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Jun 26th
2012
11:42 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
eap–cold orange juice is one of my favs too. But then I grew up in Central Florida land of the juicing orange!
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Jun 26th
2012
11:40 am
Cindy Kirk Said:
It’s been hot here in Nebraska…with the temps in the upper nineties and the heat indices in the 105 range. Ugh.
I love reading all the “keep cool” suggestions. Mine is a tiny fan by my computer. Even though the a/c is on, we never set the temp in the house low enough for me…but turning on that little fan makes a world of difference.
Now if I just had a mojito in my hand…
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Jun 26th
2012
11:44 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Cindy–I’d offer a hug on that heat but that’s probably not a good idea as hot as it is! I like your idea of a fan by the computer. A mojito would be nice but not when you’re writing. From my experience alcohol and writing only mix in the bar at a writer’s conference!
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Jun 26th
2012
12:01 pm
catslady Said:
I drink cold coffee all the time and since I like it black, it doesn’t matter what the temperature. Now if our uncle is around, he makes fantastic margaritas
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Jun 27th
2012
1:36 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
I love iced coffee as well. My husband sometimes makes a big pitcher for dinner so yummy! And I never say no to a margarita!
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Jun 26th
2012
1:52 pm
Nancy Robards Thompson Said:
Thanks to Tropical Storm Debby, we’re getting a break from the heat here in Florida. However, it is awfully wet.
Is it strange that I prefer the rain to the heat?
When it is hot here – and I’m sure Mother Nature will make up for this reprieve later- I love to make lemon drop martinis. The recipe is easy:
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz sweet and sour mix
1 1/2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
Mix the vodka, triple sec, sweet and sour and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Pour strained liquor into a sugar-rimmed martini glass.
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Jun 27th
2012
1:37 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Nancy–that sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try your recipe. Hope the rains don’t do too much damage in Central Florida.
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Jun 26th
2012
6:10 pm
Fedora Said:
I love all the fruity drinks, but really, our family just loves fresh fruit–nothing beats slices of crisp watermelon or some yummy berries (the kids love them frozen, just for fun!) or peaches… Mmm….
And happy staying cool! Thanks for sharing about your hot new release, Kathy!
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Jun 27th
2012
1:38 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Fedora–I can’t keep watermelon in the house in the summer it goes so quickly! And you’re welcome!!
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Jun 26th
2012
6:48 pm
bn100 Said:
I drink iced tea.
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Jun 27th
2012
1:39 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Love iced tea too! I had to figure out how to make my US iced tea maker work in the UK. We use the UK tea kettle and the US pitcher and its perfect each time!
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Jun 26th
2012
8:48 pm
Emily McKay Said:
I’ve been trying to make frappuccinos here at home to beat the heat and the afternoon sleepies. The amazing thing is how “thin” they taste compared to Starbucks. I thinks those from starbucks must be loaded with tons of fat to be so yummy.
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Jun 27th
2012
1:40 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Emily–I’m with you on this. I’ve tried numerous times to make the SB drinks at home (chai tea latte for instance) and it never tastes as good. It must be the fat they add.
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Jun 26th
2012
9:26 pm
Shana Said:
I always try to stay inside. Baby Galen doesn’t like that idea much, so we usually end up at the pool.
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Jun 27th
2012
1:41 am
Katherine Garbera Said:
Shana–My kids were the same way when they were little. We had a big garden tub that I’d fill up with coolish water on the really hot days and let them play in it. They loved it!
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