You Know It's Hot When...

... you check the weather before planning your next day's meals. I actually just did that. It may not be as hot here as it is in other places, but when those other places have air-conditioned homes and offices as a general rule, in practical terms, it's basically hotter here. It's been very hot since we got back from Germany, and I have had very little energy for anything these past few days (it doesn't help that we've gone out late several nights since being back). I was happy to get to bed early last night, and I've actually got some amount of pep today. So, I'm planning meals.

You remember the plan I formed a while back? You know, the one where I would bake like a mad fiend for the month before the baby's birth so that we wouldn't starve during the week after the birth while my husband was harvesting and I was on forced relaxation? Well, that time has pretty much come here, and I have to start thinking toward the futuure, right? I was thinking that if I were able to bake a few meals here and there this month, they could be eaten next month while I cooked meals for the following month. This way, I wouldn't be making a meal to be eaten immediately as well as a meal to be eaten later. I could just concentrate on the meals for later. Tomorrow morning, I'm thinking of starting to put that plan in action. I've got several very ripe bananas and some enormous zucchinis that my sister-in-law gave me from her garden. They will be perfect for zucchini cake or bread and banana bread. I also have a little secret that I got while in Germany....

We actually bought cream cheese and cheddar cheese to tote all the way back to France with us. Sure, I paid 8 and a half bucks for the cooler (which can always come in handy when my husband does wine tastings away from home) and more than 3 for a small pack of ice while on the road, but I am certain the homemade cheesecake will be well worth it (not to mention all the casseroles and things of that sort that I can make with the close to four lbs of cheddar. I'm thinking tacos could be very tasty! And, the maccaroni and cheese we all enjoy from time to time... The sky's the limit (okay, well the four lbs are the limit, actually, but that'll go pretty far, right?)

So, I've checked the weather, and I'm ready to bake. All I have to do is prepare half the mix tonight, and we should be set for some fast and easy baking tomorrow morning.