Scenes from a Scorcher

Today, an overcast sky and a gentle breeze offer a welcome contrast to the sweltering temperatures from the latest heatwave of our Summer. Days on end of high temperatures seems to be the way of things this season, so when a cooler day comes along, it dawns with something akin to blessed relief.

The extremely hot conditions over the weekend just past kept us inside most of the time. It reached 43C in the shade of our covered deck, shadecloth blinds down, on Sunday. It was 40C at 10:30 in the morning! Had we put the thermometer out in the sun, that needle would've nudged way higher. 

Our heatwave days looked like this:

The hot Summer sun rises out beyond our back deck. 

The temperature reached 40C on our shaded deck at 10:30a.m. Sunday morning.

Early morning sprinkler watering the avocado tree.

Keeping the water up to salad greens like lettuce. 

Skinks, like this one, were active in the garden.

 An old bedsheet to shade our native bee hives.

(Before we secured it.)

Simple foods/meals were prepared without adding extra heat. 

(Homemade peanut butter.)

Reading books and watching a movie were our afternoon activities.

(All borrowed from our local library...free!)

Refreshing, homemade treats like these were essential!

(Greek yoghurt, mint & choc-chip icepops) 

Heatwaves do thankfully come to an end though the temperature is set climb again throughout the week here. Think I'll need to make more of those icepops for next weekend!

Have you been experiencing weather extremes where you live? How do you prepare for them? 

Meg

Here & Now 9

Here & Now it is hot and it will be scorchingly so for quite a few more days to come. While it would be easy to wish this season of heatwaves away, I am trying to work with the challenges of the season while waiting patiently for the Autumn to come.

The creamy, fragrant Summer blooms of Frangipani.

Sweet, little homemade apricot and coconut balls.

A fresh, nutritious pasta salad.

 An orchid in bloom on a battered old table.

Loving //  The Summer scent of Frangipani wafting indoors from our neighbour's tree.

Eating //   Healthy salads with spinach or broccoli for extra nutrition.
Drinking // Jugs full of cold, icy water with or without slices of lemon.
Feeling //  Grateful for the solar panels on our roof that offset some of our Summer energy costs.
Making //  Homemade goodies in the kitchen.
Thinking //  "This Summer could go on for a long while yet!"
Dreaming //   Of long alpine walks in cooler climes.

I wonder what your here & now is like, wherever you live? If you'd like to share, you can join in with Sarah, over at Say! Little Hen  like I have done. She hosts this short but sweet link-up each month.

Meg

Marinated Feta

Feta cheese, marinated with lemon and herbs in olive oil, a little rock salt and some black peppercorns...soft, creamy and delicious!

 A jar of delicious marinated feta.

I adore marinated feta. I love the beautiful array of flavours ~ herbs, chilli, lemon, garlic, sun-dried tomato, capers, olive ~ that surround the cheese and infuse into the oil. I love its versatility; crumbled in a salad, melted within a breakfast omelette, topping a slice of fresh bread spread with chunky avocado (Aren't avocado and feta a match made in heaven?) or a piece just popped into one's mouth on the way past the fridge. Sigh!

Marinated feta can be expensive to buy but it's so easy and quick to make at home. There are so many different combinations for delicious marinades but I made mine, for the feta I bought at a deli, with fresh herbs from my garden and the zest of an organic lemon.

Feta with the lemon, rosemary, thyme, salt & peppercorns that will flavour the olive oil.

Layer cubes of the feta with herbs, lemon zest, salt & pepper in a clean glass jar.

(I put a glug of olive oil in the bottom before I put the first layer of feta in.)

Continue making layers of feta, herbs, lemon & seasoning then cover completely with oil.

(I used extra virgin olive oil.)

Seal jars and place them in the fridge. Leave overnight for the flavours to develop.

(Eat within use by date of your feta...but mine never lasts that long!)

If you'd like to make your own marinades for feta cheese, here are some flavourful links:

Marinated Feta with Chilli, Olives and Sun-dried Tomato

Herb mix for marinated feta that features dried herbs

Garlicky Marinated Soft Feta with Herbs & Chilli

When every last cube of feta has been enjoyed, you can use the fragrant oil to make a salad dressing.  Just whisk some of the fragrant oil with a little lemon juice, a touch of mustard, a little honey or sugar and maybe an extra twist of salt and pepper. 

If you love feta and you haven't made your own marinade for it before, I hope you'll try it. The flavours are simply divine!

Meg

p.s.  A jar of marinated feta makes a very delicious gift too!