The kitchen is clean; the weather is warm.I’m fighting off a headache and working on The Cookbook. The kids just want to play outside with the neighborhood children, and I’m just not up for cooking, serving, and cleaning.
And sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
As I type, my family is munching on burgers and fries from In-N-Out. Outside. Talking with their friends and having a good time.
I took the receipt from our last visit to INO and had them duplicate the order. We’re complicated, you see, so everybody has a different thing on their burger. Some have pickles, some have lettuce. Most have “mustard instead of the spread.”
Is it the most creative of meals? The most frugal? The healthiest? No, no, and no.
But it’s a meal that everyone likes. It fits our budget. It keeps the kitchen clean. And since we don’t have a steady diet of it, I don’t think it’ll kill us. It works for those nights when I want or need to stay out of the kitchen — entirely.
What do you cook up (or not) for hot nights?
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
There’s nothing wrong with the occasional indulgence! As for hot nights, I live in the Seattle area, so we don’t really remember around here what a “hot” night is! So, even though the grill is our go-to apparatus for hot nights, we don’t wait for the heat.
@Devon Thurtle Anderson, We don’t even wait for the dry up here on Whidbey Island!
I’ve been known to hit the drive through now and then during hot summer nights ….kids love the little change and I love cooler house.
Thanks for hosting.
Sounds perfect to me especially since it is 93 here in the East Bay! I love In-N-Out!!
I live in a bitty town so if we want ‘drive thru’ I get a take and bake from the local market. There is cooked pizza in town IF they are open but a little spendy. Hot nights here we make sandwiches
In-N-Out is always a good choice for a warm night. And it feels healthier than most other fast food places.
Not a thing wrong with that, hon. You enjoy it without guilt! Last week was exhausting for us, and this week our meals haven’t been the healthiest, and we’ve been eating off of paper plates a lot. =) But I’m 30 weeks pregnant with my third boy, the temps are in the 9o’s, and friends and family are in crisis that I’ve been dealing with. ‘Nuf said!
I make my quick and easy pasta with sausage, onions and peppers. Its so yummy!
Well, that’s definitely one way to make everyone happy, not heat up the kitchen, and not have any dishes left over.
You took the receipt?!? That never would have occurred to me, but it’s soooo smart!
I’m filing that away in my mental box of strategies!
Such a great place to find new recipes. Just wanted to let you know I gave a big shout out to you in my post for tomorrow…including your ebook. YAY! I love it and use it everyday.
I think it’s a great idea to “outsource” dinner sometimes. It helps us keep our sanity and it’s a treat.
You do what you have to do sometimes as a mom! That’s why I always have a frozen pizza in the freezer — just in case.
I’d like to be better about cooking healthy freezer meals so I don’t have to resort to the pizza.
Thanks for hosting the swap. Love all the new goodies I find. I could not decide which recipe to leave so I just left the link for my entire menu which is all oven-free due to some help from my bloggie friends!
If anyone wants to participate in my July oven-free menu, they can contact me at thephilens(at)bellsouth(dot)net.
Yes! I love this post! The last time I “gave in” after a day long headache on a 90 degree day and got Subway for dinner, I thought, “We should take this option more often.”
We love Subway, which means I order 4 footlongs, each with the halves different. I know the order by heart though, and the sandwich artists are amazed!
Thanks for hosting,
Aimee
I linked up a recipe for chicken with mizuna. Yes, it’s a warm dish, but it cooks up quickly so it doesn’t heat up the kitchen! Thanks for the roundup.
I love that you brought the receipt in for them to duplicate. That is a great idea. Our favorite fast food is Chick Fil A and everyone has a different side and drink choice. “I’ll have a #1 with cherry coke and carrot and raising salad…no, instead of the fries. Cherry coke. And a #3 with a cole slaw instead of the fries…no instead….” and it goes on.
Looking forward to all of the recipes!
First time linking up – thanks for hosting!
Thank you so much for your honesty. Reading all my foodie blogs I always feel like the only one who sometimes gets take out.
Thanks for hosting this week! Perfect for hot nights!
Mmm…we don’t have In-N-Out where we live, but we got to go there when we visited my cousin in CA and it was SO yummy! Every once in a while, you definitely need a night off from cooking, don’t you! I am sharing my recipe for Delicious Sloppy Joes which I love to just throw in the crockpot during the summer time. So easy and so good!
Thanks for hosting!
Mindy
Oh, I’ve only had the fortune of having In-N-Out once before but it was so yummy!
Thanks for hosting!
Outsourcing dinner once in awhile is a nice treat. We have torpedos on those nights. We have been known to have banana split night when its really hot too.
I love the idea of using your past receipt to order again. That’s one of those “why didn’t *I* think of that”!!!
The odd burger and fries never hurt anyone
I am in total empathy with you about the nights you don’t even want to enter the kitchen. When I get that feeling, we order grilled chops and chicken quarters from a local Turkish restaurant.
Good luck with the cookbook project and hope to see it around soon!
Mmmmmm. In N Out. My love!