Channeling my dear Mom on a hot day

[tryingtobebetterallthetime]

It's hot again where I am, so I don't want to heat up the kitchen.

My Mom used to make a certain menu on hot days. She would do the cooking part in the cool of the morning.

She made potato salad (potatoes and hard boiled eggs done in the morning), and that old classic tomato aspic. Hers was flavored with a Bay leaf, cloves, and black peppercorns. She would serve it with what we called "cold cuts" such as sliced ham, and also cottage cheese. A dollop of mayonnaise on the aspic, and some mustard for the cold cuts.

I remember that summertime meal very fondly.

For some reason, I have been thinking about that tomato aspic the past week. Maybe because it was her birthday last week. I just made some and put it in the fridge to set. Haven't had it in years. My dear Dad loved it.

Looking forward to a family classic dinner tonight!

Do you have memories of a favorite summertime meal? Want to share?

I have no idea what aspic is but agree with potato salad, salad and hard boiled eggs, with salad cream

Perhaps a quiche /flan

An aspic is a jelled salad. Tomato aspic is made with tomato juice or if you are ambitious, fresh tomatoes. I found lots of recipes by googling. Maybe it is a Canadian thing but my Dad's heritage was mostly UK.

Have a look at the Facebook group Show Me Your Aspics.
There's a whole world of aspic appreciation out there.

Boiled ham hock and cold pease pudding, with salad. Home made pickles beetroot and onions on the table too. My grandparents were from the north east of England and this was Sunday teatime fare.

I don’t think I’ve ever had tomato aspic. But my mums summer lunch was crusty bread, Brie, hard boiled eggs sliced in a special machine that kept them neat, radishes cut into crowns, a Webb lettuce from the salad spinner, mayonnaise and home made coleslaw (which was always too onions), a pork pie and real ham.

frances i searched for that and it was closed so instead looked at "aspics with threatening auras" group. That was... ahem... an experience.

I am sure yours is much nicer, OP!

Ha! I just got one of those egg slicers things at IKEA. Couldn't resist. Another addition to my gadget drawer, to live alongside the cherry pitter used once every 5 years. I did use my party blender today though!

Pleased to report the aspic tasted just like Mom's and brought back just the right memories. Also nutritious and low calorie. Perfect potato salad too, much better than my usual as I don't follow recipes. The food memory gods were smiling. Here's to everyone missing their Mom!

My mum used to make potato salad with salad cream (we never had mayo as a child and as a result I choose salad cream over it for everything), red onion and tonnes of freshly ground black pepper. I regularly make it and usually eat it by the spoonful out the serving dish before lunch or dinner. My Dad came for a BBQ a fortnight ago and I made it then and he ate it by the spoonful too.

There's a spiced beef casserole she used to make which my brother loves and I usually make that when the three of us get together now, there's never any left overs. You can't beat your Mums cooking! I just wish she'd taught me to make proper gravy before she died!

My mum made potato salad with french dressing, poured over when the spuds are hot, so it all soaks in. Much nicer than mayo when it's hot.

A really easy meal for hot weather for 2 people.

Take a pack of ready cooked puy lentils. Put them in a sieve & pour boiling water over them to warm them. Put in a bowl with a dressing (I use olive oil, lemon juice & herbs & salt & pepper). Cover, leave to cool. When you want to eat add lots of chopped toms, red onions, cucumber & crumble feta over the top. Serve with a piece of pita bread. Really good, healthy & easy.

As soon as i moved out at 23 I made sure I bought an egg slicer,its an essential kitchen item! In fact I'll be using mine today at lunch

I like the sound of that spiced beef casserole! Used my new egg slicer yesterday. It worked great. How did I live without one?

My husband is British and we have kids/grandkids there now so we visit yearly from Canada. Have had lots of salad cream at family barbecues. I am always fascinated by all the different varieties of potatoes. My SIL gave me her potato salad recipe and it called for "salads potatoes." Huh? We have a few varieties, like russets, red, news, and yellow-fleshed but nothing like the selection at your average Sainsburys.

French dressing sounds interesting to try. Sometimes I use an olive oil/fresh herb mixture on warm potatoes.

I hope you are all surviving the heat. Thinking of the thread about others saying England doesn't get hot, I can honestly say I have never been so miserable in a heat wave as I have been in the UK. The train, the tube, everywhere absolutely sweltering. Very little air con. Crowds of people trying to stay calm. My sympathies. I hope it breaks soon.