[1] Basic watermelon iced tea, recipe below (photo courtesy Republic Of Tea).

[2] Watermelon-pomegranate green iced tea. Here’s the recipe from Watermelon.org.

[3] Fresh herbs and watermelon are a delightful pair. Here’s a recipe for Watermelon Basil Iced Tea from The Candid Appetite.

It’s a magical August day here: lower-than-average temperature, low humidity. It’s the rare type of August day when we—a member of the We Hate The Heat Club—are happy to be outdoors. We’ve made some watermelon iced tea to bring with us

To make your own batch, here are tips and a recipe.

 
 
ADDING HERBS TO ICED TEA

If you have fresh herbs, by all means use them.

 
 
RECIPE #1: BASIC WATERMELON ICED TEA

This recipe is from the Republic Of Tea, which originally created it as a decaf drink for kids, using a fruit-flavored decaf tea (they sell decaffeinated flavors such as Blackberry Sage, Ginger Peach, Hibiscus, Mango Ceylon, Mint and Vanilla Almond).

Ingredients For 4 Six-Ounce Servings

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the watermelon cubes on a piece of wax paper and freeze.

2. BOIL 3 cups of water and pour over tea bags into an infuser in a heat-resistant pitcher. Allow to infuse for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and stir in agave nectar. Let the tea cool to room temperature and chill.

3. SERVE the tea with frozen watermelon cubes or frozen tea ice cues, and serve
 
 
MORE ICED TEA

Have An Iced Tea Party

The History Of Iced Tea

How To Brew Perfect Iced Tea

How To Dissolve Sugar In Cold Drinks

Properly, the drink is iced tea: tea that has been chilled with ice. It is spelled this way in primers on editing and by the line editors* of quality publications.

But, as more and more Americans care less and less about the rules of English, ice tea—tea with added ice—has been making inroads, even among some editors.

There is precedent: Ice water was originally, properly, “iced water.” We presume that editors in that era of transition were equally chagrinned.

____________
*A line editor is responsible for reviewing each sentence for consistency, grammar, punctuation, spelling and word usage prior to publication. Here’s more.
  

Cold noodles have been a standard in Asia since…the creation of pasta? That was around 1700 B.C.E. in China (here’s the the history of pasta).

The recipes that follow were developed by the corporate chefs at Melissa’s, the largest distributor of specialty produce in the U.S. With more than 1000 items available at any given time, Melissa’s sells both domestic products and exotic fresh fruits and vegetables from around the world.

These are Asian flair, but western tomato sauces and olive oil-based sauces work as well on any cold pasta preparation you want to put together. A plate of angel hair with chilled vodka sauce or linguine with fresh (uncooked) tomato sauce—fresh basil on both—is just right on a hot day.

You can substitute conventional wheat pasta for the buckwheat (soba) and rice noodles, as well as gluten-free pasta made from legumes and other vegetables.

The chefs at Melissa’s are always whipping up something new. Even if you aren’t purchasing produce, take a look at them for inspiration.

There are four cold noodle recipes below:

 
 
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PASTA & NOODLES

Pasta is Italian for “paste,” which refers to the paste of flour and water that is turned into ribbon noodles and short cuts (bowties, corkscrews, etc.).

Noodles, from the German word “nudel,” refer to paste made with an egg.

 
First up is pancit, a Filipino dish. Pancit is the Filipino (Tagalog) word for noodles, derived from a Hokkien word for “convenient food.”

Noodles were introduced by immigrants from China or East Asia, and readily adopted into local cuisine, with each region creating its own combination of noodles and other ingredients (just as in Italy).

According to the food lore handed down by the Chinese, noodles should be eaten on one’s birthday for long life and good health. Chinese restaurants in the Philippines often have “birthday noodles” on their menus. These are long noodles: it wouldn’t do to serve short cuts when you seek a long life [source].
 
 
RECIPE #1: SHRIMP PANCIT

This recipe, from Melissa’s corporate chef Miki Hackney, has been taken down a notch in fat. “Pancit is usually pretty high in saturated fats,” says Chef Miki. “I have made a ‘lighter’ version by omitting the traditional frying of noodles in rendered chicken fat, then including the fried skin in the dish.”
 
Ingredients For 8 Servings

For The Dressing

 
For The Pancit

 
For The Garnish

[2] Mmm, shrimp (photo courtesy I Love Blue Sea).

[3] Grilled chicken with soba, buckwheat noodles (photo courtesy Melissa’s).

[4] Raw chicken breasts (photo courtesy Provisioner Online).

[5] Grated ginger photos courtesy (photo courtesy Luxury Thailand Travel).

1. COMBINE the dressing ingredients in a small saucepan and heat to dissolve the sugar. Adjust the seasonings to taste. The dressing should have a slight tart taste. Set aside.

2. PLACE the chicken breast in a saucepan and cover by 1 inch with water. Add salt and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

3. REMOVE the chicken from the liquid and place it on a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, use two forks and pull apart the breast into rough shreds. Set aside and lightly cook the shrimp.

4. HEAT the yakisoba noodles by warming in a microwave or soaking in boiling water, loosening the bunches as they heat. Toss all the ingredients but the shrimp and plate. Garnish with the shrimp and cilantro, with the lime wedge on the side.
 
 
RECIPE #2: GRILLED CHICKEN & SOBA NOODLE SALAD

This and the remaining recipes are by Melissa’s corporate Chef Tom Fraker.

Ingredients For 6-8 Servings

For The Chicken

 
For The Dressing

 
Plus

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE a hot grill. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and red pepper. Spray the chicken with the cooking spray and place it on the grill.

2. COOK both sides until you reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Let the chicken rest for 5-6 minutes, then cut into bite-size pieces.

3. PREPARE the dressing: Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

4. PREPARE the noodles according to the package instructions, then rinse them with cold water and drain.

5. COMBINE all ingredients except the chicken in a bowl, add the dressing and toss. Place on a serving platter and top with the chicken.
 

[7] Thai beef noodle salad.

[8] Yakisoba noodles (all photos courtesy Melissa’s).

RECIPE #3: THAI BEEF SUMMER YAKISOBA NOODLE SALAD

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
For The Dressing

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the marinade ingredients into a sealable plastic bag and add the meat. Massage the meat and place in the refrigerator. Marinate the meat for 2 hours or overnight, agitating it every so often.

2. PREPARE a hot grill and grill the steak to your desired doneness. Let it rest for 5-6 minutes, then slice.

3. COMBINE all of the dressing ingredients and set it aside.

4. PREPARE the noodles according to the package directions (without the flavor packet) and then rinse under cold water. Drain.

5. ASSEMBLE: Combine the steak, noodles, cucumbers, carrots, tomato and onion in a bowl. Add the dressing and mix well to combine.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE a hot grill. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and place on the grill. Cook on both sides until the shrimp is opaque, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp and squeeze the juice from the lime over them. Set aside.

2. SPRAY the bell peppers and onion with the cooking spray and place on the grill. Cook until you get nice grill marks on both sides and then remove from the grill. Once cooled, slice the bell peppers and dice the onion.

3. PREPARE the soba noodles according to the package directions, then cool them under cold water. Drain.

4. ASSEMBLE: Combine the noodles, bell peppers, onions, pear and basil in a bowl. Place the salad on a serving platter, top with the shrimp and serve with the dressing. Makes about 4-6 servings.
 
 

Could August 4th be our favorite day of the year? It’s National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.

If you love chocolate chip cookies but not the calories, try this alternative from Good Eggs: chocolate-flecked meringue cookies. They have about 15 calories apiece.

With only three ingredients, you can have them in the oven with just 10 minutes of preparation time.

The quality of the chocolate makes a big difference in this recipe, so don’t skimp. You’ll really appreciate the fine chocolate flavor that melts into your palate.

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE FLAKE MERINGUE COOKIES

Ingredients For 26 Meringues

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 250°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. SLICE the chocolate very thin, using a box grater or a vegetable peeler. You may need to start and stop this a few times because your warm hands will begin to melt the chocolate bar, making the grating or peeling difficult. Set the chocolate aside.

3. BEAT the egg whites on low speed until frothy in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (alternatively in a large bowl using a hand mixer fitted with whisk beaters) Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters, 4 to 6 minutes.

[2] Use a semisweet chocolate bar—about 65% cacao—or bittersweet if you prefer. This bar is Guittard Fair Trade chocolate, 64% cacao (photos and recipe courtesy Good Eggs | San Francisco.

5. GENTLY FOLD in the chocolate using a rubber spatula, being careful not to overmix or the meringue will collapse.

6. DROP the meringues by small teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 50 minutes, or until you can lift a meringue off the parchment with a spatula and it doesn’t stick. Let the meringues cool completely on the baking sheet.

7. STORE in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Yoplait’s new French-style yogurt line will have you saying “Oui!” (photo courtesy Oui By Yoplait).

[3] Reuse-A-Pop is a mess-free opportunity for you to make your favorite flavor push-up ice pops (photo courtesy Russbe).

We were probably the last person in New York to buy Breakstone Pineapple Cottage Cheese before they discontinued it. It was the Ascension Of Yogurt Era, and grocers eliminated slower-moving SKUs to give the space to the hot ones.

Now, a new brand called Muuna is offering all the fruited cottage cheese our heart desires (photo #1). The line is lowfat and creamy, with the fruit on the bottom that you mix up, like a carton of sundae-style yogurt.

It’s also rich in protein: 15g of protein per 5.3-ounce cup.

The fruit is not the typical preserves at the bottom of of the cup but actual chopped fruit, in your choice of:

 
There are also two plain options: 2% and 4% milkfat.

The line is all natural, non-GMO, rBST-free and certified kosher by cRc.

Welcome back, pineapple cottage cheese—and hello to you other flavors. You’re our Top Pick Of The Week.
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*See the different types of yogurt.
 
 
2. OUI BY YOPLAIT YOGURT

Our co-Top Pick is the new Oui by Yoplait line of yogurt (photo #2). It’s different from every other container of Yoplait you’ve had.

Eating yogurt from the perky glass jar, you could imagine you’re in France. The jar (repurposeable or recyclable) makes you look cool and in-the-know. And the yogurt does not disappoint.

The company calls it saveur d’autrefois, the taste of yesteryear.

Yoplait’s foray into premium, French-style yogurt (also called custard-style and Swiss-style) is on point, hitting the trending consumer checklist for all natural, non-GMO and reduced sugar products. The eight flavors include:

The line is certified kosher (dairy) by OK.
 
 
3. RUSSBE REUSE-A-POP BAGS

Russbe creates reusable lunch containers, but that’s not a product we have need for.

What we do need, and love, are the Reuse-A-Pops bags for creating homemade frozen juice pops, puréed fruit, yogurt, and other frozen pops.

The push-up bags (photo #3) with zipper seals ensures no messy leaks or spills. Freeze, enjoy, wash, reuse. At $6.99 for 12, you can’t go wrong.

We just enjoyed our first batch: watermelon (from watermelon juice), cantaloupe (from puréed melon) and yogurt-garlic-dill (who says ice pops have to be sweet?). Yum!

We live in a neighborhood where crisp, thin-crust pizza is what grown-ups eat. When people order from Pizza Hut, it’s for the kids.

We have a reputation to uphold, and hesitate to be seen carrying a deep-dish pizza into the building, no matter how much we need that specific comfort food.

But there’s a solution for our cravings: DiGiorno Crispy Pan Pizza, a frozen pizza from the supermarket in its own pan.

The one-inch-plus-deep crispy crust pie, with extra cheese and plenty of toppings, comes in four flavors:

 
We like everything on our pie (or as much of it as we can get). We went for the Supreme: pepperoni, sausage, green and red peppers and black olives.

Now, we just have to clear out the freezer to make room for more DiGiorno boxes.

[2]Melt the mozzarella on a panini press! Here’s a recipe from Cooking Classy.

Every restaurant menu we’ve seen this summer has Caprese Salad on the menu. That’s because July and August deliver the best tomatoes of the year, and a Caprese—tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil—will never taste better.

First “discovered” on the Isle of Capri in the 1950s, Caprese Salad became a favorite of King Farouk, and then a summer dish at Italian-American and Continental restaurants throughout Europe and across America. Here’s the history of Caprese Salad.

It’s so popular, you’ll even find Caprese Salad on winter menus—when the tomatoes are hard and have no flavor.

We’ve since made Caprese pasta salad, Caprese pasta (topped with uncooked tomato sauce, ciliegine—mozzarella balls the size of cherry tomatoes), Caprese appetizer bites, Caprese cocktail garnishes and a Caprese with other fruits subbing for the tomato (mango, peach, watermelon).

We’ve even made a vegan version with tofu instead of cheese, and Caprese gazpacho (blender tomatoes with shredded basil, topped with perlini (tiny mozzarella balls—the different sizes of mozzarella).

But we’ve never made ourselves a Caprese sandwich—until now, because August is National Sandwich Month.

RECIPE: CAPRESE SANDWICH

 
Variations

While these stray a bit from the purity of a Caprese, they’re tasty alternatives when you want a bit “more.”

Preparation

1. SLICE the tomatoes and cover with olive oil. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes or more.

2. SLICE the bread (note: for a picky guest who didn’t like the “wet bread” from the balsamic and olive oil, we toasted the baguette and added a thin slick of sweet butter to the cut faces).

3. SLICE the mozzarella and drain the tomatoes.

4. ASSEMBLE the sandwich: first the basil, then the mozzarella, then the tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve. We love black olives, so we served them in a ramekin on the side.