Does the very thought of turning on the stove lead to tears – of perspiration? It's too hot to cook, but as always, Lucy Waverman is here to help, with a menu for a three-course meal worthy of a dinner party
Appetizer: Bresaola carpaccio
Main course: Cobb salad with rotisserie chicken
Dessert: Peach mousse
Who says minestrone needs to be red? This bright green alternative is the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of summer and make use of seasonal produce. This is the season for garlic scapes, which are the curled tops of growing garlic and are removed to jolt the bulbs into increasing in size. I used raw scapes to make the pesto: They're good grilled, too, but blanch them first, otherwise they are stringy.
Low-carb eaters know cauliflower can mimic rice or mashed potatoes and is even good in smoothies. Served as a background to sizzling spiced shrimp, it becomes a low-carb, low-calorie main. And the dessert is my favourite way of serving the sweetest strawberries, as they are the star of the plate.
Soup: Green minestrone soup with garlic scape pesto
Main: Cauliflower risotto with shrimp
Dessert: Berry Syllabub
It's time to step away from the stove: Emma and Lucy Waverman explain how to mix the season's fresh, crunchy, sweet and savoury bits into something revelatory – every time
Danielle Matar/The Globe and Mail
A quick way to entertain involves just three or four veggies and throwing a piece of protein on them to bake
Side: Asparagus with broken hollandaise
Main: Roasted Arctic char with vegetables
Dessert: Triple lemon upside-down loaf
Danielle Matar/for the Globe and Mail
This dessert celebrates summer fruits such as blueberries and peaches while remaining simple enough to defy even the most nervous of bakers
Danielle Matar / The Globe and Mail
As Labour Day nears, the idea of school lunches looms like a black cloud heralding the end of summer
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There's more going on with tools and accessories today than there was 20 years ago