If the thoughts you have right now, food-wise, tend towards things like popsicles, icy lemonade and juicy peaches, you are right on trend.  Cold foods are a balm on hot summer days, when the temperatures climb into new uncharted (for the Northwest!) territory.

Last night, I had enchiladas on my mind and ended up using both the stovetop and the oven (briefly) to prepare them.  They had plenty of green chiles, which reminds me of how Indian cooking uses hot curries and other spices to induce the body to sweat and naturally cool off.  They were easy and delicious, but I don't think I'm heating up the oven again tonight!

If you have a blender, you can throw together a cold summer soup.  The Scandinavians adore fruit soups, with lingonberries or currants,blended with a juice or even a yoghurt base.  Classic Spanish gazpacho, loaded with fresh tomatoes, peppers, chiles, onions and garlic, topped with chunky avocado and tortilla chips, refreshes and energizes.  If you have a French inclination, a la Julia Child, a vichysoisse, or cold potato and cream-based soup, is your go-to dinner.

Salads are another hot weather savior.  You can put just about anything in a salad, and if you have fresh greens, all the better.  It's a good empty-the-frig exercise, and doesn't require much time indoors to throw together.  My favorite is the Nicoise, with tuna, green beans, hard-boiled eggs and potatos, little black piccoline olives and red onions. 

The siren song of summer has to be the ice cream man (or woman), plying their trade up and down the sidewalks of suburbia.  You don't have to wait for an appearance:  just stock up on fruity popsicles, drumsticks, Eskimo bars, ice cream sandwiches, cones and assorted flavors of ice cream, sherbet and gelato and you're set. 

What foods keep you cool in the summer, and are there special summer foods you only enjoy when the temperature climbs?  For me, right now it's just frosty, cold homemade rosemary lemonade.

The arrest of a mother whose 14-year-old son tipped the scales at over 500 pounds  made national news this week, and touched off a firestorm of debate:  is the mom guilty of child abuse for letting her son get so unhealthily large?  Some argue this is a result of poverty, and eating cheap but calorie-empty food.  Others point to an education issue: in a culture that equates food with all kinds of emotions (you eat if you're bored or sad), maybe this is how you show love: lots of food.

I tend to believe that if parents learn healthy eating habits, those habits will pass on to their children, so I land on the side of more nutritional education.  As we say here, good food is for everyone, and it does't have to cost a lot, either. Eating fresh, eating foods in season, and learning basic cooking goes a long way in putting together a satisfying diet that stays with you for life.  Taking chances on new-to-you foods that you might never have tasted can develop into lifelong obsessions (like me and eggplant...but I digress...).  There is a wealth of information available through web sites, libraries and food professionals at our stores who can help with tempting, yet healthy food choices.

All this is not to say, of course, that you should avoid ice cream on a steamy summer afternoon, or  never indulge in a bacon cheeseburger with a side order of fries.  Those just shouldn't be your daily bread, but treats you put into your food choices, and then balance out with the grilled chicken, the tofu and vegetable stir fry and the yogurt and fresh fruit in the afternoon.

So I'd vote in favor of giving people lots of information about how to eat well on a budget, and trust that the delicious food choices they make will keep them traveling along the good-for-you path.  

One more thing:  I'm thinking it's late afternoon snack time.  I have a fresh, so juicy I can hardly touch it peach, plus some almonds.  What's your favorite nosh in the afternoon?  I tend to be seasonal, so by the winter months, it will change to something a bit more substantial.  But for right now, the sun is shining brightly, and the peach is perfect. 

Let your spare change make a BIG difference for kids in our communities here in Whatcom County. 

The second Round Up 4 Kids begins this Friday, July 31 and runs through August 17.  It will take place at all Whatcom County Market stores (Cost Cutter in Bellingham, Blaine and Ferndale; Food Pavilion in Lynden and Bellingham Southside and The Market at Birch Bay and Everson).  We are partnering with the Boys and Girls Club once again this summer, and hope you'll join our commitment to youth.

You can help the 5,400 kids and teens who use the Boys and Girls Clubs in Bellingham, Birch Bay, Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden and Lummi Island by just rounding up your purchase to the next dollar. 

Your change can change a young life...so when your checker asks if you want to round up your purchase to the next dollar or add a larger amount, just say yes.  You'll help young people grow into responsible community members through the Boys and Girls Club programs:  character & leadership, development, education and career development, health & life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness and recreation.

Thanks for helping to make a difference!

(with thanks to the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association: www.pnwba.com)

Our first BBQ On The Border, this Saturday, July 18 and July 19 (see news articles for more details), will boast many expert barbecue teams competing for prize money and the coveted first place designation.

You'll be able to sample their wares, and if you think you know barbecue, like I did, you may want to think again.  According to our sponsors, the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association, traditional American barbecue is not grilling burgers and hot dogs on a grill.

 Barbecue is a completely different cooking method.  Barbecue is placing a large cut of meat or ribs in a closed pit and letting it cook indirectly with very low heat and the flavor of a charcoal or smoke fire.

This allows the meat to turn very tender and the flavors to meld in a delicious way.  Barbecue began in the South, and now there are several regional favorites.  I think it's hard to select just one, but I'm going to try this weekend!

In eastern North Carolina, barbecue means pork shoulder or even a whole hog cooked with hickory smoke, chopped, pulled and mixed with a vinegar-based sauce.  No tomato sauce, and served with coleslaw on a bun.

But in western North Carolina, pork butt is seasoned with a tomato-based vinegar sauce.  It's a definite distinction that reveals itself in the flavors.

When you're in Texas, it's beef brisket, smoked with mesquite or oak.  Some don't like sauce, just the dry rub of spices, But if you need sauce, it's got to be tomato based with plenty of chili and meat drippings.

Now, Kansas City is the real deal.  They were famous for spare ribs with a thick and sweet sauce, but now it's the burnt ends of brisket that are winning plaudits.  The sauce is key in KC.

Finally, Memphis barbecue is shredded pork and ribs, and you'll be asked if you prefer wet or dry, dry being coated with a spicy dry rub, and wet coated with a sauce.

Hmmm...this makes me want to try my hand at barbecue, too...after I check out the BBQ masters this weekend at Birch Bay!

The fresh and local-just-from-your-farm-neighbors' fields berries are in our stores, so don't delay.  Nothing can compare to the burst of sweet flavor you get from a ripe, perfect little raspberry or nicely rounded blueberry.

We love them all year round, of course, but this is the time to splurge on a daily feast of  fresh local berries.  They might be the most perfect fruit, because they are so adaptable to whatever you want to do with them.  Great for sauces on ice cream and cakes, additions to grilled meats and fish, mixed into morning cereals and yoghurts, happy participants in a chocolate fondue, building blocks of jam and jellies...and just snacking away, because you can eat a whole bunch of summer berries and do yourself a lot of good.  They are healthy treats,kid-sized, too. 

Right now it's raspberries with blueberries right behind, and blackberries are soon to arrive.  How do you eat berries, and what is your favorite?  If forced to choose, I'd say raspberries.  They are extremely delicate and perishable, which just makes me love them more!  Right now, I'm enjoying them with just a touch of heavy cream and maybe a few slivered almonds on top.  Key word for food: enjoying.  Shouldn't we always be enjoying whatever it is we are eating? 

Thinking a lot about barbecue lately...The Market at Birch Bay is hosting the first-ever Whatcom County barbecue cookoff, with over $10,000 in prize monies awarded to teams.  The cookoff, sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association (www.pnwba.com) will feature over 20 teams.

What will they be cooking?  Pork butt, brisket, chicken, ribs, dessert and a surprise "to be announced" category.  All good stuff, and tasting tickets for the public at just $1 for a generous helping of hot and spicy bbq.  (Proceeds go to the Whatcom Day Academy).

What can't you cook on a barbecue?  What is the most unusual thing you've cooked over a grill?  The usual stuff:  burgers, steaks, chicken...easy.  Have you ever grilled pineapple or made a banana split over a flame?  What about a quesadilla or a roasted veggie stir-fry?  Berry pie?

What would you like to see barbecued?  Check out the competition.  It's Iron Chef gone local, and it's going to be terrific eating and terrific food theatre.  It all begins on Saturday, July 18 around noon and continues through Sunday. 

Let me know what your favorite food is to cook outdoors...and do you agree that everything tastes better when it's cooked outside? 

Do you love barbecue?  Does the thought of smoky, tangy ribs or spicy pulled pork make your mouth water with joy and anticipation?  Are you a fan of iron chef competitions?

Then you won't want to miss "BBQ On The Border", a barbecue cookoff championship sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association.  The Market at Birch Bay is hosting this first official bbq cookoff ever in Whatcom County...and you're invited to join in the eating!

Only the best chefs and their teams will dare to compete for over $10,000 in prize money.  On Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19, over 20 teams of enthusiastic barbecue experts will cook up some of the most delicious versions of traditional barbecue meats and even dessert. 

Stop by beginning Saturday afternoon and join in the tasting and good eating.  Tasting tickets are just one dollar, with all proceeds going to the Whatcom Day Academy.  Prize categories include pork butt, brisket, chicken, ribs, dessert and a surprise "to be announced" category.  Expect showmanship, style and first-class food from the experts.  Judging will take place on Sunday. 

It's a great way to enjoy the best barbecue you've ever tasted...only happening at The Market at Birch Bay, just off I-5 at exit 270 north of Bellingham.  Gentlemen and ladies...start your grills.  It's July, it's barbecue time, only at The Market at Birch Bay!

Whether it's the Fourth of July or Canada Day, this holiday falls just about right to signal summer's beginning.  I used to think of it as the halfway point of summer, but it's really not.  Here in the Northwest, golden  weather seems to extend into September.

So that brings us to the Big Question:  what's for eating on the Fourth?  It's tradition to have a big barbecue:  just throw stuff on the grill, and remember how much better everything tastes when you're eating it outdoors.  A plank of freshly-caught salmon or halibut, sizzling sausages or hot dogs, burgers or a tender juicy steak: it's whatever you and your guests feel like eating.  We used to cook German sausages in big vats of beer outdoors, and pile our paper plates high with salted watermelon slices.

Potato salad is a regular guest at summer events. (I still find the concept of potatoes in a salad as unusual.) Remember to keep it cold if it's mayo-based to avoid foodborne illness.  In the Midwest, people like a German potato salad, where bacon is fried and the drippings are used to fry the potato slices and onions.  It's served hot, and is very tasty.  Another favorite is a mustard-based salad that supplies all the flavor.  I tend towards a simple and satisfying blend of potatoes, mayo, sweet pickles and chopped onions and a dozen hard-boiled eggs, chopped and all blended together.  It just tastes like home to me.

The Fourth is all about fun, friends, family and fireworks, so my mantra is not to stress too much about food.  Make it easy: you can pick up meals to go, ask guests to bring a potluck dish...and don't forget the s'mores over the grill or campfire.  Graham crackers, marshmallows, a chocolate bar, all melted together can't be beat.

One more thing:  I try to include a red, white and blue dessert on the Fourth.  It's easy for me.  I take a cream-cheese based torte recipe, kind of like a cheesecake filling atop a baked cookie or graham crust, and crowned with fresh blueberries and raspberries.  It's quick and always welcome.