Late Night Summer 'Gourmet' Dinners

Ah, the dog days of summer. After spending yet another day outside playing, shooting hoops, riding bikes or swimming at the neighborhood pool, sooner or later the sun sets and the mosquitoes take back the night: It’s time to finally call it a day.

And with this summer’s bizarre weather, we return from outside’s three-thousand degree temperatures with two-hundred percent humidity to a perfectly climate-controlled 74º indoor temperature homestead.

Everyone heads to a separate bathroom to wash their hands and face, then back down to the kitchen to grab a tall glass of water, lemonade or pop, depending on the family member. While well past dinnertime, everyone’s appetite is diminished from a day in the hot sun.

Which is where the family dinner hour once again is skewed for yet another evening. Other than grabbing something to drink, the thought of sitting down to a meal sounds nauseating. Other than half a bagel or maybe a bowl of cereal, everyone leaves the kitchen carrying a glass and a wet towel, and sporting a damp bathing suit.

But then something magical happens: Freshly showered and bundled in comfy pajamas, internal body temperatures finally reset to normal, I am now faced with a family with appetites so fierce they would eat the faces off of goats.

The action moves back down to the kitchen, where there is a flurry of activity as leftovers, burgers, hot dogs, veggies and pasta fly out of the refrigerator and pantry and onto the island, as Jim moves outside to fire up the grill.

And while none of these dinners would score any points for presentation from “Food and Wine”, I guarantee none of the dishes are on the table long enough to photograph, less identify.

Once everyone is officially a member of the “Clean Plate” Club, dishes are swept into the dishwasher, pets are fed, and the kitchen is straightened up just in time to watch the ten o’clock news.

With tummies full, wrapped in fuzzy blankets with pajamas on and a day of fresh air, water and sunshine under our belts, it is a miracle that any of us stay awake long enough to watch the weather forecast for the following day.

All I know for sure is waffles with whip cream will be on the menu for breakfast, once we eventually roll out of bed.