Summer is upon us, and for many folks, that means heat … kids home all day … more heat … kids playing and constantly getting hungry … and even more heat. Between the soaring temperatures, chasing active children around (where in tarnation do they get all that energy?) and the increased demands on laundry caused by copious amounts of sweat and grime, often the last thing you want to do is make something hot to eat. What you need is something that doesn’t require firing up the stove or the oven, but also manages to be more nutritious and less guilt-inducing than serving ice cream for lunch and flavored ice cubes for dessert.

Sandwiches make excellent summer fare. They’re easy to make, and kids love them. They can be made into wraps, or served on a salad for a healthier, lower-carb option. You can make them ahead, too, which means you might actually have some time to catch your breath and put your feet up before getting a meal ready.

Our collection today features cold sandwiches, and the most heating you’ll have to do for these is toasting the bread. Which you don’t even have to do if you don’t want to. We’ll save the grilled sandwiches and paninis for another time. This post is all about keeping things cool, man. Let’s get started!

First up, chicken salad sandwiches. You can make these with leftover chicken (or turkey) or even rotisserie chicken, which adds a nice roasted flavor to the salad.

Clockwise from top left: Chicken Salad Sandwiches from callimakesdo, Curry Apple and Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwich from steamykitchen, Tarragon Chicken Salad with Pecans and Cranberries from theparsleythief, Fancy Chicken Salad from golokitchen, Chicken Salad with Peas and Herb Mustard Vinaigrette from multiplydelicious, and Crunchy Chicken Salad from ConContwin2.

 
 
 
We also have a few egg salad sandwiches to show you. And okay, I realize you’ll have to boil the eggs, but you can do that in the evening and have them ready to go the next day. There’s even a mayo-free version for those trying to stay away from the white stuff, and a grown-up version with olives and oregano. If you want to skip the eggs altogether, have a look at the mock egg salad below, made with tofu.

Clockwise from top left: Egg Salad with Kalamatas, Red Onion, and Fresh Oregano from ThreeManyCooks, Curry Egg Salad Sandwich from A Cozy Kitchen, Ella’s Egg Salad from Chez Us, an egg-less Mock Egg Salad with Cashew Mayo from myrecessionkitchen, Mini Cranberry Egg Salad Pitas from jillscleankitchen, and Mayo-Free Egg Salad from Natalie (Perry’s Plate).

 
 
 
Rounding out the big trio of salad sandwiches, here are some tuna salad options you might like, including one that also uses shrimp to pack some extra punch.

Clockwise from top left: Garden Tuna Salad with Olives from Angie McGowan, Mediterranean Tuna Salad from polwig,a mayo-free Mediterranean Tuna Salad from bringingupboys, and Tuna and Shrimp Sandwich from hellosal.

 
 
 
To change things up a bit, here are some other cold sandwich choices that depart from the traditional meat salad filling. Take a look at the fancy yet incredibly simple fig and brie sandwich that you can whip up for unexpected company, or to send to that lovely mom next door whose geraniums your son accidentally trampled on while playing tag the other day.

 
Figs and brie can often cover a multitude of sins. And sneaker tracks.

Clockwise from top left: Hearty Apple Sandwich from houndymama, Summer Veggie Sandwich from tamilovinglife, Summertime Tomato Sandwich from daxphillips, Fig, Brie, and Spinach Sandwiches from Laura Zolnoski, and Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich from starcrossedb.

 
 
 
How about you? How do you keep cool in the summer? Around these parts, we’ve got about two more months of this heat, so we’ll take all the suggestions we can get!

 
This weekend, many folks will be celebrating America with friends, family, food and fireworks. If you’re looking for some new ideas for the grill, we featured 44 different grill recipes in our recent Grilled Food theme post. For today, we’ll stick to a theme that’s … well, that’s as American as apple pie. Can you guess what it is?

(It actually was a choice between Apple Pie and Chevrolet, but I couldn’t find any Chevy recipes here.)

Let’s start with actual apple pie recipes, shall we? Different folks have different ideas of what a traditional pie should be. Be it a double crust pie, or a crumble pie, or topped with decadent caramel, you’re sure to find one here that’s just right for you.

Clockwise from top left: Eva’s Apple Pie from callimakesdo, Classic Apple Pie from thescentofvanilla, Ree’s Scrumptious Apple Pie, Southern Apple Pie from Mommy’s Kitchen, Apple Cranberry Streusel Pie from Susan, and another one from thescentofvanilla, Apple Crumble Pie.

 
 
 
If you want to break from tradition and do a different version of apple pie, we’ve got a few alternatives for you too. Whether you want cupcakes, squares, crustless crisps, muffins or tarts, who says you can’t celebrate America’s favorite dessert in a non-pie form?

Clockwise from top left: American Pie Cupcakes from Rachymommy@MommyTopics, Caramel Apple Crumb from monstermama, Apple Pie Squares from julip1882, Apple Pie Muffins from holderman1325, Apple Pie Cupcakes from nakiaandkaleb, Rustic Skillet Apple Tart from sprinklebakes, and Apple Pear Crisp from ceegee.

 
 
 
Now, warm apple pie on an even warmer July day often feels naked without some cool and creamy vanilla ice cream. Not that naked isn’t good, especially when it’s hot, but you know what I mean. (As least, I hope you do, else you’d be giving me a funny look and slowly backing away from me right now.)

 
You can certainly get creative and go a different route, and if you want to do that, our recent Ice Cream theme post can point you in the right direction. But we’re not going to go all fancy here. Usually, the best friend a good apple pie can have is a nice big scoop of simple vanilla ice cream.

 
Okay, maybe I’ll throw in a little extra one with some cinnamon spice.

Clockwise from top left: Vanilla Bean Gelato from Food for My Family, Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream from sweetpeachef, Cashiers Farmer’s Market Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream from bunkycooks, Easy Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from missinthekitchen, Delicious Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from Ree, and something just a little bit different that’ll go well with the flavor of apple pie, Cinnamon Spice Ice Cream from Tracy (sugarcrafter).

 
 
 
And finally, to top it all off, how about some caramel sauce? Because, truth be told, if you run out of time or energy, you can simply get your pie and ice cream from the store or your favorite bakery. Top it with some good homemade caramel sauce, and you’re good to go.

Homemade Caramel Sauce from europegirl87 on the left, and Vegan Caramel Sauce from tonijean on the right.

 
 
 
Last but not least, I know it has nothing to do with apple pie, but I just had to show you these adorable little Blackberry & Strawberry Lemon Cakes from cookincanuck that celebrate both the upcoming 4th of July holiday as well as yesterday’s Canada Day. How cute are these?

 
 
 
And there you have it, Tasty Kitchen’s little piece of Americana, with a nod to our northern neighbor as well.

 
So, how about you? What does the phrase “as American as …” mean to you and your family? How would you finish that phrase? We’d love to hear all your different answers! And if you’re Canadian, gives us a holler and tell us how you celebrated Canada Day. We’d love to hear from you too! (Even if you’re not, don’t let that stop you from hollering anyway. I, for one, celebrated Make Enchiladas Out Of Leftovers Day yesterday. Can you guess what I did?)

 
I’m sorry.

 
I’m just going to come right out and apologize in advance for all the ooey, gooey, sweet, chunky, crunchy, dense, moist, rich goodness you’ll see in this post. If you think the Sea Salt Caramel Brownies from doughmesstic and mandybird80’s Fudgy Revel Bars above are too much torture, then you may want to view this post in installments.

 
We’re celebrating brownies and bars today to highlight our new Desserts subcategory: Brownies and Bars. It was high time they got their own home. Just look at the little sweethearts. Don’t they look happy to have a place to call their own?
 

Top row, from left to right: Brownies, As They Should Be from rainydaygal, Famous Mint Brownies from callimakesdo, and Macadamia Nut Brownies from ericalea. Middle row, from left to right: Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites from savorysweetlife, Bacon Salted Caramel Brownies from savourfare, and Peanut Butter Nutella Brownies from Chrystal. Bottom row, from left to right: Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies with Chocolate Ganache Top from Rox, Milk Chocolate Brownies from Karenpie, and Best Basic Brownie from lydiajo.

 
 
 
Interestingly enough, although brownies are more popular, blondies apparently arrived at the scene first. While brownies obviously get their color from cocoa or chocolate, blondies have a base of butter and brown sugar or molasses, which are the same base ingredients for butterscotch. I found many wonderful recipes that fall under this group, and you all just do crazy magic with that simple base.
 

Left column, top to bottom: Congo Bars from Bakerella and The Bar (or Food for the Gods) from ivoryhut. Middle column, top to bottom: Chai Gingerbread Bars from nika, Peanut Butter Bacon Blondies from HowSweetEats, and Coffee Toffee Bars from nhsweetcherry. Right column, top to bottom: Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Chip Blondies from Kelly @ EvilShenanigans, Pumpkin Blondies from Tracy (sugarcrafter), and Chai Bars from savourfare.

 
 
 
Then there are those other types of bars that don’t quite fit into an obvious group. Bars that are part candy, part cake, part petit four, and pure decadence.
 

Clockwise from top left: Idle Hand Bars (Sweet and Salty) from guiltykitchen, Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars from RecipeGirl, Nanaimo Bars from myrecessionkitchen, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars from golokitchen, Kit-Kat Bars from Chloe, Nutella Nanaimo Bars from savourfare, Coconut and Chocolate Fudge Bars from cookincanuck, and Salted Butterscotch Shortbread Bars from Dandy.

 
 
 
Maybe a fruity kind of bar is more up your alley. Especially with so many wonderful fruits in season right now. Many of the bars below can easily be adapted to your favorite fruit. Fruit is healthy, yes?
 

Top row, from left to right: Lemon Lime Squares from sweettooth, Raspberry Coconut Bars from sugarlovegirl, and Strawberry Lime Squares with Almond Graham Cracker Crust from The Noshery. Middle row, from left to right: Rhubarb Crisp Bars from adenscrazymom, Blueberry Crisp Bars from A Cozy Kitchen, and Apricot Orange Squares from foodandwhine. Bottom row, from left to right: Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust from cookincanuck, Lemon Walnut Squares from Frances Swiecki, and Frosted Banana Bars from dineanddish.

 
Don’t they look so pretty and colorful?

 
And finally, in case you need something special, like a gluten-free brownie, or dairy-free, or vegan, I found some recipes for you too. Or maybe you want a bar but just don’t feel like firing up that oven in the heat of summer. Don’t despair; I made sure I found a few recipes to rope you in. You didn’t think you’d escape that easily, did you?
 

Clockwise from top left: The Ultimate Vegan Brownie from guiltykitchen, whole wheat and all organic Chocolate Caramel Bars from Carrie @ Deliciously Organic, Fudgy Gluten-Free Brownies from glutenfreegirl, No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars from Karly Campbell, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Brownies from elanaspantry, and another no-bake treat, Peanut Butter Bars from Grandma posted by megstermeter.

 
 
 
And that’s it! Just some of the goodies waiting for you in our new Brownies and Bars category. Okay, you can breathe now. I’m done tempting you. Seriously. It’s safe to come out now.

Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownies from bell’alimento

 
Oops. Sorry again!
 
(The chocolate made me do it.)

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