It has been a hot, humid couple of weeks in Iowa. Those of us who can stay home and keep cool in our air-conditioned homes can certainly feel very fortunate.

I do remember the day that as a child our family had no air conditioning.

My sisters and I would lay in front of a fan to stay cool and at night move to a downstairs living room floor to try to stay cool versus sleeping in an upstairs hot bedroom. However, we survived.

School has already started in our area and soon the weather will cool down as fall approaches. Time slips by so quickly.

In the meantime, here is a recipe that might help keep you cool.

Smoothie Drink

Ingredients:

1 carton yogurt, any flavor*

1 can pineapple

1 can frozen orange juice

2 cups strawberries

3 ice cubes

Instructions:

Blend all together until smooth. May add orange sherbet if desired.

* I use 16 oz. but the recipe does not specify.

If you like vegetables as much as we do, this is a recipe you should try, if you have not already. It is great to fix if you are having friends or family over to watch a game or spending some time together. It’s healthy and very tasty, but it does take some time to cut up the vegetables.

Vegetable Pizza

Ingredients:

1 package Pillsbury crescent rolls

8 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

Instructions:

Place crescent rolls on a cookie sheet, spread out to cover the entire pan, and bake at 325 degrees until slightly brown. Cool. Combine other ingredients and spread over the crust and top with finely chopped green onions, broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, radishes, tomatoes, etc. Keep in the refrigerator until it is time to serve it.

Okoboji Chicken Casserole

I did not name this recipe, even though we have made many trips to Okoboji over the years. We are especially fond of this dish because of the water chestnuts and almonds.

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked rice (Uncle Ben’s white and wild, 2 boxes)

3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed

1 cup cream of chicken soup

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon grated onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts

1 cup crushed corn flakes

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions:

Layer rice in bottom of 9-by-13-inch pan. Spread chicken over rice. Mix soup, celery, mayo, onion, lemon juice and water chestnuts; spread over chicken. Mix cornflakes, almonds and melted butter; put on top of the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Yields 8 to 10 servings.

Apple Harvest Bake

Fall is just around the corner. Fall means cooler weather, changing colors of trees, caramel apples, roasting hot dogs by the fireside and more. It may even be a good time to bake Apple Harvest Bake. Reading online it has been said that the best baking apples to use are Braeburn, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Granny Smith or Haralson. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups peeled and chopped apples

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup nuts

Instructions:

Combine all dry ingredients (brown sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon).

Mix beaten eggs and vanilla together. Combine these ingredients together. Add chopped apples and nuts and mix well.

Place in a well-greased pie plate or 9-by-9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It can be served with whipped topping or ice cream.

Have a great week! Happy Cooking!

Loretta Krahling is a columnist with more than 30 years of newspaper experience. If you have any recipes or other favorites you would like to share, email her with your recipes and why they are your favorite to krahling93@gmail.com.