Summer Love and Cookouts
Reader Input Request · Roundup

Summer Love and Cookouts

Jaycee Weaver

It’s a gazillion degrees outside here in New Mexico. We’ve spent weekends in Arizona, Colorado, and Kansas in the past two months, and it’s been H-O-T hot there too. I know it’s not summer for half the world right now, but many of you still know the sticky, sweaty, blazing sun, furnace-blast-to-the-face feeling of a hotter than normal summer.

If you’re from outside the US, I’d love to hear what people in your region do to beat the heat. Across the US, the consensus seems to be a lot of indoor activities, retreats into the mountains, trips to the pool, and cookouts.

Now, if this were any other kind of blog, I could tell you all about the differences between a cookout and a barbecue, but I’ll let you Google that instead so we can chat about what we DO talk about here: romance books.

Food is an integral part of the human experience, so it only makes sense that those common elements of summer would feature heavily in fiction as well. Family cookouts, church picnics, barbecues, and other outdoor dining experiences bring us together and thus make a perfect setting for moving a story’s plot forward. My mind immediately thinks of all the potential for creating a little drama or tension, opportunities for busybody side characters to drop their nuggets of wisdom or insight, or even a great place for our hero and heroine to meet or reunite. Where better to stir up some trouble that forces a couple to face something they’ve been avoiding? So. Much. Potential.

Virtual Cookout MenuToday, in honor of the outrageous summer heat here in the US, I have compiled a list of must-bring dishes submitted by friends and readers, as well as a list of recommended reads that feature cookouts, picnics, barbecues, or other pivotal summer meal scenes.

Here’s our virtual cookout menu for today before we get to the books:

Meats: smoked brisket, grilled chicken, pulled pork, plus hamburgers and hot dogs

Sides: potato salad, macaroni or pasta salad, corn on the cob (or my preferred variation, elote), baked beans, and deviled eggs (I’m adding a veggie tray with ranch!)

Sweets: ice cream, ice pops, summer fruits, marshmallow fluff salad (AKA ambrosia, the one thing on this list I won’t touch), and glorious fruit pies

Cold Drinks: sweet tea, unsweet iced tea, aguas frescas (lightly sweetened fruit waters)

And now for the books (I haven’t read all of these, but they’ve all come recommended by CF readers):

… so many scenes from other books come to mind, but I’m blanking out on titles. If any come to mind for you, I’d love to see them in your comments! And while you’re in the comments, share what must-have foods you’d bring or want to see on the table if we hosted a virtual summer cookout. I love talking books and food, so I can’t wait to chat with you about both!

Published by Jaycee Weaver

When New Mexico resident and USA Today bestselling author Jaycee Weaver isn't reading or writing, she enjoys dates with her brainiac hubby, drinking coffee, crafting, pretending she's a nature photographer, and making her teenagers cringe. Jaycee considers herself a recovering perfectionist and frequent hot mess. She does her best to live her faith in action authentically, trusting God to be Lord over the good, the bad, and the ugly even when it’s hard.

18 thoughts on “Summer Love and Cookouts”

  1. I am off to google cook out and Fluff salad. Ok fluff salad looks yuck sorry. We probably have more bbqs in summer than cookouts. But you can cook almost anything on a BBQ.
    Right now its cold in Australia but in Summer I know my neighbours cook outside. They have a really good grill (bbq) and being South African you can smell interesting flavours. They have a patio area so its undercover and in the shade and nice when its a hot day.

  3. Hi Jaycee, Tacos for Two has stories of fairs and food trucks. It does have a family flair. I would add relishes. I am a big dill pickle fan. I have also fallen in love with mild peppers and mild mixed vegetables (little onions, califlower, peppers, carrots). It is always so nice to be with you. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

    1. Thanks, Debra! Always a joy to chat with you. I also enjoy some good mixed veggies and DEFINITELY peppers.

  5. Hi, it has been pretty hot over here in west Texas also. I have not read any of the books mentioned. My husband and I try not to turn on the stove during these hot days, we have been having sandwiches which are always good. I will be fixing tacos for tonights dinner, but tacos don’t take much time to make. Fruit salad is always very good and refreshing for hot days also. Have a great weekend and stay safe and cool.

  6. The Chrisrasen Family series by Susan May Warren and the Baxter Family series by Karen Kingsbury has cookout scenes.

    1. I was thinking about the Christiansens!! I couldn’t remember for sure if they had any such scenes or not, but totally makes sense they would. Thanks!!

  7. I’d have to add the books in the Tales of the Grace Chapel Inn. They take place in all seasons, and all have food!! Too many others, and I can’t think of the names, either! lol!! I’d definitely be hanging out by the deviled eggs, and you can’t beat fresh tomatoes, especially if they’re home grown!! Last July, I went to visit my aunt and some cousins, and one of my cousins brought me fresh tomatoes out of her hubby’s garden. I had tomato sandwiches every day!!!

  8. thank you for your post today. my husband and I have really had to revise what we eat recently. It is super hot and sticky here also. I think the high humidity is what bothers me the most.

  9. Hi Jaycee! As a Michigander in the heat of the summer, at an outdoor BQ or picnic, we stay away from anything with Mayo (pasta salad, etc). I am not fond of Marshmallow Fluff Ambrosia (toooooo sweet). I make Ambrosia with mini fruit marshmallows, sour cream, pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, and coconut. Sweet and sour mix. Summer requires something lemony – raspberry tea lemonade, creamy lemonade cheese cake, lemon squares, lemon cookies, etc. Haven’t read any of the books mentioned. Stay cool and enjoy your summer. Best wishes.

Comments are closed.