Wow, it’s been hot here.  Yesterday was the first day in almost a week where the night’s news headlines didn’t begin with “Record Breaking Temperatures Today…”  We’ve been over 100F/38C here for days.

So when it gets this hot, I start looking around for things I can eat or drink to cool down.  And that’s when I remember that my mom used to, on occasion, make homemade lime sherbet for us:

Lime Sherbet

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 can (46 ounces) citrus punch
1/4 cup lime juice
3 egg whites
Sliced strawberries (optional)

Stir gelatin into 1 cup of the punch. Place over low heat and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Stir in lime juice and remaining punch. Stir well to blend so gelatin will not separate and sink to bottom. Chill until mixture is almost firm. Add unbeaten egg whites and beat with an electric mixer until mixture is soft and fluffy. Chill again until firm. Spoon into large glasses and layer strawberries.

It sounds great on a day like today, except for one problem:  The “citrus punch” mentioned in the ingredients list doesn’t seem to be available in supermarkets anymore.  (For those of you who don’t remember it, it came in a great big can in the fruit juice aisle, was sort of a poisonous, glo-stick green, and tasted vaguely of lime flavor.)

But I’m thinking frozen limeade could be substituted; I’d use two cans of limeade mix, with enough water to make 46 ounces (keeping in mind that freezing something de-intensifies the flavor).  Frankly, it’d probably taste better than the original mystery “punch” flavor, anyway.

Also, we never particularly worried about using raw egg whites in something like this, but if you prefer, pasteurized eggs or egg-whites-in-a-carton would probably work okay for this.  The mixture is supposed to be beaten until fluffy, but not to the extent of, say, meringues.

Of course, now that I’m an adult, I can enjoy a cool drink that contains alcohol.  My summertime favorite is a cool wine spritzer:

Wine Spritzer

2 1/4 cups diet clear lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-Up, etc.)
1 1/4 cups cheap white wine (the kind from a box)
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
Ice cubes
Mint leaves (optional)

Mix soda, wine, and juice in a 1-quart carafe.  Pour over ice cubes in a chilled wine glass or tumbler and garnish with mint leaves.  Best enjoyed somewhere shady and cool.  4 servings.

And that’s it for this week.  Stay cool, everyone!