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You know how sometimes you keep daydreaming of something, only to realize it's here right now, if only you'd open your eyes and see it? That's how I felt this morning, when I woke up thinking, "Well, summer's coming, and isn't that going to be great? I'm going to drink iced tea and eat fruit from the farmers' market and make lots of ice cream and..." Reality check: That holiday weekend over a week ago heralded the start of summer. It's here. I have 13 weeks until Labor Day, and if September 5 rolls around and I have yet to drink an Arnold Palmer, I'm going to be whining, "How did I let this happen?" To avoid that, I've drawn up a list of summer food resolutions...

1. Go to the greenmarket at least once a week for fruit (strawberries now, cherries in July, peaches in August) and vegetables (especially arugula and corn). Though, I refuse to fall for those pricey zucchini flowers...at least not too often.
2. Always have home-brewed iced tea in the fridge.
3. Eat more no-cook dinners, whether it's a chilled soup, cold roasted chicken, a hacked meal or a big salad.



4. Don't wait for special occasions to try a new ice cream recipe. My machine gets a lot of action in the summertime, but mostly to make my standbys, such as vanilla, butterscotch pecan and toasted almond gelato. This year, I'm going to attempt some new combinations. Even if it's Tuesday. Even if no one's coming over.
5. Cut down on my caffeine intake by mixing regular iced coffee with decaf.
6. Picnics on the weekends! Yes, you can get fancy, though I usually stick to a loaf of bread, a piece of cheese and a few things from a local specialty food shop's salad bar.

What are your summer resolutions? Tell us in Comments.

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