The heat waves that happen in the summer always take us by surprise.We know that it was likely this hot at some point last summer, but when the temperature tips over 95 degrees there is always someone who says, “It has never been this hot!!”

I had the unique experience of spending the entireTishaB’Av day in Manhattan this year taking care of my son’s broken foot.This year it was also one of the hottest days of the summer, and with all the concrete and cement of the city we were broiling! We watched as folks walked by sipping huge iced coffees and eating all manner of frozen treats to stay cool. My son and I wondered what people would think if they knew we had not had even a sip of water on this long hot day of fasting.

When the fast was over, I had an iced coffee, and my son a tall glass of iced tea and I knew that I would share with my readers two of ourfavorite summer coolers!

Garden Water

My fanciest friend used to serve this at her Shabbat meals before she moved to Israel. I always looked forward to an ice cold glass of this refreshing drink. Here is her recipe.

1 English Cucumber washed and sliced width-wise into thin slices

3 cups water

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate (if you want non-sugar substitute 2 packets Crystal Light lemonade powder)

1 bottle (2 liter) Fresca

4 cups of seltzer or diet ginger ale

Mint leaves washed and separated from stems

Ice cubes

Combine water, lemonade concentrate or powder, cucumbers, Fresca, and the seltzer or ginger ale, and mint leaves in a large pitcher. It makes approximately 1 gallon of beverage.  It goes pretty fast so if you only have a smaller glass pitcher for serving keep the rest in the fridge to refill as needed!

Watermelon Sorbet

I started making this for my family when I was a teen. I saw a recipe for it in a kid’s cookbook. Guests love the taste and the shtick factor. Have your kids press the chips into the sorbet to look like watermelon seeds!

One half of a watermelon cut lengthwise

3 containers Klein’s strawberry sorbet or any red sorbet or sherbet you like

One bag mini chocolate chips

Scoop out all the watermelon from the watermelon half. If you have time before Shabbat, use your food processor to blend the watermelon with the sorbet/sherbet. If you don’t have time let the sorbet soften slightly and blend the watermelon chunks into the sorbet/sherbet. Both ways are good. Fill the now empty watermelon half with the sorbet/sherbet-watermelon mixture. Press the chocolate chips point down into the sorbet in an oval pattern resembling what the cut watermelon would look like with seeds.Now should look like a freshly cut watermelon but it is filled with refreshing sorbet!

Store in freezer until ready to serve!

Creamsicle Shake/Pops

3 cups vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt

1 can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 cup skim milk

Blend in blender! Enjoy as a shake or freeze in milchigpopsicle moldsor just Dixie cups and popsicle sticks.

Chavie Hagler and Rayzel Yaish are two Bergen county based full-time working mothers who have a passion for delicious food! We are delighted to bring you Over the Kosher Kitchen Sink.In the column, you will get a chance to hear us schmooze “over the kosher kitchen sink” about kosher food trends, preparing for the Jewish Holidays, cooking for ourselves and our families and friends, food preparation and presentation, new and exciting local kosher developments, and in general our musings about anything and everything related to kosher food and cooking!

In the spirit of friends and family who we hope enjoy hanging around and chatting over our kitchen sinks, we hope you will enjoy our tasty thoughts and will share your questions and kosher food ideas with us at kosherkitchensink_jewishlinkbc.com

By RayzelYaish