Pretty pick-me-ups

Enticing treats, savory and sweet, to get us through August.

Hello, patient cook!

I’m kind of thinking it might be better if we just cancel the rest of August. What’s the point of this oppressive heat? If you’re lucky enough to be somewhere not affected, more power to you. For the rest of us (and for the not-affected, too!), here are some things that hopefully will make this long, hot summer just a little bit nicer.

Last weekend, visions of cold bowls of borscht floated through my heat-daze. I grabbed a big bunch of beets at the supermarket — they all looked so nice, their leaves firm and glossy. Much as I did not want to turn on the stove, I figured 30 minutes simmering time would provide me a week’s worth of delight. So worth it — I just had two delicious bowls for dinner.

For Thierry, who does not enjoy beets, I whipped up a quick cacik — cold Turkish yogurt-and-cucumber soup. A friend came by for…