is cold things.

Mostly cold noodles. And cold chicken. And coleslaw. And cold coffee. And smoothies. Watermelon. Cucumbers. Ice.

Here are a couple of sauces for cold things that have been making my life a little nicer lately.

Miso-Mustard Dressing

2 tablespoons yellow or white miso paste

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Put it all in a jar. Shake it up. Taste. Adjust. Pour over anything, or everything. Notice I wrote it all out in tablespoons, so use the same ratio for teaspoons or cups to adjust amounts as desired.

Yesterday I put this on a slaw with cabbage, onions, carrots, peanuts, toasted black sesame seeds, ginger and garlic. Today I will put it on lettuce. Tomorrow, maybe cucumbers. Or chicken. Or soba noodles. Put it on whatever you want. Save the rest in the fridge. It'll be good for a few days. It'll be gone before that, though.

Peanut-Cilantro Sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and sliced

4 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 jalapeño pepper

1 clove garlic

1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Put it all in the blender. Blend the bejeesus out of it. Taste. Adjust as needed with salt, lime, and jalapeño. Serve with grilled chicken. Smear on a hot ear of corn. Or raw vegetables, like carrots, cucumbers, broccoli. It can be a dip! It can be a sauce! It can be whatever you want it to be.

Happy summer, friends. I am finally on my way out of the pit of despair.