We've got heat wave and cookies on the brain. It's been hot in California the last few days... so hot that the powers that be have asked us to drive less, forgo watering plants, and turn off major appliances.

For the most part, we've complied. But when a friend told us about a woman making the most of a heat wave by using her parked car as a solar oven, we wondered what opportunities we might be missing. This quote from an AP article explains it best:

"My husband wanted me to run some errands this morning,'' said Fontaine, who works at Baldwin and Clarke Corporate Finance. "I said, 'I can't. I'm baking cookies.'"

There are links all over the internet for building your own solar oven, but this story shows that sometimes all it takes to save energy -- and have a bit of fun -- is thinking creatively about what we already have.

Have you baked or cooked in your car? Have you found a simple, fun, or funny way to green your home? Let us know.

Image via sxc.hu. Car baking link thanks to Malena.