“Bring It Out, Bring It Out…” Are you singing along with me?
Guess what? It’s FALL! No, not really. It’s August 24th. We still have a month to go, but it definitely feels like fall outside today, doesn’t it? I woke up this morning for an early dentist appointment (I aced it by the way, no biggie.) and I actually turned the temperature knob (or whatever it’s called) in my car from the blue to the red! It’s an absolutely perfect fall-like day. I love the heat of the summer months, but this is definitely #2 on the “Angie’s Favorite Kinds of Weather” list, which is probably tucked away in one of my junior high journals somewhere…
Zuno loves this weather, too. He found the one spot in our entire house where the sun shines through the window and parked himself right there for a little puppy nap. #Itsthelittlethings, right? He continues to remind me of that.
Speaking of the little things… after my dentist appointment (Did I mention I rocked it? Dr. Chip at QC Dental Docs takes super good care of me.), I decided to treat myself – #treatyoself for my Parks & Rec fans – to some coffee at Coffee Hound in Bettendorf. Have you been here? It’s delicious! I had a hot cup of the Hazelnut Vanilla and decided to sit down and read the newspaper (for once) before I started all my errands. There are pictures of dogs all over the place, which instantly make you smile… probably their goal. I walked out of that place energized and happy. This is why I love to #shoplocal.
Fueled by my coffee coma, I sped through my errands and found myself at HyVee – like every Monday. However, I didn’t have a list… yikes. I knew I needed to get groceries, but I forgot to make a meal plan so I snuck over to the paper towel corner where not a lot of people go and tried to look up some recipes really quick. It would be easy to just grab some stuff to grill this week, but this is Zach’s favorite (#1 on his list, haha) kind of weather so I know he’s going to want to golf. Heck, I might even join him. Also, I don’t know how to turn on the grill. I know that is ridiculous, but trust me – it’s better for all of us that I don’t take my limited cooking skills outdoors… ever.
That lack of time (and lack of skill on my part) on top of the September-like weather made me think of the perfect solution…
“Bring It Out, Bring It Out”:
Welcome Back, Crock Pot! It’s great to see you again, old friend. I’m not really sure why we don’t use our slow cooker in the spring and summer months, but it’s stored away in a cabinet – along with our rice cooker – just waiting for us to remember how incredibly awesome and useful it is to our busy schedules.
I picked out two yummy recipes that I’ve been meaning to try and by the looks of it – and smell of it as I’m typing away without a cooking care in the world – this kitchen sidekick will not be going back in the cupboard anytime soon:
Later This Week: Love From The Oven’s Chicken Tacos
Here are some of recipes I’ve already tried that we love and I’ll be putting into the rotation:
All Recipes’ Beef Barbacoa (We use this to make our own Burrito Bowls!)
Speaking of chili, Zach is already talking about chili season and chili cook-offs and all of that goodness. Maybe I can get him to write a blog post about it…
Happy Cooking!
A
