Happy Sunday, kids!
Today is probably my second-favorite day of the week. For me, it usually starts out pretty slow and progresses in a blur of coffee, then mimosas, then snacks, then dinner. When I am super busy during the week, I often try to cook multiple things (many of which I have already test-driven once) over the weekend to ensure:
- A- They're actually good (blog-worthy, if you will)
- B- I know WTF I am talking about (I have finally started keeping a dedicated recipe notebook so I know exactly what I did when it comes time to share with you guys. Only took, like, two years. Better late than never?)
- C- I can get some quality photos and am no longer trying to snap pics of my dinner at 10PM in a dirty kitchen
But all of this doesn't change the fact that during the week, all too often, it is late, I am hungry, and I am tired. And lately? I am hot. So, so hot. Which makes cooking positively miserable, if I do say so myself.
So, I thought my options were limited to grilling or going on a hunger strike in the kiddie pool--but then I remembered the slow cooker. There is positively no need to relegate this appliance to colder-weather months. While I love slow-cooked stew and other fall fare-- in the summer it's that much more pleasant to have a delicious meal with limited effort and time in the kitchen.
And the best thing to do with slow-cooked meat is tacos. Fact.
Throw the beef in the slow cooker in the morning, fire up the grill for a few (literally) hot minutes in the evening, and set up a quick taco bar with accompaniments like crisp arugula and cool greek yogurt, and you have a Taco Tuesday that's guaranteed to impress.
Hello, sweet summer.
You have certainly arrived in full force.
And though I am writing this from a deck on Lake Michigan, where it is a gorgeous, overcast, seventy-degree day-- back home, things are pushing a hundro in terms of both temperature and humidity.
So. Turning on the stove? Not exactly an option.
And while nothing says summer like grilled meat, on a bun, piled sky high with fixings... I am not the biggest fan of predictability. Or hot dog rolls.
The solution? Grill up some absolutely delicious spicy Italian sausages from Lilac Hedge Farm, and create a salad inspired by the quintessential street food I've eaten while intoxicated and strolling through Faneuil Hall circa 2AM a few too many times. The result was an upscale-ish twist on a summer classic.
And zero stove time.
Win.
I promise that there will be a lot more cocktail recipes and beer recommendations in your future round these parts.
I mean, it seems like it's my duty to share the boozey goodness I uncover on a weekly basis.
And usually, it's just delicious beer or wine that I enjoy rather than cocktails (top summer brews include Abita Strawberry, 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon, Harpoon Mid-Summer Fling and Magic Hat Elder Betty...told you I am a beer advocate).
But every once in a while, I want to get fancy in the drink department and whip something up that includes a few ingredients and a bit of time.
I went to a vodka tasting a while back for Square One Organic Vodka. While I loved every variety I sampled, I was partial (as I always am, stemming from my Bath & Body Works Cucumber-Melon body-spray-shower days circa 2001) to the Cucumber flavor.
At the tasting, they paired this with some fancy schmancy watermelon soda.
So. What's a girl to do without a said soda or a juicer?
Buy a big honking watermelon half, strain it, and dedicate it to cocktails, that's what.
This refreshing vodka pairs so well with the sweetness of the watermelon, it's seriously a match made in summer cocktail heaven.
It takes a bit of time, but this drink is work every ounce of it. I swear.
Happy Holiday week, happy summer, happy Tuesday, happy drunk time. Whatever your reason, cheers.
...I reflected upon the time when I was a young, well-rested, only child.
Oh, those were the days.
I need a nap.
Oh, those were the days.
I need a nap.
