It is already heating up and cooking over the stove is getting a little toasty. Now is the season for crock pots. Not only does cooking with a crock pot not heat up your house, but it can fill your house with delicious smelling dinner while you are at work!  One of the best hacks for summer meals is to cook up enough meat for the week or longer.

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BBQ Pork

You can double batch some BBQ pork and freeze half of it for later. BBQ Pork can be used for tacos, salads, sandwiches and to put on top of some roasted potatoes and carrots. It is a great staple for summer meals. Here is a good recipe to get you started. BBQ Pork Recipe

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Chili is another great meal for the crock pot. I make enough to have it on hotdogs and backed potatoes and just spread those meals out so that it doesn't feel like too much of a good thing. I like some spice in my chili so here is my recipe:

Aaronee's Crock Pot Chili-

2 tablespoons of olive oil to caramelize onions and bell peppers

1/2 onion caramelized

2 lbs. of browned hamburger

1/2 green 1/2 red bell peppers diced & caramelized

2-3 jalapeños

Full clove of minced garlic (l love garlic)

1 drained and rinsed can of pinto beans

1 drained and rinsed can of black beans

1 drained and rinsed can of northern white beans

I 16oz. can of tomato paste

1 1/2 water

2 tablespoons of your favorite taco seasoning

salt to taste

Throw everything in the crock pot on low for 3-5 hours for flavors to melt together into a delicious pot of goodness.  Top with sour cream, cheese, scallions, cilantro and serve with cornbread or corn chips.

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Chicken Broccoli Casserole-

I absolutely love chicken broccoli casserole and in the summer I just don't want to heat up my oven for anything. Because of the heat I was missing out on this creamy, cheesy, delicious meal. So I decided to look up how I could get this done in a crock pot while I'm at work. This is a great fill in recipe for your crock pot: Creamy Chicken & Broccoli

 

If you have any amazing recipes that I need to add to my meal rotation for summer, let me know! Email me here @Aaronee

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School is almost out and it is heating up! I am ready for some sun and some delicious ice cream! I decided to google THE BEST ice cream in southern Utah. I keep trying to see how they come up with the listings because they are not in order of rankings. These were the top 3 ice cream shops when I asked last. =)

#3 Cold Stone Creamery

Serious eats/ seriouseats.com
Serious eats/ seriouseats.com
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4.1 stars. Located at 245 Red Cliffs Dr Ste 4, St. George, UT 84790

Ice cream store where you can design-your-own creations. They hand mix the chosen toppings in your ice cream on a on a granite slab. Plus they have shakes as well.

I am not sure why I forget about Cold Stone. It has been great every time I've gone.

Check out there menu: Cold Stone Menu

Hours:

Monday 11 AM–9 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–9 PM
Thursday 11 AM–9 PM
Friday 10 AM–10 PM
Saturday 10 AM–10 PM
Sunday 1–6 PM

#2 Handel's Homemade Ice Cream

Handel's facebook page
Handel's facebook page
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4.7 stars! Located at 291 N Bluff St, St. George, UT 84770

Local ice cream parlor offering many flavors of ice cream, sorbet, sundaes & shakes.

I still haven't been to Handel's but it is close to my work so I need to head down that way soon.

You can find there complete menu on line: HandelsIceCream.com

Hours:
Monday 11 AM–10 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–10 PM
Thursday 11 AM–10 PM
Friday 11 AM–11 PM
Saturday 11 AM–11 PM
Sunday 3–10 PM

#1 Zeppe's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard

Zeppe's website pic
Zeppe's website pic
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4.8 stars. Located at 1013 E 700 S, St. George, UT 84790

This is one of my family's favorites. I love the coconut ice with chocolate custard. (only on top or it is too much custard for me.)  I also love the root beer ice with vanilla custard. Oooooo I almost forgot about the Pineapple Dole Whip! So good.

Check out the menu here: Zeppe's

Hours:

Monday 11 AM–11 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–11 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–11 PM
Thursday 11 AM–11 PM
Friday 11 AM–11 PM
Saturday 11 AM–11 PM
Sunday Closed

Always watch for coupons in the mail and green pages and check your Dixie Direct Savings Guide because they have some great deals!

 

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