Where Has Summer Gone?!

 
With Labor Day weekend, comes the unofficial end to summer.  However, in Iowa, that's anything but true right now.  All week we have been in the 90-100's, schools have been dismissing at 1:15 daily and this weekend doesn't look any different.  There could be a break in the heat on Labor Day itself, but I'm not getting my hopes up.  It's hard to believe that fall and cooler weather could be right around the corner.  

This weekend is also bringing the beginning of Iowa State Football!   And even though I've had weight loss surgery, that doesn't mean I have to miss out on tailgating food, thank goodness!  I love tailgating food and you all know how much I love my crockpots, so today I have the best of both worlds.  I have Baby Back Ribs in the big crockpot and am making cream corn in the smaller one later.  Also, for later are some baked beans.  The marinade for the ribs is pretty good, if I do say so myself.  I took some olive oil, black pepper, garlic salt, minced onion and a couple of squirts of Sriracha Sauce, combined it in a huge Ziplock bag and threw the ribs in.  I put them in the bag at about 4pm yesterday afternoon and kept them in there until I put the ribs in the crockpot at about 7:30am this morning.

If you like heat and spice, then you need to try Sriracha Sauce.  It has a kick, so be careful!  I picked mine up at World Market and it was very inexpensive.  Right next to the display of sauce was a cookbook full of nothing but Sriracha Sauce recipes.  Some of them looked good, some looked interesting. 

A little dab will do ya!

The cream corn is also over-the-top yummy!  And SO easy!  Ready?  Here you go...a bag of frozen corn, a brick of cream cheese, a stick of butter, couple splashes of milk, 5 sugar packets, salt and pepper.  That's it!  Throw it all in a crockpot and set it on low for a couple of hours.  DONE!  If you're running out of counter space you can make this in the oven (at 350) or even in the microwave, but no matter how you make it, it will always turn out creamy and wonderful. 

Other than cooking and baking this holiday weekend, I don't have any other plans and I'm okay with it.  With my shift change, I have learned to enjoy being home.  I don't miss going out all the time and always feeling like I was on the go.  I think people call this relaxing?

I have to work Monday, so for those of you that don't, enjoy the day off for me!  I hope you all have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!  Oh, and GO STATE!!!!!!

Until next time!