You Know What I Think Is Craze-Mazing?

Slow cookers!

I love mine. If you have never used one, try it. If you have one and aren't using it; email me your address and I will come slap you.

Seriously, in a world where we are all about convenience and speed (though it sounds like an oxymoron) the slow cooker can be your best friend. In the fall/winter/spring months it is my go to favorite kitchen gadget (other than Gandalf, but I don't bake every week).

Right now we are on a big steel cut oat thing and I make them in my slow cooker. We have made three different flavors so far; pumpkin pie (our favorite so far), apple cinnamon (second favorite), and maple brown sugar (need to invest in real maple...). The best part is that one batch makes breakfast for the both of us for at least 3-4 mornings.

When not using it for amazing breakfast awesomeness I use it for soups, stews, chili and anything else that tastes good made in a slow cooker. I have two slow cookers; one is my rice cooker/slow cooker and the other is my true blue CrockPot slow cooker. I love both of them for different reasons. The rice cooker/slow cooker has a nonstick insert, when not using it for oatmeal or rice I have been using it in place of the crock pot (which is packed in a box along with most of my stuff in the garage). After experimenting with both I find that they each make certain things better than the other. The crock pot does better chili, stews and roasts. The rice cooker makes better soups and sauces. Maybe I'll share recipes sometime, but this isn't a food blog and I'm not going to go all crazy posting pictures of the food I eat on a daily basis.

Intermission seasonal picture (imagine some upbeat intermission/elevator music playing):

Yesterday, when hunting for shoes, I decided to try on a pair of pants in what I think is my current size. I grabbed two pairs of pants made by the same line, in the same size; one a pair of stretchy jeans and the other a pair of "slimming" black pants (not sure the material other than lots of lycra fibers). The slimming pants I couldn't squeeze my hips into, but the jeans fit perfectly.

This experiment confirmed three things:

1. Different styles of pants fit differently; even when shopping in the same brand.

2. All of my work pants are officially two sizes too big.

3. I can most likely buy my pants at Costco now because (in this brand at least) I am no longer a "plus" size. I like this because we get rewards on our membership, and they tend to have the pants cheaper than anywhere else.

This particular brand has drawn my attention because they offer a range of colored denim that doesn't look like jeans so I can wear them to work if I so choose. I might get a pair in the near future. Realistically, I need at least one more pair of dress pants that fit properly, but at the same time, maybe I should go for broke and wait to be down another size.... Hrmmm... Decisions, decisions.

I think our Roku is telling us it is time for bed... It doesn't want to load Netflix...

So, good night!