Summertime and the living is easy?

Really?

It seems that every time I start to think I have a handle on things, I get a little stress curveball thrown at me.

Like just discovering that my 11 year old very likely has Lyme Disease (we’re seeing the pediatrician in a few hours).

Really?

This after my daughter was treated for Lyme Disease last year. To all of my Vermont/NH friends (VT has the second highest rate of Lyme Disease in the USA. Read more here.) and to all of you, really….be VERY, VERY careful about ticks now. The Lyme transmission is the worst it has ever been. My boy had the teeniest tick that wasn’t even attached for long.

Sigh. He’ll be fine because I picked up on his classic Lyme rash. Still, I am freaked out.

One thing that made me smile: I sent photos of the rash to our pediatrician last night and got a message back first thing this morning that started with “Very impressive photos.” And it wasn’t even of food! Although I did use my photography lamps to help get some good shots of the rash. :)

Alright, thanks for listening. xx

Back to the food and music.

Just because it is summertime, that is no reason to stow the slow cooker away. Especially when you can make something as fabulous as Pizza Pasta in it.

Cheesy, pepperoni packed pasta waiting for you after a few hours at the beach, or an afternoon of whatever is your definition of fun, is pretty heavenly. Even if you are not doing fun things, you’ll be instantly cheered up when you arrive home and a delicious dinner is waiting for you.

Slow Cooker Pizza Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb penne pasta
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (25 oz) jar spaghetti sauce (I like to use pizza sauce)
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
3 1/2 ounces sliced pepperoni
3 cups shredded mozzarella
3 cups shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion; drain off grease. Stir in spaghetti sauce and Italian seasoning .

3. Spread a third of the meat sauce in bottom of a greased slow cooker.

4. Cover meat sauce with a third of the noodles and pepperoni. Sprinkle with a third of the cheeses. Repeat layers twice.

5. Cook and cover on low for 3 to 4 hours or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Serves 6

Recipe from Tip Garden

When my head is screaming because it cannot take one more thing going wrong, I like to put on some quiet, soothing music like that of alt-folk duo Love.Stop.Repeat. The band name alone makes everything feel a little better.

Check out Love.Stop.Repeat on their Website, where you can buy the music.

Cheers!