Do you ever have a morning when your bed is literally just TOO comfortable to leave? When your room is slightly too chilly, your blankets are perfectly warm and your pillows are positioned perfectly?

I had one of those this morning and when I DID actually get up and drag myself to the gym, it was no small feat. I didn’t go to bed particularly late last night so I’m going to attribute my difficult rising to the weather. Yesterday the weather decided that it was officially time for fall. I wore a jacket to work and for the first time in months my car windows weren’t fogged due to the heat. I don’t particularly love the cold but I DO welcome hearty, comforting (easy!) crockpot meals!

When you work all day and have limited time to prepare dinner at night the crockpot is a godsend. My grandmother gave me my first crock pot when I started college and it was one of the first things I ever cooked with. When Robert and I got married I retired my original slow cooker and registered for one with a timer. It’s pretty difficult to ruin anything in a crock pot, but we lost a few meals my first year of work because neither of us got home in time and they simply cooked too long. We still have crazy long days sometimes so the crockpot with the timer was a game changer. You set your cook time, and once it has lapsed the crockpot automatically switches itself to the warm setting, so your food is warm and ready without being overdone. They are more expensive than the base models but very worth it.

The beginning of fall also means that football season is officially upon us. Robert plays in a fantasy league with his friends which means we watch all the games. All. Of. Them. My poor television is probably missing The Real Housewives as much as I am. On the plus side, constant football game watching means we get to have friends over AND make football food! Our friends Mark and Lindsay invited us over tomorrow night to watch the Clemson game (Go Tigers!) and eat chili.  Next time it will be my turn to host and I’ll be whipping up a batch of crockpot sausage and peppers! It’s incredibly easy (so easy that I’m kind of ashamed to call it a “recipe”) and also pretty versatile. You can serve it on hoagies and make sandwiches, over rice, on pasta, or even zucchini pasta if you’re trying to slim down your gameday 🙂

You can brown your sausages and sear your peppers and onions first if you want to, but it isn’t necessary if you are pressed for time (or just don’t want to dirty another pan). Any marinara sauce will work so pick your favorite. If I don’t make my own, I try to find one with less than 3 grams of sugar per serving. It’s shocking how much sugar is snuck into some of the storebrands. Rao’s Homemade is my personal favorite although there are cheaper options that still fit that criteria.

However you choose to enjoy this non-recipe recipe, I truly hope you enjoy it! Have a great rest of the week and weekend! Robert, Renly and I are headed to Tennessee on Friday for my 10 year high school reunion…yikes! Then off to Bermuda next week! Hopefully I’ll get a chance to post again before we go!

CrockPot Sausage & Peppers

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian Sausage Links (Pork, Turkey, Chicken, whatever you like!)

1 Jar Marinara Sauce

3 Tri-Color Bell Peppers, Sliced

2 Onions, sliced

Directions:

1. If you choose to brown your sausage and peppers, do so over medium heat in a greased pan.
2. Place half your peppers and onions into your slow cooker. Top with sausages. Top sausages with remaining peppers and onions, so that the sausages are in the middle.
3. Pour marinara sauce over the ingredients, replace lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!