No oven, no problem

Much excitement around my house because we are finally getting our oven fixed on Monday! Look when you've been without for at least six months, it's pretty exciting. But you may be saying to yourself, How do you survive that long without an oven? Well, let me tell you how.

1. The Waffle Maker. Yes the waffle maker. Quickly I discovered that you can make a lot of things with a waffle makers. Muffins, cornbread, cookies, brownies, biscuits. Basically any bread type thing with a thick mix will work. I had a harder time with cookies, but muffin waffles are a new morning staple around my house and will remind so even after the oven is fixed.

2. The Toaster Oven. This is sort of a no brainer since oven is in the name. But there are many things that can be cooked in a toaster oven as many college kids can tell you. It's not an exact substitute for a full size oven because it is small and not everything is safe in a toaster oven. But if you want some cookies or biscuits, it's a good thing to have around.

3. The Griddler. Specifically the Cuisinart Griddler/Panini Maker. BT got one for Christmas and it is pretty awesome. Now I can make delicious sandwiches on it. I also made pancakes the other night and it is super easy to use and to clean up. BT is a little more creative with its use but I stick with the basics.

4. The Slow Cooker. I got a new Crock-Pot for Christmas and it has been great so far! BT puts the meals together for me before he leaves for work so when I get home the kids and I have a meal all ready to go. I just have to fix some veggies. We've had some hits and misses so far with our crock-pot meals but Pinterest, as always, is a great place to find new things to try. As long as it doesn't have cream cheese. So far that hasn't really worked out.

5. The Stovetop. This is actually something that we couldn't live without. The microwave is a great thing to have around but a large portion of food is cooked on the stove and if that had been the thing that broke we probably would have it fixed sooner. Maybe we could get away without having one, but probably not.