This week finally felt like summer. The air was warm and humid, I actually got a glimpse of the sun, and the never-ending battle between my parents and I over putting the air conditioning on ensued (they refuse to put it on; I die slowly of heat-exhaustion). Best of all, we started to see some wonderfully summery recipes popping up here on Smart Cookie. In case you need a quick recap…

Let’s review, shall we?

4-Cheese Skillet Rigatoni
My new mac & cheese obsession.
Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies
Soft & chewy, salty & sweet.
Rainbow Roasted Veggies
The ultimate summer side dish.
Banana Peanut Butter Cookie Pudding
One of my all-time favorite desserts.

Plus, let us not forget my latest & greatest video: How to Be a Smart Cookie in the Kitchen! I dish out my best & smartest tips for cooking. If you haven’t watched it yet, check it out now!

So what’s in store for next week? For starters, we’re taking a trip to my all time favorite pizza place EVER. There is nothing else like it in the world, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Unfortunately, this little piece of heaven is hours away from my current location, so I took myself a mini road trip this weekend. Actually, I took the road trip to help my sister start moving into her new apartment; the fact that I got to go to my favorite spot for a slice is a perk. I hope you’ll stop by next week to take the trip with me; you don’t want to miss this.

Here’s a sneak peak…

While I was on my little trip, I also stopped by this charming gift shop called The Chocolate Goat. Honestly, half the reason I wanted to stop in was the name. With a name like “The Chocolate Goat,” you know that place has got to be good.

And guess what? They actually sell chocolate goats!

It’s almost too cute to eat; so naturally, I ate the head first. I have to say, The Chocolate Goat has some wonderful chocolate! It’s sweet, smooth, and just divine. But it’s not just chocolate you’ll find there; they’ve also got gifts galore, a plethora of unique knick knacks, and a huge selection of Vera Bradley. Just to get my very own chocolate goat was worth the stop!

Speaking of worthy stops, if you know me at all then you know I found my way to a Dairy Queen. Since I have a borderline obsession with DQ and since I can’t get it at home, I always make a point to pop in and grab a Blizzard when I travel.