It's September folks. I am looking forward to warm fall flavors but the days are still long and warm enough to make me want to be outside more than in the kitchen. So this slow-cooker tri-tip roast fits the bill.

And since I still have some summer peached in my refrigerator, one more peach crumble is going to happen this week. You'll find both recipes below.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

In this simple recipe, Tri-Tip Steak is cooked in a rich gravy flavored with fennel, coriander, and paprika until it's so tender that it falls apart. It's a deeply comforting meal that's satisfying in a heart warming, soul gratifying, stick-to-your-ribs kind of way.

Tri-tip is a lean, flavorful cut of beef that comes from the tender, triangle roast that's right in front of the hind quarters. It tends to be quite a bit less expensive than other types of steak, especially for the amount of flavor it delivers.

Typically, recipes call for tri-tip to be cooked quickly on a grill, under the broiler, or in a super hot skillet. But, it's also the perfect cut of beef to cook low and slow in a slow cooker or under pressure in an Instant Pot.

Cooking tri-tip in a slow cooker or instant pot creates tender, flavorful chunks of beef that beg to be smothered in gravy. Which is exactly what's happening here.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ alittleandalot.com

Two of my other super easy slow cooker or instant pot recipes are these incredibly delicious pork carnitas and melt-in-your mouth tender Asian short ribs.

Recipe: Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Tri-Tip with Coriander Gravy

For step-by-step photos and instructions showing how to make this recipe, please see the original recipe: Slow cooker or Instant pot tri-tip roast

• 3 pound Tri-Tip Roast (Tri-Tip Steak; see note)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1. Cut tri-tip into three pieces. Dab each piece on all sides with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. (Damp meat will not brown.) Sprinkle a generous amount of salt on all sides of each piece.
2. Add the oil to a 12-inch skillet and set it over medium high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmery, add the pieces of steak. Let them cook on one side until a rich brown crust forms. Turn each piece in the hot oil to create a brown crust on both sides.
3. Remove the pieces of steak from the skillet, setting them into the bowl of a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot.
4. Leave the skillet on the stove, but turn the heat down to medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are light golden brown. Add the garlic, coriander, fennel, paprika, oregano, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper to the onions and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute longer.
5. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the skillet and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. (There's a lot of flavor in those brown bits!)
6. Pour everything in the saucepan into a blender and add the anchovies. Puree until smooth, about 20 seconds, and then pour the gravy over the meat. Pour in the remaining chicken broth.
7. Slow Cooker: Cook the meat on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 5-6 hours, until the meat is so tender it's falling apart.
8. Instant Pot: Set the Instant Pot to high pressure and the timer to 35 minutes with a natural release.
9. Remove the meat to a serving platter and cover to keep warm. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan.
10. Put the cornstarch into a small bowl and slowly pour in about ½ cup of the sauce, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent lumps.
11. Whisk the cornstarch mixture back into the rest of the sauce in the saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 8-10 minutes, until the gravy has thickened.
12. Taste the gravy and add more salt and pepper if desired. Serve the gravy with the meat.

Recipe: Peach Crumble with Coconut and Almonds {Gluten Free}

For step-by-step photos and instructions showing how to make this crumble, please see the original recipe: Peach Crumble

Juicy peaches at the peak of sweetness baked into a saucy base under a crispy, crumbly coconut and almond topping for just the right amount of nutty, sugary crunch. Oh, and this peach crumble just happens to be gluten free.

My other two favorite peach recipes are this peach coffee cake which has the same crumb topping as this crumble and this super easy peach cobbler with a chewy sugar cookie crust.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

• ½ cup (44 grams) sweetened shredded coconut
• 5 ounces (1 cup) whole roasted and salted almonds (If you're sensitive to salt, use unsalted)
• ½ cup (96 grams) superfine sugar (*see note below)
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature + more for greasing the pan
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

For the peach filling:

• The juice and zest from one large lemon; about 2 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice
• 2 – 2 ½ pounds ripe peaches (about 6 peaches/ 5 cups sliced)
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons (14 grams) cornstarch

1. Add ½ cup (44 grams) shredded coconut to a skillet and set it over medium-low heat. Cook the coconut until about half of the strands are a deep golden brown. Remove from the heat, scrape the coconut onto a plate, and let it cool for a few minutes. (This is a great time to peel and slice your peaches.)
2. Add 5 ounces (1 cup) of almonds to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they are chopped into very small pieces but not so long that they are ground into a powder. Add the toasted coconut, ½ cup (96 grams) sugar, and 2 tablespoons (28 grams) brown sugar to the food processor bowl. Pulse 4 or 5 times to combine.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla and pulse 5 or 6 times until the butter is blended into the other ingredients and the mixture looks damp. Cover and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Coat the inside of a 9-inch square baking dish with a generous layer of butter.
5. Zest one large lemon and add it to a large bowl. Squeeze as much lemon juice as you can from the lemon into the bowl. (Remove any seeds that end up in the bowl with the juice.)
6. Peel the peaches, remove the pit, and cut them into slices that are about ¼ inch thick. Add the peaches to the bowl with the lemon juice. As you slice the peaches, toss them gently in the juice to coat. The lemon juice will help keep them from browning.
7. Add the rest of the filling ingredients (1 tablespoons brown sugar, ½ teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch) to the bowl with the peaches and toss gently to mix. Pour the filing into the pan smoothing it out into an even layer.
8. Sprinkle the topping over the peach filling in an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the peach filling is bubbling around all 4 edges of the pan.
9. Let the crumble cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. This is delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Recipe notes:

• If you don't have superfine sugar, simply add a half cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to a food processor and process for 2 or 3 minutes until the sugar is ground to a fine powder. Measure ½ cup of the ground sugar and proceed with the recipe.
• This crumble is best the day it's made. BUT, we had some of the crumble you see here left over after taking photos and the next morning I spooned it over bowls of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt for breakfast and it was absolutely delicious.

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For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.