Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 18
May 26, 2025
Memorial Day.
Remembering all today who gave their lives for our country and those who continue to protect and serve.
xoxo (more…)
The post Memorial Day. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
May 25, 2025
What To Eat This Week: 5/25/25.
Loving this menu for the last week of May!
What’s on your menu this week?!
What To Eat This Week
Grilled chicken caesar sandwiches
Broccoli pesto tortellini salad
Lemon flatbread with hot honey
Chicken tortellini pasta salad
Blackberry chip overnight oats
The post What To Eat This Week: 5/25/25. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
May 24, 2025
Currently Crushing On.
Hello long weekend!
This week on the blog, I shared this pickle slaw to serve on hot dogs and burgers. I also shared a funfetti flag cake and a huge memorial day recipe guide.
And my summer reading list is live!
I shared all my outdoor entertaining favorites! And! There’s a list of my favorite summer beauty and kids’ summer faves!
There’s a new menu for the week and a new peek inside our everyday life.
You can find all my favorites in my amazon store front and LTK shop!
Thank you for continuing to make the launch Easy Everyday absolutely amazing . If you haven’t got your book yet, you can order here! There is a big giveaway happening on instagram and another happening in our facebook cookbook club!
xo
WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEKLove a spicy watermelon salad.
Green goddess tomato sandwich is all I want to eat.
The most beautiful summer fruit salad.
Chantilly cake is stunning.
I am dying over this chickpea piccata!
Fried chicken forever.
I want to try rhubarb cheesecake!
Roasted corn salsa looks incredible.
These pickled carrots sound so good.
Guava palomas are calling my name.
Doing a DIY soda bar soon!
Meyer lemon dutch baby. Yum.
I’ve been craving key lime pie.
The post Currently Crushing On. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
May 23, 2025
My Summer 2025 Reading List!
It’s time! I love to kick off Memorial Day Weekend with my summer reading list.
This is one of my favorite days of the year. Oh my gosh – there are SO many great books this year. My list doesn’t even cover them all. I am so excited about all of these reads for the season! I reference this list all summer long and it saves me if I’m unsure of what to start reading.
The first half of the list is full of books that are already released, with the second half in order by release date. There are some weeks where I just can’t even wait for a new release. I have 99% of the books linked below to bookshop.org. If you are able to purchase the books through bookshop, it would mean so much to me! Bookshop supports YOUR local independent bookstore. To me, bookstores are MAGICAL. I walk in and instantly feel like I’m in a Nancy Meyers movie and could stay there all day.
If you prefer to purchase on amazon, I’ve also made a 2024 summer reading list shop here for easy access.
Also! If you’re new around here, my go-to reads and favorites picks are most types of women’s fiction. Light, fun, beachy reads are my #1 choice. I love to listen to nonfiction, memoirs and autobiographies on audible. I like thrillers, but have a few triggers that I stay away from. I read to escape, to get lost in the story, to feel like the characters are my friends. And I actually love the day after I finish a great book and can’t even stand to start a new one because I’m mourning my new (character) friends. It’s the best worst feeling.
I can’t WAIT to hear your recommendations in the comments, what you’re reading now and what’s on your list!
MY 2025 SUMMER READING LISTGreat Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
Crash Landing by Annie McQuaid
Summer Light on Nantucket by Nancy Thayer
Back After This by Linda Holmes
The Page Turner by Viola Shipman
My Friends by Fredrick Bachman
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay
The Seven O’Clock Club by Amelia Ireland
The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
Love Camera Action by Noel Stark
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff
Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
The Love Haters by Katherine Center
You Make My Heart Stop by Becky Hunter
Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
Swept Away by Beth O’Leary
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen
The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
What Will People Think? by Sara Hamdan
Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage
What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan
My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin
Saltwater by Katy Hays
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
The Tenant by Frida McFadden
Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith
Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein
The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore
Speak to Me of Home by Jeanine Cummins
The Names by Florence Knapp
What If It’s You by Jilly Gagnon
The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave
One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman
The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose
Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt
The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough
Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell
Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
I Want You More by Swan Huntley
The Last Session by Julia Bartz
Tell Them You Lied by Laura Leffler (5/27)
The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson (5/27)
The Guest Cottage by Lori Foster (5/27)
The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly (5/27)
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (5/27)
Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey (5/27)
Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore
It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan (5/27)
Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto (6/3)
So Happy Together by Olivia Worely (6/3)
The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (6/3)
We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry (6/3)
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (6/3)
Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid (6/3)
A Family Matter by Claire Lynch (6/3)
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark (6/3)
Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady (6/3)
Eat Post Like by Emily Arden Wells (6/3)
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison (6/3)
Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh (6/3)
The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward (6/3)
Flashlight by Susan Choi (6/3)
With a Vengeance by Riley Sager (6/10)
The Last Illusion of Paige White by Vanessa McCausland (6/10)
Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess (6/10)
The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb (6/10)
Confession of a Grammar Queen by Eliza Knight (6/10)
Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin (6/10)
Last Night Was Fun by Holly Michelle (6/10)
Far and Away by Amy Poeppel (6/10)
This Is Not a Ghost Story by Amerie (6/10)
The Nimbus by Robert P. Baird (6/10)
The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten (6/10)
Never Been Shipped by Alicia Thompson (6/10)
Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston (6/17)
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman (6/17)
The Ripple Effect by Maggie North (6/17)
The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick (6/17)
Don’t Open Your Eyes by Liv Constantine (6/17)
I Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert (6/17)
Someone Knows by Vi Keeland (6/17)
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell (6/24)
Cruel Summer by Maisey Yates (6/24)
Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler (6/24)
The Accidental Favorite by Fran Littlewood (6/24)
Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores (6/24)
Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino (6/24)
The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans (6/24)
Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox (7/1)
The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager (7/1)
Summer on Lilac Island by Lindsay MacMillian (7/1)
The Spirit of Love by Lauren Kate (7/1)
Our Last Vineyard Summer by Brooke Lea Foster (7/1)
The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware (7/8)
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean 7/ 8
Darling Beasts by Michelle Gable (7/8)
Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman (7/8)
The View From Lake Como by Adriana Trigiani (7/8)
This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs (7/15)
Love is a Warsong by Danica Nava (7/22)
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson (7/22)
Gracie Harris Is Under Construction by Kate Hash (7/29)
You Belong Here by Megan Miranda (7/29)
Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum (7/29)
The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen (8/5)
Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer (8/5)
Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings (8/5)
Too Old for This by Samantha Downing (8/12)
The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye (8/12)
For the Record by Emma Lord (8/12)
All the Tomorrows After by Joanne Yi (8/19)
One Dark Night by Hannah Richell (8/19)
The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander (8/19)
Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham (8/26)
The Academy Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (9/16)
P.S. FOR OTHER READING RECOMMENDATIONS:you can check out all of my reading lists here!
Especially my 2024 summer reading list, my 2023 summer reading list, 2022 summer reading list, 2021 summer reading list, 2020 summer reading list, 2020 fall reading list, 2020 winter reading list, 2019 fall reading list, 2019 winter reading list, my 2018 summer reading list and my 2017 summer reading list!
(This is not sponsored and I purchase all books myself! There are a few affiliate links above to bookshop and amazon. Thank you!)
The post My Summer 2025 Reading List! appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
May 21, 2025
Funfetti Flag Cake.
Funfetti flag cake is festive and delicious! White sheet cake filled with patriotic sprinkles and topped with fresh whipped cream, blueberries and strawberries. It’s fun to make and great for a party!
Nothing better than a berry flag cake in the summer!
This white sheet cake is studded with festive sprinkles, topped with fresh whipped cream and all the cutesy flag berries. It tastes amazing and is fun to serve. I’ve made a cupcake version before and they are always a hit!
Ohhh how we live for a festive sheet cake over here.
I have a triple berry sheet cake with cream cheese frosting and it’s DIVINE. It’s the inspiration base for this recipe. In fact, I took red white and blue sprinkles and just added them to the batter!
That is it.
And then made the classic berry flag. Who made the first flag cake? Ina? Martha? I don’t even know but I thank them for it. It’s basically my favorite cake to make in the summer! It’s fun, festive, delicious and the kids flip over it.
Seriously, they could eat an entire grocery store worth of berries in a week.
This is a fun funfetti cake! My kids love adding the sprinkles. Get a bunch of red white and blue sprinkles – just get the jumbo jar! You can use them for brownies or cookies or ice cream sundaes and stuff all summer long. Because you need about ½ cup of sprinkles and those little tubes at the store won’t cut it.
I like to use both vanilla and almond extract. The almond gives it that slight sugar cookie flavor and it’s wonderful. It’s not full blown “wedding cake” flavored – but it has a hint of something else that makes it taste special.
Now the frosting… you know I’m a cream cheese frosting freak. And I LOVE using it on my sheet cakes. But if you want something lighter, I suggest whipped cream. I used fresh whipped cream on this cake because it goes so well with berries.
It’s classic and light and just makes the cake.
While it doesn’t have the same texture, this cake kind of reminds me of angel food cake when you top it with the whipped cream. It’s that light and airy and so lovely to eat on a hot summer day. (more…)
The post Funfetti Flag Cake. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
May 20, 2025
Tuesday Things.
1. I can’t get enough of the trader joe’s aglio olio seasoning. I could probably go through one jar every two weeks.
2. These look like the most perfect migas. Making them!
3. It’s summer reading list week! Oh my gosh, maybe my favorite week of the year? Coming soon!
4. Sometimes I put this on a post it: buying stuff won’t make you happy!
5. TV things!! Your Friends and Neighbors is getting crazy!
6. Open calendar space is life-changing for me.
7. Jordan’s birthday is coming up and he keeps saying he wants a “head cake.” A cake with his face on it. Well okay!
8. Who to thank for diet coke. Hello, yes.
The post Tuesday Things. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
May 19, 2025
Make Hot Dogs with Pickle Slaw For Your Next BBQ!
We love this pickle slaw for any BBQ or cookout! It’s incredible on hot dogs and burgers, pulled chicken sandwiches, on tacos, on steak and more. Super easy to make and bring it any party too!
It’s picnic food season!
This is where I try to convince you that a hot dog is a recipe! We’re making pickle slaw to use on hot dogs (or burgers!) and it’s so crunchy, briney and delicious.
I’ve done this before, (not) shockingly. Hot cheeto hot dogs! Puff pastry wrapped hot dogs! An entire hot dog bar!
Okay, so this isn’t actually about the hot dog. But I always love one really good hot dog in the summer. It just TASTES like summer, you know? Toasty brioche bun, maybe a mix of ketchup and mustard and even a drizzle of relish.
That’s really what this is: relish slaw. But that doesn’t sound as cute as pickle slaw. It actually sounds awful, so pickle slaw is what we’re going with.
Plus, relish IS pickles… so there’s that.
That’s what we’re talking about here. The pickle slaw!!!
Even though I’ve loved pickles my entire life, it took me a really long time to realize that relish is a version of pickles. So I missed out on relish for many many years! But now I’m so fully invested that I love both sweet and dill relish.
I also LIVE for a good, crisp refreshing slaw. I crave it on tacos, sandwiches, as a salad and more. I’ve made a few versions for hot dogs before and I’ve even made pickle slaw a few times.
This one is classic and simple enough for hot dogs that any pickle or relish lover will LOVE it. The slaw is a tangy, vinegar based one – I love that more than creamy slaws – and it works with pretty much any condiment that you love.
Also works with cheese! If you’re into that sort of thing for your hot dog. Or burger. Or sandwich. (more…)
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May 18, 2025
A Week In The Life, Vol 20.
20 weeks into the year!!
We had a packed one!
Little trip to the aviary!
He loves it so much.
Eggplant parm!
Rainy field trip for Max!
Jordan FELL ASLEEP IN THIS LAUNDRY BASKET!! He was playing and just took a nap…
Hockey camp!
Planting season.
The prettiest.
After school snuggles.
About to get a haircut.
Then we planted some herbs.
Obsessed with her.
Brunch picnic in the garage.
Fishing birthday party which he loved!
So super fun.
Many house salads this week.
First time in hot rollers!
I can’t handle it, haha.
But the curls fell out immediately!
Baby Lucy love!
We celebrated my niece’s first communion!
But Jordan had tickets to monster jam!
Highlight of life.
These cutie cousins!
Ice cream date.
And back on the birthday party circuit. New week loading!
The post A Week In The Life, Vol 20. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
What To Eat This Week: 5/18/25.
The summer meals are coming out in full force!
What’s on your menu this week?!
What To Eat This Week
Mediterranean stuffed sweet potatoes
Chicken strawberry poppyseed salad
Grilled chimichurri chicken and couscous
Slow roasted tomato farro salad
Strawberries and cream oatmeal cups
The post What To Eat This Week: 5/18/25. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
May 17, 2025
Currently Crushing On.
Happy weekend!
This week on the blog, I shared this broccoli pesto tortellini salad. I also shared the best lettuce wrap burgers, a huge memorial day weekend recipe guide and this red white and berry salad!
I shared all my outdoor entertaining favorites! And! There’s a list of my favorite summer beauty and kids’ summer faves!
There’s a new menu for the week and a new peek inside our everyday life.
You can find all my favorites in my amazon store front and LTK shop!
Thank you for continuing to make the launch Easy Everyday absolutely amazing . If you haven’t got your book yet, you can order here! There is a big giveaway happening on instagram and another happening in our facebook cookbook club!
xo
WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEKThe most beautiful strawberry rose cake.
Mexican street corn pasta salad. Love it.
This chocolate loaf cake looks perfect.
Greek salad phyllo cups are too cute.
Craving this strawberry tiramisu!
Honey glazed salmon is great for this week.
Beautiful limoncello margarita! It’s stunning.
Upside down peach cake! So pretty.
The best crispy baked chicken wings.
Pizza lasagna rolls sound amazing.
Gorgeous corn and blueberry salad!
Lemon gooey butter cake. Yum.
I want to do a giant shrimp boil!
The post Currently Crushing On. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
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