Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 31
February 9, 2025
What To Eat This Week: 2/9/25.
New week, new menu!
What’s on your menu this week?!
What To Eat This Week
Sweet potato chicken noodle soup
Salmon fritters with dill sauce
The post What To Eat This Week: 2/9/25. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
February 8, 2025
Currently Crushing On.
Happy weekend!
This week on the blog, I shared this sweet potato chicken noodle soup. I also shared these pretzel crusted buffalo chicken bites and pickle lovers hummus!
Here’s everything I read in January!
My winter favorites and Valentine’s day favorites are right here. Also, so many cute Valentine’s things I love!
You can find all my favorites in my amazon store front and LTK shop!
There’s a new menu for the week and a new peek inside our everyday life.
You can finally order a copy of my next book, Easy Everyday. I would be so thrilled if you ordered today.
xo
WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEKFried buffalo shrimp! Omg yum.
This lime cake looks incredible.
Really good pretzel dip. I can get behind this!
A single molten chocolate cake! Yes please.
Lemon linzer cookies sound amazing.
Craving these spicy citrus wings.
Fajita grilled cheese! Wow.
Love this strawberry shortcake cheeescake.
Roasted tomato soup looks perfect.
Recipes to make when you’re sick!
Nutella stuffed brownies. OMG.
Single served tiramisu. I love it.
Butter chickpeas for the weekend.
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February 7, 2025
Pickle Lovers Hummus.
We live for dill pickle hummus! If you’re a pickle freak, this is for you. Creamy homemade hummus made with dill, diced pickles, lots of garlic and tahini. Whipped until smooth and spreadable! Tastes amazing, a huge hit every time.
Pickle lovers unite!
Now this is my kind of game day snack. A creamy homemade hummus with tons of dill relish, pickle juice, tahini and garlic, topped with diced pickles, chickpeas and fresh dill. Oh my gosh. It’s heaven!
I am an absolute pickle freak. I love any and all things pickles, pickled, tangy, briney, vinegary and so on. And I crave those flavors – let’s just say that they bring me so much joy.
I’ll gladly snack on pickles but also anything pickle-flavored. Ithaca is my favorite store-bought hummus brand and they make pickle flavored hummus. To say my mind was blown… yes. But at the same I also thought that maybe I could make it even MORE pickley.
Yes. Hello. I have a problem. It’s me!
Chickpeas, of course
Lots of tahini
Dill relish!
Dried dill
Garlic
Spices
And pickle juice. Right from the jar!
The pickle juice is my favorite part. I could be the freak that drinks it straight from the jar. Instead, these days I save it for hummus!
For me, the key to super smooth hummus is adding in some ice water. This hummus gets extra smooth because we’re adding that water in, but also the pickle juice! It’s SO creamy and ridiculously spreadable, dippable and more. (more…)
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February 6, 2025
Get Easy Everyday For 25% Off!!
Easy Everyday is currently 25% off if you preorder through Barnes & Noble tomorrow! Use coupon code PREORDER25 at checkout!
Inside, you will find:Over 100+ effortless recipes for everyday life.An assortment of all sorts of recipes, many of them meatless and vegetarian.My 10-minute meal prep strategy for EVERY recipe.My pantry and fridge essentials, aka the recipes I can’t live without. They change the game for easy meals.My tips and tricks for how to get a meal on the table for your family, consistently and in an enjoyable way, without stress!Low-maintenance, uncomplicated dishes!All my usual ramblings and of course, photos for everything. Woohoo!It would mean so much to me if you’d preorder a copy!
xoxoxo
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February 5, 2025
Pretzel Crusted Buffalo Chicken Bites.
These buffalo chicken bites are coated in crunchy pretzels before baking and then slathered with tangy and spicy buffalo wing sauce. Serve with the most delicious cilantro ranch that is creamy and refreshing!
With cilantro ranch!!
Oooooh these little buffalo chicken bites are everything you want and more. Baked until crunchy with the pretzel crust. Brushed with tangy wing sauce and coated in a shower or fresh chives and herbs.
Oh!! And dipped in cilantro ranch for the good measure. The absolute best.
I have more chicken finger recipes than I can count, but these little bites are the best. I basically take my pretzel crusted chicken fingers and drench them in wing sauce. How could things go wrong?!
They are so darn good. Bite sized and so cute!
Some of the other buffalo chicken recipes on my radar that might come in handy for the super bowl this weekend: buffalo chicken wraps, meatballs, pizza, salad and more. It’s one of the best times of year for this!
My little chicken fingers and nuggets have been so popular because they are crunchy and flavorful. For years, I’ve used the wire rack trick so I can bake the chicken and still get that excellent texture without sacrificing flavor too!
These are excellent even if you want to make them alone or serve them with just the ranch. (more…)
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February 4, 2025
Tuesday Things.
1. Yesterday the sun was still shining at 5:15 and I was like OH MY GOSH! What is this!!! Felt so good.
2. I want to make these southern butter crackers!
3. I’m always ridiculously late to trends and I can’t help but think how cute so many of these bag charms are,
4. Trader Joe’s customer choice awards!!
5. My mid life crisis is wanting to get more piercings in my ears. Could be worse?
6. Where all to apply the 80/20 rule. Love this.
7. TV Things! I watched the OJ doc on netflix and An Update on Our Family on Max!
8. Pretty sure my favorite Grammys look of the night was Cardi B! I want to wear a giant tiger dress.
9. Booktok’s most talked about books last year. Interesting!
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February 3, 2025
Sweet Potato Chicken Noodle Soup.
We love this sweet potato chicken noodle soup! Classic chicken noodle soup with tiny pasta and tender chunks of sweet potato. The parmesan broth and hint of fresh lemon make this extra special. It’s super satisfying and flavorful!
Hi, I have more soup for you!
Just call me the soup queen? Soup fanatic? Whatever works.
This sweet potato chicken noodle soup is like a classic chicken noodle soup, but with adding chunks of sweet potato.
Groundbreaking.
I KNOW!
But listen. I didn’t expect it to be so wildly good. The sweet potato adds so much and I’m going to tell you all about it.
My kids are head over heels for chicken noodle soup. THEY LOVE IT. Especially Jordan and Emilia.
And their favorite part? The carrots! Half the time when they ask for seconds (or thirds), they just say “more carrots!”
It’s very cute.
So, when it came to thinking about adding MORE carrots to the soup (which I already do!), I decided to add sweet potatoes instead. I figured they wouldn’t really know the difference. And even if they did, they’d like it.
And it worked!It also created the most hearty, wonderful nourishing chicken soup for these winter months. It added an element I didn’t expect – making it even more satisfying and more enjoyable. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did.
And my family was flat out obsessed with it. They all loved it, and Eddie adores sweet potatoes so he couldn’t get enough. That is a huge win!!
One of the reasons I think my chicken noodle soup is so wonderful is due to the parmesan broth. It’s rich and savory without being heavy. The parmesan rind works MAGIC in soups and I highly suggest that you start your own collection in your freezer.
A hint of lemon is also the key. It brightens things up with that tiny bit of acidity and makes it taste wonderful.
Because this is very close to my chicken and stars soup, tiny pasta is key.
I find it so much more enjoyable to eat tiny pieces of pasta in chicken noodle soup. Sort of like eating a chopped salad – it tastes even better when all the pieces are the same size.
For this soup, I use ditalini but really any short cut of pasta will work. You can also always cook and store it separately so you can enjoy this all week long without the pasta soaking up all the broth. (more…)
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What I Read In January 2025.
Here’s everything I read in January! There were lots of great ones – we had such cold, snowy weather and I got a ton of reading time in!
What was your favorite read of the month?!
I do have a book of the month membership – I love it so much. That’s where I got a few books from this month. I get so many of my new releases and debut author books there. You can sign up for one here.
Most of these books are linked through bookshop (if available! some are only on amazon.) and I highly suggest shopping through there because it will support your local indie bookstore. You can choose the local bookstore to support! I support Penguin Books when I buy which is my fave here in Pittsburgh.
Okay, keep me posted on what you’re reading below!
WHAT I READ IN JANUARY 2025The Favorites – 5 starsOh my gosh. I wish I could give this 1o stars. I LOVED THIS. I can’t stop talking (or thinking) about it, and I’m sure it has to do with my figure skating obsession in the 90s. This story follows two very young ice dancers who start skating together at the age of 10 or so. They have a very intense volatile relationship. The writing of these characters is incredible – you love and hate them all. They are endearing but so incredibly flawed. The entire story that I expected to happen, had happened by 25% in. It’s a wild ride and I loved it.
Beg Borrow or Steal – 4 starsI loooove this author’s books!! I’ve read the two before this – and while you don’t need to read them in order, it helps with the characters a bit. This story is an enemies-to-lovers trope and so good! We follow Jack and Emilia who are neighbors and enemies but then find themselves having to work together (for a semi-funny reason!). It’s super cute, funny and enjoyable to read!
Beautiful Ugly – 4 starsI definitely needed a thriller last month with everything else I read. This was in my book of the month box and it was a good one! This story follows an author who hits the bestsellers list and at the same time, his wife goes missing. There are so many twists in here and lots of fun characters (the dog!). It’s a crazy psychological thriller and I couldn’t put it down!
The Path To Loving Him – 3.5 starsThis was a cute classic Meghan Quinn book that gets very heated right off the bat! I read this because I’ve read all the other books in the series that follow the family members. They don’t need to be read in order, but it does help if you read them in order just to understand some of the characters. This one follows the oldest brother of the family who is the guardian of his niece. He has a one night stand and then it ends up that this girl is supposed to be working with him. Of course it does! Hahaha. It’s cute and fun and quick.
The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus – 3.75 starsI was so inspired to read this after Remarkably Bright Creatures! This one was a little slower and took me a big longer to get into, but ultimately was still good. We follow Penelope who has just gone to college and her parents have divorced. She digs deeper into her past and I loved the family drama & secrets aspect of it.
The Heart of Winter – 4 starsOh my gosh, this is heartbreaking and lovely and I could not stop reading. I don’t know what drew me in because this is normally something I wouldn’t read – fearing it would be too sad. This story follows a couple who have been together FOREVER and it starts with a diagnosis for one of them. Then it flips back and forth from past and present. It’s about so many little moments and everyday life but how it adds up to a big life/marriage. Definitely left me in tears.
Still Standing – 2.75 starsThis is where we get into the mind numbing spicy books I read this month. Ha! I blew through a few. This one was interesting… I read it because it followed the story of a motorcycle club (again! Like a few months ago!) and I can’t get over sons of anarchy, ever. While the story was okay, I had SUCH a hard time following the writing of the accents/speaking style of the club members. I would have to read sentences multiple times to understand what they were saying. I understand that is a part of it but this felt so much more intense.
Champagne Venom – 3 starsAnother one!! This and the below are a series and have to be read in order. Um, I loved these because they follow a russian mafia family… ha! I mean, I loved Sopranos so it reminds me of that. The main (male) character is pretty awful and while you can see some redeeming qualities that will eventually come out, there is SO MUCH back and forth in this book of “will they or won’t they.” I mean, it takes it to a new level. And it’s the same argument and reaction every single time! This ends on a cliffhanger.
Champagne Wrath – 3 starsAnd goes into this book! Which is a continuation of the same family and story. I did like how the family came together in some of this story. There was still a lot of back and forth. I kind of saw what was coming at the end (these are pretty predictable) but it was still such a crazy story to read. Definitely a quick read that I couldn’t put down.
The Let Them TheoryI am a huuuuuge Mel Robbins fan!! I listened to this last week and love to do these books of audio since the author narrates. I’ve been following Mel for over five years and just adore her. I think she is so down to earth and real. And I also LOVE the premise of this book. Stop wasting your time on things you can’t control. I LOVE IT.
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February 2, 2025
A Week In The Life, Vol 5.
Another week down!!
And another packed week.
Drop off line fun.
And some leftover snow fun!
This week was catholic schools week which meant the kids had an insanely busy (and fun!) week at school.
We had open house…
Max had a big project that he’d worked on for most of the year.
We also had tons of hockey.
I made sourdough waffles for dinner one night! Actually, I was prepping them for the freezer and everyone wanted one so they became… dinner.
Thursday the kids had a glow party all day so they had to wear white!
Jordan just adores getting to be included in all this fun!
We had a school ice skating party!
Fun fun fun.
He is loving it!
The “I’m not tired” nap.
And in a very climatic end up her front teeth, she got them both knocked out at a party friday night!! They were hanging by a thread (you can even see in the pics above) but this was still a little traumatic since it was late friday night. By morning, she was all good!
Morning cuddles watching a show.
Max had lots of basketball too!!
He loves it.
No teeth and happy!!
Still looks like a little baby chunk here! I love it!
You wouldn’t believe the activities I keep in my bag.
Sometimes they don’t last.
And we end up with a monkey baby.
Bonus of 7am hockey games – amazing sunrise with zero filter!
Hello we are back here.
Wearing green lip gloss.
I also made sourdough french toast!
Then went to a favorite things party where I took no pics! My favorite things were this pizza oil + a geometry towel.
More hockey + goal celebration!
Finished off the weekend with a face mask, haha!
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What To Eat This Week: 2/2/25.
Let’s make February delicious!!
What’s on your menu this week?!
What To Eat This Week
Broccoli cheese tortilla pizzas
Sheet pan tortellini and smoked sausage
Roasted cauliflower and black bean fajitas
The post What To Eat This Week: 2/2/25. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
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