Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 344

Tuesday Things.

1. The amount of cookies (variety-wise, not quantity-wise, so much) that I’ve baked over the last week is crazy! We’ve started to assemble some cookie gifts buuuuut now I’m certain I have to make these chocolate white chocolate peppermint ones.

2. Wrapping gifts: do you love it or hate it? I absolutely love it and will stay up half the night wrapping presents. There is just something so satisfying about folding those corners. WEIRD.

3. A little over a week ago I set out a cooler for the UPS/Fedex/etc guys filled with water, iced coffee cans, la croix and snacks and a note thanking them for delivering an obnoxious amount of packages in 2017. I saw this idea on pinterest and it has been my favorite thing that we’ve done this season for others. 

4. Eddie is currently binging on The Punisher. I’m considering starting The Crown. Thoughts?

5. So I’ve never understood the appeal of the Hallmark Christmas movies or the Hallmark channel in general (I know, am I a monster?), but I somehow got sucked in to watching TWO movies this past weekend while I was wrapping and, um, now I kind of get it. KIND OF.

6. Your cookie horoscope! Fun fun fun.

7. Even though I am in absolutely no rush for this year and season (and my self-imposed maternity leave) to end, I’m also secretly excited for all the self-helpy articles and tips and videos about starting fresh in the new year. Like how to organize your day for success.

8. Always swore we’d never be those people with blow up Christmas decor in our yard but Max is trying to make a VERY strong case this year.

The post Tuesday Things. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win My Favorite Le Creuset Dutch Oven. [CLOSED]

OH today is a good one you guys!

Today I’m giving away my all-time favorite 3 1/2 qt Le Creuset dutch oven that I seriously use almost every single day. I use mine CONSTANTLY! It is the best “pot or pan” that I have in my kitchen. Extremely versatile and durable. Love.it.

And if you win, you can totally pick your color!

This giveaway is not sponsored and is given by me to show how much I appreciate you being here.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Follow @howsweeteats on Instagram and Facebook. Leave a comment (with a valid email address so I can contact you!) on this blog post telling me what your favorite TV show was when you were a kid. Mine was obviously Saved By the Bell. Or 90210. Or Boy Meets World.
For a second entry, pre-order a copy of The Pretty Dish and leave a second comment saying you did so. If you already have preordered with a giveaway last week, just leave a comment saying you did so! It would mean THE WORLD to me if you preordered this book. You can find the book on amazon, barnes and noble, books a million and indie bound. Simply forward your confirmation email to theprettydishorders [at ] gmail [dot] com along with the the mailing address that you’d like the plate to be mailed to and the name or message you would like on the plate (if any)! If you have already preordered the book before today (thank you!!!), you are included too! Send your same details to the email with your order confirmation. Please note that the book plate will be arriving in the spring, and should be there before your copy of The Pretty Dish arrives on March 20th!

[The winner of the KitchenAid mixer giveaway is below. Please send me an email at howsweeteats [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address!

Ashley who said “Yikes, that’s a tough one… I mostly cook new recipes and have very few that I make over and over! I think I have to say Smitten Kitchen’s ginger fried rice (which is excellent if you haven’t had it). It’s super filling and makes great leftovers too!”]

The post My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win My Favorite Le Creuset Dutch Oven. [CLOSED] appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win My Favorite Le Creuset Dutch Oven.

OH today is a good one you guys!

Today I’m giving away my all-time favorite 3 1/2 qt Le Creuset dutch oven that I seriously use almost every single day. I use mine CONSTANTLY! It is the best “pot or pan” that I have in my kitchen. Extremely versatile and durable. Love.it.

And if you win, you can totally pick your color!

This giveaway is not sponsored and is given by me to show how much I appreciate you being here.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Follow @howsweeteats on Instagram and Facebook. Leave a comment (with a valid email address so I can contact you!) on this blog post telling me what your favorite TV show was when you were a kid. Mine was obviously Saved By the Bell. Or 90210. Or Boy Meets World.
For a second entry, pre-order a copy of The Pretty Dish and leave a second comment saying you did so. If you already have preordered with a giveaway last week, just leave a comment saying you did so! It would mean THE WORLD to me if you preordered this book. You can find the book on amazon, barnes and noble, books a million and indie bound. Simply forward your confirmation email to theprettydishorders [at ] gmail [dot] com along with the the mailing address that you’d like the plate to be mailed to and the name or message you would like on the plate (if any)! If you have already preordered the book before today (thank you!!!), you are included too! Send your same details to the email with your order confirmation. Please note that the book plate will be arriving in the spring, and should be there before your copy of The Pretty Dish arrives on March 20th!

[The winner of the KitchenAid mixer giveaway is below. Please send me an email at howsweeteats [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address!

Ashley who said “Yikes, that’s a tough one… I mostly cook new recipes and have very few that I make over and over! I think I have to say Smitten Kitchen’s ginger fried rice (which is excellent if you haven’t had it). It’s super filling and makes great leftovers too!”]

The post My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win My Favorite Le Creuset Dutch Oven. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Greek Yogurt Twice Baked Potatoes.

Today we are talking deeeeelish side dishes.

Greek yogurt twice baked potatoes are on the table! And I’m insanely excited to tell you all about them. SUPER EXCITED. Wildly excited! Many moons ago, they were my ultimate favorite food. 

For years, and I do mean YEARS, I have said on this blog that when I was growing up, potatoes were my favorite food. So odd, right? But I loved them in all forms – mashed, baked, casseroles and especially twice baked.

The twice baked were always my favorite. Most likely because of the whipped texture and the cheese topping… of course. Huge shocker.

But also because we’d only have them once per year. My grandma would make them on Christmas day and it wasn’t unusual for me to want a second and maybe even a third (!) serving. Ohhh I loved them so.

Now here’s why I made them! Our traditional Christmas day menu was always a beef tenderloin and these twice baked potatoes. Green beans were also in there or whatever vegetable popped up on that day, but it was the steak and potatoes that felt super fancy and nostalgic.

I knew I wanted to make both of these things – the steak and the potatoes – to share so you guys could put together a Christmas feast!

Oh and P.S. if you’re not into the beef tenderloin, these would make a fantastic side to this fig and blue cheese stuffed pork tenderloin or even this apple, bacon and butter stuffed pork tenderloin!

SO MANY CHOICES! How do we decide?!

Definitely have to start making these for us on the regular, you know? That solves it.

The thing is though.

I rarely make these during the week because they are a calorie bomb. I mean, the REAL reason is also because they require a bit of work, albeit hands off work. Like you have to bake the potatoes, then slice, then whip, then restuff and bake again. Unless you’ve totally planned for it and have the time set aside, it’s difficult to make happen on a weeknight.

But see also: big calorie bomb. Lots of butter. Lots of cheese.

Not that we can change the method, but I did manage to lighten these up a bit. As huuuuge fans of greek yogurt in this house, I’ve been using it as sour cream forever. Probably for around ten years.  So it just made total SENSE to whip the yogurt into the potatoes and use less butter and cheese!

Winnnnnning.

The end result is a super fluffy, whipped, smooth and creamy potato filling for the skin. And let’s talk about that potato skin. I adore it! It gets so crispy and if you add a bit of sea salt… oh my gosh. It’s the best accompaniment to the filling.

In fact, as much as I loved potatoes, I would never touch the potato skin UNLESS it was on twice baked potatoes.

Also. Since we used yogurt here? We can add bacon. Obviously.

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Greek Yogurt Twice Baked Potatoes

Yield: makes 8 twice baked potatoes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (I like 2% or full-fat)
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces freshly grated white cheddar cheese, plus a little more for topping
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons chopped chives, for topping
smoked paprika, for sprinkling



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Poke a few holes in the potatoes with a fork, rub them with the olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until they are cooked through. Remove and let cool slightly.

While the potatoes are baking, heat a skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon. Cook until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain.

Carefully slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides of the potato, leaving the skin in tact. I like to use a serrated (grapefruit) spoon for this. Place the potatoes in the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the greek yogurt, milk and butter. Using the whisk attachment (or beaters), whip the mixture until it’s smooth and creamy. Beat in the cheese, salt and pepper.

Scoop the mixture back into the potato skins. Top with a bit more grated cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheesy is slightly golden and the potatoes are warmed through. Remove from the oven and top with the bacon, chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Serve!

All images and text ©How Sweet Eats.







Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page.

I appreciate you so much!

So fluffy I want to die!

The post Greek Yogurt Twice Baked Potatoes. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win a Copper KitchenAid Stand Mixer! [CLOSED]

Hiiiiii!

Today I’m giving away one of the things in my kitchen that I love the most – and one of the things that I get the most questions on. A copper KitchenAid Stand Mixer! YOU GUYS, let’s be real – it’s basically rose gold. You know?

This giveaway is not sponsored and is given by me to show how much I appreciate you being here.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Follow @howsweeteats on Instagram and Facebook. Leave a comment (with a valid email address so I can contact you!) on this blog post telling me your favorite easy dinner recipe.
For a second entry, pre-order a copy of The Pretty Dish and leave a second comment saying you did so. If you already have preordered with a giveaway last week, just leave a comment saying you did so! It would mean THE WORLD to me if you preordered this book. You can find the book on amazon, barnes and noble, books a million and indie bound. Simply forward your confirmation email to theprettydishorders [at ] gmail [dot] com along with the the mailing address that you’d like the plate to be mailed to and the name or message you would like on the plate (if any)! If you have already preordered the book before today (thank you!!!), you are included too! Send your same details to the email with your order confirmation. Please note that the book plate will be arriving in the spring, and should be there before your copy of The Pretty Dish arrives on March 20th!

The post My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win a Copper KitchenAid Stand Mixer! [CLOSED] appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win a Copper KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

Hiiiiii!

Today I’m giving away one of the things in my kitchen that I love the most – and one of the things that I get the most questions on. A copper KitchenAid Stand Mixer! YOU GUYS, let’s be real – it’s basically rose gold. You know?

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Follow @howsweeteats on Instagram and Facebook. Leave a comment (with a valid email address so I can contact you!) on this blog post telling me your favorite easy dinner recipe.
For a second entry, pre-order a copy of The Pretty Dish and leave a second comment saying you did so. If you already have preordered with a giveaway last week, just leave a comment saying you did so! It would mean THE WORLD to me if you preordered this book. You can find the book on amazon, barnes and noble, books a million and indie bound. Simply forward your confirmation email to theprettydishorders [at ] gmail [dot] com along with the the mailing address that you’d like the plate to be mailed to and the name or message you would like on the plate (if any)! If you have already preordered the book before today (thank you!!!), you are included too! Send your same details to the email with your order confirmation. Please note that the book plate will be arriving in the spring, and should be there before your copy of The Pretty Dish arrives on March 20th!

The post My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win a Copper KitchenAid Stand Mixer! appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Weekend Snapshots.

It was a perfect December weekend. My favorite place in Pittsburgh during the holiday season is the winter garden at PPG with all of the gingerbread houses! It’s just so magical. Max was dyyyying over the skating rink this year and actually cried when we left because he couldn’t skate. They don’t rent skates for his size, so I think we might get him some so he can go a few times this winter.

I bundled Emilia up in this baby bunting and that, combined with the stroller covered in the milk snob kept her cuddly and warm! Now the only holidayish things that I want to do are head to Phipps and Miracle on Market buuuut… that last one might be a little tough this year. Ha! Hope you had a fabulous weekend.

xoxoxo

The post Weekend Snapshots. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Currently Crushing On.

Seriously, how are we half way through December? I’m freaked about how fast time is flying! Thanks so much for all of your fun this week with my holiday giveaway series! The giveaways will resume on Monday, so stay tuned. Winners from yesterday are announced in that post! xo

Today we are doing all the Christmas related things. And continuing to bake alll of our cookies! xo

What are you guys up to?

If you need a last minute gift, here are all of my favorite gift guides! And I also made these cute DIY salts and sugars for Crate and Barrel if you want to take a peek.

Also, last week I shared Max’s three year update! HOW?!

Favorites favorites favorites:

these nordic gingerbread cookies are so cute.

craving this chicken tortilla soup

a stunning winter citrus pavlova.

adorable mint chocolate chip marshmallows. 

reeeeally want to try these ginger molasses cookies!

and funfetti sugar cookies. yes please.

and perfect black and white cookies.

this brussels and cranberry salad looks amazing.

a peppermint bark crepe cake. omg.

the perfect holiday crostini.

would love a slice of eggnog cheesecake.

chocolate peppermint granola parfaits! cuuuute.

The post Currently Crushing On. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Pomegranate Pistachio Swirled Chocolate Bark.

Say hello to the prettiest chocolate bark EVER!

I like to call this my holiday chocolate masterpiece… that took no time at all. Pomegranate chocolate bark with gorgeous marble swirls and crunchy, salted pistachios?

Oh hi. I’m in love.

It’s embarrassingly easy. Just you wait.

It’s no secret that I went through a SERIOUS chocolate bark phase back when I started the blog. My first ever trip into chocolate bark land was with this cake batter chocolate bark, which so so so many of you have made. Oh man, it remains one of the most popular recipes on the site!

I also made a layered cookies and cream bark (which I might break out again this year? I’m thinking yes.), a movie theater chocolate bark and this island-like tropical chocolate bark.

And this peanut butter pretzel stuffed chocolate bark!

How many times can I say chocolate bark? Never too many.

This is SO much easier than it looks. Melt your dark chocolate, melt your white chocolate, swirl ‘em together and top with pomegranate jewels and pistachios. So festive! So fun! Super simple!

Also, ridiculously DELISH.

And sort of impressive.

And my favorite part about this bark is that there is no question of should I or shouldn’t I refrigerate it. Since we’re using the pom seeds, you most definitely should. Just store it in the fridge! You’re good to go! It will last longer too.

And oh myyyyy gosh it’s so pretty.

I’m annoyed with how pretty it is. And annoyed with how pretty I keep saying it is. But it is!

Have you been baking yet or working on your holiday cookie plates? I made a TON of cookie dough this past week and it’s all stored in my fridge at the moment, so I’m going to bake bake bake when I can over the weekend. Blast some Leslie Odom Jr Christmas (omg it’s so so good!) and dance in the kitchen like a crazy person.

And drink bourbon eggnog. Or mistletoe margaritas.

Now you have the perfect snacky treat to throw together and we come down to the wire!

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Pomegranate Pistachio Swirled Chocolate Bark

Yield: makes a big pan!

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

16 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped
16 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup chopped roasted and salted pistachios
2/3 cup pomegranate arils



Directions:

To make the bottom base of the bark, take the chopped dark chocolate and melt it. You can do so over a double boiler or melt at 50% power in the microwave – if doing that, I melt in 30 second increments stirring well after each until melted. Spread the chocolate (minus about 2 tablespoons, so you can swirl that on top) on the parchment paper in a big rectangle (or any shape you’d like!) and let it sit until firm, about 1 hour. I usually speed up this process in the fridge, because I store this bark in the fridge anyway since it has the pomegranate seeds. It should be set in about 30 minutes if it’s in the fridge.

Melt the white chocolate the same way. You white chocolate MUST be high-quality bars! White chocolate chips rarely melt well and tell to seize due to the ingredients. I like the get the Lindt bars and chop them up. Once melted, pour it over the dark chocolate layer. Gently drizzle in and swirl the remaining dark chocolate that you left in the bowl. Sprinkle on the pomegranate arils and the chopped pistachios. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

After this, you can break or chop up your bark and serve it! Again, I like to keep it in the fridge to serve since it has the pom seeds. It’s delish! This is usually not a bark I will “gift” for that reason. But it does make a nice hostess gift if you have it broken apart on a platter!

All images and text ©How Sweet Eats.







Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page.

I appreciate you so much!

Biting into this just makes you happy. I swear.

The post Pomegranate Pistachio Swirled Chocolate Bark. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win a Cuisinart MultiCooker Slow Cooker! [CLOSED]

[The winners of the giveaway are below. Please send me an email at howsweeteats [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address!  

Andrea Ortlieb who said “Over Christmas each year, instead of buying presents for her 10 children, their spouses and children, my grandma would rent a hotel room for two nights for each family. We would all gather together to spend time swimming, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. It was something we all looked forward to year in and year out. We would all bring a dish to pass as we shared a meal and memories of the past year. While the destination was usually about 15 minutes from home, it was the best vacation of the year, each year for over two decades!”
Lynda M who said “Hilton Head Island is my favorite vacation spot! We’ve been going every year for the past 20 years and we love it!”]

For today’s giveaway, I’m giving TWO 7-quart Cuisinart Multi Cook Slow Cookers!

YOU GUYS!! This is the slow cooker than I am downright OBSESSED with. You can sear, brown and saute in the crock of this slow cooker. That means no searing on the stove and transferring to the slow cooker – it can all be done in ONE place! I love this so much and have been ranting and raving about it for over a year now. Perfection.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

Follow @howsweeteats on Instagram and Facebook. Leave a comment (with a valid email address so I can contact you!) on this blog post telling me your favorite vacation spot!
For a second entry, pre-order a copy of The Pretty Dish and leave a second comment saying you did so. If you already have preordered with a giveaway this week, just leave a comment saying you did so! You can find the book on amazon, barnes and noble, books a million and indie bound. Simply forward your confirmation email to theprettydishorders [at ] gmail [dot] com along with the the mailing address that you’d like the plate to be mailed to and the name or message you would like on the plate (if any)! If you have already preordered the book before today (thank you!!!), you are included too! Send your same details to the email with your order confirmation. Please note that the book plate will be arriving in the spring, and should be there before your copy of The Pretty Dish arrives on March 20th!

This giveaway will run for 24 hours and the winners will be announced in tomorrow’s giveaway post! xoxo

[The winners of yesterday’s giveaway are below. Please send me an email at howsweeteats [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address!

1. Simone who said ” I also pre-ordered The Pretty Dish in August (and sent an email on Monday).”

2. Tamar Strauss-Benjamin who said ” Best gift…wow…hard to think about that but probably my teddy bear that still is the number one “lovey” in my life. This year marks 24 years together (:”

3. David Gebhardt who said ” About 15 years ago on Christmas Eve I was in the car with my mom on the way to a party and we broke down in the middle lane of I-95 and we were completely stranded with a decent amount of traffic around, well before my mom had a cell phone. After about 10 minutes of waving at cars, hoping that someone would stop for us…a car pulled up behind us then heard what was wrong…moved his car to entirely block the right lane traffic and helped us push it to the shoulder, let us borrow his cell phone to call for help, gave crying me a box of chocolates, and drove away without even saying his name, as he didn’t want any kind of reward, just told us Merry Christmas and drove off.”]

The post My Favorite Things Holiday Giveaway: Win a Cuisinart MultiCooker Slow Cooker! [CLOSED] appeared first on How Sweet Eats.