Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 347
December 2, 2017
Currently Crushing On.
Happy December! Can you even believe that we’re at the last month of 2017? It’s insane. What have you guys been up to?
We’ve been whipped into a tornado of lots of newborn snuggles, toddler craziness and christmas decorating all while watching Christmas Vacation every single day. And The Family Stone. Oooomph. The best and the worst.
Some things! Don’t forget that I have all of my favorite gift guides for 2017 RIGHT HERE. I’m going to start wrapping this weekend and can’t wait. I’m one of the weirdos that loves wrapping.
Also! November beauty favorites… here you go.
Favorites of the week!
what you should cook in december.
the ultimate crudite platter. this is insane!
craving these chewy pistachio lace cookies.
these sausage cheese balls make me want to love sausage.
the cutest santa hat gingerbread cupcakes!
how amazing do these mumbai shrimp tacos look?
these gluten free snickerdoodles look so so good.
omg. sticky toffee pudding with mascarpone butterscotch. whaaat.
oooh this garlic lima bean salad. yes.
into roasted cauliflower with chickpeas and pomegranate.
loving this golden carrot ginger soup.
really want to try this chickpea masala omelette!
coconut lime frosted sugar cookies? whoa.
and chocolate chile crinkle cookies! ooooh. so good.
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December 1, 2017
November Favorites: Beauty.
How are we at the end of November and beginning of December?! WHAT?!
So this has been a weird makeup month for me. It’s been a light makeup month since I had Emilia on the 4th and haven’t worn a lot of makeup since, but it’s also been slightly heavy on the makeup-playing because of the Sephora VIB sale! I bought a bunch of things I’ve been so excited to try so I’ve still been wearing makeup more than I thought that I would.
Also! If you’re looking for gifts for people, here’s a list of my favorite beauty items to gift! Now on to this month…
Sephora PRO Cool Palette. I bought this at the VIB sale on a whim. I watched a ton of reviews and you know I’m a cool shade FREAK. I would love it Natasha Denona came out with a huge huge cool palette this size. I’ve used this every time I’ve done my makeup since having the baby and am so impressed with the shadows. A few of the glittery ones are more sheer, but I’m still super impressed with the quality. And the colors… I adore!
Marc Jacobs Provocouture Palette. Another VIB sale purchase and love. These shades are the best. The first four have been on permanent rotation with some of the shades from the cool palette mentioned above and these are just so buttery and soft. Not to mention that I love how small this palette is! I’ve wanted one of these for a few years and am so glad I finally bit the bullet. Excellent quality!
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst. I had the rose gold caviar stick a few years ago and couldn’t resist a gift set of four shades (that’s no longer available, whomp whomp) in shimmer and matte colors. The amethyst is saving me right now. I can use it as one color on my lid for a quick eye look but I’ve also been using it as a super light eyeliner! Love these!
Tony Moly Master Lab Hyaluronic Acid Mask. My cousin Lacy told me about this mask a few months ago and I bought a bunch when they were on sale at Ulta. Anything with hyaluronic acid… I’m sold. It works wonders on my dry skin. And this does not disappoint! It’s super hydrating and really makes your skin glowy. It’s also cheaper than the Farmacy hydrating mask I love but can only get at Sephora… and it’s always sold out.
Essie Ring in the Bling. I LOVE this shade so much! It’s the perfect fall-to-winter shade but also really works for the holidays. And I love that it has some shimmer to it, of course. I’ve had it on since I delivered Emilia and I might not change colors until spring!
Milk Lip Color in Wifey. This is an awesome fall/winter slightly-darker-than-nude cool shade! Long description but I love it. It’s matte, but not overly drying. It’s a really natural looking shade. I like it with gloss over top too.
YSL Tatouage Liquid Matte Lip in Rouge Tatouage. I bought two of these and wore the pink shade (Rose Illicit) a TON in September and October. These are matte which is not my favorite – but they do not budge, in a good way. They don’t transfer color and they aren’t overly drying. Really great right now since I kiss Emilia a billion times per day! The formula is actually comfortable. And these shades are so pretty. It’s my new holiday red!
So that’s my short little list for this month! I’d love to hear what beauty products are on your Christmas list, what you got at the VIB sale or what gift sets you grabbed!
{as usual, none of this is sponsored and all of these products were purchased by me. i am not affiliated with any of the companies above, nor do i accept free products. just love to talk about what i like, makeup junkie to makeup junkie. there are some amazon and general reward style affiliate links above. thank you for being here!}
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Easy One Hour Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls.
All your breakfast dreams are about to come true.
Or brunch. Maybe brunch dreams. Because if we say brunch, then we can have cocktails without judgement and that’s just… super festive. Along with one hour cinnamon rolls, life would be made.
If you’ve been reading for awhile then you know that I have a, well… complicated… relationship with eggnog. It’s no secret that I absolutely adore eggnog lattes. Especially iced. They are incredible and rich and decadent, but I also don’t want them past December, so having one month of them is perfection.
Does this rambling make any sense?
Since I was a kid, I loved having a few sips of eggnog every December – but only a few sips! Like a small glass is juuuuust right. It’s such a decadent drink and coming from someone who never loved milk growing up… eep. It can be a lot.
However! In recent years I have been head over heels for eggnog-flavored things. This very week after Thanksgiving? I usually share an eggnog-based recipe and have done so for YEARS.
So why change it up now? Eggnog based one hour cinnamon rolls are giving me life at the moment.
I mean, I have your PERFECT Christmas breakfast right here. !!!!!!
So many exclamation points.
So, for the last few Christmases I have made the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls a day or two ahead of time and given them to people to have on Christmas morning. They are easily some of the BEST cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. They are slightly time consuming though, so a few years ago I started making a one-hour version. And this year, I made them with eggnog.
And the DREAMIEST eggnog icing. Just look at that!
It’s the most perfect blanket of eggnog sugar that I ever did see. And the nutmeg specks! That’s what MAKES it.
The best news is that you can even prep these the night before if you’re really feeling it and then just pop them in the oven in the morning. Cover them with the glaze, maybe serve with a shot glass of eggnog (+ bourbon?) and you will be the most popular person in your house. Forever!
And you should certainly make an extra pan (or three) and pop them in the freezer for breakfast emergencies. You know, like right after New Year’s Eve orrrr the like. Maybe even for January. Be a rebel!
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Easy One Hour Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
Yield: serves 4 to 6
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup eggnog
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
filling
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
eggnog glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup eggnog
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, stir together 2 cups of the flour, sugar and yeast.
Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat over low heat just until the butter melts. Remove from the stovetop and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the water and vanilla extract. With the dough hook attached to your mixer, stir in the milk and butter mixture until combined. Add the salt, cinnamon and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The dough will be very sticky! Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour gradually, beating for another 2 to 3 minutes until the dough comes together again. It should still be stick. Place it in a bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, roll it out on a floured surface to a 14×10 inch rectangle (or something close to that!). Add the filling – add the melted butter on the dough. Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle it all over top. Starting with one of the long sides, roll it up tightly. Slice the roll into 1-inch cinnamon rolls. Place them in a baking dish – either a 10-inch round or a 9×9-inch square. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
Bake the cinnamon rolls for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove and cover with the eggnog glaze. Serve hot!
eggnog glaze
Whisk ingredients together until a smooth glaze forms. If it’s too thick, add more eggnog 1 teaspoon at a time. If it’s too thin, whisk in more sugar a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached.
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I appreciate you so much!

Isn’t that the most perfect cinnamon roll puff?
The post Easy One Hour Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
November 30, 2017
Fresh Mint White Hot Chocolate.
‘Tis the season for drinking our dessert!
Now really.
I would almost always choose to eat my dessert over drinking it. Almost. Always. But this is one exception I can make to the rule. This white hot chocolate is something I’ve been dreaming of for YEARS.
I never even cared for white chocolate. In fact, it wasn’t until I went on a trip with Lindt and ate a warm white chocolate truffle off of the production line that I nearly lost my mind over white chocolate. Of course, the white chocolate has to be GOOD. Super high quality so it practically melts in your mouth. If it’s that type of white chocolate, I’m all over it.
While I make my case for white chocolate, in order to melt it into the milk so it’s creamy and smooth, it has to be high-quality chocolate here too. The best you can find!
I also infused my milk and cream mixture with a few fresh mint leaves for that fresh, peppermint-y taste. If you’re not into chocolate + mint, you can totally skip this step. Eddie is SO not into chocolate + mint. He says it’s like eating toothpaste.
However, I can’t imagine a life without chocolate + mint. It’s one of the best flavor combos out there! Right behind chocolate and peanut butter. RIGHT?
Also! You could make this in the slow cooker as long as there is a low or warm setting. I’d skip the mint leaves if you’re using the slow cooker (aside from a garnish, of course) and make sure your white chocolate is very finely chopped. Bonus points if you have one of those mini slow cookers that you can prep this in. My mom had one when I was growing up that she used for water and holiday potpourri… so I most likely wouldn’t want to consume anything out of it after that.
But still! It would work for a party, as long as you stir it and such every so often.
And even though this is a white hot chocolate, it’s super decadent and indulgent and really reminds me of my slow cooker coconut hot chocolate. Which is pretty much one step away from liquid chocolate mousse. That stuff is RICH.
And 100% completely and totally worth it.
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Fresh Mint White Hot Chocolate
Yield: serves 4
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups milk
1 handful of fresh mint leaves
12 ounces high-quality white chocolate (I like the Lindt bars or truffles), chopped
whipped cream, for serving
white sprinkles or sugar, for topping
fresh mint, for garnish
Directions:
Place the cream, milk, and fresh mint leaves in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until warmed through. Bring the mixture to a simmer and remove the mint leaves with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the chopped white chocolate. Once it’s melted, remove the liquid from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Serve immediately with whipped cream on top, a fresh mint leaf and white sprinkles or sugar.
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I appreciate you so much!

And yessss I think you can add booze. White chocolate liqueur for sure.
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November 29, 2017
Bacon Meatballs with Bucatini.
Apparently I’m allllll about the pasta this week!
On Monday, I shared a much healthier version and today, we’re going ALL out for the holiday season. We’re doing it. Bucatini with bacon meatballs! I can’t even contain my LOVE for there. Oh my gosh.
Which you guys! Is huge. You know that 1. I don’t love pasta with red sauce and 2. I don’t love meatballs. Um, here? I love pasta with red sauce AND meatballs. It’s out of control.
Every holiday season, I get weird cravings for “regular” but hearty and indulgent meals like pastas and pizzas. It’s provides a break from the traditional holiday eats but it’s still something fancy enough or impressive enough to serve friends or family that might be in town. Or to even make for a holiday meal when you want something… different. You know?
Now here’s the thing.
Eddie was really freaked out about these meatballs. When we were planning our meals for the week, I told him I was going to make bacon meatballs and he cringed. He was afraid they would be heavy and greasy and just didn’t understand how they would work. In fact, I think he thought that it would just be a ball of bacon. No other meat included. Eeeep.
So you can’t even imagine how excited I was when he fell in love with these. The bacon is just an add-in to my favorite meatball recipe that I make him often. But it adds a wonderful smoky flavor and a little extra something something. Fantastic!
AND. The best part about these is that you can do whatever the heck you want with them.
Over pasta – your favorite variety? DO IT.
Making them into meatball subs? Yes yes!
Throw them on a salad? Uh huh. (hint hint… there might be something fabulous coming in The Pretty Dish that involves a meatball and a salad.. just sayin’.)
This bowl is everything I want in life right now.
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Bacon Meatballs with Bucatini
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
4 slices uncooked bacon, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup finely grated romano cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces of your favorite marinara sauce
1 pound bucatini, cooked according to directions
fresh herbs for garnish
shaved parmesan cheese for topping
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, bacon, egg, cheese, garlic, basil, parsley, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs. Mix until just combined – do not overmix! Form into 1-inch meatballs.
Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the meatballs in batches until golden brown on all sides, removing some to cook the others and adding more oil when needed. When all the meatballs are browned, reduce the heat to low, add in your marinara and add all the meatballs back into the skillet. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
While the meatballs are simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the bucatini according to the directions. Serve with meatballs and sauce – and parmesan cheese and fresh herbs!
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I appreciate you so much!

That’s a huge saucy hug right there.
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November 28, 2017
Tuesday Things.
1. Bourbon delight bars?! UM HELLO.
2. Speaking of which, I still haven’t had a cocktail yet since having Emilia. I KNOW. I was planning on it for Thanksgiving but have a mess of a sinus infection and didn’t think it’d be wise to mix booze and cold meds, obviously. Holding out for later this week and a chilled bottle of champagne in my fridge.
3. This past weekend’s sales were seriously insane and while I’ve never been a Black Friday shopper, we pretty much knocked out all of our shopping this weekend! I bit the bullet and got an Amazon Echo. Now tell me what to do with it?
4. Current favorite Christmas album at the moment? Dave Barnes for me. I can’t quit it.
5. I am so ridiculously excited about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement. Like I think I’m more excited than William and Kate?! I love them! Oh my gosh. I even stayed up in the middle of the night after nursing Emilia reading articles about them.
6. Attempting to decorate for Christmas with a two-year old is, in a word… impossible? He is super into helping right now which is amazing (he basically unloads the entire dishwasher aside from the knives?!) but also… impossible. My mom used to decorate our house at like 2 or 3 AM and now I understand why.
7. The United States of memes. Pretty funny, though I don’t necessarily agree with PA.
8. Tell me about your planner situation for 2018! I might be trying out a new one (or three.. because I can’t decide yet).
9. Pumpkin pie for breakfast for the fifth day in a row? This needs to stop but… maybe tomorrow.
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November 27, 2017
20 Minute Spicy Garlic Spinach Pasta with Chickpeas.
Today is theeeee day that we need something super non-holidayish. You know?
And I don’t ONLY want a salad. Or, like, four of them. Because that’s probably what I need after multiple Thanksgivings the past few days. I mean, pasta with chickpeas can work though. I think so.
Enter this dish. It’s SUPER easy. Like embarrassingly easy. Like you’re going to be horrified that I posted something so simple!
But but but.
It’s also super delicious and embarrassingly tasty. It’s spicy and slightly cheesy and has tons of spinach (hello health!) and some chickpeas too for extra staying power. It’s full of flavor and can come together in, like, 15 minutes.
Seriously, the worst part here is going to be waiting for your water to boil. That will take longer than making the recipe!
You can totally cook your spinach and garlic while the water is coming to a boil so you’re doing, well, something while waiting. Especially if you’re insanely impatient like me. I always watch the pot until it boils, like COME ON.
You’d have thought that I’d grow out of this by now. I HAVE NOT.
Caps lock necessary.
This also reheats pretty well for a spinach-y pasta dish and if you don’t mind reheated pasta (no Italian blood in my body, so I don’t!), you can prep this for the week ahead. I have eaten it for lunch multiple times and before I had Emilia, actually – I think I ate it for two straight weeks! I just kept making it over and over and over.
AND. If you have a crazy meat eater in your house like I do, you can obviously add chicken or shrimp or something. No biggie!
I created this dish with December in mind, because I have all sorts of crazy holiday meals coming up, tons of cocktails, lots of treats too – and wanted something fairly healthier but something hearty so I wouldn’t go on a midnight cookie binge.
Think this seals the deal!
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20 Minute Spicy Garlic Spinach Pasta with Chickpeas
Yield: serves 2 to 4
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
8 ounces ditalini pasta, cooked al dente
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus extra for sprinkling
12 ounces fresh baby spinach
pinch of salt and pepper
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, plus extra for topping
Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil to prepare the pasta. Cook it according to the directions on the pasta.
While waiting on the pasta, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil and butter. Stir in the garlic cloves and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds or so, until the garlic is fragrant. Add in the spinach with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir, cooking until it wilts. Stir in the chickpeas.
Stir in the cooked pasta and the 1/3 cup of cheese until combined. Serve immediately with extra red pepper flakes and grated cheese.
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I appreciate you so much!

p.s. it’s reeeeeally good cold too!
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November 25, 2017
2017 Holiday Baking List! (Tell Me What You’re Making!)
Ahhhh! How are we already here at one of my favorite posts of the year?! I can’t believe it.
I am SO in the holiday baking mood already. Max is super excited to bake cookies and I love having him help, even if it takes 67 times longer than it would if I did it by myself.
Speaking of! This is how I manage to bake a boatload of treats at the holidays for friends and family while Max runs around: I make a bunch of the doughs on one day and refrigerate, and then bake them when I can over the next two days or so. Totally works out!
First things first. Last year, my cousin Lacy and I made our first Buche de Noel and loved it so much. We are planning on doing it again! We usually spend one day together and will make that, along with Tracy’s citrus peels, her homemade amaretto and then whiskey pretzels or something of the sort.
Otherwise, these are some of the treats I hope to make for the huuuuge cookie trays we love to take people at Christmas!
salted dark chocolate chunk cookies because we can’t get enough.
peanut butter blossoms. my all time favorite!
perfect cut out sugar cookies. these are the BEST foolproof, simple sugar cookies. only recipe i use!
my soft snickerdoodles and these chewy chai snickerdoodles. both and amazing.
soft gingersnaps. i always double this recipe. sometimes i make four batches! everyone loves them.
definitely these old school oreo balls, and chocolate coconut truffles, and buckeyes!
mother lovett’s pink and green thumbprints. can’t have christmas without them.
annnnd mother lovett’s orange cookies. huge hit.
these bourbon soaked cherry oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. ooooh yes.
definitely a bunch of peppermint pattie brownies.
and some peanut butter stuffed chocolate pretzel bark!
also these double dark chocolate peanut butter cup cookies. they are RIDIC.
SO I’d love to hear what is on your list this year! And what other fun things I should try?
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November 24, 2017
Holiday Gift Guide! And a Huge Sweet Peas Meals Discount!
Hi hi! I hope you are all settling in for a nice long food coma after one heck of a delicious Thanksgiving meal. We are going to be spending the day decorating for Christmas, but I wanted to share my favorite holiday gift guide AND! something super exciting we have going on over at Sweet Peas Meals for Black Friday!
Today, we’re offering 50% off all new subscriptions and any existing upgrades for Sweet Peas! The community is amazing and so much fun and it’s been incredible seeing the response to our weekly menus! For this special, use the code SPMBF50 at checkout.
And finally, here’s a list of my favorite gift guides I’ve shared so far this year! I have about half of my shopping done, but am super excited to get OUT in the hustle and bustle of Christmas to finish.
2017 gift guide for HER
2017 gift guide for HIM
2017 gift guide for TODDLERS
2017 stocking stuffers under $25
2017 gift guide for favorite KITCHEN ITEMS
2017 gift guide for BEAUTY LOVERS
2017 gift guide for COOKBOOK LOVERS
I’d love to hear what is on your list down below!
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November 23, 2017
So Thankful For You!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you so, so, SO much for being here. You have no idea how much I appreciate you!
xoxoxo
The post So Thankful For You! appeared first on How Sweet Eats.
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