Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 361

Currently Crushing On.

Hi hi! Happy weekend!

Today we are heading to Picklesburgh and I can’t wait! This is the third year in a row and it’s always so fun. What are you guys up to? Weekend plans?

Also! If you’re shopping the last week of the nordstrom anniversary sale, I updated the things I bought and love. Absolutely loving the shoes I got and did a big closet purge of some stuff I haven’t worn in forever.

P.S. you can also find a delicious fresh peach lemonade recipe that Max and I made for Crate and Barrel a few weeks ago, if you’re in a peach mood like I am. And I also made this delicious cherry oatmeal crisp for Harry & David!

xoxo

So much good on the internets!

the most perfect avocado green goddess sandwich!

um what? potato chip cookie ice cream sandwiches.

no bake rosé cheesecake?! i’ll take it.

and super pretty rainbow sushi burritos.

the most stunning stone fruit salad i ever did see.

hellllo unicorn snow cones!

this pesto grilled chicken salad is delish.

love this dessert idea of sweetened whipped ricotta and fruit.

easy ramen eggs?! whoa.

100% making this one bowl chocolate sheet cake this weekend.

grilled mussels with tons of wine are something i’m always craving.

super intrigued by frozen mocha mousse.

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Pistachio Peach Caramel Crumble.

Hiiii. I am having a major peach problem.

Or not, depending on how you look at it.

But I cannot stop making all the peach things. It’s so weird, because every year I write about how you only really get one or maybe two GOOD peaches here in summer. And this year? Um, I feel like I’ve had tons of great peaches over the last few weeks. I’m addicted.

Pistachio peach caramel crumble to the rescue this week. Note that I say THIS week. 

Also! Have I not made ten million crisps and cobblers this year or what? If you lived with my in real life, you’d die. I have passed off so many cobblers and crisps and crisps and cobblers that it’s insane.

I have excellent news though. This isn’t a crisp OR a cobbler! It’s a crumble!

Super huge different, I know.

The top is, well, crumbly. It’s not quite a dough – it’s like a crunchy, crumbly dough that is studded with pistachios. It’s more substantial and not as fluffy as cobbler. But it’s not as crunchy or crispy as a crisp!

Clearly all the crumbles need to exist in the world so we have a happy medium there.

Oh hey, I have a cute little helper here.

I tried to get him to pour the caramel sauce into the center, but he wasn’t having it. That’s okay, I just tossed it all together. He loves helping me soooo much and after this last year or so of him helping me in the kitchen, I just let him make a mess and have as much fun as he can. Seriously some of my favorite moments ever!

And an amazing learning process for me.

Instead of tossing the peaches with a traditional sugar and cornstarch mixture, I simply tossed them in the homemade caramel sauce.

Oh

My

Gosh.

Talk about divine.

I’m not always a caramel person, but in this instance? I certainly am. This makes the peaches even more wonderfully sweet and soft. The combination is to die for.

It’s funny that I covered my peaches in pistachios because the latter is something else that I get on kicks of too! Meshing my current obsessions – all of them – in the form of peaches, pistachios AND fruit-based desserts.

I don’t even know me anymore.

This is so buttery and flavorful and not overly sweet but still fantastically caramely. I am dying for you to make it and eat it with all of your friends!

Which means me, so please don’t lose my invite in the mail.

Pistachio Peach Caramel Crumble

Yield: serves 6

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 medium ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice

 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the sugar, cream, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved, then let the mixture bubble for 5 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Place the peach slices in 9-inch round or square dish. Toss them with the lemon juice. Pour the caramel overtop of the peaches and gently tossed until every slice is coated with caramel.

In a bowl, stir together the butter and brown sugar with a fork until it's totally combined and the sugar is incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon or spatula add in the flour and stir and mix until it is combined and resembles clumps of sand. I use my hands to do this towards the end to really combine everything. Stir in the pistachios and mix them in as well as you can.

Sprinkle the mixture overtop of the peaches so it covers them. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the peaches are bubbly and topping is golden and set. If at anytime, the topping starts to get too brown, tent the dish with foil.

Remove and serve with pistachio or vanilla ice cream!

[crumble topping from martha]

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Only made better with pisatchio ice cream. YESSSS.

The post Pistachio Peach Caramel Crumble. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Rainbow Coconut Water Spritzers.

While I’ve been all about the mocktails this summer, I’ve finally made us a rainbow we can DRINK.

Actually, we can eat and drink the rainbow at the same time! A rainbow coconut water mocktail, more specifically spritzers? HELLO. It’s almost like a non-boozy coconut water sangria. Without the wine. And with rainbow fruit. So basic that only us Target lovers would understand? Quite possibly.

Coconut water!!

So I never 100% LOVED coconut water until we started drinking the Harmless Harvest brand a few years ago. I know that I talk about it all the time but it is the BEST. It seriously saved me right after I had Max and experienced the most intense thirst ever in my life – and now, a few years later, even Eddie drinks it every single morning after his workout. He doesn’t like coconut, mostly because of the texture, but true, pure coconut water doesn’t even taste like fake manufactured coconut. It’s definitely an acquired taste but it is so incredibly refreshing and hydrating. Max loves it too and calls it “coconut juice.” I die.

When I was regularly doing hot yoga and would go in the middle of summer and feel like my entire body was on fire, chugging some coconut water afterwards was a lifesaver. I swear it prevented heat-induced headaches that I’ve had from working out in intense temps before. It’s a major staple in our fridge!

And I am a big PLAIN water drinker, if only because I don’t love carbonated beverages and have never been into juice. It’s always been just water for me – something I crave constantly. Even at room temperature, even without ice. I’ve never had a problem drinking it, but this pregnancy I am struggling. It still tastes semi-weird and I’m not consuming as much as I normally do. I feel it. Ugh.

So again! To remedy that, I’ve been making little coconut water spritzers to make water in general taste BETTER.

I made us a super fancy one in case you wanted to feel all special too. Plus, all sorts of rainbow fruit because it’s summer and ROY G BIV-ing everything makes me embarrassingly excited. Like, I actually had all this fruit in my house without planning for this recipe. Pretty sure I subconsciously buy fruit in rainbow shades each weekend due to my forever tween brain.

True story: I wanted to get rainbow chairs for my kitchen table. I still want to. They totally won’t go. But I want to. But I won’t. Whomp whomp.

Aren’t these just so super cute?!

Another very exciting development in my life (like, really) is that my grocery store started selling Polar seltzer – and they have the vanilla flavor! That’s what I used here and the combination was SO good. I’m also a big lover of the passionfruit and coconut flavors by La Croix, so mixing coconut water with those and lots of ice is also delicious.

The fun part, however, is that you can truly customize the flavor of this depending on your soda/seltzer! It’s totally up to you.

ALSO. How fun is it to have a mocktail that we can actually say is good for us? I KNOW.

Rainbow Coconut Water Spritzers

Yield: serves 4

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

handfuls of fresh:

raspberries
strawberries
cherries
peaches
pineapple
lime slices
fresh mint
blueberries
blackberries
16 ounces coconut water (my fave is harmless harvest)
8 ounces flavored seltzer, like coconut or vanilla



Directions:

Fill each glass with a bit of crushed ice, then add the fruit in rainbow colors. I like using the ROY G BIV guidelines! Once the fruit is in the glasses, add a bit more ice and fill each glass with about 4 ounces of coconut water.

Top each off with some flavored seltzer (I love Polar vanilla or La Croix coconut or passionfruit!) and serve. Garnish with extra fresh mint.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Nothing makes me happier.

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Watermelon Salad Wedges with Blue Cheese.

I’m making you a salad today!

In wedge form, of course. Watermelon salad wedges because they are cute! And I don’t want to be all fancy and stack it. Wedges that are covered with the juiciest cherry tomatoes, crumbly blue cheese, microgreens, fresh herbs and a quick orange vinaigrette. Would you believe this is one of the most incredible combinations ever?!

And I’m not even being dramatic. 

I had this salad a few weeks ago at Vallozzi’s – and while it was served much fancier in stacked form with a watermelon round, the flavor was so incredible that I couldn’t believe my taste buds.

Even my mom, who would totally turn her nose up at something like this, something very untraditional and something that meshes sweet and savory without being a dessert, was LOVING it. We only got one salad and we were practically fighting over the last few bites.

I don’t even know how to begin to explain how fantastic this flavor combination is. We have the watermelon, which is sweet and refreshing. The tomatoes, which aren’t quite as sweet, but also juicy and somewhat refreshing. The blue cheese, which is creamy and kind of tangy. The microgreens, which always have a little bit of a bite to them – not quite as peppery as arugula, but there is something semi-spicy about them.

The salad we had that evening also had fresh garden peas, and while they tasted good too, every time I speared one it flew off my plate and hit the wall next to me.

Yes, I was that person. There was a pile of peas on the floor before I even finished the salad.

The peas were a little underwhelming to me so I left them off these slices.

But here’s the thing! The entire combination is drizzled in an orange vinaigrette. The salad we ate? I think it just had a plain, simple orange oil over it. And guess what! I don’t even care about orange-flavored things. I mean, it’s not that I don’t LIKE it, it’s just never a flavor I gravitate towards and it’s always one of the last flavors I’d choose.

Unless we’re talking about the old-school cinnamon orange rolls from a can on Christmas. You know. Super classy. Like this bread.

However, that freaking orange oil MADE this salad. Wow. It gave the salad this wonderful brightness and added an even MORE refreshing taste which seemed impossible at that point. It was just so, so delicious and even though we ordered some of our other favorite dishes, we kept talking about this salad all night long.

P.S. this was before we went to the James Taylor concert (be still my heart) and Bonnie Raitt opened up for him and while I didn’t really know anything by her, I hope that when I’m almost 70 I can be jumping around a stage and singing at the top of my lungs. Also, the concert consisted of me and tens of thousands of baby boomers so that was cool. But you know.

I knew that I wanted to make this salad at home before the season was over. But I also knew that it wasn’t practical at the time to stack it and make it all pretty and I just really wanted to get these flavors out into the universe and back into my mouth ASAP because I’m a selfish person.

Enter my favorite way to eat watermelon: pizza style! Or, um, sliced triangle style. If you’re someone who always wants to strangle the person that calls watermelon wedges “pizza,” I get it. I get you on a deep level.

And if you’re thinking that these toppings like rather… meager, compared to my usual trashed up ways, it’s because these little bites are all you need. These flavors together and so fabulous and fresh that you don’t want to overdo it. For once. And I very much believe in MORE IS MORE.

Watermelon Salad Wedges with Blue Cheese

Yield: serves 2 to 4

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 large slices of watermelon
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup microgreens
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
fresh basil and oregano

orange vinaigrette 

1/2 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon freshly squeeze orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon honey
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil



Directions:

Slice the watermelon rounds into wedges. Top with the tomatoes, microgreens, blue cheese, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Drizzle with the orange vinaigrette and serve immediately!

orange vinaigrette 

Whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, zest, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and drizzle over the watermelon.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

These colors though, right?!

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Tuesday Things.

1. Every year, I get wildly excited about Shark Week because I think it’s going to be like how Shark Week was when I was a kid. And then I watch a computer generated shark and I’m like whaaaaat.

2. All about the rosé obsession and why we lose our mind over it. For me, personally, I just like the taste better than any red or white!

3. One thing I loathe doing is prepping super far ahead for my content on my blog, especially for the next season. I’m totally the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person, write my posts the morning of – but I have to do a little bit of work ahead of time this year since I’ll be having another babe. TELL ME: what do you want to see!

4. After all of my bragging about my tomatoes, they’ve sort of bit the dust. I mean, I still have a bunch of them left but a few of the plants starting growing in insane ways, breaking off, and I have no idea how to control that when I already have the cages securing them. Help me!

5. I forgot about one show that we love that started back this week: Ballers! Sort of reminds me of Entourage in a way and I will forever be team Vincent Chase.

6. With finishing up my cookbook and trying to keep everything straight the first six months of this year, I totally failed at my bullet journal which is one of my favorite things to keep up with. But! My friend Rachel has an amazing book coming out on the process and I’m going to tell you about it and start back up Aug 1. This second half of the year always rejuvenates me again anyway. Normally I’d just do it today, but if you’re familiar with the bullet journal process, it sort of works on a month-by-month basis.

7. This also makes me want to grab all the neon school supplies that are out at Target but I mean, I HAVE to get over that at this point, right?! How much longer can I pretend that I’m still 13.

8. I’m still losing my mind over the nordstrom anniversary sale and have a ridiculous amount of shoes and coats at home that I have to decide on. And dresses! It’s so hard to decide while pregnant.

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Crispy Beer Battered Avocado Tacos.

We are doing this thing today.

It’s called FRYING our avocado. Beer battered avocado tacos are a thing. A thing you can even make on a Monday. I mean, they are totally meatless. They are still avocados. They don’t require full blown deep frying. They taste like baby angel unicorn tears!

That’s a good thing, BTW.

This might be one of my dream meals. It’s so simple but tastes incredible. Before these, my quick taco of choice was always these summer breakfast tacos. And while these take just a leeeettle more work than those… it’s not much. You can’t beat them!

I’ve had my fair share of fried avocado tacos in multiple different places, even for breakfast, and they are always one of my favorite variations. There is so much crunch from the batter and if you simply wrap a tortilla around one of these slices, I’d probably be happy with JUST that.

Basic b tacos whaaaaat.

I mean, I had to go the extra step and make a beer batter. It’s so light! It almost reminds me of a tempura batter.

Of course I had to do a chipotle crema too because my tacos can barely exist without one.

And pickled onions, because Eddie loves them, I adore the sweetness they bring, and HELLO they are hot pink. Like there even has to be another excuse to add that to your meal. Aren’t many things I can consume that are naturally this shade.

No guac or anything because… wouldn’t that be like adding a fried egg on top of your chicken or something? You get my drift.

Otherwise, I keep these tacos fairly simple when it comes to toppings to really allow the flavor to shine. No salsa or slaw, even though those things are often staples for me. I almost always throw together a homemade salsa, maybe even a fruit one in the summer, when it comes to our tacos at home. The avocado is just SO flavorful, you barely need anything else. TRUST ME.

Crunchy and then creamy? Oh hi. I’m dying.

This is my new ultimate summer meal. It’s so fresh and crispy and weirdly enough kind of tastes garden-like even though we go ahead and fry the darn thing. I also find it to be a miracle that I left grilled corn off of this. But it’s better without it, I swear.

Speaking of tacos and grilled corn, this past weekend I ate one of the most killer tacos I ever taste. A crispy shell wrapped in a soft flour shell with queso IN BETWEEN the shells. Yes. You read that right. Today or tomorrow I’m going to recreate that madness because it was insane and maybe one of the most perfect tacos I’ve tried. Also, a texture lovers dream. What if I put THIS avocado in THAT taco?

Mind. Blown.

That moment really made me miss a margarita too. So did these avocado tacos! It was the only drink I sort of missed while I was pregnant with Max, so I’m thinking come November, we will be in marg city.

ANYHOOOO.

You are probably going to want to consume the entire plate of avocado by itself, that’s my PSA. Maybe you don’t even need the tacos!

But who doesn’t need tacos?

Crispy Beer Battered Avocado Tacos

Yield: serves 4

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces of your favorite beer
4 avocados, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces


8 to 12 (4-inch) corn or flour tortillas
4 ounces queso fresco cheese, crumbled
1 big handful of microgreens or fresh cilantro for topping
extra lime wedges for serving

chipotle crema

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, diced
2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotles
1 lime, juiced

quick pickled onions

1 red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup water



Directions:

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan over medium heat. You want it to be shimmering and when you drop a small spoonful of batter into the oil and is starts to fry, you're good to go.

In a bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika and salt and whisk to combine. Pour in the beer and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Dip each avocado slice in the batter and gently place it in the skillet. Don't overcrowd the skillet - you can fill the bottom but do a few batches at a time. As soon as the avocado is golden and crispy, turn it over and fry for another minute or so, frying for about 2 to 3 minutes total. Place each avocado slice on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.

To build the tacos, place 2 to 3 slices in the center of the tortilla and add the pickled onions, microgreens and/or cilantro, queso fresco and chipotle crema. Add a lime spritz and you're good to go!

quick pickled onions

Place the onions in a jar or cup. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve. Whisk in the water. Pour over the sliced onions. Let sit at room temperature for an hour. You can obviously make this ahead of time and once made, store it in the fridge in a sealed container or jar.

chipotle crema

Whisk together the sour cream/yogurt, lime juice, diced pepper and adobo sauce until smooth and combined.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

P.S. my apologies because now you’re never going to want to eat anything else ever.

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Currently Crushing On.

Hello hello!

First, this was such a huge week for us and thank you so much on the launch of Sweet Peas Meals! I’m still kind of blown away at the response and just how excited you guys are. I can’t wait to update you more as we move along!

Second, this week was also amazing because my sister-in-law gave birth to my first niece! She is such a bundle of love and I just want to eat her up. I can’t even TAKE it. We are going to visit her again today because we can’t stay away.

So thank you so much for being here! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and live up all the summer things.

P.S. I updated my Nordstrom sale post yesterday with some of the things I bought, some things I didn’t like and all the things I’m really excited over after seeing in person. It’s seriously the best sale of the year!

Now for all these favorites:

OMG! the most gorgeous caprese platter. wow.

also! how to make an epic cheeseboard with only trader joes items. YES.

tomato and watermelon gazpacho just sounds incredible.

this crab fried sticky rice looks absolutely insane.

all the cutest summer food props!

allll about sour cherries. i could not be more obsessed.

super cute sangria rosé popsicles.

this edamame hummus looks excellent.

blackberry, cherry and lavender scones. craving.

here’s a non-beachy summer reading list.

chilled golden soup with tomato salad. delish.

can’t wait to try this veggie lo mein!

these lettuce wraps with cod look like such a refreshing dinner.

loving the sound of these boston cream cupcakes.

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Updated! My Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Favorites! (Beauty, Womens, Baby/Kids & Home!)

Hi hi! I’m doing an extra mid-month favorites post today in honor of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I didn’t really care about this sale up until two years ago, when I got some amazing things that remain my favorites to this day! (I’m looking at you Blank NYC jackets, Zella leggings, Barefoot Dreams, etc.) The last two years, I’ve also got almost all of Max’s shoes for the next year (because of course I want the neon Nikes) on sale and a few other fall things. I love that this is all fall clothing, even though it can be hard to get in fall mode in the middle of summer

But! SO many of these end up being my favorites throughout the year, so I wanted to share. And I’m horrible at shopping normal sales, because I don’t want to buy things at the end of the season that I’ve seen for the last four months. Yes, I’m the worst. It’s just so fun because it’s all NEW! I was even more excited when I woke up this morning because there were a lot of things that weren’t in the catalog. I wrote out exactly why I like these things so it’s not just a shopping post. Lots of notes below! I may even update this as the days go on.

This is in no way sponsored and I’m not affiliated with Nordstrom at all, but there are general affiliate links below! I shared my favorite clothing items for me, things for Max and babies in general, some home products (HELLO CANDLES) and all the beauty things I’m freaking over. Early access for the sale starts today, but it goes until the beginning of August. Since I have a few requests to do a post for this sale, I wanted to get it up now in case you’re shopping early. Woohoo!

CLOTHING



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Halogen Cashmere Wrap. I am the only person ever to not own a cashmere wrap! I’m getting one this sale and might even get one as a gift. (Update: bought one of these and love it!)

Halogen No Closure Blazer. Absolutely loving this blazer. It looks like one that I got from Nordstrom Rack four years ago and live in every fall and winter. Definitely grabbing one. (Update: I tried this on in store and wasn’t a huge fan. It just didn’t look high quality enough for me to love it. It was almost oversized, but not in a flattering way?)

Chelsea 28 Velvet Dress. I am so, so infatuated with this dress. I ordered it and received it and it’s almost like a teal color?! I think it will be so pretty for the holidays!

Zella Live In High Waist Leggings. Love love love these leggings. For working out or living in! They are really comparable to the LuLulemon Wunder Unders.

Spanx Faux Leather Leggings. Don’t let the name sway you! I had a pair of these last year, put them in my favorites a few times and I LOVED them. Super soft and stretchy.

Alo Airbrush High Waist Legging. I love the detail on these leggings too! And high waisted forever please. (Update: bought a pair of these and really am loving them! FYI they seem to run a little small… but I’m also almost 7 months pregnant. Ha.)

Barefoot Dreams Circle Cardigan. I have a Barefoot Dreams robe and it’s the softest thing ever. Grabbing one of these too because they feel like heaven. I’ve always resisted because I don’t know how often I’d wear, but I figure with the new baby coming, it will be the most comfortable thing. (Update: Got it and am obsessed and once the baby is born, I will live in it)

Blank NYC Moto Jacket. AHHH! So excited that these are in the sale. I have two from last year and they are one of my most favorite things ever. I think it’s amazing that they actually have a black one on sale! (Update: I actually have the black one and the metallic one here at home right now. I have to make a decision!)

Blank NYC Blush Leather Jacket. Another one too, in freaking blush! I already have a similar one to the one above in a blush color, but absolutely loooove this one.

Love Token Faux Suede Trench Coat. I bought this trench since I do not have one and so far, am in LOVE with it. It is so buttery soft, it’s unreal.

Burgundy Faux Leather Jacket with Faux Fur Trim. Apparently this is COAT OVERLOAD. I also LOVE this burgundy faux leather! I think it’s super pretty and the fur is removable.

Nordstrom Lingerie Pajamas. These are SO ridiculously soft. I got a pair last year and love hanging out in them in the winter, so I definitely want another pair for when I have the baby!

Two Way Camisole. My mom and I love these. She’s actually had a few for years and never stops talking about them. One side is v-neck and the other is scoop.

Rebecca Taylor Faux Leather Skirt. I am dyyying over this skirt. Not something I could wear now when I’m pregnant (and I don’t want to get a bigger size just for that at this price), but I might bite the bullet and get it for the winter.

J Crew Pleat Faux Leather Skirt. I can’t even handle how much I love this. My cousin has it in black and it is just SO cute! (Update: I did buy this and while I can’t really gauge at all while pregnant, I think it will be great once I’m not!)

Tahari Wool Blend Coat. I cannot even HANDLE this blue color! I love it so much. Also, most of my coats are Tahari. I’ve worn some since I was in college and they are still in great condition ten years later. I love this brand so much. (Update: bought this and it is STUNNING. I have it here at home and want to try it on with a few more layers before deciding for sure, just because I bought a ton of stuff.)

Stance Invisible No Show Socks. I had these in my favorites a few months ago and they are amazing socks. Perfect for the adidas superboost shoes that I’m obsessed with too.

There are a TON of jeans that I have my eye one, but at 6+ months pregnant I don’t want to spend on jeans at the moment since I won’t be able to wear them for a few more months and then who knows how my body will be. Are there any you are loving?! Would love to know which brands and which styles.

SHOES & BAGS



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Rag and Bone Margot Bootie. Rag and Bone booties are some of the most comfortable and hold up SO well. (Update: bought them and completely love them. Already did away with a bunch of cheap booties I had from Target for the last five years!)

Dolce Vita Studded Sandal. Dolce Vita is probably my favorite shoe brand. I love everything they made AND they are comfy. These are super cute and I really like ’em in gray. (Update: Bought this too and they are SO much more stunning than I envisioned. I got the gray!)

Vince Camuto Split Shaft Bootie. I’ve wanted one of these since last year and am so excited to get it! I just don’t know which color I want…

Vince Camuto Francia Bootie. I also LOVE this bootie and the block heel. I don’t need both pairs but love this one as much as the above. Plus, all the Vince Camuto shoes I have are so comfortable.

Kendra Scott Pendant Necklace. If you’ve followed along with my favorites over the last few years, you know this Kendra Scott necklace is a huge fave! I have it in a few colors and buy it for gifts all the time.

Bauble Bar Pinata Statement Earrings. I l=have loved Bauble Bar for years and think these are the cutest!

All Saints Crossbody Tote. I’m skipping out on buying a larger bag this year because I’m super into a new backpack I got that doubles as a diaper bag and with kids, I just know I don’t need another kind of bag at this stage in my life. But I LOVE this bag and the light slate blue color.

Madewell Transport Leather Tote. I’m also a HUUUUGE fan of the Madewell tote and still use mine daily (it basically doubles in my car as a catchall for things I need for Max) even though it’s a burgundy shade. I love these bags so much.

Ted Baker Neon Tote. I’m never going to turn down anything Ted Baker because HELLO bright florals and neon. (Update: I couldn’t resist and already bought this AND used it. I love it.

BEAUTY



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Keihls Creme de Corps. This is an awesome lotion that I used for years – and it smells incredible. I’m going to grab one of these big bottles for our master bath.

Jo Malone Cologne Set. You know I adore all things Jo Malone! If there is a scent in here I don’t care for, I’ll use it as a gift. But a lot of my loves are in here (wood sage & sea salt, grapefruit, dark amber & ginger lily!)

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Bourbon Set. This was my GO-TO scent last fall and winter and I like even more than the original black. If you love warm, amber, musky cologne-like scents, you’ll love it.

Supergoop Sunscreen Mist. This is a pretty great price for three of these mists. I use Supergoop as my sunscreen and it’s great.

Supergoop Hand Cream Set. This was just in my favorites last month! I use this religiously because I am so obsessed with using sunscreen on my hands, and this is the best one I found that doesn’t FEEL like sunscreen. I keep one at my kitchen sink.

Slip Silk Pillowcase Duo. SO! This has been in my cart in the last two years and I’ve never ended up buying it. I really want one to prevent hair breakage and am thinking this is the year. My cousin and I are going to split this package since we both don’t need two. (Update: we split this and have had it for a week – LOVING it.)

Exfolikate. This is a GIANT bottle and I used this only once or twice a week like clockwork. I keep it in my shower and use it in there. It’s also super gentle on my dry skin. This will last FOREVER.

Jouer Liquid Lipstick Duo. I’m considering grabbing these because everything in my favorites last month was Jouer! I LOVE the lip toppers I bought. And these colors look right up my alley.

SKII Trio. So I have wanted to try the SKII essence FOREVER. I’ve bought the masks during the Sephora VIB sale and I love them – they are a serious splurge though. I’m considering jumping all in to this trio so I can test it out.

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Lipstick Set. I really LOVE the lipstick in this set and have it in a few shades. Love the pencil too!

Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Blush Glow Set. Kicked myself last year for not getting this. I’ve seen so many good reviews on it!

Fresh Sugar Lip Set. This has my favorite lip balm of all time, the Advanced Therapy! I also really like this color too.

HOME



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Diptique Candle Set. This is the only time I buy these candles since they are ridiculously expensive. Love using them for gifts. (Update: I bought one of these and gave it to my SIL for her birthday. I love that they are each individually packaged though because you can easily separate them for the holidays.)

Nest Reed Diffusers. I always talk about these come holiday time, but they are my favorite reed diffusers and I have them in every bathroom. I’ve never smelled the bamboo scent, but I love the grapefruit.

Voluspa Candle Set. Also ADORE Voluspa candles! These make my faves almost every month.

Pineapple Pool Float. Ha! This may sound ridiculous but this is when I buy all those expensive pool floats, like the big pink flamingo!  They always have one or two on sale.

Barefoot Dreams Cozy Chic Throw. Obsessed with this for all the reasons listed above with the cardigan, but mostly because this is such an awesome Christmas gift!

Picnic Time Wicker Basket. This is insane but I’ve wanted a picnic basket all year, because throwing everything in a cooler (dishes, utensils, etc) can be a mess. I LOVE this one.

Aromatherapy Diffuser. I don’t need an oil diffuser because I have one that works perfectly fine, but…. I love this one.

BABY & KIDS



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Babiators! Max absolutely lives in his Babitors. On the 4th of July we had to drive back home because I forgot them. His little eyes are so sensitive and these are just the best. I’ve never seen them this cheap.

Little Giraffe Baby Blanket. My cousin bought one of these for Max when he was born and it is the SOFTEST blanket ever. I love to give these as gifts.

Little Giraffe Hooded Towel. Same as above, but in towel form for baths.

Nike Free RN Sneaker. I always get Max’s Nikes during this sale for the entire year. Absolutely loving the bright blues! (Update: I bought these and he is so excited about them. They are slightly big (Update: I bought them for him to wear in a few months) and he wants to wear them NOW!)

Adidas Tubular Shadow Knit Sneaker. This is another one I am loving for him!

PLAE High Top Sneaker. I bought Max a pair of these during the sale last year (in a size up, so he still wears them) and they might have been our favorite shoes all year. Absolutely obsessed with this brand.

Patagonia Snap T Fleece. I love having one of these for Max in the winter. Because mostly, I love the adult version too!

Patagonia Wind & Waterproof Vest. I bought Max one of these last year during the sale and it’s super nice because it’s not really bulky.

Tucker and Tate Hooded Denim Jacket. We have one of these from H&M last year and I get so many questions on it. Super cute if you want to have a baby straight out of the Breakfast Club.

Splendid Stripe Romper. This doesn’t come in Max’s size this year, but in general I love everything by Splendid because it is SO SOFT.

Nordstrom Bodysuit & Baby Leggings. My SIL bought Max a version of this before his was born and the Nordstrom brand is ridiculously soft. I’m going to grab one of these because it’s gender neutral!

Nike Dri Fit Hoodie. I bought one of these earlier this year on sale and love how lightweight it is.

Tucker and Tate Lowcut Socks. We’ve received this socks as gifts two years in a row and they are awesome quality.

The North Face Windbreaker. Also have one of these for Max that I got on sale at the end of the year. It was amazing on vacation when it was windy and rainy. Super lightweight and so easy to carry in your purse.

Keen Seacamp Shoes. You know we ADORE our Keens! I bought two pairs this summer for Max because he wears them nonstop. Only downside is they start to stink… but throw them in the washing machine and you’re good for a few weeks.

Freshly Picked Moccasins. So excited these are in the sale! We loved these as Max was crawling and learning to walk. He wore them for a few months after too!

The Happy Mat. I talked about this when Max was really into throwing food (and dishes!) off of his high chair. I liked taking this to restaurants and using it at home.

Aden & Anais Silky Swaddles. If you follow my baby page, this is another item I’ve raved about since Max was born. The Nordstrom exclusive swaddles are the softest – so much softer than the ones you get at Target under the same brand. These make awesome baby gifts too.

Como Tomo Baby Bottles. I think these were the only bottles I ever listed in our favorites while Max was itty bitty. They are silicone and… feel like boobs. They do! I bought them for my SIL who is due any day now. Eeeep!

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Breakfast Cookies.

Oh hi! It’s totally okay for you to eat cookies for breakfast today.

Because I said so. And because these peanut butter and jelly breakfast cookies are absolutely to DIE FOR.

So here’s what I did. I took my blueberry breakfast cookies (which you guys all really love!) and wanted to make them a bit more chewy and less cakey. And obviously wanted to add peanut butter AND jelly. I didn’t want the jelly mixed in so you could barely detect it. I wanted it to be legit jelly.

And that’s kind of weird for me because I go so back and forth on PB & J. Sometimes I love it. For the majority of my life, I haven’t liked it. I remember telling my mom in second or third grade that I had burned out on peanut butter and jelly in kindergarten. Ha! I remember distinctly NOT liking it. So very weird.

I don’t remember when exactly I got over that, but it wasn’t for a super long time. Like, at least into my 20s. And the only way I truly enjoy eating it? On toast – first a peanut butter spread and then a very THIN layer of jelly. And it has to be fancy jelly or jam. Like here, I used American Spoon early glow strawberry preserves. That’s probably my favorite classic flavor they have. Just SOOO good.

As an adult, I get into very random, serious peanut butter and jelly moods. And we aren’t talking about the sandwich. There are moments when I want to eat peanut butter and jelly flavored THINGS – like cookies or bars or something. The first happened ages ago when I made Martha’s peanut butter and jelly crumb bars, which to this day remain one of my favorites. In fact, now I think that I have to make those tomorrow. They are unreal.

Another would be when I made these peanut butter and jelly crumb muffins. Oooooh. They are still some of my major favorites too. They are a denser muffin, because, well… peanut butter is dense. But as long as you aren’t going in expecting a super fluffy cupcake and you’re totally cool with a denser (but not dry or hard!) muffin with a crumbly top and jelly rivers, you’re golden.

Gosh now I want those now too.

Anyhoo, that’s what I’ve been dreaming of lately.

Two weeks ago I attempted to make these into breakfast bars and didn’t adapt my breakfast cookie recipe quite enough, and while they taste just okay, they were the most hideous things I’d ever laid my eyes on. They were almost gray in color and just horrific. I couldn’t even begin to photograph and tell you they were OMG SO AMAZING so yeah. You will see those come December 26th!

Now here! Our chewy, wonderful, breakfast cookie. YES YES. A cookie we can eat for breakfast!

So I did mix the peanut butter INTO the dough. But then I took a small spoonful of jelly and kind of stuffed it into the center. Not like a thumbprint, but almost inside of the dough. It’s a messy process, but it’s worth it. The end result is so incredibly delicious.

These are a bit delicate. They can’t be stored stacked or thrown in a ziplock bag because they will most likely break apart into a million pieces, BUT!

This is what I suggest you do. Bake a batch, because it makes a lot. Gives you tons of breakfast or snack options. Once they cool, take a few minutes to wrap one or two together in some plastic wrap, sealed tightly to keep them fresh. They by no means need to be refrigerated, but I actually do really like them in the fridge.

Oh oh! And I know some of you are banana haters. As much as I love bananas, I get it. And you’re probably about to ask me what you can sub in this cookie for the banana. My first guess (and try) and would be applesauce, starting with about ½ cup since it’s wetter than a banana. And then let me know how it goes!

And well, since you have permission now… cookies for breakfast!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Breakfast Cookies

Yield: makes 20 to 24 cookies

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large banana, mashed
¾ cup creamy peanut butter, melted
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2/3 to 3/4 cup strawberry jam (or your favorite flavor!)



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the peanut butter and coconut oil in a bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds, or until melty. Let it cool for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the banana and peanut butter/coconut oil mixture to the bowl and use a spatula to mix and combine and dough. Take a few minutes to really mix it together - the mixture will moisten totally, but you have to fold and turn the dough over a few times.

Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to scoop about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the dough and form it into a ball. Place it on the parchment paper and repeat with remaining dough. Use a spoon to add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of jam into the dough - you can stick it in the top but I like to kind of press it into the center of the dough.

Spray the bottom of a glass with non-stick spray. Lightly press the glass on top of each cookie to flatten it.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and let cool completely. To keep fresh, wrap the individual cookies in plastic wrap. They do not need refrigerated, but I really like them cold!

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Chocolate wouldn’t be bad in these either… hint hint.

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Lavender Mint Lemonade.

You don’t need to convince me to drink something adorably pink.

While I have been obsessed with lavender lemonade forever and have been dying to make it, can we just discuss the COLOR?! The freaking natural, perfect color?

The LAVENDER-like color?

Yes, it’s a real thing.

This lavender mint lemonade is ruling my fridge right now. It is winning at life.

For some reason, I’m still shocked that it comes out to this shade because the lavender syrup isn’t exactly a purple-y pink color, it’s almost like a muddy, weird color. Right? Look at it!

But when mixed with the lemonade, it just turns into the most beautiful shade. Sort of ombre-esque. Naturally!

The syrup is DIVINE. I’ve made lavender syrup multiple times in the past and this time, I let it really steep in my fridge for a few days. It was so incredibly flavorful. And while it’s almost been a staple in my kitchen each summer, I haven’t ever made the lemonade because… let’s be real. You need about a bajillion lemons and who has time for all that juicing?!

Well. Last week, I decided that I did. I’ve been in a super serious lemonade mode all season and it culminates with this. I can’t make a better flavor this year!

ALSO. Let me start by saying that I am NOT a floral person. I mean, yeah, I love to buy flowers, put them in my house, Instagram them like a basic B and plant them every spring. But I have horrible seasonal allergies and a lot of times floral scents can be major triggers. I remember walking into Bath and Body Works as a kid when it first opened and feeling like my head would explode and sneezing approximately ten billion times.

On top of that, I don’t love rose-flavored or scented things. I don’t burn floral candles (as much of a crazy candle lady that I am!) and all these rose desserts don’t totally interest me.

BUT!

You might remember a few years ago when I got into lavender and ever since, I’ve really enjoyed the flavor as long as it’s mixed with something sweet. As long as sugar is involved, I’m there. Purple color and all. I mean, really, that’s the best part.

There is something about the combo of lavender and sugar that oddly reminds me of an ice cream shop. It smells like one. Maybe it gives me waffle cone vibes or something. AND I do enjoy the combination of lavender lemon, so this was a total no brainer.

I added a teeny bit of mint for an even more refreshing vibe and MAN. It is good. Super summery, sweet without crushing your teeth and amazing as a mocktail in the heat. Yesterday, I took a gallon of this to my brother and sister-in-law who just had their baby (!!!!!!!!!!) and I think I’m going to make more for us today. I’m also going to experiment with adding the lavender syrup to some bottled sparkling lemonade for that bubbly vibe, but it might be tooooo sweet since that already has sugar added. So I’ll keep you posted!

In the meantime, can we drink pink and purple beverages forever? Sweet.

Lavender Mint Lemonade

Yield: makes about 4 cups

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

lavender syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
2 sprigs fresh lavender

lemonade

3 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup lavender syrup
1 big handful of fresh mint
lemon slices for garnish
fresh lavender sprigs for garnish



Directions:

lavender syrup

Place the sugar, water and lavender in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside. Let it cool completely. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lavender. Store in a sealed container in the fridge! I like to make this a day or two before and even let the lavender sit in it in the fridge for a day before straining, but it's not necessary.

lemonade

In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice, water and simple syrup. Stir well. Taste and adjust the flavor to your like more - if it needs a little more sweetened, add it! More lemon juice or water? Go ahead. I love the ratio above, but it also depends on the sourness of your lemons. Throw a handful of fresh mint leaves into the pitcher and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

To serve, pour into chilled glasses and garnish with a lemon slice, lavender sprig and mint leaf. Enjoy!

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It doesn’t get much prettier!

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