Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 365

BLT Lettuce Wraps with Avocado Ranch.

Hey hey! I have to say that I’ve made you the best lunch to ever exist.

This is SO full of flavor, you guys! I mean, I know, it’s just BLT lettuce wraps. But with the avocado ranch? And the garlic butter breadcrumbs?!

I cannot. Just cannot. It’s insaaaaane. Cue all the exclamation points.

Tastes like summer forever. AND! It’s finally officially summer. Could there be a more perfect recipe? Aside from a gigantic rainbow sprinkled ice cream cone?

Let’s talk lettuce!

I like to use butter lettuce, but it’s a bit flimsy and soft when it comes to wrapping. That’s why I threw a piece of savoy cabbage underneath it. You can totally use iceberg, romaine or some kind of collard. I love the double wrap of greens for that serious crunch and texture, you know??

Speaking of serious crunch and texture, the crispier the bacon, the better! I know that people tend to be on the chewy or the crunchy side. In my family, we’re alllll about the crunchy. I don’t like my bacon burnt or well done, but I do love it super crunchy and crispy. It’s imperative for added texture in the wrap too. Otherwise, we just have… tomatoes.

Which aren’t bad! At least right this moment, the tomatoes are starting to thrive and finally have juicy flavor again. My tomato plants are going wild. They aren’t producing any fruit yet but with all the rain we’ve had, they are growing like CRAZY. I cannot wait for another few weeks for those perfect cherry babies.

But let’s be real: just lettuce wrapped around tomatoes? The bacon is necessary.

Plus, who doesn’t love a good BLT in the summer months?

BLT’s are responsible for getting me to love GOOD mayo again. The sandwich just isn’t the same without it. But I could not fathom a mayo drizzle on top of these wraps… which meant avocado ranch was the only other logical option. Obviously.

I’ve been making this avocado ranch on the blog for years now and even though I could seriously care less about ranch dressing (I don’t use it for salad, don’t dip my pizza in it and only very occasionally use a slight drizzle on buffalo chicken pizza), the avocado ranch is to die for. You won’t even find regular ranch dressing in my fridge!

But this? Creamy avocado, fresh dill, a hint of vinegar and garlic… oh boy. It’s the best.

AND finally. The breadcrumbs. Garlicky and buttery and crunchy. They do a little more in the flavor department and the texture department, so I think we can let them stay.

So HELLO to summer. You’re looking cute.

BLT Lettuce Wraps with Avocado Ranch

Yield: serves 2 to 4

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 head of butter lettuce, leaves removed
1 head of savoy cabbage, leaves removed
8 slices bacon, cooked until crispy
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper for seasoning

avocado ranch

1 ripe medium avocado
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

garlic butter breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup torn crusty bread pieces
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of salt




Directions:

Layer the butter lettuce leaves over top of the cabbage leaves. Throw some cherry tomatoes in the lettuce wraps and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Add the bacon (you can chop it, keep it in strips, cut it in half, etc - whatever you'd like!). Drizzle with the avocado ranch and top with the breadcrumbs

avocado ranch

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy, scraping down the sides occasionally when needed. Taste and season additionally if desired. Store avocado ranch in a seal-tight container for 1-2 days!

garlic butter breadcrumbs

Add the butter and olive oil to the saucepan. Once melted, add bread pieces and stir well to coat and combine. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until the crumbs are golden and toasty. Use immedaitely

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!

Now room for ice cream.

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Tuesday Things.

1. Seriously craving these coconut oatmeal chocolate bars.

2. Yesterday I drove through my neighborhood and realized that I had pulled out of the garage with my phone ON my car. I found it in the middle of the road, no cracks at all – and it was pouring rain! If you’re wondering if that iPhone 7 is water resistant…

3. UM. My life was made last week when I finally got to meet Elin Hilderbrand! Even though I developed those recipes for her book last year, we still hadn’t met in person. I freaked out like the biggest fan girl to ever exist.

4. Thoughts on Orange is the New Black this season? I’m on episode 7. I’m still having a hard time getting into it (a lot of it feels like one BIG episode, not seven?) but it’s getting better. I do love that they are tackling real world issues. I think I’m in overdrive because all my favorite Netflix shoes released at once.

5. The worst damage for me is done in Sephora when I’m with someone else and this weekend was no exception when my cousin Lacy and I went in. I walked out with TWO palettes even though I don’t need any palettes. Worst example ever. My face is going to be one huge glitter bomb because I think I’m still 17.

6. I also bit the bullet and ordered a pair of the Sperry seaside slip ons. I’m afraid I’m going to loathe them even though I love them on everyone else.

7. We took Max to see Cars 3 on Friday (because he is obsessed with all things Lightning McQueen!) and while we loved the movie, I sort of hated the ending because it basically said hey, you get old and all the new, young people come take your place and are a lot better, so just go ahead and retire! That’s just life. Made me feel like a grandma.

8. Didn’t even know that new emojis are coming!

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Easy Blueberry Lavender Chia Jam.

Say hello to my new favorite friend on the block: chia jam.

BLUEBERRY LAVENDER whaaaaat?! I can’t even take how much love I have in my heart for this flavor combination. It is out of this world. And guess what? We can make this in a matter of minutes!

I’ve been on a major fresh lavender kick for the last few months. Like MAJOR.

Earlier this year, even before Mother’s Day, when my mom and I first went to scope out the flower scene to see what we would plant, I found a huge potted lavender plant and instantly bought it. I am ALWAYS looking for fresh lavender and while I plant my own every year, I never have enough!

So this was the year. I bought a giant lavender plant and it sits on its own in a pretty little pot and it is thriving. It’s perfect! And smells like heaven. Somehow I have not killed it yet.

This might be short lived.

Now, the thing is that you don’t need fresh lavender for this recipe. I use dried culinary lavender (I always get mine on amazon after once buying perfumed lavender at whole foods and almost choking to death) and mix it into the jam. It’s super potent so you don’t need a TON, but what’s nice is that you can really control the flavor with how much you add.

I’ll be the first to tell you that lavender is not my favorite scent in the universe, but if it’s mixed with something fruity, vanilla or sweet, I freak over it. I think the smell is reminiscent to an ice cream shoppe. Weird, I know.

Another thing! You totally don’t have to cook the blueberries until they are bursting and juicy. I mean, “bursting and juicy” just sounds wonderful when it comes to blueberries, but if you don’t want to do the whole heat thing? No problem.

You can blend them in a food processor with a pinch of water, add the lavender and get nearly the same result once the chia goes in. However, I love cooking them on the stovetop because it almost lends a “roasted” flavor to the jam. AND!!

It reminds me so, so much of my favorite preserves from American Spoon (triple berry conserve!) which made me embarrassingly excited.

I also loved that there were bits of bursting blueberries in the jam, while the rest broke down completely. Tasted a lot more complicated than it was to make.

I always say that I want to get into canning but it just seems like such a nightmare to me. I love that some are so passionate about it and I WISH that I was. But.

Boiling jars and stuff – ugh, I can’t imagine doing it right now, so chia jam is my quick way out. I’ve made it multiple times before using all different fruits, stuffed it inside of bars and even used it in cobblers. It’s SO fast and simple. You can basically use it after about 30 minutes, but I have occasionally used it even sooner.

Annnnnd as I mention every single time I use something with chia, I adore the texture of chia. If you’re not into it, I think you can whip this entire mixture in a food processor once it’s thickened. No biggie.

Then. For the grand finale. Once your chia jam is made, slather some toasted sourdough with mascarpone cheese and then a big old spoonful of the jam.

There.is.nothing.better.

Easy Blueberry Lavender Chia Jam

Yield: makes about 1 1/2 cups

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chia seeds



Directions:

Place the blueberries, lavender, water and honey in a saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat. Cook until it's simmering and the blueberries break down, about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Stir in the chia seeds and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir once or twice. At this point, you can stick it in the fridge (it will thicken up even more as it sits) or use it as you please! Store it in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week.

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!

Except maybe chocolate and PB. Together.

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Weekend Snaps.

Felt like blogging like it was 2009 again. xoxo

Hope you had a great one!

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Currently Crushing On. (+ 5 Recipes To Try!)

Hiiiiii! We made it to the weekend. Woohoo! We’ve had a super busy yet wonderful week over here. On Thursday night we went to meet Elin Hilderbrand (ahhhh!) and yesterday we took Max to see Cars 3 which we have been waiting FOREVER for. He loved it! This weekend is sort of packed but it’s also my cousin’s birthday, so some fun is involved! What are you guys up to?

P.S. I shared Max’s 2.5 year update last week and our faves are coming soon!

Things I’m loving this week:

white truffle pizza with french fries. i want nothing else forever!

the most perfect prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe! i love it.

honey mustard chicken wings? sign me up.

this early summer harvest salad is beautiful.

wishing i could have an apricot gin and tonic!

i totally live for compound butters every summer.

this cardamom pistachio cake sounds wonderful (and the words with it are amazing!).

tater tot breakfast bowl like whoa.

this honey and hearth cocktail is so super intriguing!

mind blown! .

pretzel strawberry ice cream pie. classic!

how fantastic do these almond sesame soba noodles sound?

love the sound of lemon poppy seed waffles.

cozy chocolate chip cookies forever.

 

Five recipes for you to try this weekend! IT’S SUMMER!

Summer Crostini with Whipped Garlic Goat Cheese. it’s the BEST.

Summer Breakfast Tacos 

Grilled Watermelon Caprese Salads

Milk Chocolate Fudge Goat Cheese Ice Cream

Grilled Sourdough with Heirlooms and Herbs

Have a fabulous one! xoxo

 

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White Clam Sauce Pizza with Chili Oil.

Let me tell you allll about this pizza.

Because I am still 100% convinced that it is the best thing I will consume all summer.

I’m ready! White clam sauce pizza every week. That’s the plan.

Back when we were making plans for our quick trip to NYC for the MacKenzie-Childs meetup, my friend Natalie mentioned that she really wanted to go to Franny’s on Friday night because of their white clam pizza. Even though I was in the major sickness stage of pregnancy, it sounded SO freaking good to me. Like she and I were both absolutely set on going there for the clam pizza, even though it was going to be a bit of a trek to Brooklyn during rush hour.

Um, a trek it was, and we still can’t really talk details because our husbands aren’t even remotely over it. BUT. We made it for the pizza and it was so, so good. The moment we both took a bite, I was like WE HAVE TO MAKE THIS AT HOME!

So make this at home we did.

There are a few different versions I’ve found on the internet but what I found so interesting is that the “sauce” is more of a simmered and thickened cream sauce – without cheese! The flavor was so rich and wonderful that I never would have guessed.

I’ve tested a few options out but this one for sure is my fave and it is PACKED with flavor. Like I cannot even stand it.

Of course, I had to go and trash my version up and just add a TINY bit of cheese.

I didn’t add much to the cream sauce because that was so delicious on its own, but I did scatter some around the dough before baking. I also didn’t put whole clams on top of the pizza, but only because I knew that Max might not eat it then (he loooooves pizza) and that many others might be a wee bit turned off by it. I freaking LOVE clams (and all related seafood) so it wasn’t a problem for me, but they sure as heck aren’t very photogenic when out of their shell.

Funnily enough, this isn’t the first clam pizza that I have on my blog! Weird, right? Random, no?

Years ago, I made a clams casino pizza (p.s. also the recipe that gave me the inspo for the appetizer in elin’s book!) that was so, so, so good. In the summer, I always get the pics of you guys making it which is amazing. It remains a super popular summer hit here, and even though it may be a bit polarizing, it’s FAB! There is a ton of flavor on there and the bacon, red peppers and cheese make it phenomenal.

Almost made me want to add bacon to this baby right here.

But alas… I did not. I kept it fairly simple and went with the classic recipe (mostly!) and am just in such disbelief of how wonderful this thing is. GUYS. This tastes like being at the beach. In an amazing way. It’s so fantastic and I am not kidding that it is theee new recipe of the summer. I promise!

White Clam Sauce Pizza

Yield: serves about 4

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

dough

1 1/8 cups warm water
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

clam sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 sweet onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups dry white wine, like chardonnay
5 pounds fresh littleneck clams,  scrubbed well
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup freshly grated provolone cheese

chili oil

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes



Directions:

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour and salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 1/2 cup flour, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, form it into your desired shape (sometimes I use baking sheets and do rectangles or free form pizzas - this specific dough will yield one pizza large enough to feed about 3-4 people) and place on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Place the towel back over the dough and let sit in the warm place for 10 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. (If I use my pizza stone, I heat my oven to 475 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. If you're just using a baking sheet, follow the directions below for baking and set to 425 degrees.)

clam sauce

While the dough is rising, making the topping! Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add the oil and butter. Add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened. Add the wine to the saucepan and bring it to a simmer, then add the clams and cook until they begin to open. Once open, transfer them to a large bowl and pick out the clam meat.

Continue to simmer the wine and onion mixture until the wine is reduced into a thick glaze, around 10 minutes or so. Pour in the cream and simmer it, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced by half, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese. At this point, I chopped my clams so we wouldn't have huge pieces and toss them into the sauce.

Begin to make your pizza! Cover your dough with half of the grated provolone cheese. Add the clam sauce onto the pizza and spread it all around. Sprinkle on the remaining grated cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or around 15 to 20 minutes if using the pizza stone) until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with a drizzle of chili oil, extra pepper flake and a big handful of parsley. Some parmesan too. Devour!

chili oil

The further ahead of time you make this, the better it will be! But you can also make it while the pizza is in the oven. Heat the oil over low heat until just warm. Stir in the pepper flakes and remove from the heat. Let cool to room temperature before using.

[clam sauce slightly adapted from serious eats]

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!

All that burnt and bubbly cheese is MINE.

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Strawberry Summer Water.

I so don’t want to trick you.

I don’t even want to tell you that this is strawberry summer spa water, because I’m pretttty sure there is a brand of rosé called summer water (spoiler alert! Google told me that there is.) and sadly, there is no rosé in this. No rosé for us!

But drinking it might make you feel a leeeeettle bit closer to a spa. I mean, I’ve only been to a spa once, but I like to pretend that I go all the time, me and my fancy spa water and what not.

When really, it’s just me and my spa water on my couch hoping that in virtual reality, Joey and Pacey, Rachel and Ross, Felicity and Ben and Zack and Kelly are all still together.

VERY IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON IN MY LIFE.

Seriously though, one of the reasons that I love this version of water is because it sort of reminds me of my Pimm’s Cup! Otherwise known as, one of the best summer drinks ever. And certainly when consumed by the pool.

I’ve never really understood all the talk about missing wine and cocktails during pregnancy. Sure, I sometimes wish I could have a margarita with my tacos or chips and salsa, but I’d much rather be pregnant than be able to have wine for nine months, you know? It’s such a short period in my life that I don’t really even think about it… at least I didn’t last time.

When I was pregnant with Max, I didn’t really miss one drop of a cocktail at all. Barely crossed my mind. And I was SO thirsty for weeks after having him that the thought of dehydrating myself further was like, um, no thanks.

But! I have to say that during this pregnancy and these early summer months, I have been wishing I could have a glass of super ice cold rosé on our patio. Especially last night when I saw lightning bugs for the first time! Dreamy.

So yep yep yep, this is a super easy “no recipe” recipe that I’m sharing for thirsty Thursday, but I had to stress the importance of the strawberries! I always see lemons and limes and mint and cucumber in water, but so rarely see strawberries and since we all know my obsession with them…

Well. That’s got to stop. Maybe come September!

Strawberry Summer Water

Yield: makes as much as you'd like!

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, halved
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1/2 english cucumber, sliced
a big old handful of fresh mint
lots of fresh water (or sparkling!)



Directions:

Add all ingredients in a large pitcher and fill it up to the top with water. I love this a few hours after it sits in the fridge and the strawberry flavor is delish!

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. once this sits in the fridge for a bit it turns an adorable shade of pink.

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Pulled Pork with Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce.

You can easily win me over with a pulled pork sandwich.

It’s true! A great one can be hard to find. It’s why I’m so hell bent on constantly sharing my favorites with you and telling you all the millions of ways you can use pulled pork. Which today, starts with four little words: cherry chipotle BBQ sauce.

I’m dead. I want to drink it. Eat it with a spoon. Slather is on all the summer things. Make it my signature flavor forever.

Did I mention it’s made with FRESH cherries?

Hey. It’s made with fresh cherries.

SEE. So fresh.

If you’ve been following for awhile then you know that every summer I go crazy at cherry republic and buy alllll the cherry things. Hot sauce, jams, pepper jellies and BBQ sauce are just a few. Last year, we took our vacation much later in the season so cherries were sort of… meh, by the time I got back. But this year!

I knew it was the year to make theeee best cherry BBQ sauce. Slightly spicy and tangy. Lots of flavor. And all thrown on top of pulled pork because it’s basically my most favorite thing ever.

The base of this BBQ sauce comes from my first cookbook, when I made a vanilla BBQ sauce which was to.die.for. A few years ago I made a root beer BBQ sauce which is equally as delish. And now, with a few swaps, we have a fairly quick and easy homemade sauce that can grace your kitchen this weekend. You’ve GOT to try it. Promise me! Swear!

Please?

I made my pulled pork in the slow cooker like I always do, because seriously, is there any better way? Especially in the summer when it’s starting to reach 90 degrees. I don’t need my oven on for four hours. I don’t want to commit to staying home for four hours either. I don’t want to commit to doing anything for four hours unless it includes a SATC marathon and a very large cheese board.

With rosé because hi, I was born in the 80s.

I’m still using this slow cooker and absolutely LOVING it. Guys, the darn thing sears meat so perfectly right in the pot, it’s just like doing it on the stovetop – but without the mess. I adore this thing and tell everyone in my life about it. Once my very old ceramic pot broke from my first slow cooker ever, I went through THREE of them before finding one that did as great of a job. And one that I love. THIS IS IT. Sometimes I drag it out just to sear or cook something super quick if my cooktop is spotless and all pretty and I don’t want to clean every inch. I adore it.

Now you know!

Pork shoulder is still my favorite cut for pulled pork, but I do trim a lot of the fat. There is still enough marbled in that the flavor is there. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been super weird and picky about getting accidental bites of fat or gristle when eating meat. In fact, I usually can’t take another bite. So I want as few huge chunks on there as possible so I don’t bite into them later. Does this make me a pain in the butt?

Probably.

Also! Your buns. Well, not YOUR buns. The buns.

I used some fresh brioche buns from my local grocery store and geez, were they awesome. So delicious. So buttery. So soft. Any buns work! Most times I like to serve the pork as sliders too.

A quick slaw on top finished it off for some freshness and crunch. I like a crisp, fresh bite with the pork and the tangy sauce, you know? Something to break it all up. Plus, I just love any and all slaw that is vinegar based. ALWAYS.

So, yes! We have our quintessential summer sandwich here. Perfect for your 4th of July BBQ and all that jazz. Great with a beer on the side! Have one for me.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Yield: serves 6 to 8

Total Time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

pulled pork

1 (4-pound) pork shoulder roast
2 teaspoons tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup beer, stock, water or soda like ginger ale, etc (you just need some liquid!)
buns for serving

cherry chipotle BBQ sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh bing cherries, pitted and chopped
2/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup water (or beer!)
½ cup honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

quick slaw

1/2 napa cabbage, sliced and chopped
1/2 red cabbage, chopped
1 cup of butter lettuce, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon honey
a pinch of salt and pepper



Directions:

I find the flavor is best when the pork is seared first. My slow cooker sears the meat, but if yours does not, heat a large pot over medium to high heat and add the oil. Sprinkle the pork roast with the salt and pepper, then add it to the pot or slow cooker and sear on all sides until deeply golden brown. If necessary, transfer it to the slow cooker. Pour in the beer or liquid - whichever you choose to use.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. After 8 to 10 hours, the pork will easily shred with a fork. Shred it and mix with the juice in the slow cooker. I like to turn my slow cooker on high and let it sit with the lid off for 15 minutes or so - I find that if it's extra liquidy, some of the liquid will be absorbed.

Assemble the sandwiches by serving the pork on the buns, topped with the BBQ sauce and th

cherry chipotle BBQ sauce

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and stir together until combined. Heat oven medium heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for 30 to 60 minutes, until thickened and the cherries are breaking down. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and let sit at room temperature until it cools and thickens even more. This stays great in the fridge for a week or so when sealed in a container.

quick slaw

Toss the cabbage and butter lettuce together. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour it over the slaw and toss well. Serve immediately!

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!

Chips on that sandwich too. Yes please.

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Tuesday Things.

1. Last week I started to google “how to…” and the first result that populated in google before I continued my sentence was “how to write a check.” I admittedly write very few checks so I get it. But funny.

2. UM >>> mini vegan s’mores cheesecakes! The cutest that I need.

3. Not going to happen this summer with a bun in the oven, but I really just want one of the Body Glove one piece swimsuits. Um, hello 1995. May as well throw a b.u.m. equipment sweatshirt over it while I’m at it.

4. I get weirdly emotional at sports teams winning the championship game, so couldn’t contain myself from bawling my eyes out when the Pens won the Stanley Cup. I feel this way with other teams, it’s not just in my own city! For as little as I actually care about the full season (I’ve grown more and more bored of sporting events as I’ve aged, I’m super fun), the ending always gets me. P.S. for my entire life if you’ve asked me the one person I’d want to have dinner with it’s always been Mario Lemieux. Fun fact.

5. SO. The only real TV I need to discuss this week is that I did finish Bloodline. WTF. The ending was so… ugh. That second to last episode was such a waste. I still liked this season, but only the middle episodes. Still so bummed this was cancelled and we didn’t get to continue. Kyle Chandler and Ben Mendelsohn are unreeeeeal. I did start Orange is the New Black and like usual, it’s taking me forever to get into it.

6. I absolutely love this: why I take the same vacation every year. Same goes for us, just in a different location! We want to go other places but Eddie has limited vacation and we can’t help but love where we go every year. Who’s with me?!

7. Speaking of that, I’m currently trying to decide if I should vlog while we are on vacation. Last year we did a quick video compilation because it was just the three of us and basically impossible to commit to serious vlogging with a one-year old. But this year, most of my family is going and I probably will have a better shot. DECISIONS! I love having the video diary for… well, myself.

8. Apple watch! Do you have one? Love or hate it?

9. Super excited that Elin Hilderbrand’s newest comes out today so that’s what I’m currently reading. What about you?

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Fresh Strawberry Cobbler.

Say hello to my new obsession.

Fresh strawberry cobbler for the win!

Just look at those puddles of ice cream swirling into the warm berries with the deeeelish soft vanilla cobbler topping. I cannot even contain myself. I want to eat this every single day.

Please send me to fresh strawberry cobblers anonymous ASAP. 

I am in such a crazy, weird cobbler mode. I want to cobbler all the fruits. If you follow me on instagram, then you saw this over the last two weeks. Me cobbler-ing everything like a freak.

I mean, I normally like cobbler, but this summer my intensity is all out of whack. Over memorial day weekend I ended up testing four different cobbler recipes. FOUR. The only saving grace is that people were at our house every single day to eat it. We went through a ridiculously embarrassing amount of ice cream too.

With strawberries pretty much being my favorite fruit, I prefer them most when they are not cooked, not roasted, not in pie. You know? I mean, I make those things too, but biting into a juicy, wonderful strawberry is exactly how I want to start every day. I love fresh strawberries the most and will always choose them first!

But! With that being said… this strawberry cobbler is inssaaaane. It is so, so good. On another level, especially if you are a strawberry lover. And especially when served hot and piled high with a hugely humiliating scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or chocolate ice cream! Whatever floats your boat.

A few weeks ago, we went strawberry picking for the first time which was so much fun.

Well. It was fun for me.

Max determined that it made his hands too dirty which left Eddie and I to pick all the berries. Eddie was over it in a few minutes. Which was made even worse when we walked into the store to check out with our berries only to see boxes full of freshly picked berries from that morning that we could just… buy.

But I mean, what is the fun in that? I was super into it! And I’m determined to make it a new tradition even with my not-so-sure company.

Anyhoo. We were a little overzealous in our picking… probably should have only grabbed one container and not two, but hey. This left a lot of strawberries for desserts!

Also, we should note that this cobbler recipe is a bit heavy on the biscuits. The best part, oh yes. Sure, the strawberries are REALLY the best part, but I just want to get a bite of what tastes like delicious vanilla cake with every taste. Not too much to ask. I’m sure.

After my cobbler-a-thon on instagram stories, so many of you asked for this recipe. In fact, it might be the most requested recipe that I’ve made before sharing here on the blog! I seriously hope you make it because it is summer in a dish. So perfect for fun gatherings but also a great spur-of-the-moment weeknight dessert that you can eat on patio while watching fireflies!

That sounds too dreamy.

Fresh Strawberry Cobbler

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Total Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped/halved strawberries (I like a mix! some small whole, some sliced in half)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

topping

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
vanilla ice cream for serving



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking dish (9x13 or 9-inch round works too) with nonstick spray. Add the strawberries and sprinkle with the sugar and cornstarch. Toss gently, just until the berries are coated.

To make the cobbler topping, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Using a fork, pastry blender or your fingers, add the butter and incorporate it into the flour until small pieces and crumbs remain. Beat together the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Add it into the dry ingredients and stir until a dough forms. Add spoonfuls of the dough all over the strawberries.

Bake the cobbler for 35 to 45 minutes, until it's golden and cooked through. I sometimes pull it out and check the underside of the cobbler, just to make sure the topping it cooked through.

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

You can use a little more sugar with the berries if you'd like. My strawberries were SUPER sweet, so I didn't want to overdo it! If you have so-so strawberries, I'd increase the sugar to 1/2 cup.

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Yesss I’d like to take a swim in there.

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