Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 368

Marinated Mozzarella Melon Salad.

Let’s put some melon in our salad and call it almost summer!

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Plus, I’m a sucker for alliteration.

Memorial day weekend is always one of my favorite weekends of the entire year. Besides the fact that it’s a long weekend and the unofficial start of summer, we cap it off by going to a little local parade honoring those who fought for us and it’s such a nice tradition.

I’ve always loved this specific weekend, but a few years ago, Eddie and I had SUCH a wonderful long weekend that I’ve held it to high standards ever since. We didn’t do anything special or out of the ordinary. We did tons of yard work and landscaping, made great dinners, had a few parties to go to, went to get ice cream and finished it off with the parade, but it was just so packed with normal, everyday life, make-it-count activities. We did LIFE.

I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but it was packed with the things we do to live this life that we love.

This past weekend, we spent a ton of time outside planting, doing more yard work, all sorts of things like that. Eddie was getting frustrated and putting multiple chairs together and I was like, THIS IS OUR LIFE! It’s so wonderful and what else would we be doing if we weren’t doing there boring, daily life activities that we get to do? Watching TV or something?

Let’s just say that he didn’t appreciate my annoyingly positive outlook at the moment (says the person who WASN’T assembling furniture… ), but afterwards, he was like, YEAH, this is what we should be doing.

That’s sort of what I love about this upcoming long weekend.

Well, that and… the food. SHOCKING.

At the moment, I’m sliiiiightly grilled out. Ugh, I know. Not words you want to hear at the beginning of the season. But with the kitchen remodel, we grilled so, so, so much. Like constantly! I need to take some extra motivation from Eddie at the moment because he’s been grilling salmon, tuna and all sorts of fish for his lunches – and everything looks SO good.

I don’t even know who he is right now.

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In the meantime, I’m going to share a simple but deeeeelicious “salad,” if you will. I mean, it’s a salad full of little balls. Watermelon, cucumber and mozzarella, all in a tangy, herby dressing for the best combo of savory and sweet. YES PLEASE.

I was tempted to throw these ingredients together because I find that the melon salads I end up eating always have too much sweet (like cantaloupe plus honeydew plus watermelon) or a lot of savory (like tons of prosciutto or cured meat). I wanted more of a balance and a heck of a lot of CREAMY in the form of cheese. Balls of cheese. Hello. Please never leave me.

Speaking of, we’ve gone through THREE large balls of burrata this week as I finish up the verrrry last photos for my book. Three! That’s a ton of burrata and I’m not mad about it.

So, I definitely think this big bowl should make an appearance in your weekend, whether it’s for your friends or your family or yourself. It can totally be a one person meal too, in the appropriate proportions.

Which basically means the entire bowl because IT’S SO GOOD.

Marinated Mozzarella Melon Salad

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ( 8 ounce) container fresh mozzarella balls in water, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus extra for sprinkling
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups watermelon balls (about 1/2 large watermelon)
1 1/2 cups cucumber balls (about 3 seedless cucumbers)



Directions:

Place the mozzarella ball in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon and lime juice, basil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour it over the mozzarella and stick it in the fridge while you use a melon baller to scoop out the watermelon and cucumber.

Place the watermelon and cucumber in a large bowl. Pour the mozzarella and all the dressing contents in the bowl with the melon and toss well. You can keep this is the fridge for about an hour before serving. Top with extra fresh basil and herbs before serving and toss well!

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. I totally tricked Eddie because he thought this was honeydew. But it’s cucumber! And he loathes cucumber. This could be the best april fool’s joke.

The post Marinated Mozzarella Melon Salad. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Tuesday Things.

1. I’m having these totally weird moments of wanting to put blond back into my hair. Noooooooooo.

2. We spent all weekend outside planting, doing yard work, putting together furniture (

3. Yes please donut-glazed yeasted waffles. Best breakfast ever!

4. In true fairweather fan fashion, I watched the Grey’s Anatomy finale last week because it’s always so crazy. It was crazy, but not as crazy as usual? Like it didn’t end on some insane cliffhanger. Still convinced this sets up the Meredith + Alex connection for the end of the series… at some point.

5. Inside the unicorn economy. Crazzzzzy.

6. Today we created the most epic s’mores bar everrrr. Sneak peek on my insta stories!

7. Currently reading The Forever Summer. It’s cute! This is my favvvorite season to read.

8. My voice is still nonexistent after week three with a bad cold/sinus infection. While I feel generally better, my voice is still SO hoarse! Has this ever happened to you? Not sure what to do about it since not speaking isn’t an option when I’m with a toddler all day. Who lovingly asks 45 billion questions.

9. I am so, so, so excited for this upcoming Memorial Day weekend. So many fun plans! What is on your menu?

The post Tuesday Things. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

A Late Spring Cheese Board with Beet Whipped Feta.

I have your Memorial Day plans riiiiight here.

We have beet whipped feta AND avocado whipped feta! All on on little cheese board that you can throw together this weekend and drink with your rosé for the unofficial start of summer. Please invite me!

The avocado feta isn’t necessarily a NEW recipe… I made it last year with all these to-die-for marinated and grilled veggies. But the beet feta! That’s new. Because Eddie loves beets and who on earth doesn’t want naturally hot pink cheese dip?

If you say you, I don’t know how much longer we can be friends.

The rest of the goodness on this plate is either in season during the spring or spring-inspired. We have some grilled artichokes as well as some artichoke bruschetta, which is so, so good on crackers and these little toasts.

Eddie threw some purple asparagus on the grill quickly (which immediately turned green and dashed my high hopes of a purple and pink cheese board) with some olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

Also! Some fresh cherries, which you should totally be able to find right now even if they cost you $367 at the grocery store. This is my life every May:

Get super excited because I see cherries!

Don’t bother looking at the price per POUND, just look at the price. Which says $4.99. Okay!

Grab a medium-sized bag. We loooove cherries here.

Ring them up and end up $16 worth of cherries. Fail. Or win?

Strawberries too, though should be able to find those much cheaper, of course.

The cheese! I went with my favorite Humboldt fog cheese which I think has made an appearance on every since cheese board I’ve ever shared. People always ask me if I eat this while pregnant and the answer is yes, because it’s pasteurized. As long as it hasn’t sat out for a while, it’s game.

I also almost ALWAYS go with a merlot soaked cheese or this rum runner cheese (both by sartori) because people lose.their.mind. over it. Like go crazy! Constantly asking what the heck this cheese is and why is it so good.

And! Some blueberry vanilla rolled goat cheese. I used this one! I also like to do a blueberry studded stilton (like this one) that I can find in my grocery store, because it’s Eddie’s favorite.

I left the meats off of this board (see here if you want to see what I use often), but made up for it with lots of gorgonzola stuffed olives and almonds and honeycomb and fig jam. Honeycomb is always a show stopper on these boards because guests are intrigued and it’s deeeeelicious.

As for bread-like things, those pita crackers from Trader Joe’s that are 100% addictive, these little crostini toasts which is just a sliced baguette baked with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper, and hard breadsticks. Max’s fave!

And the good news is that I am about one board closer to convincing Eddie that this is dinner. It’s only taken about 45 cheese plates and six years.

A Late Spring Cheeseboard with Beet Whipped Feta

Yield: serves a bunch!

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

beet whipped feta

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled and at room temperature
1/3 cup chopped cooked beets (or 1 small cooked beet)
1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed
fresh herbs for topping

avocado whipped feta

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled and at room temperature
1 avocado, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed
fresh herbs for topping

cheese board

cypress grove humboldt fog cheese
merlot soaked parmesan or cheddar
blueberry goat cheese (or stilton)
gorgonzola stuffed olives
grilled or marinated artichoke hearts
artichoke bruschetta
fresh cherries
fresh strawberries
fresh radishes, whole or sliced
honeycomb/honey
fig jam
hard breadsticks
pita crackers
buttered herb crostini
roasted almonds



Directions:

beet whipped feta

Add almost all of crumbled feta to a food processor and pulse until small crumbs remain. Add in the cooked beets and puree for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides when necessary, until the feta is super creamy. Add in the olive oil if needed. Serve topped with a few extra feta crumbles and fresh herbs.

avocado whipped feta

Add almost all of crumbled feta to a food processor and pulse until small crumbs remain. Add in the avocado and puree for 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides when necessary, until the feta is super creamy. Add in the olive oil if needed. Serve topped with a few extra feta crumbles and fresh herbs.

cheese board

Assemble your board with all of this goodness! I like to use a mixture of small bowls and plates, as well as cutting boards.

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!

Why isn’t this every single day?!

The post A Late Spring Cheese Board with Beet Whipped Feta. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Currently Crushing On.

{photo via}

HELLO!! I have huge news. This is the first weekend in what feels like forever that I don’t have to work on my book manuscript (turned it in!) and that our kitchen is almost complete (omg!). I don’t even know what to do with myself! We have lots of cleaning up/organizing in the kitchen, I’m going to plant a ton of flowers and we might take a zoo trip. And maybe ice cream too, because we ended up sitting on the couch for mother’s day since we were all so sick.

What are you guys up to this weekend?!

Real quick: don’t miss the quick Max moment I shared last weekend (that sort of got lost among my wordy pregnancy update) and this amazing floral chandelier!

Now for… faves of the week!

the prettiest ever ! gorgeous.

um, hello cozy chocolate chip cookie guide! this is amazing.

chevre cheesecake! holy cow.

loving on these passionfruit yogurt popsicles.

greek pasta salad. oh heck yes.

really want a brown butter and toffee chocolate chip cookies.

these healthy green breakfast tacos look great.

a 5 minute blueberry chia lassi! i’m into it.

fantastic carrot cake with white chocolate cream cheese icing.

want a huge bowl of this avocado spinach artichoke dip.

thai tea ice cream. verrrry interesting.

wishing i could have a cucumber cilantro jalapeño marg. oh my.

see also: pineapple vanilla bean margaritas. omg.

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Blueberry Peach Chia Bowls.

Frankly I’m in a super blueberry mood.

And it includes peaches! And one of my favorite breakfasts. Or snacks.

Chia pudding! I am no stranger to it but I tend to make it in jars and not bowls. This recipe allows you to eat it fairly quickly. It doesn’t have to sit overnight. You can eat it in about 20ish minutes or so, which is awesome for all you hangry morning people. Or those of you like me, who always forgets it make it the night before. Whomp whomp.

I have loved the blueberry peach combo FOREVER. You might remember that last year I made a blueberry peach pie that ended up in my recipe disasters, but only because it was so ugly. I plan on mastering it this year. And I’ve made a blueberry peach crisp, which after looking at pictures of? I’m craving like a crazy person. I think it’s one of the best fruit combos there is.

I’ve also made blueberry peach salsa that sits atop chicken tostadas. YES.

If you’re still unsure of chia pudding, and you’ve heard a million times that it’s like tapioca (which I’ve actually never had!), you can always blend it in a blender super quick before adding your toppings. I’ve done that with chocolate chia pudding before and it is dreamy. Almost mousse-like!

When drew me to this recipe was how freaking simple it was. The toppings add so much flavor and texture. It’s less trashed up than other chia puddings I’ve made but equally as delish and refreshing. It tastes just like SUMMER. I realize we are about a month out, but with temps in the 80s here, it’s hot and we’re ready.

AND. This recipe comes from what possibly might be the most brilliantly named cookbook, FOOD SWINGS. It’s by Jessica Seinfeld and isn’t the name just… perfect? I mean, basically all of my food choices are chosen around my mood. I can’t even begin to talk about how much I love this title and book. Last summer when I saw the title on Instagram for the first time, I was like I NEED THAT TITLE.

Pretty much describes my life.

Anyhoo! I hope this inspires some delicious weekday breakfast decisions! Of course, you can make it ahead of time. And add all sorts of fantastic fruits and treats. Like maybe… probably… white chocolate?

Blueberry Peach Chia Bowls

Yield: makes 1 bowl, is easily multiplied

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup almond/coconut/cow's milk
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 small peach, sliced
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
handful fresh blueberries



Directions:

Stir together the milk, chia seeds, honey and vanilla extract. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once or twice in that time.

Once it sets up a bit (the chia seeds will plump!), cover with the blueberries, peaches and almonds! Eat immediately.

[recipe from food swings, with a few additions]

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!

This puts me in serrrrious summer mode.

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DIY A Floral Chandelier

So maybe you’re not feeling the most confident when it comes to your flower arranging skills. If you’ve got a big brunch looming (or a bridal shower! or a summer cocktail party! yes yes!) here’s a floral display that will wow. It’s a little bit country and a little bit May pole, but it’s easy to do and totally fabulous. Instead of sticking your fresh blooms in a vase, hang them up instead. Here’s how!

What you’ll need:

-fresh flowers (long varieties like Snapdragons or Delphinium)

-an embroidery hoop

-floral sheers

-scissors

-fishing line

-a needle

-ribbon

How-to: 

1. Carefully cut the flowers down to size so they’re all even looking and would look good strung up on the embroidery hoop.

2. Attach four ribbons at an equal distance around the hoop . Gather them at the top so you can hang the hoop from the ceiling.

3. Thread the needle with a piece of fishing line. It should be about six inches long. Poke the needle through the stem of your flower and then tie the fishing line around the top of embroidery hoop so the stem hangs down. Adjust the length of the fishing line then tie.

4. Repeat until you’ve covered the entire embroidery hoop with flowers.

5. To fill in any gaps hang ribbon in complementary colors.

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Blueberry Dragonfruit Smoothie. (and all of my favorite smoothie ingredients!)

Alternatively known as, THE SMOOTHIE THAT IS SAVING ME.

Really, it is!

In my extremely long-winded update on Monday, I mentioned that due to my current sitch, I’ll be abandoning cocktail Thursdays! With obvious reason. For the time being… ha. If I have some good taste tasters here, I might share the occasional summer cocktail, but the main thing I’m going to be doing is sharing some of my other favorite drinks and mocktails. Or maybe just a post over on Crumbs!

Sooooo let’s chat all about this smoothie. It’s one I’ve been living on for the last few months – only wanting things that are cold and icy, and especially lately since I’ve been attacked by my sinuses.

Where to start? I’m going to tell you all about my current faves and what I use daily.

Pink dragonfruit – also known as pitaya – is my LOVE. I order it in embarrassing amounts from pitaya plus. I get the cubes and smoothie packets. Both are excellent! That’s the base for this smoothie. It’s sweet but sort of tart? Also, good news for you banana haters because this smoothie is banana free! WAHOO.

Currently, I am really loving this frozen fiber fruit blend. I add just a piece or two to my smoothie for some fiber fruit and sweetness, sort of like if you add a date to the smoothie. You know?!

And the other fruit I used here? Some organic blueberries. Yessssss. Give me all the antioxidants right now, especially since I can’t have wine.

Fresh spinach, which I don’t always do. I do it sometimes. Sometimes I don’t!

It depends on my current vegetable situation. Like have I been eating enough veggies? Do I need more? Am I having pizza tonight? That sort of thing.

The rest of the goodness:

If you’ve been reading awhile, then you know that from the ages of approximately 16 to 30, I burned myself the HECK out on protein powder. Like I would be fine to never see or open another protein powder container again. EVER. Puhhhlease just get them away from me.

HOWEVER. Last year I started using the Vital Proteins collagen peptides which is, um, in a word… amazing. First, it dissolves completely in warm liquid (like coffee) without ANY taste and smell. Or grit. I swear on my life. Trust me, if there was a taste or grit or something, I would know. It is completely tasteless! Incredible. Unbelievable. I still cringe with my first sip and am shocked to taste… nothing. So that’s one way that I used it last year.

Anyhoooo, I add that into my smoothie too (and it also dissolves) and it has tons of protein, so it makes up for my hatred of protein powder. Sometimes I will add plain greek yogurt, but over the last two weeks I have been avoiding that since I’ve had allergy and sinus issues. Eddie has been recently turned onto the collagen peptides, putting them in his smoothie every morning. He’s also a protein powder hater. Burned out a looooong time ago.

I also use hemp hearts and chia seeds. I use a little flax oil too; sometimes I will use flaxseed, it just depends on what I have! Other times I will use coconut oil instead. MMMmmmm.

Occasionally, I will use peanut butter or almond butter, but I find that the pitaya + berry mixture is a little more on the tart side of sweet, and I don’t love the nutbutter as much with that. I really like nutbutter in my smoothie when there is banana, because I am an eternal five year old.

For my liquid, I love a mix of almond or coconut milk and coconut water – but only the coconut water from harmless harvest! It’s the only stuff I will drink. It’s the best. I’ve been drinking it for years and pretty much survived on it right after I had Max and was OMG SO THIRSTY.

I think that’s a wrap. It’s so simple and easy, but there are certain things that I adore (like how creamy the hemp hearts make the smoothie, how hot pink it can get from the pitaya, how delicious is tastes with the frozen figs!) about this exact smoothie. I don’t make this same one every single day, but it’s a version of it. And most of my other smoothies include these ingredients too.

Trust me, I am someone who would much rather eat my food than drink it, but making a smaller one of these is a great way to pack in some amazing ingredients. And then when I want a cookie later, it’s like… balance.

Blueberry Pink Dragonfruit Smoothie

Yield: serves 1 to 2

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh spinach
3/4 cup frozen pitaya (pink dragonfruit)
1 to 2 pieces of frozen figs, plums or apricots
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup almond/coconut/whatever milk
1/2 cup coconut water
1 scoop collagen peptides
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
1/2 tablespoon flax oil
2 teaspoons chia seeds, mixed with water for 5 minutes



Directions:

Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender and BLEND! Super difficult. I know.

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!

Annnd the color…

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Creamy Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta Salad.

OH my GOSH.

I have found a major new pasta salad love.

This is one of the most delicious things to grace my kitchen in months. For.real.

First! You guys know that I’m not a huge fan of pasta salad, especially creamy versions or other dishes filled with tons of dressing. I’ve never loved them and always pass over them at picnics and BBQs.

Last year I made a crispy bacon pasta salad that SOLD me on pasta salads. I’ve just been waiting to make that for memorial day this year, but ummm… this salad right here might have taken over the number one spot.

When the creaminess in a pasta salad is from goat cheese? Oh heck. I’m done.

This is SO easy. So simple, with just a handful of ingredients. But it has such a ridiculous amount of flavor. It’s nuts!

You have whole wheat pasta and immediately after it’s cooked, you drench it with some olive oil, lemon juice and lots of crumbled goat cheese. With a ladle of the starchy pasta water, you mix and stir it all together and it becomes this creamy, dreamy wonderland in a bowl. I.freaking.love.it.

Then! It gets better. You stir in the arugula which slightly wilts and toss in some cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives. Holy flavor bomb!

This recipe comes from Kathryn’s new and fabulous book, Love Real Food, which is out NOW! Yes yes, you can get your hands on this baby today. All of the recipes are vegetarian and for someone who isn’t over the moon about vegetables, I want to make allllll the recipes. They look mouth-watering.

Lots of them are gluten free too!

Her recipes are foolproof and just so FRESH. I adore them.

If you have a similar palate to mine, i.e. that you adore goat cheese and briney olives and sweet tomatoes and peppery arugula (!!!), you will flip over this. I like the idea of serving it at a BBQ or simmer picnic, but seriously, just having it for dinner is delicious too. I’d be fine with JUST this, but Eddie had it on the side with some chicken. Wowza.

Also! Important. It reheats well too. Kathryn notes that after it’s store in the fridge, you can quickly heat it in the microwave just so the goat cheese becomes creamy again. That’s exactly what I did! Perfection. And even more flavor.

Going to eat it forever and ever now.

Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta Salad

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

8 ounces whole wheat fusilli pasta
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 ounces baby arugula
1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced



Directions:

Bring a salted pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until it's al denta, according to the directions,. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta water and place it in a large serving bowl.

Sprinkle the goat cheese over the pasta, then drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle in the salt, red pepper and black pepper over top. Pour about 1/3 cup of the pasta water over top and toss until the pasta is super creamy.

Add the arugula, tomatoes and olives and toss to combine. If the pasta is too dry, drizzle in more of the pasta water and stir. You can also add in more olive oil if desired. Taste and season more if needed. Serve immediately.

You can store this salad in the fridge for a few days - a quick reheating in the microwave will make the goat cheese creamy again!

[recipe from love real food]

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!

Cutest tomatoes ever, right?!

The post Creamy Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta Salad. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta Salad.

OH my GOSH.

I have found a major new pasta salad love.

This is one of the most delicious things to grace my kitchen in months. For.real.

First! You guys know that I’m not a huge fan of pasta salad, especially creamy versions or other dishes filled with tons of dressing. I’ve never loved them and always pass over them at picnics and BBQs.

Last year I made a crispy bacon pasta salad that SOLD me on pasta salads. I’ve just been waiting to make that for memorial day this year, but ummm… this salad right here might have taken over the number one spot.

When the creaminess in a pasta salad is from goat cheese? Oh heck. I’m done.

This is SO easy. So simple, with just a handful of ingredients. But it has such a ridiculous amount of flavor. It’s nuts!

You have whole wheat pasta and immediately after it’s cooked, you drench it with some olive oil, lemon juice and lots of crumbled goat cheese. With a ladle of the starchy pasta water, you mix and stir it all together and it becomes this creamy, dreamy wonderland in a bowl. I.freaking.love.it.

Then! It gets better. You stir in the arugula which slightly wilts and toss in some cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives. Holy flavor bomb!

This recipe comes from Kathryn’s new and fabulous book, Love Real Food, which is out NOW! Yes yes, you can get your hands on this baby today. All of the recipes are vegetarian and for someone who isn’t over the moon about vegetables, I want to make allllll the recipes. They look mouth-watering.

Lots of them are gluten free too!

Her recipes are foolproof and just so FRESH. I adore them.

If you have a similar palate to mine, i.e. that you adore goat cheese and briney olives and sweet tomatoes and peppery arugula (!!!), you will flip over this. I like the idea of serving it at a BBQ or simmer picnic, but seriously, just having it for dinner is delicious too. I’d be fine with JUST this, but Eddie had it on the side with some chicken. Wowza.

Also! Important. It reheats well too. Kathryn notes that after it’s store in the fridge, you can quickly heat it in the microwave just so the goat cheese becomes creamy again. That’s exactly what I did! Perfection. And even more flavor.

Going to eat it forever and ever now.

Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta Salad

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

8 ounces whole wheat fusilli pasta
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 ounces baby arugula
1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced



Directions:

Bring a salted pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until it's al denta, according to the directions,. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta water and place it in a large serving bowl.

Sprinkle the goat cheese over the pasta, then drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle in the salt, red pepper and black pepper over top. Pour about 1/3 cup of the pasta water over top and toss until the pasta is super creamy.

Add the arugula, tomatoes and olives and toss to combine. If the pasta is too dry, drizzle in more of the pasta water and stir. You can also add in more olive oil if desired. Taste and season more if needed. Serve immediately.

You can store this salad in the fridge for a few days - a quick reheating in the microwave will make the goat cheese creamy again!

[recipe from love real food]

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!

Cutest tomatoes ever, right?!

The post Goat Cheese and Arugula Pasta Salad. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Tuesday Things.

1. Yesterday I finally grabbed a ton of herbs to plant. I made myself wait until I turned in my manuscript so I wouldn’t be distracted and I might have grabbed… 24 plants. Eeeep.

2. The last few days I have been dyyying over this mint chocolate chip cake. OH MY.

3. Am I the only one that can’t get into the painting + wine nights?! I wish I was interested since it seems so fun. Buuuuuut… I’d rather go drink wine on patio in the sun somewhere!

4. I’ve successfully kept one pair of sunglasses for FOUR years now (nice ones, not like $500 ones, but like… $100 ones!) without losing or breaking them. THIS HAS TO BE A RECORD. 

5. I found this article on a successful entrepreneur’s schedule to be super inspiring. About 95% of the time this is how I want my life to play out, but occasionally the other 5% is “but no, I am doing this so I can do whatever I want when I want and relax and chill!”

6. No TV that we’re currently watching, but I am still rewatching Felicity. Eddie has never seen it and has caught a few episodes. It’s so funny how SLOW the show moves compared to TV today. Also, a bunch of you asked where I’m watching it and I bought all the seasons on iTunes years ago, before I even had Netflix!

7. Two shoes I cannot do are the slip on sneakers (like Vans style) and any sort of slides (like the old school Adidas ones, for seriousness) for real life living. I look ridiculous in them. SO tell me about your easy no-tie shoes that you are loving for summer. Annnnnd go!

8. Um. Not going to lie. I sort of want this unicorn bike. Will get it in my dreams.

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