Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 388

November Favorites: Beauty.

It really is the most wonderful time of year!

How are we already finishing up November?! What what? I’ve had lots of beauty posts this month, including my favorites to buy at the VIB sale (if you get another sephora coupon here in December, check out that list!) and my Beauty Lovers Gift Guide! There’s some major differences in those posts given that some things will be gifted and some are for yourself.

One present for them… one present for me. I’m the worst.

Hmmmm what else.

I’ve also still been DRENCHING my hair in It’s a 10 miracle leave in because it’s so cold and dry now. I know I talk about this stuff constantly but I swear it saves my hair!

K let’s get to this month…

NARS Velvet Lipglide in La Main Bleue. I’ve been super excited about these ever since they launched and the one I got does not disappoint. I love the shade and that it’s a bit more like a gloss. It’s been on my lips constantly.

MAC Liptensity Lipstick. AHHH! I am in LOVE with this lipstick. I grabbed two of these back in October but kept forgetting to mention them. This formula is so comfortable on the lips. I probably say that after a few years of matte/liquid lipsticks, but this is awesome. I love how pigmented the color is but how smooth the lipstick goes on. I love this more than MAC regular lipsticks.

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine. This is such an oldie but goodie. I think I mentioned it in my first beauty favorites EVER (or maybe even on the blog before I did favorites?!) and nothings changed. It’s the perfect shade of light pink/nude, it smells amazing and it’s SO moisturizing.

NARS Skin Luminous Moisture Cream. I bought this on a recommendation from one of you guys and can’t believe how wonderful it is. I finished up my Sunday Riley Tidal (already repurchased that!) and Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream and figured I’d give this a try under my makeup during the day. I still use Tidal at night – but this stuff is so, so fantastic. It’s light but works well enough on my dry skin.

Hourglass Ambient Light Edit Palette. I’ve never bought one of the ambient lighting palettes and this one was definitely an impulse purchase, but I’m so glad I did it. I grabbed this in store during the VIB sale and love every single shade. Even the bronzer, which I’ve purposely never bought because I thought it was too warm.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Brush. See above: impulse purchase! But an amazing one. If you read my beauty posts then you know I’m not a huge brush lover/user, but this feels like silk on the skin. I love that it’s double ended. Works for the entire palette!

Nirvana Bourbon Perfume. I am so freaking glad I grabbed this scent back in August. I keep falling more and more in love with it. I think I like this one more than regular Nirvana Black! It’s so warm and exactly what I love to smell during this season. I get tons of compliments on this too.

Philosophy Fresh Cream Body Lotion. Specially, the huuuuuge bottle with the pump! 32 oz-er. I have crazy nostalgia for this scent around this time of year, because I used to wear it constantly when I was pregnant with Max. That was exactly two years ago and the scent alone brings so many wonderful memories. Aside from that though, this scent is perfect if you love a hint of vanilla. Especially because this one doesn’t interfere with perfumes.

That’s November in my beauty nutshell. Aside from wanting every single holiday gift set (I might bite the bullet on a Drunk Elephant set!), there aren’t many other releases I want. Besides, I’m totally seeing spring stuff already and that makes my millennial brain hurt (and get super excited). What’s on your beauty Christmas list?!

{as usual, none of this is sponsored and all of these products were purchased by me. i am not affiliated with any of the companies above, nor do i accept free products. just love to talk about what i like, makeup junkie to makeup junkie. there are a few amazon affiliate links above. thank you for being here!}

The post November Favorites: Beauty. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Bacon Butternut Arancini with Pumpkin Seed Pesto Dip.

HELLO. I made you crunchy balls of gooey cheese.

Can we be friends forever?

I hope so.

Guys! How was your weekend? How was your Thanksgiving, if you celebrated?

I hosted Thanksgiving and I barely took one single photo. I can’t believe it. I also didn’t catch my house on fire or burn the stuffing or make lumpy gravy, so that’s a plus.

But! This is one of the first years that I haven’t done a Thanksgiving round up post over on Crumbs, and it’s not that I didn’t want to – but I was SO in the moment. I thoroughly enjoyed it all but I also really wish that I had snapped more so I could relive it all. Especially the insaaaane chocolate peanut butter brownies I made.

Since then, we’ve been decorating fools. We have been telling Max all weekend that we are turning our house into a winter wonderland for him so now he is running around and screaming “wonderwand!”

So adorable. But I know. You probably have to be here. We’re also currently watching the Grinch and I’m hoping he isn’t scarred for life after this.

Annnyhooo.

This is exactly what I did with the butternut bacon risotto I made a few weeks ago. And I’m in LOVE!

Last year around the holidays I made a goat cheese and roasted garlic arancini. To say I’ve been craving it and wanting to make more ever since would be a serious understatement. I remember the exact place I was standing nearly one year ago when I tasted my homemade ones for the first time and it.was.heaven.

Heaven, I tell you!

Yes, I realize that this butternut recipe may have been more appropriate in October or before Thanksgiving, but hey, it’s still November. And we are entering the best time of year for alllllll the delicious appetizers we can eat (oh, hi, treadmill) and making wonderful food to share with friends and family.

If you just HAPPEN to have some leftover risotto (might be crazy, I know)… then I doubt you’ll hate it if you stuff it with cheese, coat it in breadcrumbs and give it a little fry bath.

Can you even take that CHEESE?!

Bacon Butternut Arancini with Pumpkin Seed Pesto Dip

Yield: makes about 20 balls

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 cups cooled butternut bacon risotto
1 large egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces fontina cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
a pinch of salt and pepper
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying

pumpkin seed pesto dip

2/3 cup plain greek yogurt
3 tablespoons pumpkin seed pesto
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper



Directions:

Note: to cool the risotto quickly, you can make a batch then spread it out on a baking sheet to cool and slightly dry. I've done it both ways (the other being to store it overnight in the fridge) and they both work great.

In a large bowl, stir together the cooled rice, egg, parmesan, salt, pepper and about 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs. Using your hands, form the mixture into 1-inch round balls. Gently push a cube or two of fontina cheese in the center of each ball, make sure to seal it all around. Roll each ball in the remaining bread crumbs and place it on a baking sheet. Once finished, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes.

While the rice balls are freezing, heat about 1-2 inches of oil in a large pot. You want it to be between 325 and 350 degrees F. Add about 2 to 3 rice balls to the oil at one time, frying until golden on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to remove excess grease. Repeat.

Serve immediately with extra grated parmesan and the pesto dip.

pumpkin seed pesto dip

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

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!

Tastes like my dreams.

The post Bacon Butternut Arancini with Pumpkin Seed Pesto Dip. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

2016 Holiday Gift Guides!

I have barely started one ounce of Christmas shopping, but I wanted to round up all of my 2016 gift guides in one place for you guys! With Cyber Monday tomorrow, I’m HOPING to get a bunch of shopping done by the end of this week. I love love love holiday shopping and gift giving.

As for now, here are my favorite gifts of 2016! How much shopping have you done yet? And what’s on your list?

Under $25 – Stocking Stuffers!

FOR HER

FOR HIM

FOR TODDLERS

My FAVORITE BOOKS!

FOR BEAUTY LOVERS

Enjoy! And happy shopping.

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2016 Holiday Baking List. (What Are You Making?! Tell Me!)

It’s here! It’s here! Eeeeep. Christmastime is officially HERE.

Okay, so we’ve spent the last 24 hours turning our house into a major winter wonderland for Max. We are both SO in the Christmas spirit – Max is just at such a fun age right now! – and have three trees up so far. I’m super excited for baking this year because the last two years? I could barely do it. I mean, I DID it, but I was spending most of every second with Max and didn’t have tons of time to bake or make Christmas treats.

We love love love to make huge cookie trays to take to friends and family over the holidays (Eddie actually makes the best trays ever, it’s crazy) and I love to bake to continue my Mother Lovett tradition. Baking cookies like this is relaxing for me, because most of my time spent in the kitchen is doing recipe testing over and over again for the same recipe and then spending a huge chunk of time styling it. Baking these old, known recipes are easy and fun, it’s an escape and enjoyable experience for me. I crave it for nostalgia purposes.

Here’s what on my list this year! Oh oh oh ALSO. After five years of telling you guys that I didn’t want to bake gingerbread (not a fan of it), I’m going to do it this year with Max. Who has a fantastic recipe?

Tell me below: what’s on your list?!

thin and chewy spiced oatmeal cookies. a new fave.

peanut butter blossoms. it would not be Christmas without them.

pink peppermint bark macaroons. they are just too pretty.

peppermint pattie brownies. AND…

peppermint pattie cookies! i can’t choose.

mother lovett’s pink and green thumbprints. because: classic.

mother lovett’s orange cookies. my mom dies over these.

soft gingersnaps. i always double this recipe. sometimes i make four batches! so good.

perfect cut out sugar cookies. i can’t wait to do this with Max!

my soft snickerdoodles AND these chewy chai snickerdoodles. they are to die for.

double dark chocolate peanut butter cup cookies. obviously.

doubletree hotel chocolate chip cookies. only choc chip i need.

double chocolate cheesecake cookies. these are ridiculous.

a few batches of truffles. probably old school oreo, chocolate coconut truffles, maybe buckeyes?

also I’m sure lots of orange cinnamon pull apart bread.

My cousin Lacy and I also always make Tracy’s citrus peels and her amaretto. These make for the most incredible gifts – you guys HAVE to make them. We also make whiskey pretzels and I think I’m going to do a blog post on those this year because we’ve really turned the recipe into our own.

SO! What am I missing?!

The post 2016 Holiday Baking List. (What Are You Making?! Tell Me!) appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake.

Best holiday breakfast ever, right here.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These exclamation points are necessary. I swear.

I even used the REAL cranberry sauce! If you’ve been reading for awhile then you know that I have a soft spot for the jellied cranberry sauce that comes out of a can.

I said it.

I’m sorry.

But I mean it.

I weirdly love that stuff.

However, I love the fresh stuff too! A whole bunch.

So if you have some leftover, this is exactly what you need to do. Swirl it into your breakfast cake batter with a cinnamon-y streusel and you’ll be loved forever.

Let’s keep this short and sweet since it’s officially Christmas decorating time. I have EVERYTHING you need right here, today:

My favorite holiday music

My favorite holiday spotify playlist

Holiday movie list!

Now it’s time to trim your trees!

Also, if you’re shopping this black Friday, be sure to check out my gift guides! You can find them all right here and I’ll do a more extensive post on them this weekend, in time for Cyber Monday. You can also find my favorite things SHOP(!!) above in the menu bar. YAY shopping.

And then this afternoon. Or tonight. Or tomorrow!

Cranberry coffee cake and you have a date. With yogurt too. Because it’s healthy then?

Greek Yogurt Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake

Yield: makes 1 bundt cake

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

streusel

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plain greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%)
3/4 cup leftover cranberry sauce (real/homemade - not the jelly)



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch bundt cake pan and set aside. Butter and flour is KEY! Don't use cooking spray.

streusel

Whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, cocoa and salt. Add the butter pieces and using your hands, mix together the flour and butter until the flour is incorporated and in tiny pieces. It's okay if the mixture looks like SAND!

cake

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, then add the sugar and beat for 4 to 5 minutes on medium speed until fluffy, scraping down the sides if needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well for a minute or so after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat well. Beat in the sour cream, again scraping down the sides if needed.

Gradually add the dry ingredients with the mix on low speed. But until they are just incorporated. Spoon half of the batter into the greased bundt pan. Swirl in half of the cranberry sauce, then sprinkle with two thirds of the streusel. Add the remaining batter on top then, swirl in the remaining cranberry and finish off with the remaining streusel and swirl it into the batter with a knife. Bake until a wooden pick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes. My cake needed the full 55 and it was perfect.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely. Don't attempt to move it or it will break apart!

[adapted from this sour cream coffee cake from homemade decadence]

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!

Oooooh that streusel.

The post Leftover Cranberry Sauce Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

So Thankful For You.

Thank you so much for being here everyday. Thank you for reading my rambles and leaving me comments here in our invisible internet friend community. Thank you for sharing all of your delicious recipes with me! Thank you for supporting all that I love to do here in this space. It means the world to me. Thank you for existing – I heart you more than pumpkin pie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxoxoxo

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Cheesy Turkey (or Chicken!) Tortilla Soup with Crispy Tortilla Strips.

I have THE BEST idea for your leftovers.

No. Seriously. The absolute best. It’s warm, cheesy, comforting and topped with homemade chips.

Why is life so good?

Okay, so here’s the most exciting thing about this soup. Have you ever tried Max and Erma’s chicken tortilla soup? It’s so rich and cheesy and wonderful? We used to go crazy over it in college and heck, I think I even had some when I was pregnant. It’s probably my mom’s favorite soup ever. It’s just

to

die

for.

So, I really wanted to recreate that but I had no idea how. THEN IT HIT ME.

I didn’t realize that it was called chicken “tortilla” soup because there could be actual tortillas in the soup. Like this tortilla soup I made this past summer! Oh my gosh. That was it. That was the trick.

Well, that and a whole boatload of cheese.

Maybe not a boatload. But a rather heavy handed sprinkle.

Yes, you’re going to put corn tortillas IN your soup! And let them cook down and thicken the soup. It’s the best thing I’ve discovered in all of 2016. It’s a fantastic way to thicken soup without cream or milk. Amazing!

Also, the toppings. Life is all about the toppings. Wouldn’t you agree? I crisped up the remaining corn tortillas (because, um, why not) and piled them high on the soup with a little extra cheese. The crunch and texture is everrrrything.

You guys HAVE to try this. It’s so wildly delicious that I can hardly stand it! Use up your leftover turkey or make it with chicken. Either way… it’s perfection. Probably going to make it once a week forever. And ever.

Turkey Tortilla Soup with Crispy Tortilla Strips

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
4 (4-inch) corn tortillas, cut into pieces
4 ounces monterey jack cheese, freshly grated
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
8 ounces cooked and shredded turkey breast (or chicken breast!)
for topping: fresh cilantro, extra cheese, avocado, thinly sliced radish, fresh lime

tortilla strips

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 corn tortillas



Directions:

Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the onion, peppers, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until the onions soften, about 5 to 6 minutes. Pour in the diced tomatoes and chicken stock and add the tortilla pieces. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. You could also use an immersion blender, but I find that they spray everywhere. Pour the soup back into the pot and heat it over low heat. Stir in the cheese, one handful at a time, until melted. Stir in the turkey (or chicken!). Cook on low until the soup is heated through. Taste and season additionally if needed.

Serve in bowls and top with avocado, radish, tortilla chips and the leftover cilantro.

tortilla strips

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Slice the tortillas into thin strips. Add them in batches, not crowding the pan, until they crisp and become golden brown. Remove them and place on a paper towel to drain excess grease. Repeat with remaining tortillas!

[recipe adapted from this tortilla soup]

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!

Let’s really use those leftovers and make cranberry margaritas!

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Tuesday Things.

1. It seems like I am the only one who has not decorated for Christmas yet. Is that just thanks to the internet? I’m dyyyying to decorate but don’t want to spoil the Thanksgiving fun. Though I might have bought a million sparkly rainbow picks for our tree(s).

2. I’m not a crazy early morning black Friday shopper, but I do like to go out in the afternoon just to be in the thick of the craziness. Are you shopping that day?! We’ve already found deals this week on things that seem unbeatable.

3. Basically never eating anything again other than this hot fudge chocolate cake.

4. You know what I’m really into? You’re going to be shocked. LETTUCE wrapped burgers. I know. It sounds horrible. It’s like I’ve betrayed you. But I haven’t. We first made them last summer and for some reason, the fresh, crispy lettuce is just fantastic around the burger. Now that I’ve been open and honest. The secret is to use iceberg though. ICEBERG. How dare I.

5. I just cannot get over the Joe Biden memes. The hilarity!

6. What did you guys think of The Affair?! Can I just say that I thought the ending was terrifying? Like I am having nightmares from it. I thought it was fake until I saw the previews right after. And Walking Dead: so boring. Ugh. Also! DIVORCE. So funny I hate it. SO much.

7. It’s true: gratitude promotes gratitude.

8. Guesssss what. I’ve been vlogging my Thanksgiving prep this week, just like I said I would! Hopefully I have enough guts to post it. It seems super boring. But I like creepily peeking into people’s lives soooo…  I’m thinking Thursday evening or Friday morning. If you subscribe to my youtube channel, you’ll be notified the minute it goes up!

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Butternut Squash Cheeseball and a Thanksgiving Cheese Board!

Oh cheeseballs!

How I love you and your 90s vibes. 80s vibes? 70s vibes?! I don’t even know. I bet you’ll tell me.

We make the classic olive + cream cheese cheeseball for every holiday in our family and it tastes like HOME.

So naturally, I decided that I had to switch things up and put a little spin on the classic.

My mom is really wondering right now why I just can’t let things BE.

I mean, why can’t I? It’s a sickness.

My butternut cheeseball is full of the quintessential butternut fall flavors: brown butter, crispy sage and tons of parmesan. It might be the only cheeseball that I want to eat with a spoon and only a spoon. EVER.

It also should come as no surprise since the moment October (errr… September even) rolls around, butternut, brown butter, parmesan and sage starts coursing through my veins.

So! What kind of appetizers are you serving on Thursday? To be real, I’m allllll about the main meal, so I don’t go overboard on the snacks.

HA. HAHAHAHA.

Wait. What I mean to say is that I don’t go overboard making multiple appetizers and instead go overboard on one large appetizer: the cheese plate.

I could eat this entire thing for dinner and not be mad about it. In fact, I have eaten this for dinner.

I hope this serves as some cheesy inspiration for your big meal. The cheeseball is fantastic in itself and doesn’t necessarily need all these snacks around it to shine. You could do the cheeseball and a few crackers and be good to go.

BUT. If you’re ever so inclined to drive your party hosting bus over the cheese board cliff and go a little nuts, I’m here for you! And I’m hungry.

Butternut Squash Cheeseball and a Thanksgiving Cheese Board









Ingredients:

butternut cheeseball 

1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons brown butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 handful fresh sage
1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softned
2/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (preferably toasted)

what's on my thanksgiving cheese board

1 block merlot soaked cheese 
1 block sharp parmesan 
1 chunk of honeycomb 
1/2 pound thinly sliced hot capicola
1 cups kettle corn
1 cup marinated olives
1/2 cup roasted cashews
1/3 cup cranberry chutney or salsa
1/3 cup pumpkin seed salsa 
1/3 cup pomegranate arils
1/2 cup walnuts suspended in honey
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
1/4 cup cornichons
4 rainbow carrots, peeled and sliced
2 pears, thinly sliced
2 bunches red seedless grapes, pulled apart
hard breadsticks 
whole grain crackers



Directions:

butternut cheeseball 

Place the squash cubes in a saucepan and fill it with cold water. Heat over high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cubes are fork tender. Drain them well, removing all water.

Heat the olive in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the fresh sage and cook about 1 minute per side, just until crisp. Remove it and place on a paper towel.

In a food processor (or even a stand mixer!), combine the cooked butternut squash, the brown butter, crispy sage, cream cheese, parmesan, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Pulse until the cream cheese breaks down and the mixture starts to come together. You want it to be smooth - no cream cheese lumps! Once it's smooth, scoop it out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form it into a ball and wrap it up tightly. Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or even overnight!)

After 30 minutes, place the chopped walnuts on a plate. Remove the cheeseball from the fridge and set it on the chopped walnuts. Coat the ball in the walnuts, pressing gently to adhere.

At this point, you can serve the cheeseball immediately or set it back in the fridge until you're ready to use!

what's on my thanksgiving cheese board

Throw it all on your board! The beauty is in the messiness.

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. you’re invited.

The post Butternut Squash Cheeseball and a Thanksgiving Cheese Board! appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Savory Pear, Date and Burrata Flatbread with Crispy Sage.

[this post is in partnership with Harry and David. I’m creating some wonderful recipes with their royal riviera pears this season, starting with pear cider, and now a savory flatbread, and I can’t wait for you guys to see what else I’ve come up with! xoxo]

Can I convince you to put pears on your pizza this weekend?

Again.

I supercalifragi-love pears on my pizza. Pears and cheese, crispy, crunchy flatbread, sweet and caramely dates. Is this dessert or dinner?! I don’t even know. 

Clearly I’ve been in a burrata mood. I’m trying to change the game. It’s not just for use in the summer!

This is another post that I’ve partnered with Harry and David on, using their deeeeeelicious pears. I can’t even tell you how excited I am about the holiday season and the pears that may come my way. I sometimes end up overlooking fruit around the holidays but not this year. All the pear things are on my list.

About the whole dessert or dinner thing: I kid, I know. This is still overwhelmingly savory. Maybe that’s just the bread and the burrata talking, especially since it’s hit with a glug of olive oil and garlic.

I would never consider this dessert though, so take a deep breath. We might have different definitions of dessert, of course. Something must be hurt-your-teeth rich in order for me to consider it dessert, but that’s neither here nor there.

Let’s take a moment of silence for the crispy sage!

Oh the crispy sage. One of my favorite ingredients to use when the weather finally cools down and there has been no lack of it this year. It adds so much herb warmth and flavor to a dish with only a few leaves and makes me feel like a grown up even at times when I admit my love for the movie The House Bunny.

Anyhoo, I believe that this will be my holiday (read: all through December and the first half of January!) appetizer of the season when I’m entertaining at home. The flatbread can be made ahead of time and even halfway baked. You can quickly slice your pears, pull apart your burrata and throw the dates on top, bake it and slice!

It’s a wonderful warm snack that tastes like it took waaaay longer to make than it actually did. Those are my favorite kind and all sorts of fancy.

Pear, Date and Burrata Flatbread with Crispy Sage

Yield: serves 4 appropriately, 2 obnoxiously

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Harry and David Royal Riviera pears, thinly sliced
6 medjool dates, split in half and pits removed
1 large ball burrata cheese
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 handful fresh sage



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stirring to combine. Add the water and olive oil and mix with a spoon until the dough comes together. Use your hands to finish bringing it together into a ball, then knead it a few times on a floured surface.

Roll the dough into your desired shape - I rolled in into a long oval about 1/4-inch thick - you want it to be thin. Place it on a nonstick (or parchment papered) baking sheet and brush with a bit of olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, until a few air bubbles form and the dough is golden. Remove the bread from the oven and cover it with the garlic, pears, split dates and burrata. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I like to pull the burrata apart and just spread it all over the pears.

Return the sheet to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is totally melted, bubbly and golden.

While the pizza is baking, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once it's sizzling, throw in the sage. Cook for about 1 minute per side. Remove it and place on a paper towel.

Once the flatbread is finished, let it cool for a few minutes then cut it into pieces. Serve immediately!

[flatbread from my 4 cheese flatbread, originally gourmet]

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!

Not even going to TELL you how fantastic it is with Chardonnay.

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