Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 398

August Favorites: Lifestyle.

A peek at my food + fun favorites for the month of August. Leave your favorite discoveries below!

Lululemon Align Crop (and pants). OH MY GOSH. My leggings life is changed forever. These feel like butter. They are so insanely stretchy and soft and wonderful. You cannot see through them whatsoever. I am done with wunder unders – these are where it’s at. Incredible.

Lavender Melon Kevita Master Kombucha. I talk about this constantly but this is a new flavor I tried while on vacation. It is my new favorite flavor – perhaps even more than the grapefruit. So delish.

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. I know I mentioned this already in my Tuesday Things, but this book was SO good. I finished it in one day, which I haven’t even come close to doing since Max was born.

Cherry Republic Chocolate Cherry Coffee Beans. Oh heck yes!! I’ve been making cold brew with this and do I even need to say how much I adore it?

Pitaya packs. Repeat, but still obsessed. You can see how I make mine here.

Rebecca Minkoff Julian backpack. Sooo I’m almost positive that I whined and complained when the backpack trend came back in. I don’t think I’d be interested in one if I didn’t have a kid, but wow – I love this bag and it’s a lifesaver. I only have been using crossbody bags the last few years, but they tend to be smaller. Max is at the age where I still need to carry a few things (wipes, maybe 1 diaper, tons of snacks and water) but don’t need a huge diaper bag. I always left mine in the car most of the time anyway.  I love the size of this bag. I love the leather.

Gravie app. This is what I’ve been using to quickly add words on to my instagram videos. It’s SO easy!

Trader Joes Hot and Sweet Jalapenos. My brine-loving palette is absolutely nuts over these.

Quay Cherry Bomb sunglasses. I’ve mostly worn the same pair of sunglasses for three (!!!) years, but I LOVE these ones. The color, the fit – so cute.

On that same note, I’ve just been filming those videos with my Samsung nx300. God I love this camera so much. I’m having a ton of fun making those videos, just shooting what I’m making when I want to make it. No stress. I use this tiny tripod and it’s awesome. I also got some great shots of the sunset with that tripod in Michigan!

Love Crunch Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Granola. This should come with a warning label.

These Greenroom notebooks from Target. School supplies will forever be my love language. I have a few projects I’m working on and I always need a new notebook.

Honeycup mustard. This might sound ridiculous but we love this so much. My mom has bought this for as long as I can remember (20 years?) and it’s the one mustard that Eddie loves. We go through phases, using a jar in a week and then forgetting about it for awhile. We’re back on the bandwagon. We can sometimes find this at my local grocery store, but I can only find it to link on amazon right now.

Instagram stories! There I said it. I love it.

[none of this is sponsored, just like to talk about things that I discover and love over the month. tell me your faves! there may be a few amazon affiliate links above. love love.]

My Favorite Micheladas.

At the end of last summer, I got suuuper into micheladas.

Like, the very end and super into. Which is crazy! I don’t even like tomato stuff in my drinks. I want to be cool and drink those fantastic bloody marys garnished with bacon and cheeseburgers and pickles out the wazoo, but I just can’t do it. Whyyy world why.

You know that it stems from my lack of love for tomato sauce or tomato-based recipes, but sometimes they just.look.so.good.

So I have no idea where the michelada love came in last year.

It’s the lime! And the ice cold beer. And the flavors. And perhaps the guac and spicy peanuts on the side? The combo just screams happy hour and tastes so freaking good.

I almost went this entire summer without sharing one of my favorite drinks and I know – it’s LATE. But we still have at least one big party weekend left (helllllo Labor Day) with pools and sunshine and cocktails and refreshing drinks. And I mean, who says this HAS to be a summer drink? I think it’s an ideal brunch cocktail no matter what the season.

Also, can we talk about this sweet heat Cajun snack mix from Target? This, along with the Tex Mex one? I shouldn’t even be allowed to have them in my house. I find them to be incredibly addictive. The sweet, the savory, the spicy, the crunchy.

Ugh. It’s just so wonderful, especially with any sort of beer. Archer Farms, will you marry me?

Nuts aside, here is exactly how I like my michelada. First of all, preferably in the hot sun near a swimming pool and one of those hugely obnoxious swan pool floats. Can you even BE a millennial and not have or want one of those things?

The answer is no.

But anyhoo. I like an almost half and half ratio of beer to tomato juice… and I actually use CLAMATO juice.

It’s a terrible name. It makes me cringe. But it speaks to me. And that’s why I ended up loving a michelada. Thank you, clamato!

A touch more beer than clamato – and freshly squeezed lime juice. A dash of maggi seasoning (or soy sauce, but the maggi is SO good!), worcestershire (which I normally don’t love), a teeeeeeny drop of hot sauce and lots of chili salt on the rim.

I’m suddenly becoming extremely depressed that summer is on it’s way out.

I certainly think you can carry these into the fall though. Maybe try a pumpkin beer even though in saying that, the entire internet might want me to walk the plank? Could be worth it though.

My Favorite Micheladas

Yield: serves 2, is easily multiplied

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons coarse salt
a few lime wedges, for garnish
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2/3 cup cold clamato juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup cold mexican beer (I love tecate or corona)
drop of maggi sauce
drop of hot sauce



Directions:

Mix the salt and chili powder together on a plate. Rim the edge of the glasses with a lime wedge, then dip in the salt and cover the rim.

Fill the glasses with ice. Divide the clamato juice into the glasses evenly. Add the lime juice and worcestershire sauce to each glass. Fill each glass with the beer. Add a drop of hot sauce and maggi sauce, then stir. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve immediately.

[slightly adapted from bon appetit]

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!

Don’t dare forget the guac.

Chimichurri Fries with Gorgonzola.

Fries before lies?!

These are the best ones you will ever make at home!

Minus an oooey goooey cheese sauce, you know. No lies!

Maybe that’s a leeeeettle dramatic.

I shared a pic of these on Monday night and instantly felt like I had done something wrong. MONDAYS are NOT for fries. Mondays are for salads with grilled chicken.

But I like to break the rules. Or never follow them to begin with.

My instagram pic was totally misleading – because these looked like sweet potato fries! We love sweet potato fries around here (Eddie could live off of them) but I was out of the sweets when I made these. Plus, I didn’t feel like doing the whole double-triple-quadruple soak thing JUST to get some darn crispy sweet potato fries.

That’s one of the worst things in the universe. Soggy sweet potato fries. Maybe I should just beer-batter them and fry them.

I’m so healthy.

Let’s chat chimi!

So you might remember that I love my chimichurri with a heavy-handed toss of fresh cilantro. I’m not a parsley girl. I’m just not. But I am a cilantro loving freak, so for all of you who think it tastes like soap, huge kisses and apologies. Just use parsley! You’ll love it so much.

For some reason, I’ve been DREAMING of dipping fries in chimichurri. Like dah-reaming of it. No, I’m not pregnant, and I have no idea where it came from. I think it started after we had lunch at Gaucho one afternoon and I slathered their roasted potatoes in chimichurri. That’s probably it. My taste buds have been begging for the combination ever since.

To top this whole mess, I threw on some crumbled gorgonzola. Yes, you can use feta. Yes, you can even use goat cheese! You can use whatever the heck cheese you love, because I want you to love this.

One should never eat fries that they don’t love. There is just no logic behind that.

I decided to share these fries today because this weekend, my annual football food post will go live and we can talk about alllllll the party foods, tailgate apps, cheesey snacks and trashed up dips that we can think of. This is my somewhat fancy, grown up version of fries because I’m trying to be classy buuuut… I’m just not.

Since the summer season will start winding down soon, I figured that you also might have a whole bunch of fresh herbs on your hands. Pesto is awesome, of course. Dried herbs or freezing them in those ice cube trays is a cool idea too. But making chimichurri for your french fries? Brilliant decision making on your part.

They are the new BFF’s.

Chimichurri Fries with Gorgonzola

Yield: serves 4 appropriately, 2 obnoxiously

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes, sliced
vegetable oil for serving
salt and pepper for sprinkling
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
chopped cilantro for sprinkling

chimichurri 

1 cup fresh cilantro
2/3 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes



Directions:

Heat a large pot fitted with a candy thermometer over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F. Once hot, add the potatoes in batches and fry until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes or so, depending on thickness. Remove the fries and place them on a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess grease. Repeat with remaining potatoes. I like to do a double fry so the potatoes are crisp, so add them back to the pot in batches once they are all fried once.

Once you remove the fries from the oil, immediately sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the chimichurri liberally and cover with the gorgonzola cheese. Serve right away.

chimichurri 

Combine the parsley, cilantro, oregano and garlic in a food processor and pulse until small leaves and pieces remain. Add in the vinegar and pulse once more. With the processor going, stream in the olive oil and mix until just combined. Stir in the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Taste and season additionally if needed. Store sealed in the fridge for up to a week or so.

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!

You totally deserve these.

Tuesday Things.

1. How do you take your s’mores? My marshmallow must be flaming and charred. The more carcinogenic, the better.

2. This chicken avocado caprese salad is the best salad I’ve ever seen.

3. I’m absolutely HORRIBLE at keeping my computer(s) organized. I bought a new Macbook a few months ago and swore up and down that it wouldn’t become the black hole mess of photos that every other computer has. I do back things up multiple times but I never delete or organize on the actual computer. Give me a system!

4. I ended up walking by some of the Lisa Frank clothing line in Macy’s. My inner 9-year old completely died. I mean I want to wear it but as a tween. Not as a thirty-something. Whomp whomp.

5. Whyyyy do I need to jump through hoops to unsubscribe to a sales email? Nooo I did not “accidentally” hit the unsubscribe button and I’m trying to save my wallet from you, Pottery Barn.

6. Very much loving this 5-hour workday concept.

7. I felt so, so old watching the VMA’s – at least most of the time. Who were the two guys behind a desk hosting it? Who was performing? I knew no one! Besides Beyonce… and Britney… and..

8. This quick podcast describes exactly how I feel about the seasons. I’m so not ready for summer to end but then I look through one magazine or see a pretty scarf at anthro and 34 minutes later it’s like hello! I’m ready for you fall!

Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Garlic Vinaigrette.

No you are not on another planet.

We’re actually eating something this green! Talking about something this green. Enjoying something this green.

Can you tell that I’m excited that this salad is really green?

Cue eyeroll.

Here’s the rundown!

Some garlicky, honey sesame chicken, which is how I could eat chicken every single day.

Some quickly fried wonton strips! In coconut oil!

Garlic roasted sugar snap peas. I just couldn’t resist.

A few sliced mandarin oranges.

Avocado (duh).

Napa cabbage, broccoli slaw, butter lettuce, rainbow carrots, sliced scallions and a heavy-handed sprinkle of sesame seeds.

It’s like my food brain in a bowl. I want to eat a combination of these flavors constantly and if it HAS to be a salad, I want it to be this salad.

True life: I never cared for wonton strips.

As a kid, I hated them! They made my stomach turn.

I think it was due to an unfortunate bout of sickness that took hold right after eating take-out Chinese food. I was scarred for life though and it wasn’t until recently, maybe one or two years ago, when I tasted them again and actually enjoyed them.

I haven’t had any desire to have them on salads in my adult life, and now I’ve gone and ruined that. It might not be possible to ever have a salad again without wonton strips.

Does the coconut oil cancel that issue out?

Let’s hope.

You must be warned now that the roasted snap peas are incredibly addictive. It’s difficult not to grab them right from the baking sheet and the number of other dishes I want to throw these on top of is getting larger by the day.

The chicken can go in any dish. It’s just a thing now.

Texture is the name of the game with the lettuce. Butter leaves, cabbage AND slaw. So much crunch crunch!

The dressing something that you can drink with a straw! I mean, maybe you shouldn’t do that, but it tastes pretty delicious.

It’s slightly high maintenance but still simple at the same time. Does that make sense? It’s sort of like how I might take 45 minutes to get ready but only wear mascara and lipstick.

High maintenance but simple. Make it happen!

Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Garlic Vinaigrette

Yield: serves 2 to 4

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

roasted sugar snap peas

2 cups sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

crispy wontons

8 wonton wrappers, sliced into strips
coconut oil for frying

sesame chicken

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds for topping

salad

4 cups butter lettuce leaves
2 cups chopped napa cabbage
1 cup broccoli slaw
4 green onions, sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
2 mandarin oranges, thinly sliced or segmented
1/2 cup thinly sliced rainbow carrots

sesame garlic dressing

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper



Directions:

roasted sugar snap peas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spread the peas on the sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and soy sauce and toss. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until softened and slightly golden, tossing once. Remove from the oven and drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

crispy wontons

Heat a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add enough coconut oil so you have about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in the pan. Heat for a few minutes and test a wonton strip, dropping it in and seeing if it crisps up. Once hot enough, add all the strips and toss a few times, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes until golden and crunchy. Remove the strips and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.

sesame chicken

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken with the garlic powder, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and cook on both sides until browned and golden, about 5 minutes per side. Cover the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes to ensure the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and slice it. Drizzle it with the sesame oil and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

salad

Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl (or 2). Add the chicken and snap peas on top. Drizzle on the dressing, then top with the crispy wontons.

sesame garlic dressing

In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey and garlic. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, stream in the sesame and olive oils. Whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Drizzle over the salad and serve!

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!

I’m tired from just writing out the recipe, but really… worth it.

August Favorites: Beauty.

Happy end of August!

How what whyyy. That’s impossible.

I’ll quit being cliche early so we can talk about our favorite things! Be a bad example. Tell me what you’re loving.

There was about a week and a half where I barely wore makeup (or none at all – like at all) while on vacation, so I just have a few favorites here for the month. I haven’t been drying my hair, but from being in the sun it can feel a little straw-like at times and I am telling you that this It’s a 10 spray is SAVING it. It is so much healthier than it has been. I don’t know why I didn’t love this as much a few years ago. I do use it sparingly, maybe twice a week. Also!! These skyn eye gels – still adoring. I’ve been in a major face mask mood this month. Also again, Eddie and I BOTH keep using our voxy voyage bags when traveling. It’s kind of funny – he might be more obsessed than I am. He took them to Europe!

K on to this month’s faves…

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips lipstick in Liv It Up. My friend Natalie bought one of these and I was like… I have to have this. It’s so pretty. The scent is wonderful. The shape is awesome. I want more shades for fall. Liv It Up sort of reminds me of MAC Creme Cup (a huge fave of mine) but a little more pink and a little more matte.

Clarins Instant Light Lip perfector. I’ve wanted this for a few years and just never bit the bullet. First, it smells (and tastes) like cake. Second, it’s super moisturizing. Third, I love the glossy pink natural color. It’s perfect for a no-makeup makeup look.

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Sunilght. I seriously cannot get enough of these. This is a repeat but I’ve really been loving a different color this month since I’m sliiiightly more tan from being on vacation. The sunlight shade is glowy tan in a bottle. These are so perfect for face and body.

RMA makeup remover wipes. LOVE THESE. Oh my gosh. They are wipes made with only coconut oil. I realize that sounds ridiculous since I could just use regular coconut oil (and sometimes do), but the only time I use wipes is when I can’t bear to do anything else, and that includes dipping my fingers in a jar of coconut oil. These are incredible. They are individually wrapped. Perfect for traveling or keeping in your purse. AND moisturizing!

Essie Gel Couture Polish in Make the Cut. I am still really loving this polish! And this shade is such a great transition color into fall.

Sol De Janiero Bum Bum Cream. AHHHH. I cannot take how much I adore this. I know this is also a repeat but the scent! The shimmer! The texture! It’s my favorite thing. I’m afraid it’s too summery to wear into fall (I’m weird about certain scents and like to keep them seasonal to bring back nostalgic memories – am I nuts?) so I’m using it after every single time I shower. I also bought a little travel size one for vacation and it’s a great size.

The Estee Edit Flash Illuminator in Spot Light. Again… yes… I need another cream highlight like I need a hole in the head. But I just can’t resist. UGHH. The texture of this is awesome. It’s obviously super light and white and while it works on my skintone now, it will REALLY work come winter. Sometimes I just use concealer and this on my cheekbones if I’m really in a rush.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana Bourbon. My eyes nearly exploded out of my head when I saw this existed. I ordered the Nirvana Black a few years ago when it was out early for preorder and have been a huge fan ever since. Anything warm, vanilla, musky and cologne-like sells me. Total perfume junkie. So bourbon? HELLO. I’m there.

That’s it! I’m dying to try the Farmacy honey potion mask and I’m sure I’ll want a few things for fall, but I might try to wait it out for the VIB sale in November. It’s only, like, two months away (whhhaaaat) so I think that’s doable. What are you loving right now?!

{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!}

Currently Crushing On.

{via}

This week was a DOOZY. Post-vacation sadness set in immediately, even though I was *kind of * ready to come home and get back in the swing of things. Since I have no concept of my own limits, I scheduled everything for this past week insteading of easing back into it and as of last night, had made 36 recipes since Monday, including shooting 11 different videos and judging the savor pittsburgh food competition. I might not-so-secretly live on saltines and rosé this weekend. And take a biiiig nap. And read a whole bunch.

What are you guys up to this last weekend before Labor Day? I’m going crazy on pinterest searching for new fall recipes – leave your favorite pinterest board below so I can follow.

Also, howsweeteats is up for the best food blog award over at Bloglovin‘ and I’d love so much if you’d vote. I appreciate you!

P.S. you can see how I make delicious cherry tomato zucchini noodles here, my favorite breakfast tacos here… and my favorite avocado + egg toast here.

and now… the best goods on the internet:

my heart might stop: s’mores ice cream cake!

plum and burrata flatbread. the color = wow.

incredibly stunning croque madame. my fave.

this hazelnut chocolate chip ice cream looks like a dream.

dying to try a blueberry buttermilk donut waffle!

hatch chile summer squash queso fundido. CHEEEEESE.

nothing sounds as good as this cherry vanilla soda. mmmm.

linguine and zucchini noodles with shrimp. love the combo.

sooo who wants to make me ice cream pie with 3 ingredient fudge?

definitely making this one pot vegetable penne pasta.

a DIY giant poptart cake. ha!

absolutely adorable marble cakelets.

Chewy Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies.

Can we still be friends if I put vegetables in your cookies?!

Eddie says no.

When I asked if he wanted a zucchini cookie, he looked at me like I had five heads.

I kind of wish I had five heads because that would be five mouths and more room for COOKIES.

So I did it. I put vegetables in a cookie. That makes these a health food and a perfectly acceptable breakfast food. Along with a balanced snack and maybe even a side dish at dinner.

Too far?

The thing is that I wanted my zucchini cookies to be CHEWY. Not cakey. I achieved some good chew here (thanks to the yolk only, some brown sugar and lots of oats) and cannot even express how delicious these babies were. So melty and chocolatey too. They tasted like chocolate chip zucchini bread but in a chewy cookie!

Those five mouths would have really been a help .

What is it about zucchini in baked goods? Everyone goes nuts for it, even I’m kind of crazy about it at the moment, and YES it lends a lovely texture to the bread or cake, but it’s really the spices that makes you THINK of zucchini bread. Like if zucchini bread was a candle, it would be all cinnamon-y and cakey. Right?

If zucchini bread was a perfume, you would smell like spice cake. I definitely don’t mind smelling like spice cake.

As we near the end up summer and you have thirty pounds of zucchini to use up from your garden, add these to the list. I love the way these cookies take you into fall because of said spice. They are somewhat hearty and just warm. And full of health! SO much green, you know.

Chewy Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies

Yield: makes 12 to 15 cookies

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup quick-cooking instant oats
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ cup loosely packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspon vanilla extract
1 cup freshly grated zucchini squash
¾ cup chocolate chips



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Whisk in the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients - it will take a few minutes to fully incorporate everything, but you don't want the batter to be super wet. If at any time the mixture seems way too dry, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. At this point, I like to stick the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden on the tops and around the edges. Let cool slightly before lifting from the pan and setting them on a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

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!

Cookie kisses for you.

Blueberry Mojitos with Lavender Syrup.

Don’t we all want to drink something that’s hot pinky purple?!

Yes forever. Obviously.

Happy thirsty Thursday! I feel like I’m in college calling it that. And not in a good way. Is it still called that? Am I in an ever-spinning early 2000’s time machine? My spotify tells me yes.  So do my dance moves.

Sooo. The lavender. I have to tell you something funny. But not funny. But funny to me.

I decided to make these blueberry mojitos to go with our dinner (which happened to be an awesome one-pot chicken and rice dish!) – or should I say, as a little cocktail before dinner. Max was playing with a piece of paper that he had been coloring with earlier, and he was playing so quietly and nicely, intently even. I went about my merry way and went to grab the lavender I had leftover from the syrup on the table to garnish the drink, and… it was gone.

GONE.

I found my little bug sitting on the floor pulling off every.single.lavender flower. Like every single one. Like he was sitting in a pile of teeeeeny purple leaves and smelled like a mix between an old lady and a heavily overdosed bath and body works store.

And he was so proud. Super proud. So happy. He looked up at me with these big eyes that were all “look what I did!” And a huge cheesy grin.

I had tossed a few lavender flowers from my pitiful herb garden into my syrup a few hours earlier, saving three sprigs for the garnish of these drinks. Whomp whomp. No can do now.

So I ran outside and found these other little purple flowers that spring up from a perennial fern thing we have outside. Last year I had mistaken them from lavender from a few feet away, not noticing that it wasn’t *exactly* lavender until I was up close. Figured it was close enough, so we could have a touch of purple in our cocktail. WINNING.

Max on the other hand has smelled of fresh flowers ever since.

Well. You know. I bathe him.

Lavender flavoring isn’t a new thing here (I’ve done ice cream, popcorn and scones!) but I had yet to make my own cocktail with it. Especially when fresh from my own garden! For the syrup, I used a spoonful of dried culinary lavender mixed with a little of my own fresh garden lav to intensify the flavor. There is something about sugar and lavender together that I just ADORE.

Adore adore adore.

It surprises me, because I’ve never been a floral person. I mean, sure, I like flowers and love to have them as home décor. But I have fairly intense seasonal allergies that can also be easily triggered by super flowery scents. I will always choose warm vanilla, amber and musk over rose, gardenia or lilac when it comes to perfume.

And that whole situation just left me feeling like floral-scented or floral-flavored treats delivered the same response as when I accidentally sprayed perfume, walked thorugh and TASTED it. No no.

But ever since my first vanilla + lavender combo, I’ve been hooked. I absolutely love what lavender does to food and drink. It’s dreamy. The scent reminds me of an ice cream shop, oddly enough.

Even though I had to keep the lavender a secret from Eddie before he tasted the drink (he would NEVER consume it if he knew), he ended up loving these too. Not only is the blueberry a great compliment to the lavender, the fresh mint adds a lovely little herbal but fresh taste too. It works so well.

Whyyyy are mojitos so good?! It’s still summer, FYI!

Blueberry Mojitos with Lavender Syrup

Yield: makes 1 drink, is easily multiplied

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 1/2 ounces of lavender simple syrup (recipe below)
a handful of fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 ounce of white rum
1 1/2 ounces of club soda
the juice of one lime

lavender simple syrup

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



Directions:

Place the blueberries in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water. Heat over medium-low heat until the berries burst and become liquidy. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until pureed and smooth. You can strain this mixture through a fine mesh sieve if desired, but I don't mind any little flecks of blueberry.

Add 2 tablespoons of the blueberry puree in the bottom of the glass. Add the lavender syrup and stir. Add the fresh mint leaves and muddle them in the bottom of the glass. Add ice to the glass, and pour rum, soda and lime juice. Mix with a long spoon or knife and serve with an additional sprig of mint.

lavender simple syrup

Place the sugar, water and lavender in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside. Let it cool completely. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lavender. Store in a sealed container in the fridge!

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Long live it.

Avocado, Bacon and Egg Toast with Quick Tomato Jam.

There are few things in life that excite me like an egg and avocado toast combo.

Well… wait. That might be a lie.

Lots of things excite me. Everything excites me. I’m the person that’s constantly told that I’m too excited, too dramatic, too guilty of loving the ­­­heck out of multiple things. Basically, I’m too extra of everything. AND I LOVE IT.

My life is a constant stream of exclamation points. Says the person who has wanted to write in some form since she was seven years old. My old English teachers are crying inside.

But really, any topping on toast excites me. TOAST itself excites me. You know I don’t love bread but I do love toast. Oh wait, bread is toast? Stop. No it isn’t.

Sweet and savory, a thin layer of peanut butter or piled high with textures and ingredients, I don’t discriminate. Delicious things on crunchy toast? I have absolutely no resistance. It’s one thing I could eat every single day, which is huge because as a millennial, I get bored with my food (life?) choices quicker than anyone else on the planet.

I also might make huge sweeping generalizations (“every”thing, “every”one) about my peers who I don’t know, but that’s neither here nor there.

Let’s talk about this jam!

Can I call it jam? I’m calling it jam.

I’m only calling it jam because American spoon makes an amazing heirloom tomato preserves and they didn’t have it yet when we were visiting last week. Apparently it’s being canned as we speak and I just can’t wait any longer. It’s extremely fabulous on breakfast sandwiches and mixed with bacon and eggs. It’s sweet and savory and ugh, just so, so flavorful.

So I decided to make my own! It’s part of the whole impatient millennial thing.

All you need are a bunch of cherry tomatoes, a touch of sugar, some lime juice and garlic. Cook it until the tomatoes burst and then keep cooking until the entire thing breaks down. You can puree it and then it will thicken as it cools.

And then you can spread it on your ENTIRE LIFE.

Wait! Look at this down there. Doesn’t it look like a face? Like one of those decorative owl faces?

I’m not into owls. But now I might be. It was unintentional and I freaked.

I’m not sure if I can convey just HOW delicious this combination is, but if you’re a member of the avocado + egg toast club (and oh I’m quite sure that you are), then you might be able to guess. Texture, taste, satiety – everything is spot on.

And if you’re not a member, we’re always accepting newbies so come on in! The initiation is delicious.

Avocado, Bacon and Egg Toast with Quick Tomato Jam

Yield: serves 2

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 large egg
1 avocado, thinly sliced
salt and pepper for seasoning
2 slices thick-cut bread, toasted
fresh basil for topping

quick tomato jam

1 1/2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper



Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is completely crispy. Remove the bacon and place it on a paper-towel lined plate to drain any excess grease.

Keep the skillet over medium heat and add the eggs to the bacon grease, cooking them over easy or as desired. Once the eggs are finished, season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Thinly slice the avocado and sprinkle it with salt and pepper too.

To make the toast, spread the tomato jam on one side. To with the avocado slices and then the bacon. Throw the egg on top and sprinkle with fresh basil. Devour!

quick tomato jam

Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, lime juice and vinegar. Stir often, cooking until the tomatoes begin to burst. Continue to cook as the mixture bubbles and the tomatoes break down, using a wooden spoon to break them apart if needed, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until pureed. Pour into a jar and let sit at room temperature until the mixture cools completely. It will thicken more as it cools. Once cool, store in a sealed container in the fridge.

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!

It’s like summer on a plate.