Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 404

Tuesday Things.

1. Really can’t wait to make this homemade chocolate coconut milk. Obsession.

2. My emoji use has hit an all-time low, as last week I spent about two full minutes searching for the emoji I wanted to use instead of typing out the word. Which probably would have taken seven seconds. I.am.the.worst.

3. 5 pro tips to beat procrastination. Yes. This is me. I need it. But real talk – how can you be a pro at procrastination AND give tips to beat it?! Riddle me that.

4. Thoughts on the donut ice cream sandwich thing? I’m not into it. I need my sandwich cookies to be more dense and chewy.

5. TV! I’m not watching ANYTHING. I’m so annoyed that Masters of Sex is pushed until September. We did watch Roadies on Showtime and both felt… meh… about it. I might just do a big Friday Night Lights binge. Or The Americans. I may as well just do Felicity then too. See ya in a month.

6. I know it’s not new but I really LOATHE the instagram algorithm update. Speaking as a user, as someone who likes to look at other people’s photos. It makes me batty. I want everything in chronological order. Whyyyyyy.

7. My biggest success of 2016 will be converting Eddie into a crazy Target shopper. He might go more than I do these days, even if it is just to buy toys for Max that he can’t even play with for four more years. Cue eye roll.

8. Whatcha reading at the moment? I just finished Emily Giffin’s newest (and liked it) and feel like I’m finally at a point where I’m no longer too ridiculously sleep deprived to read before bed. Well, that’s not true, I’m just used to the deprivation. SO bring on the books!

9. How sacrilegious would it be to throw leftover pie in a milkshake today… as opposed to… eating it? I may be desperate.

4th of july weekend.

hope you had a great one!

p.s. I was BOUND to pass on my love of neon to him at some point.

20 Last Minute Recipes for the 4th of July!

Here are 20 of my favorites! What are you making this weekend?! Have a fabulous 4th. xoxoxo

smoked peach caprese — greek flank steak platter — summer crostini — strawberry caprese salad

favorite cheeseburgers — saucy pulled pork — loaded cheddar hot dogs — goat cheese guac burgers

white pizza dip — potato salad + soft boiled eggs — copycat chipotle corn salsa — chili garlic chicken

watermelon marg pops — 5 ingredient strawberry tart — s’mores strawberries — sangria berry crumble

mojito margaritas — pineapple sangria — rosé sangria — frosty coconut mojitos

No-Churn Sugar Roasted Peach Pie Ice Cream.

More peaches please!

How oh how oh how is this my first ice cream recipe of the season? I’m majorly slacking on ice cream inspo so I’m pretty psyched about this one and hoping you guys will bring some ideas to the table below in the comments. I’m thinking nutella and potato chips and fresh mint but not TOGETHER.

Do not worry.

(But maybe worry.)

But first!

Are you obsessed with watching shark week? It’s time! Is it just me or is this shark week a leeeettle bit better than the last year or two? Do you remember losing your mind over shark week ten years ago when it was super legit and scary and awesome and terrifying?

I do.

To me, shark week meant the real start of summer, most days spent outside and coming in to watch shark week shows all night with my brothers. And ice cream. TONS of it.

Like this one? I don’t even know where to begin.

Sugar roasted peaches, swirled in ice cream, with big chunks of graham cracker crust pieces. YESSSSSSSS.

This is my summer lifeblood.

I went with graham cracker crust because you guys know I’m a huuuuge graham crust fan. Not only is it easier but I think it tastes so much more delicious. Feel free to use regular old pie crust if you like – you know, maybe you just happen to have some hanging around?

Ha. HAHAHAHA.

Never. All the crust gets eaten always. By me, always. 

Best part about this ice cream, besides the sugar roasted peaches and the crumbs, is that this is NO CHURN! I’ve made a few no churn recipes before – blackberry chip no churn and peanut butter cookie dough blizzards with vanilla no churn (i know, omg) – and it is so, so good. AND EASY.

I will forever love a thick, custard-like ice cream (think Jeni’s) but sometimes I’m lazy, impatient and totally forget to put my ice cream bowl making thing in the freezer 24 hours before. Real life.

What are your 4th of July plans? We have a few parties, lots of fireworks, but obviously the food is the most important right? I’m thinking some trashed up hot dogs, these goat cheese guac burgers, white pizza dip and an XL pitcher of rosé sangria.

And since dessert is always needed, before and after, daily ice cream cones until Tuesday. Work it.

No-Churn Sugar Roasted Peach Pie Ice Cream

Yield: makes one quart

Ingredients:

5 peaches, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 cups cold heavy cream



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the peach slices out in a single layer and sprinkle with the brown sugar and salt. Roast until golden and caramely, flipping once or twice during roast time, about 30 to 35 minutes.

While the peaches are roasting, stir together the graham crumbs and melted butter. Use your hands to clump together chunks of graham crumbs. Spread the mixture out on parchment so the butter can dry, even if the crumbs are still, well... crumbs.

In a bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and bourbon until combined.

Place the cold cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mixture - constantly folding over and over until everything is combined. This will take a few minutes! Fold in the sugar roasted peaches, reserving a few for the top of the ice cream. Gently stir in most of the graham chunks too. Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined loaf pan or a freezer container. Freeze for at least 6 hours (or overnight) for best results.

When serving, top with extra graham crumbs or granola if desired!

[adapted from my pb cookie dough blizzard]

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!

Calories don’t count on holidays.

Fresh Peach Gin and Tonic.

Who isn’t in need of a peachy refreshing cocktail for the 4th?

I’m a brand new gin and tonic lovah. Brand new! As in, maybe a few months? Besides cake. Always cake.

I’ve tried the cocktail multiple times over the years, having one or two great ones but having many this-tastes-like-pine-needles ones. Do you feel me?

Yes, right now I’m all about doing things with peaches that are fabulous until the peaches themselves are perfect enough to just eat. This here is my favorite idea so far. The peaches just ever so slightly sweeten the cocktail and combined with the tonic (my favorite is Fever Tree, it almost has a bite to it?), it’s seriously PERFECT for my tastebuds.

I’m actually convinced that this exact combo was made for my palette.

So. My grandpa is a huuuuge gin fan. He’s drank (drunk?) it for as long as I can remember. And a few weeks ago when he was at my house and I offered him gin, he nearly fell over at the fact that I actually HAD it in our house. It’s been on my mind ever since. Even if he did kind of snub my Tanqueray because Beefeater is his first choice.

It’s all worked out, because in the hot summer sun, I find this drink refreshing. And light!

See, my go-to light adult beverage of choice is vodka soda with limes. I drink it when I’m full from a meal or when I know it might be a long night and I just want something easy. It’s not sweet and when made right, sometimes it actually does just taste like water. (

It’s happy house perfection. Give me all your apps.

I love the gin and tonic so much right now because it’s so similar to that vodka soda but with some sweetness. For my sweet teeth. Just a hint though! Because when the sun is beating down on my face, honestly the last thing I want is a huge glass of alcohol, so it’s gotta be light.

I mean, I really want, like, a huge plate of nachos and maybe a slushie margarita, but also a gigantic bottle of water. But if I HAD to not be a brat, peach gin and tonic would be my current number one choice. It’s classy and makes me feel like an adult even though I’m everything but. And I’ll most likely steal all of your limes. OOPS.

Fresh Peach Gin and Tonic

Yield: makes 1 serving, is easily multiplied

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 rice peach, sliced
2 ounces gin (I used Tanqueray)
4 ounces tonic water (Fever Tree is my fave!)
1 ounce freshly squeeze lime juice
crushed ice
rosemary sprigs for garnish
lime wedges for garnish



Directions:

Fill a glass with a few peach wedges and crushed ice. Pour the gin over the ice, then the tonic and squeeze in the lime juice. Stir a few times to combine. Serve immediately with a rosemary sprig popped in for color. Don't forget to eat the peaches!

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!

Boozy soaked peaches make my life.

June Favorites: Lifestyle.

I’ve unintentionally been sharing my lifestyle favorites every other month (instead of monthly) because, well… LIFE – so I have a bunch of favorites here! Things I’ve been using, loving and dying over the last few months. Let me know what you’re freaking over.

Here’s to Us by Elin Hilderbrand. I mean, sure, I might be biased since I got to develop recipes for the book, but I loved the story so, so much. Probably ranks up there as one of my favorites that Elin has put out. I love when she writes about food!

Chocolate Covered Hemp Seeds and Chia Seeds. This are SO good. I love using them for yogurt bowls, smoothie bowls or even just stealing a handful while I’m cooking dinner. Fantastic. Crunch crunch!

Jess Lively’s podcast and vlogs as she travels the world. You guys know I’ve always been a huge fan of her podcast but now that she is traveling and talking about it, along with shooting video, I’m hooked!

I can’t stop listening to everything by Thomas Rhett. Eddie got me hooked on Vacation, and he loves it so much that he will replay it a ton of times in a row which is not something he usually does. I love the entire Tangled Up album and it’s been on my spotify constantly. Also, I have this 2o16 summer party playlist from my friend’s bachelorette party last week if you want to jump around.

Salud Juicery in Shadyside. Obsessed with their acai bowls and want to go every single day. I need to figure out how to replicate the exact recipe for their P Bee bowl because it’s out of this world. And Max loves the smoothies.

Zoku Mini Pop mold. I mentioned these in my popsicle post last week, but they are the perfect size for Max’s little hands. I’ve been putting extra smoothie in the molds or just blending a few fruits together to make little pops. He loves them. So do I!

When it comes to TV, I have to give it to Bloodline. GAH! We love this show so much. We blew through it in a week which is HUGE because Eddie doesn’t love to binge watch and it’s also difficult to binge watch with an 18 month old. But we did it and we loved it. I wish we didn’t have to wait an entire year for the next season.

. If you’ve been reading for awhile, then you know that every year I got on a search for nude wedges and wear the heck out of them all summer, essentially destroying them by September. Well, things are sliiiiightly different now that I have Max, in that I’m not wearing nude wedges EVERYWHERE I go since I can’t chase him in them easily. But I still wear wedges when we go out or when we go somewhere and Eddie can easily chase him. I saw Erin from Busbee Style wearing these and just LOVED them. Plus they are insanely comfortable. As long as you can walk in wedges.

Speaking of, I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Tory Burch Miller flip flops in the shade “makeup” a few months ago and I have been living in them. Seriously, wearing them ever single day. I guess we can say they are my new nude wedges at this stage in my life. So comfortable. I just call them my mom shoes. No, I don’t mean that negatively. I am either wearing these or the wedges above, all summer long!

Naturi Grass Fed Greek Yogurt. Naturi is a local yogurt company that my cousin works for and I am OBSESSED. All grass fed and the whole milk yogurts are to die for. The vanilla cinnamon and the lemon are fantastic. Eddie has been putting a whole one in his morning smoothie and Max is also loving them for breakfast.

the NEST Beach candle. It smells exactly like the beach and summertime from when I was a kid. I can’t find it in stock anywhere though! I love Nest candles so, so much. Also love the reed diffuser AND the hand soap, which I have both in our guest bathroom.

Starbucks has reeled me back in with their vanilla sweet cream cold brew. I adore it because even though it says “sweet cream,” it really isn’t TOO sweet. It’s just the right amount. It’s almost like their whipped vanilla bean paste into heavy cream and don’t use any of the super sweet syrup. Addiction!

These adorable cards by Colleen. I can’t get over how cute the prints are (watermelon?! ice cream?! lavender animal print?!) AND she just started making the prints into tea towels!! Love.

Ancient Grains Maple Morning cereal. I’ve rambled on and on and on and ON about my weirdo love for Quaker instant oatmeal as a kid, and how peaches and cream still is a major comfort food for me. I bought this on a whim at the grocery store for hectic mornings. Most weeks I will make a batch of steel cut oats and heat them up for Max and I, but I’ve had this a few times and absolutely LOVE it. The texture and the taste is fabulous. And I don’t even like maple things!

[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.]

Crispy Bacon Pasta Salad with Fresh Herbs.

How much do you LOVE summer salads?

Here’s the sitch: I have NEVER loved pasta salads. Like, never. Like, never ever ever Taylor Swift style.

Sometimes I find myself at a cookout or picnic or barbecue where there aren’t a ton of options aside from a burger, hot dog, pasta salad and fruit, so I cave and take some pasta salad and then… eat it. And I’m just like, no no no no no. I don’t want cold meat cubes. I don’t want cold cheese cubes covered in vinegar.

I mean I always want cold cheese cubes covered in vinegar but I want to be a total snob about it and use the cheese I want with the vinegar I want and add lots of crackers or something plus about thirty pickles.

This lack of pasta salad love also probably stems from my lack of pasta love. But that’s neither here nor there.

So I took it upon myself to make a pasta salad that I actually wanted to eat. And BONUS! You can eat it hot or cold. I like it cold. But hot works too because bacon grease.

FYI: I’m warning you that I’m in a bacon-heavy mood at the moment.

This salad is loaded with so many of my favorite things!

Bacon, and lots of it, obviously.

Sweet corn, because the obsession lives on.

Zucchini chunks, because I needed something else to do besides bread and fry them.

Tomatoes, feta and garlic, because summer flavor.

TONS of herbs. You can use the herbs you’re crushing on at the moment. Can we talk about my purple basil in the photo up there? My herbs are going wild and I just want a bunch of them to be purple now. Too much to ask?

Now we can totally eat pasta salad together. No more complaints from me. Just give me alllll the bacon.

Crispy Bacon and Grilled Corn Pasta Salad

Yield: serves 4

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 cup sweet corn
1 cup chopped zucchini squash
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 cups cooked pasta (I used mini shells)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
4 ounces feta, crumbled



Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the chopped bacon. Cook until crispy and all the fat is rendered, then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.

Add the corn and zucchini to the skillet and turn the heat up to medium. Stir to coat in the bacon grease, then cook until the corn is slightly golden and the zucchini just starts to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer the corn and zucchini to a large bowl. Keep the bacon grease in the skillet.

Add the tomatoes and cooked pasta into the bowl with the zucchini and corn. Season the mixture with the salt and pepper, tossing well. Drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon grease, tossing the pasta well to coat.

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil with 1 tablespoon each of the basil and oregano and all of the rosemary. Pour the mixture over the pasta and toss, toss, toss! Stir in the feta and toss well again. Top with the crispy bacon and toss.

You can serve this hot or cold! Add anything else you'd like. I added a bit of sliced grilled corn from the cob on top of mine - had it left 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!

Seriously that bacon though.

Tuesday Things.

1. Flipping over this super fudgy dark chocolate cherry ice cream. I’m having a cherry issue right now.

2. I am ridiculously excited about the Olympics. Swimming! And gymnastics! And another excuse to tell you the story about how my Hungarian gymnastics coach sat on my butt to make my full straddle split touch the floor when I was ten years old. I’m over it. Clearly.

3. On permanent stash in my freezer right now: rosé ice cubes and rosé popsicles. I want to pour a glass and put both inside, but how obnoxious is too obnoxious.

4. Speaking of, if you could only instagram avocado toast, acai bowls, rosé or pizza for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

5. Okay. I retract my statement about Orange is the New Black being terrible this season. OMG. I finished it and was so.freaking.emotional during the entire thing. I can’t even put my thoughts on Sophia this season. I was so sad about the ending. Did sorta think things were a bit disjointed –  I hate how some characters only get in one episode every three to four shows. But wowza. It was good.

6. Can somebody please tell me why I didn’t know that a nacho cheese fountain exists? Who even am I.

7. THERE IS A LISA FRANK ADULT COLORING BOOK COMING OUT. I felt the need to shout.

8. On surviving the quarter life crisis. This is goooood.

9. Yesterday I carried a huge watermelon all over the grocery store and when I got home, would not stop telling Eddie that “I… carried a watermelon?” Name that movie. (except it really happened because I’m annoying.)

10. p.s. there is a giveaway over on my instagram!

June Favorites: Beauty.

Happy product junkie day!

Ooooooh it’s the best day of the month.

So! I don’t have a ton of favorites this month since it’s sweltering and I’m trying not to sweat off makeup everyday of my life. Living in sunscreen, maybe some concealer, always some mascara, and if I go anywhere, tons of bronzer and highlight. My faves. I am still loving the Sephora cushion bronzer and and practically living in my eye gels, especially after a bachelorette party weekend. Oops.

Let’s good to the goods!

Oh and P.S. exciting stuff: over on instagram I’m holding a giveaway with the Voxi Voyage bags and some of my beauty faves! Specifically, a Glam Glow Glowstarter AND the Sephora Cushion bronzer!! Enter enter enter.

Josie Maran Nirvana Hydrating Mist. A few months ago I told myself that I couldn’t buy any facial mists until I used all mine up, and this is one of the last on the list! I’ve had it for a few months but just started using it regularly more recently after finishing up MAC fix+, Urban Decay All Nighter Spray and the Tatcha Dewy Skin mist. Totally love this Josie one. The scent is pleasant and not overwhelming at all. I use it to set my makeup or just rejuvenate my skin throughout the day.

Drunk Elephant Shaba Complex Eye Serum. This is a newbie! I bought this a few weeks ago because after refusing to use an eye serum for the last few years (the Kiehls avocado eye cream was my favorite, but I ditched it once I was pregnant with Max due to parabens), I must have been feeling old and wrinkly and was convinced I needed one. I still don’t know if I *need* this or not but either way, I love it. It’s very moisturizing but not sticky and it works under my concealer. The packaging is very convenient (and cute!) too. Plus, um… I liked the brand’s name.

Formula X Victory Lap. I absolutely LOVE this pinky gold shimmer. Honestly I’m probably a bit too pale for it to be super flattering – I’m sure it’s amazing on darker skin tones. But I still love the shade. It’s been on my toes all month while that bright pink is being obnoxious on my fingernails.

Glam Glow Glowstarter Illuminating Moisturizer. It’s a repeat from last month but I LOVE THIS STUFF. Ugh. So freaking much. I seriously cannot get enough. It gives the prettiest, dewiest glow to my skin. I will mix it with anything and everything (BB Cream, foundation, moisturizer, sunscreen) in the morning and it brightens (literally) my day.

Becca Champagne Pop Poured Creme Highlight. I don’t have any of the Becca highlighters (I’m super loyal to the Hourglass ambient lighting prodicts) but couldn’t resist trying one of the poured creme versions because I want all things bronzy and shimmery. This happens to me EVERY summer. I go crazy with bronzers and highlighters because I’m the palest person to ever walk the earth. But rambles aside, I love this a lot. It kind of turns into a powder once it’s on your skin. It’s a super pretty shade, really smooth and natural. It also feels like creamy silk too.

Voxi Voyage Bags. THESE BAGS. Okay, so full disclosure here: one of my good friends designed these bags after she was sick of traveling with all of her toiletries in ziplock bags. Um, hello, that is basically my life. Especially when I’m flying because I never want my stuff to spill out into my “nice” toiletry bags. You know. Anyhoo – these are adorable and reusable, but if something spills in them, no biggie, just toss it. There are different sizes and patterns and I love them to pieces. Best idea ever! Super excited that she just got on to QVC this week, and they are having a great deal. Also – you can enter the giveaway on my instagram for a bunch of bags for you and your friends!

It’s a 10 Miracle Leave In. This is by no means a new-to-me product, but I hadn’t used it for ages. For years I’ve used the Unite 7 seconds leave-in conditioner. These days, my hair is SO tangly – it’s really long again, plus with it constantly being up on top of my head so it’s out of Max’s hands, sweating in it daily and swimming, it’s knot-city. When I get out of the shower, this is the best thing ever for my hair. No tangles anywhere! I use this first, comb out my hair, put it up in a t-shirt towel and spray it with Kenra blow dry if I’m drying it.

Orly Oh Cabana Boy. I mean… do we need an explanation here? NEON.

Whatcha loving right now? Are you also totally flipped out about the fact that fall makeup launches are coming out, like, right now?! I mean, how, why but most importantly WHEN because I want it all.

Don’t forget about the giveaway!

{as usual, none of this is sponsored and all of these products were purchased by me, aside from the voxi voyage bags, which are designed by one of my close friends. 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!}

Butter-Roasted Cherry Swirl Overnight Oats.

So let’s be real.

At this stage of my life right now, the only “overnights” that we’re ever talking about in this house are diapers and oatmeal. It’s just a fact.

I think that’s probably why I’m sooooo heavily on the overnight oat train. It sounds like something fun and semi-scandalous because of the word, says the person who blasts James Taylor when she wants to throw a tantrum.

BUT! I had a real overnight this past weekend because I went away for the first time overnight since Max was born… for one of my friend’s bachelorette parties and it was ridiculously and embarrassingly fun. So fun that my run-on sentences are worse than usual. I even pretended that I was 21 and soaked watermelon gummies in tequila and coke bottle gummies in rum because, hi, we wanted to party like it was 1999.

I mean I wasn’t even old enough to party in 1999 but you know.

I’m semi-amazed at the variety of adult beverages I consumed without falling into a room-spinning spiral but have decided that 540+ consecutive nights of no sleep could be the real reason I could hold my own. I also fell 150% in love with the best espresso martinis that I want to make a signature thing here even if “signature” means once a year.

A weekend like that constitutes a week of hearty but not-horrible-for-you breakfasts (after the actual horrible-for-you breakfast, of course) and thats where these overnights come in.

Because of my own overnight!

Okay I’m done. I swear.

My breakfasts these days rotate between big smoothies – sometimes made thick enough to go in a bowl because I’m now THAT person – eggs and toast and avocado, because always, and overnight oats. I freaking love the overnight oats so much.

The chew, the ease, the flavor change up – it’s satisfying every high-maintence breakfast wish I have at the moment and for that I am thankful.

This jar is extra delicious since it’s filled to the brim with butter-roasted cherries. Yes. Butter-roasted. Rich and silky and sweet and caramely.

There is so much flavor and I want to eat it forever. Or at least until my millennial brain chooses something else in 37 seconds. I have no idea what that’s like, but oh did you know that last week my favorite breakfast was tacos? No. 

The secret ingredient? A super teeny HINT of almond extract. I don’t like to do almonds actually in this oatmeal because then it feels, well… too almondy. If there even is such a thing. But I really just like to drop in that taste because it enhances the cherry flavor so much.

Or maybe it just reminds me of amaretto cherries. I don’t know. I need to get out more. Let’s go!

Butter-Roasted Cherry Swirl Overnight Oats

Yield: serves 2

Total Time: 30 minutes + overnight

Ingredients:

2 cups pitted cherries
3 tablespoons butter, melted
pinch of salt


1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (or almond milk or cow's milk!)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

to serve:

extra milk
unsweetened, shredded coconut
hemp seeds



Directions:

Preheat the oven the 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pitted cherries on the sheet and drizzle with the melted butter. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with the salt. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice in between, until the cherries are soft and juicy.

I like to mash a small section of the cherries - this makes it easier to swirl into the oats.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, milk, honey, hemp, chia, vanilla and almond extracts and the salt. Spoon a few cherries in the bottom of a glass or jar. Evenly divide the oat mixture between the jars. Use the remaining cherries to top the oats and swirl down into the mixture. Use up all the juice and syrup on the parchment too! Cover the oats and place them in the overnight - or for at least 8 hours.

When ready to eat, top with shredded coconut and hemp seeds or anything else you love.

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!

Ready for my overnight oat cannonball.