Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 411

Fresh Watermelon Mint Juleps.

Let’s play a game.

I’ll go first.

Never have I ever wanted to sip on a mint julep more than this watermelon one. Right now.

Your turn!

I’ve made a bunch of similar mint juleps over the years – in a wide variety of flavors – my least favorite being pineapple but that’s probably because I was secretly pregnant at the time and couldn’t tell anyone or drink the entire thing. With how I feel about pineapple these days, I’d be all over that julep.

Blueberry was probably my fave… up until now. Watermelon anything ranks high on my list and do you want to know something embarrassing? I like watermelon flavors so much that I actually even enjoy the fake watermelon flavors sometimes.

I KNOW.

I’m the worst.

I can distinctly tell a difference when it’s artificial watermelon versus fresh watermelon, but that doesn’t mean I’ll always pass up a piece of watermelon gum (not even kidding) or some tropical drink made with so-sweet-your-teeth-hurt watermelon liqueur.

No discrimination from the watermelon gallery over here.

OH! Except. From Max.

Not, I’m not giving him mint juleps. But yes, I was giving him watermelon, because he loved it so much last summer. The past two days though, he wouldn’t even touch it and acted like it was covered in fleas or something. He looked at me like I was legitimately insane for even putting it on his plate. Maybe it was because it happened right after he licked all of the almond butter off of apple slices and found a box of graham crackers (again, yes this has happened twice) because he now sneaks into the pantry like he is 13 years old.

It’s great.

But the watermelon? He preferred squeezing it as hard as he good and drenching himself in juice.

In weirder mint julep news, last year I made this julep soaked fruit and topped it with… wait for it… fluffy whipped marshmallow. You can’t drink it over ice but you sure can eat it. Best of both worlds. 

Here’s another thing! If you have someone that is completely turned off by the idea of mint juleps (cough cough, Eddie, cough), serve them a watermelon one. Or a blueberry one. Eddie has loathed bourbon of any kind for as long as I’ve known him. He tried a mint julep when he was at the kentucky derby, but couldn’t even take one for the team and tossed it immediately. Even I was freaked the first time I tried this cocktail because it

is

a

lot

of

BOURBON.

It’s strong. If you’re weird about herby mint, it’s, like, doubly strong.

But add a little fresh fruit and syrup and you might be sold.

I’m obviously sold… because it’s PINK. Like I need another reason?!

Fresh Watermelon Mint Juleps

Yield: makes 1 cocktail, is easily multiplied

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces bourbon
2 ounces fresh watermelon juice
1 ounce mint simple syrup
1 ounce club soda
crushed ice
fresh mint leaves
watermelon wedges for serving

fresh watermelon juice

2 cups fresh watermelon chunks

mint simple syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bunch of mint leaves



Directions:

Combine bourbon, watermelon juice and mint simple syrup together and shake or stir well. Pour over crushed iced, top with club soda and serve with extra mint leaves. Garnish with watermelon triangles

fresh watermelon juice

Add the watermelon to a high-powered blender and puree until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup to remove any of the pulp.

mint simple syrup

Combine sugar, mint and water together in a small saucepan and heat over high heat until simmering, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook for another minute or so, then set aside to cool completely. Remove mint before using. You can do this ahead of time and store it 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!

[sidenote, “never have I ever” is such a horrible game. I had a terrible experience with it in high school and am scarred for life. need more mint juleps to get over it.]

April Favorites: Beauty.

Favvvvorite time ever.

What’s up! What’s new in your beauty-loving world?!

I’m in the midst of trying a bunch of other new tinted moisturizers (Urban Decay, Erborian BB) because I’m a psychotic product junkie and can’t get enough. I also can’t stop with the old-school OPI shade Strawberry Margarita. Plus, I want a margarita too. AND I’m shockingly still loving that Stila mascara from last month!

Oh! Also, I tried the Batiste in the brown shade again (grabbed at Target) and I don’t hate it as much as I initially did. Crazy.

Let’s get to this month…

Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer. This was an impulse purchase when I was shopping online at Bloomingdales for their friends and family sale. OF COURSE it wasn’t included in the friends and fam, but I had seen some reviews and was interested in it, so decided to bite the bullet. Totally loving it. It’s completely natural looking! It’s a bit thicker than the Complexion Rescue that I wear everyday, but I really really like it. It’s enough coverage for me right now and I think it will be fine in the summer too. And yes, I agree that it’s stupidly priced.

Dr Jart Illuminating Sunscreen. It’s no secret that I love anything dewy, glowy, shimmering – not GLITTERY, at least not on my face – but anything to make my face look luminous? I’m in. This is a bit thick but I’ve been wearing it on the days where I don’t put on tinted moisturizer. It gives the PRETTIEST sheen. I’ve only been using it for a little over three weeks (I got it during the sephora sale) but so far, so good.

Sunday Riley Tidal. It’s basically my mission to make my entire skincare regime Sunday Riley. There isn’t one product I haven’t loved. This is ridiculously moisturizing for my dry skin, which I was skeptical of since it’s a gel. I can also wear it under makeup easily. It’s probably my favorite of all her products I use (the Luna Oil, Good Genes) and it goes on my face every single night.

MAC Warm Soul Blush. This is an oldie but goodie, and I’ve been loving it recently. It’s odd because I rarely gravitate towards warm-toned makeup. But this works on my very cool-toned and pink skin. It’s sort of like a shimmery version of Tarte Exposed? But it’s not overly shimmery at all. It gives a very nice natural flush.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess. This is the time of year where I break out my favorite summer perfume. I don’t really believe in wearing different scents at different times of the year, but this is a nostalgic thing for me and I love wearing it in the summer only. And of course, rollerball, because it’s permanently stashed in my purse.

Tarte Skin Twinkle Lighting Palette. This was another impulse purchase when I was waiting in line at Sephora. I hadn’t even seen reviews on this (if I had, I probably wouldn’t have bought it – Temptalia is my go-to and she gave it terrible ratings) but am so glad I picked it up. First, the pigmentation is not wonderful, especially for the center shade. It’s slightly chalky, but not so bad that I can’t use it as a wash of color on my eyelids. I love that this is like an all-in-one palette, and since I’m all about the highlighting in the summer, I’m all over it. I’ve used it on my lids and as highlighter on the cheeks. I can totally see me using JUST this palette along with some mascara, concealer and blush!

Cover FX Click Enhance stick in Celestial. Okay, I realize I’m a little out of control with the highlighting products in this post. But this!! It’s awesome. I love Benefit Highbeam and last year, used the Clinique chubby stick highlighter. But this is a lot more natural and a bit creamier. It’s super easy to work with. And the perfect shade for my skin. Easy to swipe right on.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche in Pickled Ginger. More of my bright coral obsession, right here. This is another shade similar to the Maybelline Shocking Coral. It’s a bit more matte but not completely uncomfortable. Obviously, I’m obsessed.

Anastasia Brow Definer in Chocolate. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m still a slave to the Benefit Gimme Brow. I use it every single day. And I never loved the Anastasia Brow Wiz. What I love this for though it to give my brows a bit more definition if I’m going out. The Gimme Brow only can do so much with shaping, so I add a bit of shape with this. It’s the perfect angle!

That’s all I’ve got! I’m dying over the new Urban Decay Alice line but since I’m not loving color on my eyes any more, I see no reason to get it. How sad. Whomp whomp. What are you loving right now?! What lipstick? What nailpolish? What’s your go-to sunscreen? And do you like a self tanner better than St. Tropez? SO MANY QUESTIONS.

{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!}

Roasted Tomato and Charred Lime Guacamole.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!

GUAC SEASON.

Okay,  I know I know. It’s kind of always guac season, surely it is in my brain, but it’s only really guac season here when it’s warm and the margaritas are flowing in the sun.

Here’s the thing: I didn’t grow up with guacamole. I rarely even saw it at a party, and if I did? It was stuffed in between that old-school million layer taco dip and was most certainly pre-packaged and already brown.

These days, since I consider myself to be a guac monster, I’m down for putting anything and everything in guac. Like EVERYTHING.

Last year I added caramelized pineapple, bacon and goat cheese. I freaked and thought it would be 100% terrible and instead, it was 342% wonderful.

It’s sort of like having pineapple on your pizza. It’s not the pizza you want every single time, but when you have it, it’s damn good.

I’ve gone through stages with my more traditional versions of guacamole. You may remember that my version in Seriously Delish (how sweet house guac, what what) has tomatoes – and I never thought I’d change that recipe. But the fact is that I don’t really loooooove tomatoes – unless they’re roasted! Or unless they are covered in balsamic with burrata piled on top. Or unless they are smashed on top of aforementioned pizza.

Basically, I just don’t want fresh tomato chunks in my avocado.

So for the last year or so, I’ve made guac sans tomatoes. No way, no how. Just basic with lime, cilantro, diced onion and jalapeno. With lotsssss of salt. Sometimes garlic.

Always tequila. (oops.)

But then, I thought of the roasted tomatoes. They are a huge staple in the summer for us, no matter how hot it gets. I’ll turn on the oven to roast these babies or even pop them in a hot skillet to burst with some garlic and olive oil. They find their way into salads and pastas and popped on toast.

It was only natural that they would get swirled into my guacamole, right next to some charred lime. And you know how delicate and juicy the roasted tomatoes become? It’s almost like a super fresh sauce swirled into the dip and combined with crumbled queso fresco, the texture and flavor is out.of.this.world.

You don’t even want to know how many times in the last month this has been my lunch.

Guac + chips. I think I’m doing it right.

Roasted Tomato and Charred Lime Guacamole

Yield: serves 4 appropriately, 2 obnoxiously

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
4 limes, cut in half
4 avocados, fruit scraped out
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for sprinking
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 ounces queso fresco cheese, crumbled



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes and cut limes on the sheet, drizzle with olive oil and cover with salt and pepper. Turn the limes cut-side down. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are bursting and the limes are charred.

In a large bowl, mash together the avocado, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, the juice of 2 limes, salt and pepper. Taste and season additionally if desired. Stir in almost all over the tomatoes, squeeze in the lime juice and stir in almost all of the queso fresco. Top with the leftover tomatoes, cilantro and queso fresco. Serve immedaitely with chips!

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Now please give me 32 tacos!

Tuesday Things.

1. Chalk definitely counts as part of my stationary obsession. Even if I hate using these because it takes away their shape perfection.

2. Going wild over this glam rock layer cake. HOW FUN.

3. Tell me about the sushi burrito. I really like sushi but it just looks like… too much.

4. I have this totally weird thing where I hate the feeling of drinking out of glass. I need to use a straw or I have to drink out of plastic. Is it only me? Strange sensory things.

5. There is a PINK MACBOOK. I need to drop everything and buy this immedaitely.

6. Technically I’m not watching anything on TV right now besides Nashville, but I support Eddie’s Game of Thrones habit. Even if I have to read full recaps after every episode to understand. As for Nashville, it’s okay but I hate what they are doing with the daughter! And I’m still watching The Catch and just loving it. So fun.

7. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Love? Like? Dislike? Discuss. The drama surrounding it is insane.

8. How to fill 7 moments of wasted time in your day. Adore these. For me, car rides = productivity podcasts.

9. Are you planning a vacation this summer? Share please, where to go.

Hawaiian Chicken Fajitas.

Say what!

I’m pretending to be all fancy with a really non-fancy recipe. It’s one you can make TONIGHT and you kinda maybe definitely should. It tastes like heaven and summer all rolled into one. Oh and it’s complete health food in my book. Kapow.

It was only a matter of time.

Before I brought pineapple back and threw it in something savory again. Couldn’t help it; in fact, couldn’t wait.

Not only are these fajitas packed with caramely, highly seasoned pineapple spears, they have papaya slices inside too. PAPAYA! So sweet, but perfectly savory with the peppers and chili heat and crumbly queso fresco and refreshing cilantro. And lime!

And faux charred tortillas done on a gas stove because it actually snowed in April when I made these.

You know how some people have problems with a burnt toast scent in their house? We constantly have issues with charred tortilla flames.

Things could be worse, I suppose.

If you follow me on snapchat or instagram, then you know that fajitas have been a major savior when it comes to dinners ever since I had Max.

Like MAJOR.

(p.s. why don’t online writing programs recognize snapchat and instagram as legit words yet?! and still give me squiggly red lines? if I’m giving in, 2016 should give in.)

I used our favorite fajita marinade but included pineapple juice instead of beer (…the horror) and fruit inside instead of fruit salsa on top.

Also, my newest thing is to use leftover sliced peppers from Sunday meal prep to make small-batch fajitas when we’re feeling it on a busy weeknight or afternoon. LOVE the idea. So easy, already done. These taste best when they can marinate, so you can prep the whole shebang a day before if you’d like.

YES I LIKE.

Plus, that means there is extra room for some beer on the side and I’m thinking… pineapple beer? You totally deserve it after THAT weekend.

Pineapple Chicken Fajitas

Yield: serves 4 with leftovers

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
1/2 pineapple, peeled and sliced into spears (roughly the size of the peppers)
1/2 papaya, peeled and sliced into speads (^same)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced

for serving:

queso fresco cheese
fresh cilantro
fresh salsa
sliced avocado
corn tortillas



Directions:

Place the chicken in a baking dish or resealable bag. Place the peppers, onions, pineapple and papaya in another dish or bag.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, oil, lime juice, sugar, worcestershire sauce, lime juice, cumin, both chili powders, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and garlic cloves. Pour half of the mixture over the chicken and the other half over the peppers/onions, tossing well to coat. Cover both dishes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes - or even few hours or overnight. Toss the chicken and peppers every so often to coat in the marinade if you can. If not, no biggie!

When it comes time to cook, you can grill them using this method. Or, to cook indoors, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1/2 or 1/3 of the batch of peppers and fruit to the skillet (I do it in 2-3 batches) and cook until softened and ever charred and caramely. Remove and place them on a place (I cover with foil to keep it warm as I go!) and repeat.

While the veg/fruit is cooking, heat the broiler in your oven to high. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and stick it directly under the broiler. Broil for 7 to 8 minutes, then flip and broil for 7 to 8 minutes more. Remove the chicken and shred it - I do this easily by using my stand mixer! You can also slice it or shred it with forks, but using the mixer keeps it hot and makes shredding easy, even if it's one more bowl to wash.

Serve on charred tortillas with queso fresco cheese (it's key!) and lots of cilantro. I don't need a salsa with this, but if you do, go for it! I also love adding avocado on top.

Favorite way to eat color, boom.

Weekend Snaps.

but why must the weekend end?! xoxo p.s. all i’m going to drink this summer are salty dogs.

Currently Crushing On.

{via}

THE WEEKEND! I’ve waited, well… all week! for you.

How are you? How are things? April is almost over and since I’m totally predictable and cliche, I had to mention it because it’s crazy. What are your plans on this fine Saturday? It’s a little rainy here but that hasn’t stopped me from already buying Max a slew of swimsuits and sun gear. I’m constantly dreaming three months ahead and I sort of want to stop but I also don’t. Tell me something good!

P.S. next Thursday night I have a cooking demo at Crate all about… wait for it… CHEESE. A bunch of my favorite cheese recipes that you get to eat! Please come. Only a few spots left!

P.P.S. our favorite cheesy chicken parm bake is over on the pioneer woman this week! it’s comfort food at it’s finest.

favorites of the week:

weekend plans: making the ultimate chocolate chip cookie!

annnnnd this rhubarb crisp unicorn layer cake. what!

lox bagel pizza is a dream come true.

these photos of this sweet potato satay salad make me want to eat raw vegetables.

not sure how i can even convey my amazement over this london fog cake with earl grey buttercream.

mini california sushi cones. mind blown.

i mean, who doesn’t need a chili cheese dog grilled cheese?!?!?

this has to go on the menu this week: roasted cauliflower and avocado pasta.

fancy ass french bread pizzas that really speak to me.

lovely pistachio pavlovas with papaya curd. gorg.

look at this stunningly perfect chocolate fudge layer cake! ooooooh. i’m starving.

Almond Cream Crepe Cake.

BEHOLD the crepe cake.

The crepe cake!!

A freaking cake made of crepes.

I’m so into it that I’m almost over it. I don’t know if I’ve ever loved a recipe so much, ever.

This is probably the exact thing that you should serve on Mother’s Day. It’s light. It’s lovely. It’s fluffy. It’s not too sweet. It’s layers of happiness and smooth, sweet almond curd with cream.

Kind of a giant pile of pancakes, but better.

The crepes are perfection. Cooked in butter until slightly golden. Cooled and then stacked, but not without layers of almond cream stuffed inside. A super thin smear of the pastry cream gets spread on each crepe before piling them high, topping them with toasted, sliced almonds and a powdered sugar shower.

How can I eat this every single day? Because I don’t know how I can go on if I don’t.

If you’re into it, you could drizzle some chocolate ganache on top. You know, if you’re one of THOSE people that needs chocolate in their life constantly (oh hi, me) or just want to up the richness of the cake.

But!

If not, if you have someone (or are someone) who loves lightly sweet desserts, maybe a citrus fan or the person that loves to eat fruit for dessert, this has their (your) name alllllll over it.

Just how many layers are in this cake? You don’t even want to know. Really, you don’t. I might pay you to not tell you.

Ugh. I will tell you anyway though.

23. Twenty three layers. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really thought that 23 layers would be huge – stacked wildly high and tall – but no. This is what 23 layers looks like in all of it’s delicious glory.

The good news is that you don’t NEED 23 layers – technically you can have as many layers as you’d like, more or less.

The bad news is that it’s kind of easy to layer crepe after crepe, unless you do this terrible, awful, wonderful thing accidentally on purpose and stuff the almond cream in the crepes and roll them up and eat them like a child, and then almost eat all of the crepes. And have to make another batch.

That’s okay?

Annnnnyhoo. If you freakishly love almond like I do, this will be a cake that you want to bury your face in for the next few weeks. There is no other way to be.

Almond Cream Crepe Cake

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

crepes

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons melted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
toasted, sliced almonds for topping
powdered sugar for topping

almond cream filling 

1 1/4 cups half and half
1 tablespoon almond paste
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup heavy cream



Directions:

crepes

Add the eggs, milk, water, flour, butter and vanilla to a blender. Pulse for 15 to 30 seconds until blender. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover it. Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes - I usually refrigerate overnight.

To make the crepes, heat a nonstick skillet (about 9-inch) over medium-low heat. Brush with butter. Add 1/8 cup of crepe batter to the pan and swirl the pan so it coats the entire bottom. Cook for about 30 seconds, and then use a spatula to flip the crepe over. Cook for 15 to 30 seconds more. Remove the crepe gently and place it on a cutting board to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter. This should give you about 25 to 30 crepes.

When you're ready to make the cake, take the cooled crepes and spread a few tablespoons of the almond cream on top. Make sure it's a VERY thing layer! Or else the weight of the crepe cake will cause the lowest crepes to shirt. Repeat with all the crepes and add powdered sugar or almonds on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing.

almond cream filling

Fill a large bowl with ice and ice water.

Bring 1 cup half and half, the almond paste, sugar, salt and cornstarch to a bubble over medium heat in a saucepan.

In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup half and half with the eggs. Slowly whisk in a few tablespoons of the bubbling mixture to temper the eggs, stirring constantly. Add the egg mixture back in the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cool, stirring often, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pot and immedaitely place it in an ice bath, stirring continuously. Stir in the butter until it melts. Let the mixture cool completely.

Use a whisk of electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until peaks form. Gently fold it into the cooled almond cream. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

 

[crepes from alton, cream filling from martha]

Also thinking: it’s crepes. It’s breakfast? No complaints from me.

Fresh Mango Margarita Frosty.

If you can’t eat a perfect mango straight, what are you going to do with it? That is the question.

Let me help you figure it out. Puhlease. Hint hint.^^^^^

While most food blogs go crazy over the holiday season right before Christmas, I like to think of late April and early May – like these next few weeks – as the craziest and best recipe time on the internets. There are three of my favorite celebrations, Cinco de Mayo, the Kentucky Derby and Mother’s Day that fall all in the same WEEK.

How to choose what to make? What to serve? When and what to celebrate and can we mix some of the dishes?! I vote yes.

You have go to stay tuned. I have a billion and one ideas for you in the next ten days. It’s going to be soooo hard to pick, so I say celebrate three days in a row.

Boom.

Done. Easy!

Number one: the frostiest mango margartita, made with fresh fruit, lots of lime, lots of tequila and a touch of grand marnier.

It totally needs to be your cocktail or dessert of choice whether it be this weekend or on cinco de mayo. Let’s say this weekend though. Because I can’t wait one more minute for you to try it. It’s like I’m (not-so) secretly five years old.

I find that mangos are like peaches. I seriously only get about TWO good ones per year. A good mango is a great mango and makes you realize what you’re missing when you live in a chillier climate. A bad mango tastes like sour flowers to me and makes me never want to eat another mango again in my life ever.

Therefore… I bought five. Out of five, I ended up with two-and-a-half good ones (don’t ask) which translated to about 4 to 5 cups of fresh mango chunks. Could they BE anymore delicious?

No they couldn’t Chandler, no they could not.

If you can’t find the fresh GOOD mango, no big deal. Use frozen chunks. I find them at Trader Joe’s or Target. It will make the drink extra frosty and you will probably just want to use a little less ice.

Annnnd as you can see, a few chili powder sprinkles made their way on top of the frosty. It’s completely your choice. Sometimes I’m feeling it, sometimes I’m not.

This entire cup though? I’m feeling the whole thing. It tastes like SUMMER.

Now the question: slurp or spoon?

Fresh Mango Margarita Frosty

Yield: serves 4

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh mango chunks
4 cups ice
1/2 cup silver tequila
1/2 cup freshly squeeze lime juice
1/4 cup grand marnier liqueur
pinch of salt
lime wedges for garnish
chili powder for sprinkling
simple syrup, if needed for sweetness



Directions:

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender and... blend! Taste and if desired, add a little more tequila or a little simple syrup - whatever you need. I like to blend without the simple syrup and then taste and add it if the mango is not sweet enough.

Spoon the frosty into cups and serve with lime wedges. Sprinkle with chili powder if you'd like!

If your mango isn't sweet enough, add a few tablespoons of simple syrup! To make the syrup, heat 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water over medium heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and let cool to room temp.

p.s. slurp is one of THOSE words. Makes me cringe.

Cashew Butter Granola.

Having a HUGE granola moment right now.

In fact, it’s so huge that as I type this, I’m finishing off a bag with some yogurt and strawberries and cashew milk, which may also be contributing to the cashew phase that I’m in. Even if I can put a serving size on one spoon. Whyyyy.

The only saving grace is that it’s better than the bacon tortilla chips I really want to be eating. And I may choose the granola over the chips in a moment of desperation.

Who is this person and what have I done with myself?

That’s how much I’m loving on it right now. THISMUCH.

We go through love and hate periods, granola and I. Sometimes I don’t care about it at all. I think that it’s too calorie dense to be *worth it* and there isn’t a flavor that could change my mind.

Then, I snap. And I want all the crunchy bits with chocolate chunks and coconut flakes and melted honey and butter. Don’t you?!?

That’s right now, if you couldn’t tell.

I tried SO hard to make this another stovetop granola recipe, but it just flopped with the cashew butter. I guess that it KIND of worked, but the traditional oven method definitely is the better option. And toasts it all up evenly without any cashew butter casualties.

I only know this after multiples test runs and tons of tastes. You don’t even want to know how many bowls of granola I made on my blue photo board.

Granola consumption for daysss.

According to my past behavior, I will become sick of this in 4.67 days.

So!

This is a bit of a soft baked granola. Not incredibly soft, but softer than some of my other versions due to the heavy-handed drizzle of cashew butter.

It also has two kinds of oats, tons of flaked coconut and whole roasted cashews. Finishing it off is just a touch of maple syrup – because I find that the cashew butter itself is slightly sweeter than almond or peanut butter – and some coconut oil. It’s my most favorite thing right now out of all the favorite things.

Can I have a cashew milk and cashew butter smoothie with cashew granola on top? Let’s make it a thing.

Cashew Butter Granola

Yield: makes 4 to 5 cups granola

Total Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup quick cook oats
1 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut
1 cup roasted, salted cashews (some chopped, some whole)
3/4 cup cashew butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut and cashews.

In a saucepan, stir together the cashew butter, coconut oil and syrup. Heat over low heat until warm and the coconut oil is melted.

Pour the cashew butter mixture into the oats and stir well, tossing to coat until evenly dispersed. I like to mix it with my hands to really make every piece wet with the cashew butter.

Spread evenly on the baking sheet in one layer. Bake for 15 minutes, toss and then bake for 15 minutes more. Toss again, then bake for about 15 to 20 more minutes, stirring every 3 minutes or so until the mixture is golden.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for about an hour. After the hour the granola should be hardened - this is when you can break it into clumps and pieces. Eat as desired. Store in an airtight container - this stays good for a week or two!

this is my summer, right up there.