Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 53

What To Eat This Week: 8/18/24.

Lots of summer favorites this week!

What’s on your menu this week?!

What To Eat This Week

Summer pesto risotto stuffed pepper

Grilled chicken summer rice bowls

Summer tomato galette

Grilled shrimp lettuce cups

Grilled chicken cherry kale salad

Pimento cheese BLTs

Summer chicken tortellini salad

Peach cobbler granola

The post What To Eat This Week: 8/18/24. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Currently Crushing On.

Happy friday!

This week on the blog, I shared this new grilled chicken cherry kale salad. I also shared these pimento cheese BLTs, 85+ back to school dinner ideas and a new summer fridays post!

There’s a new menu for the week and a new peek inside our everyday life!

You can join The Everyday Dinners cookbook club right here! If you have a copy of the book, request to join the group. If not, get one here!  Ready to start on fall! It is such a wonderful community and an amazing place for recipe ideas.

xoxoxox

WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEK

Banana chocolate chip cookies. Yum!

Need some double decker tacos.

Carne asada that’s perfect every time.

Making lemon blueberry gooey butter cake.

Chocolate chip pancake casserole. My kids would flip.

Delish baked spaghetti!

Pesto potato salad sounds amazing.

Um, s’mores pop tarts!! OMG.

Hearty beef stew looks so good.

A perfect peach caprese.

Hot honey chicken forever!

Fun flavored salt ideas!

Tzatziki is my favorite.

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Summer Fridays, Vol 12.

Hello summer friday! xo

EATING

My chicken meatballs with zucchini risotto. And broccoli shells and cheese! My hot bacon caprese and this crispy prosciutto and charred corn salad.

DRINKING

My brown sugar fig bubby. And this cucumber prosecco spritz. And my lavender iced lattes!

MAKING

My hot honey tomato crostini. The best ricotta meatballs for the freezer! And a batch of peach cobbler granola.

BAKING

This dreamy chocolate zucchini cake. And a batch of almond butter baked oatmeal.

CRAVING

All the figs. Like my goat cheese stuffed figs wrapped in bacon. Also, summer tomato pie. Nothing better.

GRILLING

Grilled cinnamon sugar toast (and more figs!)! This grilled vegetable panzanella. And zucchini ribbon skewers.

LISTENING

To this feel good friday playlist!!

READING

Hoping to start Real Americans this weekend!

SHARING

All the best back to school dinners. 85 of them to be exact. So many of our favorites if you’re looking for easy meals.

WEARING

My favorite rails dress in this amazing print. I’ve had this dress in many colors/fabrics over the last decade and it’s amazing! They also make the best denim shirt. And the long scuba from lululemon in the best green. Also, look at how amazing the madewell studs and suede stuff is!

SHOPPING

The anthro fall stuff is so, so good. The cutest halloween glasses, the bud vases the mini pumpkin candles. And the halloween stuff from my mind’s eye!! I placed an embarrassingly large order, but a few standouts were these adorable houses, the table runner, the placemats, pink witch hat garland and the spooky era bracelets. I love going all out for these holidays for the kids!

LOVING

I’m also dying over all of the MacKenzie Childs pumpkins this year! The pink! purple! blue! champagne! How can I choose?! There are so many incredible colors. I have ton of their halloween decor and it could not be more perfect for the season. Here are some of my favorite halloween pieces. I’m totally breaking out the fall stuff come September 1!

PREPPING

With less than a week to go, we’re still in major back to school mode here. I put together some teacher care packages (there are my favorite thing!) – I put them in a clear pouch and made a list here of what I put them in. Mini skincare and fun things like that. I also worked on a revamp of our teacher’s lounge at school this week! To say I adore our teachers would be an understatement. And finally, we have a few different lunchboxes this year. The kids are PUMPED. This is all my lunch packing gear.

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85 Of Our Favorite Back To School Dinners!

Here are 85 of the best back to school dinners! Whether you’re going back to the classroom or not, these meals can get you back into your routine and make life easier. Easy, 30-minute weeknight meals that the entire family will love. They’re all so good!

I have the best back-to-school recipe guide for you today!

I love the fall season – it always represents the start of a new “year” for me, even before my kids were in school! It’s my favorite time of year and the kids love it too. Feels so good to get back into somewhat of a structured routine – and that means making easy, delicious weeknight meals that everyone loves. Even if you’re not in back-to-school mode where you are, it’s always nice to get back into the swing of things with a bunch of fantastic dinners.

And especially with meals that don’t take all day to make. Below you’ll find a bunch of our favorite dinners; ones I love to throw on our menu plan during the week. If you plan on trying one new thing a week, these recipes below will last you over ONE YEAR!

I’ve shared posts in previous years with the best back to school meals and I reference it constantly for easy weeknight meals. So here’s a little inspo if you’re in back-to-school mode… or if you feel super rejuvenated by the approaching fall season like I do! You can also find me on instagram cooking up all these recipes, step-by-step, just for you!

85 of the best Back to School Dinners

Ranch Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli Couscous (more…)

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Pimento Cheese BLTs.

I live for pimento cheese BLTs! This creamy, cheesy spread is layered on sourdough with crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes and shredded romaine. Delicious and perfect for summer!

It’s the season for perfect BLTs! 

This pimento cheese BLT is a little twist on the classic. That creamy, melty pimento cheese is spread on toasted sourdough before being layered with bacon, tomatoes and crisp romaine lettuce. 

It’s my summer dream sandwich! 

I live for a good BLT in the late summer months. Lunch, dinner, heck – I’d even make one for breakfast. The juxtaposition of the tomatoes and the bacon, now with creamy cheese spread is EVERYTHING. 

Incredible for a texture lover like me. I crave the flavors, the crunch, the summer juiciness. It’s fantastic. 

Now, here’s the thing. NOTHING, and I mean nothing, beats my marinated tomato BLT. A juicy marinated tomato is the ideal BLT maker. 

But! On this sandwich, the marinade made the pimento cheese a little runny and oily. I find that I love a marinated BLT when it’s a traditional, classic version.

Since this one uses a super cheesy dip, no need for the marinade. Just give the tomatoes a very heavy handed sprinkle of seasoning. Top with bacon, More sourdough. And eat! 

Another thing I’ve learned is that I really love shredded lettuce on a BLT. I like it more than whole leaves of lettuce, even if they are velvety butter lettuce leaves. It’s easier to eat. I love shredded lettuce plain, and I love it when it’s tossed in a light vinaigrette or dressing. Can’t beat it!  (more…)

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Tuesday Things.

1. Gin and tonic granita!! um, hello I think I need this.

2. This week’s snack is sharp cheddar stuffed green olives! My fave.

3. Romance novels are good for us!!

4. TV things! Anxiously awaiting Emily In Paris. Also I want the new Simone doc episodes now.

5. We are in such a depression since the Olympics are over! We had such a fun time watching them every night… I can’t wait two more years!

6. 3 simple ways to recharge. I love this.

7. I can’t stop eating the chocolate cherry turtles I got on vacation and this makes me feel old. My grandma loved turtles.

8. See also: whyyy are you rise jeans even back? How are they a thing? I sound like my mother 20 years ago.

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Grilled Chicken Cherry Kale Salad with Rosé Vinaigrette.

This grilled cherry chicken kale salad is so satisfying and delicious! Grilled balsamic chicken, fresh cherries, red onion, goat cheese, pistachios and an amazing rosé vinaigrette. It’s incredible!

Some days I crave a good kale salad.

And today is one of those days! This juicy, smoky grilled chicken is sliced and served over a kale salad massage with rosé vinaigrette, fresh cherries, sliced red onions and goat cheese. 

It’s a satisfying summery salad that tastes really darn good!

That’s all that matters. 

This is a fairly simple and straightforward salad, but made with ingredients that make it taste amazing and go together so well. Flavor, texture, crunch, satiety! 

I use some balsamic for the chicken, use kale since it holds up well, add in some cheese and nuts and tangy, crisp slices of red onion. 

The star of the show are the fresh cherries. I live for fresh cherries this time of year. They are the perfect snack and I love using them in salads and savory dishes. Even the kids get excited for salads and vegetables when cherries are included. 

Plus, they are beautiful little summer gems! 

Let’s talk about this DRESSING!!

A boozy vinaigrette is right up my alley.

I use some rosé to make this vinaigrette and it brings the best summer flavor. Especially if the wine you’re using has notes of melon and peach. 

If you don’t care for rosé or don’t have alcohol in your house, any dressing will work here that you enjoy!

I have so many delicious options for dressings here. I also really like this blue cheese vinaigrette on here, and then you can skip the goat cheese!

First up! I make the dressing. A tiny bit of dry rosé wine is whisked with red wine vinegar. I make this first because I use it to massage the kale.

That’s the important part! Take a few drops of dressing and add it to the big bowl of kale. Massaging the kale is key for salads. Doing this removes the bitterness and takes some of the chew away from the greens. After the massage, I let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes.  

Time to grill the chicken! I like to  marinate it overnight with the balsamic vinegar, but other times I throw it right on the grill after on a few minutes. Balsamic is such a great marinade for that reason – it’s strong and tangy. And I want this chicken perfectly juicy! After grilling, I let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes.  (more…)

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A Week In The Life, Vol 33.

Another week of summer gone by!

The kids start school in less than 10 days. I can’t believe it.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES!!!

Splash camp all last week.

Took a little play date afternoon to urban air.

Emilia loves to climb, Max plays dodgeball the whole time and Jordan jumps!

Emilia and I found this popcorn bowl at target and we were SO EXCITED. She could live on popcorn.

My mom’s pretty window box!

Picking tiny flowers for us.

How we have fun at a rainy cross country practice!!

Mini BFFs.

Early saturday morning run with a cool breeze!! So nice.

Some of my usual tween playdate snacks.

Warm chewy cookies of course too!

Emilia, Jordan and I had a birthday party for her doggy. She’s been doing this since she was 2!

Saturday night we had the most fun surprise party for Lacy, her husband, BIL & SIL. They had no idea!!

Gave Emilia a little back to school hair cut. Four inches gone.

Swim day today!!

Cousin love.

Our summery weekends are coming to a close and I am so sad. Hard to believe!

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What To Eat This Week: 8/11/24.

Best of August coming in hot!

What’s on your menu this week!?

What To Eat This Week

Summer mushroom pizza with herby vinaigrette

Honey chipotle shrimp tacos

Garlicky burst tomato pasta with chickpeas

Pesto bucatini pie

Crispy potato taco bowls

Honey mustard chicken skewers

Baja grain bowls

Salted maple granola

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Currently Crushing On.

Hi and happy weekend!

This week on the blog I shared this summer mushroom pizza with pistachio vinaigrette. I also shared these honey mustard chicken skewers, a pistachio blueberry galette and a new summer fridays post!

Here’s everything I read in July!

There’s a new menu for the week and a new peek inside our everyday life!

You can join The Everyday Dinners cookbook club right here! If you have a copy of the book, request to join the group. If not, get one here!  Ready to start on fall! It is such a wonderful community and an amazing place for recipe ideas.

xoxoxox

WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEK

Baked apple cider donuts. I’m ready!

Perfect cream cheese pound cake.

Microwave poached eggs! I have to try.

Craving this blueberry cheesecake galette. Delish.

Love this bourbon peach cocktail.

Horchata is also calling my name.

And an oatmeal cookie shot! What!

Peach cobbler dessert pizza. Mind = blown.

Time to make bread and butter pickles!

Caramel apple bundt cake sounds so good.

This green goddess tomato sandwich. YES.

BBQ chicken salad looks fab.

Yay for blueberry limeade!

Grilled zucchini salad is wonderful.

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