Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 55

Summer Fridays, Vol 10.

Happiest summer fridays to you!

EATING

My summer pool sliders. And blue cheese BLTs! And my grilled chicken avocado sandwiches.

DRINKING

My whipped coconut cream cold brew! And frozen gin and tonics.

MAKING

My triple berry crunch salad. And my bircher muesli for breakfast! And these greek chicken lettuce cups with avocado tzatziki.

BAKING

My peach cobbler granola! And these sun dried tomato scones.

GRILLING

My grilled zucchini corn orzo salad. And my smoky grilled chicken pitas.

CRAVING

The best green bean salad ever. And my chili lime watermelon. It’s too hot!

LISTENING

To this slow summer mornings playlist. It’s the best way to wake up and get the mornings going.

READING

The Ex Vows. OMG it’s so good. Full summer reading list is HERE!

WEARING

Not only have I been living in my la blanca suit all week (the navy is amazing), but the pareo wrap skirt is just as good! I also still love my andie malibu suit so much.

LOVING

This snack box takes gold for our vacation this week. It was great for us all through baseball season, but I packed it up everyday this week and the kids went wild. I almost need a second one! I’d like to have one for all salty snacks and one for fruit and cheese. It is the best!

SHARING

These collapsible buckets, magnetic alphabet puzzle and hypochlorous acid spray also got us through the week!

SHOPPING

It’s the last few days of the nordstrom sale! Lots of my favorite things are still in stock, like the air essentials sweatshirt, the ponte pants, my favorite slippers, this packable rain jacket (I got it and love!), the vionic boots, the bader cream that I can’t live without, the osea body balm, my favorite flat iron and the kids’ nike sneakers.

TRAVELING

We’re headed home from vacation this week which is sad, but I also look at it as a time to reset! I love the rest of the year so much. Loving this on how to make the sunday scaries of vacation less stressful.

PREPARING

Like I mentioned, I LOVE this time of year. I am so, so sad for the kids to go back to school. It’s not for a few more weeks, but we are gearing up and getting ready with my back to school list. However, this has been the BEST summer ever. Seriously, I have just leaned in to giving the kids the best possible summer they can have and we have had a blast. I wanted to make sure they had a wonderful summer with lots of fun activities and days we would remember. It’s been amazing!

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15 Summer Dinners I Make When I Don’t Feel Like Cooking.

Sharing 15 of my favorite summer dinner recipes I make when I don’t feel like cooking! Quick and easy meals that everyone loves – ones that are perfect to make when it’s super hot outside.

My favorite summer dinner recipes are here!

There are many more nights in the summer where I just don’t feel like cooking dinner. Like at all.

Mostly because it’s hot, we’ve been out and about all day, it’s a million degrees, the heat has zapped our appetites and… it’s hot. Did I mention it’s hot? The sun can be draining and before I know it, it’s 5PM and we’re all starving and need something quick on the table.

Regardless of if I want to cook or not, corn and tomatoes are ALWAYS a staple here in the summer! Sometimes I make them fancy, sometimes not. Some of the recipes below don’t require any cooking and some come together fast – think summer comfort food that we all love. These are some of the oldie but goodie recipes on the blog!

Would love to hear your favorite summer dinner recipes below!

15 Favorite Summer Dinner Recipes

20 minute Summer Squash Pasta

This is one of my favorites – every time of year! It has so much flavor and crunch. While it does require actual cooking, it comes together so super quickly. It’s a wonderful quick summer pasta and leftovers taste great too.

Summer Chickpea Salad

I’ve rambled about this salad forever but it’s just SO good. It’s a great meal prep salad to have in the fridge, and makes any meal come together quickly. If you haven’t prepped it ahead of time, it doesn’t requite any cooking. I love to eat this with toasted sourdough or even thrown on a bed of lettuce. Or in a pita!

Stone Fruit Caprese with Basil Vinaigrette 

Any and all forms of caprese salad are a serious go-to in this house, especially once our tomatoes are peaked. Adding stone fruit to this gives it a fancy boost and uses up more seasonal produce too. The basil vinaigrette is something you can make a day ahead of time too.

Grilled Corn, Tomato Avocado Salad with Chimichurri

There is nothing better than corn, tomatoes and avocado! Throw the corn on the grill and then toss these delish ingredients together. I love them drizzled with chimichurri but truly you could use any dressing you love here.

Blueberry Summer Salad with Creamy Balsamic

My blueberry salad is perfection. The almonds take a few minutes to make, but since it’s the only part of the salad that requires cooking, you can do it! Or just use some toasted sliced almonds instead. The creamy balsamic is a delish dressing to prep ahead for the week. (more…)

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Summer Squash & Pesto Couscous Salad.

This summer squash couscous salad is the epitome of summer! Tender couscous tossed with basil pesto, melted zucchini, feta cheese, pistachios and fresh herbs is the way to go. It’s an amazing side dish or summer salad!

Going green today!

This summer couscous salad is dreamy! Filled with couscous and pesto, summer squash and zucchini, and loaded with crunchy pistachios, feta cheese and lots of fresh herbs… it’s the side your dinner needs tonight.

It’s no secret that I LOVE couscous salads. It’s definitely my favorite grain (errr, pasta) to make and I will add just about anything. Fruit! Vegetables! Everything! 

One of my favorite recipes ever is this brown butter summer squash pasta. I’ve been making a version of that but with couscous, pesto, summer squash and zucchini.

And I’m here to tell you about it!

There are so many options for this dish! It can be a main dish, a side dish, a potluck/BBQ dish – pretty much anything you want it to be.

It’s a great thing to make if you find yourself with leftover couscous or leftover pesto. That’s when I make it the most.

Because there are a few moving parts in this recipe, I like to make it when I have something leftover. I use ingredients from other meals throughout the week to make magic here, and of course it’s delicious. 

It doesn’t always have to be that way though! You can easily make some pesto, boil some couscous, cook down some squash and chop some nuts. This combination is wonderful after all.  (more…)

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Tuesday Things.

1. My SIL makes the most gorgeous snack plates. Smoked whitefish dip is my love language.

2. Blueberry banana bread is stunning!

3. New obsession: sourdough + cottage cheese + sliced tomatoes + hot honey + everything seasoning. Wow.

4. I LOVE this: the power of saying no. I’ve changed so much of my life the last year to embrace what I love the most and it’s amazing.

5. TV things!! Okay so all we’ve been watching is the Olympics! of course. I am LOVING the sparkly women’s gymnastics outfits. Obsessed with all of them. And last night we watched the men – incredible!

6. Also, how did I not know that surfing is an olympic sport?! That’s amazing.

7. Probably need to make the ralph lauren team USA cocktail!

8. We are having the best summer ever but it.is.hot. Don’t kill me, I’m ready for October temps. I could live in Alaska.

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Grilled Peaches with Burrata and Pistachio Herb Vinaigrette.

We love these grilled peaches with burrata cheese! Smoky grilled peaches, topped with creamy burrata cheese and a minty, herby pistachio vinaigrette. Perfect to serve as a salad, appetizer, with a BBQ or for dessert!

It’s a new week and time to grill your peaches!

These grilled peaches topped with burrata and a summer herb dressing are my new favorite thing. Until my next favorite thing comes along! 

Grilled peaches are a staple for us in the summer. Often, I only get a few peaches and I have to figure out what I want to do with them! Eat them straight, throw them in yogurt (my breakfast daily), put them on pizza, make them into cobbler or grill them for fun. 

The options are endless but the good peaches are not! They end. Quickly! 

So, I’m here to make the case for why you should grill your peaches and top them with cheese. And tangy garden herbs. 

This is SUCH a fun summer recipe to make. I love it to serve with dinner, but it could also be a somewhat savory dessert. It could also be your salad!

Yes, you heard me right. I’m not crazy. This peach topped with cheese and herbs could be the starter to your summer sunday night dinner. No one would complain! 

This is what we’ve got going on:

Grilled peaches! Straight up sliced, pitted and thrown right on the grill. Maybe with a pinch of salt. 

Fresh burrata cheese. It’s so creamy and delicious!

A minty herby pistachio vinaigrette that is outstanding. Think chimichurri, but made with tons of fresh mint and cilantro. It’s so fresh and bright and adds such elevation to any dish. And it’s crunchy! 

Yes, the vinaigrette is more like the consistency of traditional chimichurri than it is of a vinaigrette. It doesn’t make a ton, but it makes enough to drizzle. The perfect amount. Plus, pistachios are my love language. 

There are three different components to this dish but they come together quickly. And while I really love the herby dressing when it’s fresh, you can make it a few hours before and it’s fab.  (more…)

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A Week In The Life, Vol 31.

Hello from our favorite place!!

But first, last week.

Kids had a few playdates and I always have tons of snacks out.

A spray bottle buys me hours.

Dentist for everyone!

Then we roadtrip!

Halfway point stop at university of michigan.

And we made it!

Verrrry excited.

This is my favorite place on earth!

If you’re new here, we’ve gone to boyne city, michigan my entire life because my great grandparents were from here.

First stop, ice cream.

Then sunset.

I always forget how late the sun sets here!

Early morning dip.

Jordan is in heaven.

Big boy.

Max and Emilia have been able to hang so much later on this trip and it’s so fun.

This is a chilaquiles taco!

Lots of football. And baseball. And swimming.

And fishing!

Have fished on these rocks for 30+ years!

She loves it.

We all love getting to hang with cousins!!

Her bright colors are everything.

My brother, SIL and Eddie all ran a race in Charlevoix.

Cheering section!

Twins.

How is he so big?!

This snack box has been a huge hit.

Have had the most gorgeous weather!

Beach snacks.

Baby Lucy!

Also, duh.

May never leave.

These little adorable lunatics.

Early mornings are my favorite.

Max got some golfing in.

I love this shot.

Morning routines!!

Getting better everyday!

Very proud.

Fun (chaos)!

And we’re here for the rest of the week!

Finished off sunday with lemon sorbetto. Omg.

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What To Eat This Week: 7/28/24.

So many fabulous dishes are on the menu this week!

What’s on your menu this week?!

What To Eat This Week

Summer risotto stuffed peppers

Sweet corn pulled pork pizza

Summer chicken meatballs with zucchini risotto 

Everyday grilled steak salad

Honey butter grilled chicken

Black bean and corn cheddar burgers

Lunchtime chickpea pasta salad

Cheesy breakfast tacos

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Currently Crushing On.

Happy weekend!!

This week on the blog I shared my favorite lunchtime chickpea pasta salad. I also shared these summer chicken meatballs with zucchini risotto, chocolate ricotta ice cream and a new summer fridays post!

There’s a new weekly menu and a peek at a week in our 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

The cutest hummus appetizer!!

Strawberry shortcake ice cream! Yummm.

Need this perfect birria recipe.

Cinnamon coffee cake is always the best.

Have to make red fruit salad!

Peach cobble upside down cake. Wow.

Whoa – fire grilled tomato salsa!

Vanilla ice cream for the win.

What about corn ice cream?!

Cucumber salad of my dreams.

A veggie sandwich I want to eat.

Peanut butter and jam cobbler. The best.

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Summer Fridays, Vol 9.

Here’s a summer fridays from my favorite place! xo

EATING

My pistachio crusted chicken with zucchini ribbon salad! I love this so much. Also, my sourdough with tomatoes. Always. And tomato picnic toast!

DRINKING

My lavender white wine sangria. Perfect.

MAKING

Summer crab nachos on repeat. And my bruschetta pasta salad. It’s fab.

BAKING

The atlantic beach pie bars. Always. These are unreal!

CRAVING

My pesto risotto stuffed peppers. Summer comfort food! Zucchini corn fritters too.

GRILLING

Summer salmon with chimichurri. Everyone adores this. My grilled veg and halloumi skewers too.

LISTENING

The summer beach vibes playlist!

READING

Reading The Ex Vows and loving it! Here’s my giant summer reading list.

WEARING

I am still loving this free people indigo stripe shirt and now it comes in a short sleeve version!!

LOVING

My W&P porter lunch bowls. I’ve used these for years (and love the entire line!) but these are especially good for packing some fruit of pasta salads for the pool and beach. Also, FINALLY got the breville touch espresso machine on prime day and oh my gosh, I adore it. Why did I wait so long?! The flat white – incredible.

SHARING

Road tripping this weekend to my favorite place on earth and some of the things the kids love in the car: these magnetic puzzles, the travel tray for car seats and travel guess who! What I’m loving: the tower 28 SOS spray!

SHOPPING

A lot of my favorite things from the anniversary sale are still in stock!

TRAVELING

My go-to travel bags for vacation are a big longchamp bag (you can fit ALL THE THINGS) and also this cuyana travel tote. I love that it has a zipper. I got my first cuyana bag back in 2014 or 2015 and the quality is impeccable. Packed both of these up for the next week and can fit so much in them!

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No Churn Chocolate Ricotta Ice Cream.

This no churn chocolate ricotta ice cream is super easy to make and delicious. Ultra creamy and rich, this only requires six ingredients and takes minutes to make. Simple, easy and so, so tasty!

It’s the epitome of summer today with chocolate ice cream!

This no churn ricotta ice cream is so chocolatey, so rich and creamy and utterly delightful. You can make a batch every week until the end of summer!

Sounds like a good plan to me. 

Are you team cone or team dish?

I’m almost always team cone, BUT with having little kids, I’ve had to get a dish when we all get ice cream so it doesn’t melt all over me. 

I’d pick a cone every time though if I could.

And I love all cones! I do not discriminate. There is a time and a place for a waffle cone (or bowl!), sugar cone, cake cone – everything. I love ‘em all. 

Also, this makes me want to eat a cone right now. 

Anyway, back to ice cream. And summer! 

So. 

I have a ricotta ice cream recipe that we LOVE. It’s such a good, creamy classic recipe and I love that it’s a blank slate – you can add anything to it!

I took that recipe and added some chocolate – some really high-quality dutch process cocoa for the ultimate flavor punch. 

Think rich, dark chocolate but mixed in with creamy ricotta. It’s almost like a cheesecake or a tart in ice cream form.

At the same time, since it’s JUST chocolate, it’s quite simple and delicious. The ultimate summer perfection.

It’s rare that I would ever choose plain chocolate ice cream, but in this case I’m here for it. Homemade chocolate ice cream is a whole different ball game. 

Pass me the spoon and the quart! 

(more…)

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