Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 72

Smoked Sausage Salad with Shredded Cabbage.

This smoked sausage salad is delicious! Refreshing and crunchy cabbage slaw with red onion, red pepper and carrots, drizzled in a perfect vinaigrette. It’s topped with seared smoked sausage rounds for the ultimate flavor pop!

New favorite salad alert!

This smoked sausage salad is made with a shredded cabbage base drizzled in an easy red wine vinegar. Then it’s topped with seared smoked sausage bites for the perfect protein. 

It’s super simple, fast and tastes really good!

Basic and tasty. I love it!

I’m always looking for new and fun ways to enjoy smoked sausage. Our favorite is smoked turkey sausage and I make it the most often. It’s easy and delicious, plus the kids think it tastes like… hot dogs.

They are not wrong! It’s the best. 

It’s like a grown up, elevated hot dog. Sort of. 

At least once a month, I make my smoked sausage and peppers. And in the warmer months, I love these grilled smoked sausage skewers. Soup too! My smoked sausage potato soup is incredibly delicious and cozy. 

All that’s left to do now? A salad. 

Of course.

This salad base is so incredibly crunchy and refreshing. And it’s because we’re shredding EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT!

I use the finer side of a cheese grate and grate it all!

The cabbage. The red pepper, carrots and red onion. 

It’s like a chopped salad, but better! The cabbage is so crisp and crunchy, so hearty. And I love that it doesn’t wilt in an instant when the dressing is drizzled on top. Almost like kale, the cabbage gets better and better as it sits.

Now it can’t be totally drenched in a pool of dressing, but a nice coating of dressing will leave you with great leftovers! Still crunchy, flavorful salad to have the next day. That’s always a win.  (more…)

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Tuesday Things.

1. Daylight saving time makes me so ridiculously happy. The fact that is no longer feels like the day is over by 5PM is a miracle!

2. How on earth are there so many different flavors of peeps?!

3. My go-to snack on the weekends for the kids is to make a giant tray of fruit and veg (maybe a dip too) and set it out multiple times a day. Everyone goes crazy for it. Ridiculously easy too.

4. Make your home into a Nancy Meyers house on a budget. This is my goal forever and ever!

5. TV things!! Just started watching The Traitors! Also can’t wait for Love is Blind this week. Eeeep.

6. What to do when you wake up in the middle of the night. Oh, wait, so I shouldn’t look at my phone for an hour? Weird.

7. The Oscar looks!! Emily Blunt was my fave. Zendaya too!

8. The seven laws of success!

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Irish Cheddar Roasted Cauliflower.

Irish cheddar roasted cauliflower is a satisfying, flavorful dish that is drizzled with chimichurri. Sharp cheddar, golden, tender cauliflower and bright herbs with lots of garlic is the key to any heart!

What’s cheesy and crisp and delicious all over?!

The most wonderful cauliflower you’re ever going to make!

This cauliflower is roasted until golden and tender, covered in melty Irish cheddar cheese and drizzled with chimichurri to finish it off. It’s super flavorful and a fabulous dish to add to your repertoire. 

This is my kind of dish for Saint Patrick’s Day!

It may be a cop out, because I will put Irish cheddar on just about anything. That makes it Irish, right? 

I like to think so. 

This cauliflower is covered in spices (my faves! Smoked paprika and garlic powder)  and roasted. I guess we could call it a cauliflower “steak,” but I have just never loved that. Regardless, I roast a big slab of cauliflower until golden and charred and tender and crunchy along the edges.

Then! Then comes the cheese.

I sprinkle some sharp Irish cheddar cheese all over the cauliflower slabs and throw the pan back into the oven. It only takes a few minutes for that cheese to get super melty and bubbly, because the cauliflower is already hot!

Pro tip: the golden, crunchy stuck-to-the-pan cheese is always the best. 

When it comes out of the oven, I drizzle it with chimichurri. It’s super easy to make while the cauliflower roasts and it’s foolproof. 

I love making chimichurri and have it on hand often. Eddie absolutely LOVES it with chicken and steak – even shrimp. I also stir it into grains like rice, couscous, quinoa and more. It’s a great fridge staple. 

This combo is so incredibly delicious. It’s savory and cheesy. Refreshing and bright from the herbs and vinegar. Slightly tangy with a bite, thanks to the garlic. It’s just really good all around. 

It’s an excellent side dish, but I could easily enjoy this as a main dish with a salad or beans or  something on the side. And it’s satisfying and filling. And because the cauliflower slabs are big and covered in cheese (hello!), it feels like a hearty meal.

Which it is!  (more…)

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A Week In The Life, Vol 11.

Another week!!

With my little leprechauns.

Emilia put this outfit on for theater class and I just had to document it!

The millennial dream… our nugget ice maker finally came in. I put one in our wet bar! We all love it.

Spring picture day for these two!

How is he so old?!

Jordy also started a little toddler 2s class.

Can you even believe he will go to preschool in the fall?!? HOW?!

Wiped out after with snuggles.

Emilia and I made two batches of joy’s dad’s cookies this week!

Baby friend date!

Coffee too.

Marshmallow latte. It was so good.

The kids LOVE to bring all the pillows and blankets into our room on the floor and watch a movie. This is what Jordan did when I was getting ready and the kids were at school! So precious.

Little spa day date while Max was at hockey practice and Jordan napped.

She excels at making cookies now!

Guys! He is getting a REAL HAIR CUT this week.

Last night I saw Grease downtown.

Today we were all SO TIRED from losing an hour of sleep.

The original BFFs.

Jordan’s fave: make a funny face.

Onto a new week!

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What To Eat This Week: 3/10/24.

Last full week of winter!! Let’s do it right!

What’s on your menu this week?!

What To Eat This Week

Fire roasted white bean soup

Smoked sausage skewers and rice

Weeknight BBQ chicken sandwiches

Sticky salmon couscous bowls

Crispy chicken greek salad

Weeknight tortellini skillet

Smoked salmon cottage cheese toast

Dill pickle egg salad

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Currently Crushing On.

Hello hello!

This week on the blog, I shared this easy tortellini minestrone. I also shared this smoked salmon cottage cheese toast, my annual Easter recipe guide, the best recipes for Saint Patrick’s Day and these Irish cream scones!

You can also find a bunch of my Easter favorites right here.

There’s a new weekly menu up 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.

xoxoxo

WHAT I’M LOVING THIS WEEK

Bailey’s chocolate cake! Looks incredible.

Whoa – sheet pan chili!

Taco salad that looks like the best ever.

This no bake raspberry lemon cheesecake sounds amazing.

Lucky charms cookies! It’ time.

Craving these banana nutella muffins.

Sausage breakfast sandwiches FTW.

Mind blow over this lemon baklava pie.

Carrot cake truffles are adorable.

I love a good baked oatmeal.

Cauliflower quiche looks delish.

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Coffee and Irish Cream Scones.

These Irish Cream scones are such a fun Saint Patrick’s Day breakfast or treat! Fluffy, tender scones infused with coffee and Irish cream liqueur, topped with an Irish cream glaze. Yum!

It’s my annual scone!!

These coffee and irish cream scones are deliciously fluffy with all the flavors of Bailey’s irish cream, a touch of coffee and the most wonderful glaze. They are a fun Saint Patrick’s Day treat or an ideal breakfast. 

Even a dessert! 

Eat then whenever, however you’d like. As a treat, with coffee, as part of a brunch spread – the options are endless.

It’s true: every year in March I feel compelled to share the newest scone recipe in our house. Which is WILD because I didn’t even like scones until fairly recently! I will spare you my long winded, tired story of how I had dry scones as a child. Didn’t we all?

Now scones are better than ever. 

This recipe is based on the scones I first shared on my blog well over a decade ago. Feels like a million years! It’s the best recipe ever. They are simple to make, you probably have the ingredients for a classic scone and they don’t take long at all. 

Today, we’re giving things an Irish twist in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day coming soon. I replace the buttermilk in my scones with Irish Cream liqueur. 

Yes. Best idea ever!

I also add a touch of coffee. Just for that traditional latte flavor with an emphasis on the Irish Cream. 

LOVE them. They are so incredibly flavorful and definitely treat-worthy.  (more…)

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20 Recipes For Saint Patrick’s Day.

These are the best of the best St Patrick’s Day recipes from soda bread with honey butter to guinness pot pie and dark chocolate stout cake! Lots of my favorites here to give you a way to make March 17th extra fun and special.

I’ve got lots of fun St Patrick’s Day recipes for you today!

Even though my family is Irish, we never really celebrated St Patrick’s Day with a special meal when I was growing up. It wasn’t until I started developing recipes consistently that I made something “special” every March – and then when the kids came along, I really started to celebrate the day. It’s so fun to celebrate any micro holiday with them and they love it!

This year I’m considering going as far as dying the milk green and leaving some leprechaun footprints around the house.

Below you’ll find lots of my favorite snack, dinner and dessert ideas for March 17th! I love making something festive for dinner and maybe a treat that is extra fun. The kids love it too! It’s a little sliver of joy in the month of March.

Are you going to make anything? Irish cream tiramisu my guinness short ribs are on the list!

20 St Patrick’s Day Recipes

Milk Chocolate Soda Bread with Salted Honey Butter (more…)

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2024 Easter Recipe Guide! 50 Of the Best Easter Recipes!

Today I’m sharing the best of the best easter recipes with 50 of my favorite dishes for the holiday. Appetizers and snacks, brunch and dinner, finished off with cocktails and dessert!

Time to put together a fabulous menu for the holiday!

And I still have a lot of great Easter recipes coming to you in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, figured you could get the ball rolling with your menu.

The dishes at Easter are not my favorite – I’m not a huge fan of ham. So because of that, over the years I’ve come up with tons of delish plates that I DO love at Easter. Whether it’s brunch, dinner, dessert- I’ve got you covered!

P.S. While you’re at it, you can dye eggs with cool whip and they will look like tie dye unicorn eggs. Fun!

Are you an Easter brunch or dinner person? I’m kind of… both. And chocolate peanut butter eggs, always.

50 of the Best Easter Recipes

(more…)

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Smoked Salmon Cottage Cheese Toast.

This smoked salmon cottage cheese toast is my favorite breakfast! Toasty sourdough, cottage cheese, hot honey, everything bagel seasoning, smoked salmon and pickled onions make up this incredibly satisfying, crunchy and delicious dish.

My ideal breakfast is here for you today.

Crunchy, toasted sourdough bread, topped with cottage cheese, hot honey, everything bagel seasoning, smoked salmon, pickled onions and lots of peppery arugula.

It’s kind of like a salad on a piece of toast. And I am here for it! 

I’m spilling all the secrets today… because this toast is what I eat almost every day. A version of it, at least. 

Okay, so you may remember a few years ago when I fell in love with the combo of cottage cheese on sourdough toast, topped with honey and chili crunch?

I LOVE this breakfast. And not only for breakfast. A snack. Even dinner – it is so delicious. And it checks all the boxes. 

Super satisfying, savory and sweet, lots of texture. 

Totally my kind of meal. 

This meal is almost exclusively what got me into loving cottage cheese. 

I had started to enjoy it a few years ago, but then when I started putting it on toast? Game over for me. Obsessed. Had to have a few containers in my fridge at all times.

P.S. it also helped that I discovered good culture cottage cheese at this time. It’s seriously the BEST (not sponsored, ha!) and the only one I will buy. It’s also probably Jordan’s favorite food, eaten completely plain, because their cottage cheese is top notch. 

These days, I ADORE cottage cheese. I will happily eat it in a savory or sweet manner. Though if I had to choose, I’d pick savory. 

This is how I make it! 

First, I toast sourdough bread and we all know I like it TOASTED. None of that warm bread, no thank you. I want it to be one shade away from burnt. 

Next, I top the toast with a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese. I sprinkle on some everything bagel seasoning. If I don’t use the everything season, I will use sea salt or something similar. Any seasoning I love!

I also do a drizzle of hot honey right here. Just a little one! Because I can’t stop with the savory + sweet combo. 

Then, a handful of arugula. I don’t dress this or anything – the cottage cheese and hot honey are enough to make it taste incredible. 

Next, some slices of smoked salmon. Maybe another little sprinkle of everything seasoning. 

Finally, a few pickled onions! 

Of course, you can add anything else on there that you love. Some dill. A spritz of lemon. Cucumbers even! Maybe a slice of tomato.. 

Make it your own.  (more…)

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