Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 75

Currently Crushing On.

Hello weekend!

This week on the blog I shared this delicious kale steak salad! I also shared this grapefruit snack cake, a bunch of my favorite seafood recipes for lent and a blackened fish sandwich with avocado tartar.

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

Chocolate truffle cupcakes!! Whoa.

This shrimp and corn chowder is necessary.

Winter panzanella! It’s gorgeous.

These persian love cookies are beautiful too.

Roasted garlic parmesan dressing looks amazing.

Love the sound of raspberry brownies.

Peanut butter oatmeal bars forever.

Love lobster mac and cheese!

Air fryer salmon bites. Need these.

Best sheet pan nachos are a game changer.

Warm black bean dip. Yum.

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Blackened Fish Sandwiches with Avocado Tartar Sauce.

These blackened fish sandwiches are super easy and delicious! Served on buttery brioche buns with creamy avocado tartar sauce, this is the ultimate simple weeknight fish sandwich. So flavorful and a huge crowd pleaser!

I love fish sandwich season.

These blackened fish sandwiches are thrown together in just a few minutes! Fresh fish is covered in spices and seared until flaky, then served on a buttery bun with lots of avocado tartar sauce.

LOVE it.

I look forward to Fridays in lent so much. We have the most delicious fish sandwiches around us and while they aren’t something I crave or care for any of time of year… I always get excited for them during lent! 

Sometimes I make my own too.

These blackened fish sandwiches are so easy to make. And they are absolutely delicious!

I use my classic blackening season which is very easy to throw together. Then I cook them in a skillet until they are flaky and buttery inside. 

SIMPLE.

Like, so so easy. 

I also make a wonderful avocado tartar sauce. Think the best tartar sauce but with creamy avocado blended into it. It’s refreshing, flavorful and filling. 

And it works WONDERS on the sandwich.

Really, it actually makes the sandwich! The cooling, tangy tartar sauce is the perfect complement to the spicy crusted fish. The blackened crust has SO much going on – lots of flavor, texture, some heat – and it really needs something to cool it off. 

To make the blackening seasoning at home, you need smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Given my adoration for smoked paprika, this is right up my alley.

The end result is a super smoky, seasoned well and slightly spicy coating.

I like to use cod for this. It’s incredibly flaky and foolproof. However, I’ve used it on salmon, shrimp and even halibut. I’ve also used it on chicken! So it will work on just about any protein. 

For the fish sandwiches, I think cod is the best. It’s affordable and easy to find. And it cooks so quickly right in a skillet. No oven necessary. 

I whip up the avocado tartar sauce while the fish cooks. This is incredibly easy. Mayo, dill pickles, sweet relish, a touch of lemon juice, fresh dill and avocado. Dreamy!  (more…)

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45 Of My Favorite Seafood Recipes For Lent!

30 incredible seafood recipes that are perfect for the lenten season. These lent recipes include salmon, shrimp, fish sandwiches, tacos, pizza, chowder, grits and more!

Today I’m sharing a bunch of my favorite seafood recipes for lent!

I’ve compiled some of my favorite seafood dishes here for those of you who observe the lenten season.

While these days, I almost always will opt for a meatless meal itself over fish specifically, I have to say that man oh man and I looking forward to a great fish sandwich this weekend. We hit up many local places that have incredible fish frys and it’s a highlight of the season.

In case you are cooking at home on Fridays, here are a ton of my favorites – the best of the best.

This list is fairly salmon and shrimp heavy because those are the most frequent forms of seafood that we eat. However, many of the dishes can also be prepared with a white fish like cod or even halibut. Love them all!

And if you’d simply prefer a meatless dish, here are some of my favorites.

45 Lent Recipes

(more…)

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Greek Yogurt Grapefruit Snack Cake.

This grapefruit snack cake is so tender and delicious! Made with greek yogurt, fresh grapefruit zest and a drizzly glaze, it’s the perfect afternoon snack, dinnertime dessert or teatime treat.

I’ve got a Valentine’s treat for you today!

This super easy snack cake is made with fresh grapefruit zest and a zingy grapefruit glaze. It’s a lovely little afternoon snack or even a fun little breakfast. 

We call it snack cake for a reason, after all. Have it whenever you need a snack! 

To me, snack cakes reference a cake that is baked in a square pan, doesn’t have frosting but might have a glaze and often is fruity in nature. Think apple! Lemon! Orange!

And now… grapefruit. 

Citrus season forever, please. 

I have loved grapefruit for as long as I can remember. Which is odd, since it can be so tangy and sour. But my dad LOVED grapefruit and ate it often when I was a kid. So I’ve always enjoyed eating it.

In fact, I practically crave it. I find it to be very thirst quenching and sometimes just the mere sight of one makes my mouth water.

Truly, I love the flavor so much. I don’t add sugar – I simply eat a grapefruit like a bowl with a serrated spoon. (One of my favorite, very underrated kitchen tools, by the way.) 

So even though I don’t sprinkle sugar on my grapefruit or broil it or anything, I absolutely DO love it in dessert form. I also love it in cocktail form, but that’s neither here nor there. 

Grapefruit is like lavender. Delicious and wonderful and elegant on its own, but go and add some sugar and it’s over. The flavor becomes irresistible. Any time that citrus and sugar come together, you know it’s going to be a fabulous thing. 

This is one of the most tender, moist and delicious citrus cakes I have EVER had. The crumb is so perfect. The glaze is drizzled on the top and sinks into the cake in the most dreamy way.

It reminds me a lot of my aperol spritz cake, which is also fabulous! 

The cake actually tastes juicy, in a really good grapefruit kind-of-way. Adore it! (more…)

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Tuesday Things.

1. Broke down and made a candy salad which is just a bowl of… gummy candy! Fun for Valentines.

2. The most beautiful persian love cake!

3. Jordan accidentally ate a jalapeño from a plate of nachos. I realized it once it was too late. He was confused, but didn’t… hate it.

4. Where to subtract in your life.

5. TV things!! I watched One Day. Ugh. I was not super into it at first. It didn’t seem like there was a lot of chemistry to me? THEN, I did get in to it. THEN, it ended. Oh no. Tell me if you watched it.

6. Favorite super bowl commercials? Mine was definitely the Ben Affleck/dunkin’ one!

7. How to do the hurkle durkle. (p.s. I hate staying in bed!)

8. I want to try one of those wet vacuum/mop combos. Any recs?

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Chimichurri Kale Steak Salad with Manchego Crisp Croutons.

This kale steak salad is absolutely delicious! Creamy chimichurri dressing, crispy manchego cheese, tangy green olives and juicy steak over tuscan kale. Feels extra special and fancy!

Valentine’s dinner, coming right up!

I love sharing a delish steak meal for the Valentine holiday and this year is no exception. I sear filet and serve it over creamy chimichurri massaged kale, complete with thinly sliced red onion, castelvetrano olives and manchego cheese crisps.

Holy cow, it is SO DELICIOUS. 

There is a ton of texture in this salad. Tons and tons of flavor. Loads of satisfying goodness, crunch, and a big chimichurri drizzle to finish it all off. 

Sounds completely dreamy right?!

Here’s the thing:

It’s a tad high-maintenance.

I start by making a batch of my chimichurri. I use some of it to make a creamy dressing, which is outstanding. Mix some of it into plain greek yogurt. You can use it as a dressing, dip or spread.

I use the creamy dressing to massage the shredded kale. The flavor is perfect! 

To the kale salad, I add some tangy olives. I live for olives! I have loved them since I was a baby – my mom still talks about how I loved eating them off my fingers. And I also add some sliced red onion for a punchy kick.

It’s a simple salad base, but it has everything the salad needs. 

Because here’s the thing: we’re also making manchego cheese crisps. Remember when I first shared these in my homemade spaghettios? Finely shredded manchego cheese gets piled on a baking sheet and thrown in the oven for a few minutes.

The result is this paper thin crisp of cheese – so savory and delightful – which is also crunchy enough to mimic a crouton.  (more…)

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A Week In The Life, Vol 7.

What a week!!

We had such a beautiful weather week! It was so warm(ish) and sunny.

We eat a lot of oranges. Ha.

Warm enough for park snacks!

This babyyyyyy!

Oh my gosh. Look at this sourdough focaccia dough!

Okay, a ton of you asked about sourdough in my last post. This is what I’ve done this time around to be very successful! I made a new starter. Into a jar, I combined 15g organic rye flour, 45 grams organic bread flour and 60 grams room temp water. I mixed it together and then for the first week, I fed the started once a day. Starting the second week, I fed the starter every 12 hours, so twice a day. I do this around 7am and 7pm!

This has made my starter super strong. I didn’t try to bake with it at all the first few weeks. I probably gave it four or five weeks before trying to bake.

Also, I got this home for my starter, which has been a game charger, because I like to keep our house cold. I also use these proofing mats, which have been another game changer for the same reason.

Now, I bake stuff almost every day. I use this recipe for sandwich bread. I’ve tried a few others and I love this one the most.

I use this recipe for pizza dough. It’s the best I’ve ever found. I also use her recipe for english muffins! I’ve been making them once a week.

I still feed the starter twice a day, with 15g rye and 45g organic bread flour. When I make a leaven, I use all organic bread flour, as that is what I bake with too.

Let me know if this helps!!

My little diggers!

Tuesday nights we have hockey and skating late, Jordy runs wild.

Neon girl.

This little house was in our basement for years! Since Max was 3. The kids love it.

This weekend, Max had his last basketball game! After, we went to an end of the season party while Eddie took Emilia and Jordan to…

Monster jam!!!

Loved it!

Jordan especially loved it, this was his first time.

Made a lot of fruit plates this weekend for my valentines.

Went to a galentines party saturday night and made these cute little heart caprese skewers!

This morning, Max had a hockey game. He had a HAT TRICK!!! Woohoo!!!

Emilia and I made a candy salad for super bowl party/valentines day. She ADORES gummy candy.

Fun and cute!

I wish I was celebrating valentine’s day all year.

And now, go Taylor!

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This Week’s Menu Plan: 2/11/24.

A delicious week loaded with family favorites!

What’s on your menu this week?!

This Week’s Menu

Chickpea parmesan soup

Weeknight baked turkey tacos

Heart pizza for Valentine’s Day!

Weeknight buffalo chicken sandwiches

Salmon chowder with dill dumplings

Maple smoked sausage sheetpan dinner

White bean tuna salad

Bircher muesli 

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Currently Crushing On.

Happy weekend!

This week on the blog I shared these weeknight buffalo chicken sandwiches. I also shared these bang bang brussels sprouts, a jalapeño blood orange mocktail and this hot honey chili crunch dip!

And here’s my winter reading list if you need some book inspo.

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

Raspberry meringue bars are incredible.

Craving a roasted strawberry smoothie bowl.

Red velvet cookies that look incredible.

And red velvet cheesecake too!

Spicy pork stir fry sounds delicious.

Need this jalapeno popper dip!

White bean soup is a hug in a bowl.

I want to try this scalloped corn.

Hot honey buffalo chicken dip! Yum.

An adorable sweetie martini for the weekend.

Nutella beignets! Wow.

This mexican rice looks perfect.

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Hot Honey Chili Crunch Dip.

This hot honey chili crunch dip is the perfect make-ahead snack! A chilled dip made with hot honey, sharp cheddar, lime, chili crunch and cilantro is the best dip for pretzels, crackers, crudite and more. So easy and delicious!

It’s a weekend meant for cheese!

Super bowl weekend is here and this hot honey chili crunch dip could not be more perfect. It’s cheesy, creamy, a little spicy and fluffy enough to be a dip, spread or stuffed in a grilled cheese.

It’s sure to be a hit of your game day gathering! 

This dip has so many ingredients that I love. Hot honey! Chili crisp! Sharp cheddar! Green onions! Cue all the exclamation points because it’s very delicious and super easy to make. 

It’s also a great dip to make ahead of time. Trust me, it only gets better as it sits. You can make this the night before or the morning of a party and it will be FANTASTIC. 

You can put it in the center of a snack dish piled high with just about anything because absolutely everything dipped in this is pure heaven.

It tastes so good! In these photos, I’m serving it with these red pepper cheddar crackers. 

And you guys know that I don’t love super spicy things, so if I love it… it’s manageable. 

This dip is served chilled and can be compared to the consistency of pimento cheese or my jarlsberg dip. It also reminds me of my chilled queso, which is another fabulous recipe you should make this weekend. 

It’s creamy but also mousse-like, making it the perfect dip for things like pretzel sticks, crackers, and even celery and carrots.  (more…)

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