This rainbow citrus salad is so crunchy, full of delicious texture and flavor! Blood oranges, red cabbage, spinach, avocado and a sesame vinaigrette bring this all together to create the most vibrant, beautiful bowl.

Nothing can beat the winter blues like this vibrant crunchy salad.

This beauty is so loaded with flavor that you won’t believe it. Serve it as a main dish or your side – heck, serve it at a party! It’s pretty to look at and delicious to eat so it checks allll the boxes. Top it with your favorite protein if you wish. It’s amazing! 

I mean, just look at these stunning ingredients?! They are incredible on their own but when topped with the sesame vinaigrette… wowza. You won’t believe it. It will be in the rotation stat!

This salad is a copycat of the Miami salad from Kaya. They have the BEST salads – so vibrant and plentiful with lots of fruit and vegetables. And crunch! You may remember a few years ago when I recreated their spicy rainbow salad. Oh my gosh – that one is just so, so good.

And this is no different! Their Miami salad has a base of red cabbage, sliced into super thin strips. While this is never something I would even consider starting a salad with, it works. I promise. 

The red cabbage strips are SO crunchy. They have super crisp and crunchy texture, but when marinated in the sesame vinaigrette for a few minutes, the coarseness breaks down and they become perfect for salad. Kind of like how kale does. It’s great! 

Kaya uses regular oranges for their salad but since we’re in the height of citrus season, I had to go with blood oranges. They are so beautiful and wonderfully sweet. 

This is everything that’s going into our rainbow citrus salad for extra crunch and flavor:

• Thinly sliced red cabbage
• A few handfuls of baby spinach and/or arugula 
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chopped cucumber
• Blood oranges
• Avocado
• Sliced jalapeno peppers
• Goat cheese
• Roasted, salted pepitas
• Sesame seeds
• And a sesame vinaigrette! 

The spinach and arugula bulks up the salad nicely. It really adds some satiety to it as well as a little more crunch.

The tomatoes, cucumber and oranges are a given. Chop them however you wish and toss them in! Same with the avocado. Slices or chunks, you can’t go wrong.

Bloood orange are my favorite, but navel oranges, cara cara or even pre segmented mandarin slices would also work in a pinch. 

The jalapeno peppers are optional. I am someone who doesn’t love heat but I like to keep these in there. I suggest going with the round slices because then you can really see them and they are easy to avoid!  (more…)

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We had a big week!

Starting with this little babe who turned 7 months. HOW?!

He and Max are obsessed with each other.

He’s such a little fluffball!

And these two and pretty darn sweet too.

This week we finally moved Jordan into his own room. UGH!! It killed me. Can’t he just sleep in the crib next to me forever? It was so hard and breaks my heart, especially as the last baby.

He still needs a quick little 4th cat nap in the evening so if I can, I let him snuggle me so he doesn’t sleep too much before bed. I want to hold him to sleep every minute of the day.

Emilia is obsessed with making french toast. Except she calls it “cinnamon french toast crunch.”

Then he turned 7 months!

I don’t know how it’s possible.

Avocado toast made it into the favorites.

Apologies. I think messy kid eating pictures are really gross (when it’s not your kid) but I had to document because he loved it so much.

This was our favorite of the week!! It’s buffalo chicken sausage and it’s AMAZING. It’s from Well Seasoned which is where Lacy’s husband works. They have these incredible custom boxes of seasoned meats at really good prices and we’re obsessed. This buffalo chicken sausage is wonderful, we love the sous vide steaks (they just need seared and are really high quality), the wings, pork tenderloin and cilantro lime chicken. It’s all really good.

He gave me a code for you to use – code HSE25 at checkout will get you 25% off any custom box!! Let me know if you try it!

Emilia and I made muffins Thursday morning for Max and Eddie to take to a hockey tournament over the weekend.

If you haven’t made the pumpkin muffins yet, YOU MUST!

My little drool baby.

He loves a bubble bath.

She still loves to dress up!

Made another batch of banana bread too. Also the best. I am biased.

Emilia pulls up a chair and sits and plays with Jordan in this jumper. It is so cute.

Max’s hockey bag is bigger than him!! Him being away at this tournament has gutted me this weekend. It’s been so hard. I have left him before but he has never left me! I wish we could have gone but it would have been so hard with Jordan. I miss him so much. I know it’s good for him and he and Eddie are having a blast but oh my gosh… MY HEART.

Made my white pizza again! Apparently this was a week of making many of my recent recipes.

Emilia and I made fresh juice for a playdate. I can’t live without this smeg juicer in the winter, and we aren’t even big juice people. It’s just so incredible.

We also made blueberry muffins since the boy took the pumpkin on their trip!

And then it started snowing! We’re currently sitting with 6ish inches or so… and it’s fun!

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Love a good winter meal plan!

This week we have a perfect seasonal salad, chicken pitas and cozy soup!

What’s on your menu this week?!

What To Eat This Week

Roasted carrot coconut soup! Make some toasted sourdough and this is comforting and satisfying.

Make these crispy baked shiitake quesadillas for taco tuesday!

Next up: pork milanese! Oh my gosh it is SO good. The arugula salad is crave-worthy.

The best citrus salmon avocado salad for the season! Everything is so fresh.

Chicken meatball pitas are everyone’s favorite!

Finally, a winter brussels bowl with toasted farro. This is SO satisfying and good.

For breakfasts, I’m going with my salted maple granola. YUM.

And for lunches – my smashed chickpea salad! Love it.

The post What To Eat This Week: 1/16/22. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Happy saturday!

This week on the blog I shared this winter brussels sprouts bowl that is so wonderful. I also shared this easy parmesan chickpea soup, a bunch of my favorite blood orange recipes and easy weeknight white pizza.

You can find a new weekly menu here along with a week in our life!

Also! You can order your copy of Everyday Dinners now! It is on MAJOR sale at the moment. Go ahead and grab a few books for gifts, because I have no clue how long that price will last! Once you have your book, be sure to join the Everyday Dinners Cookbook Club too. It’s been going strong since The Pretty Dish came out in 2018 and it’s super fun! I am LOVING seeing all of your creations on instagram and in our cookbook club. Join now so you can enjoy the challenges and giveaways! New challenge just started last week.

Have a lovely weekend! xo

What I’m Loving This Week

(more…)

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This is the easiest white pizza recipe! Puff pastry gives it a super flaky, delicious crust and it’s so simple. Garlicky, cheesy and topped with sliced tomatoes, this is so delish to throw together after a busy day.

Raise your hand if you love white pizza!

I know it’s technically not a weeknight today BUT! I wanted to have this all lined up for you in case you wanted to add it to your meal plan for next week. Or just have something SO easy and delicious to throw together over the weekend.

I’ve made many white pizzas on the blog before but this one comes close to our all-time favorite. Which is hilarious because it’s embarrassingly easy. It doesn’t even use real pizza dough!

And I clearly have a white pizza obsession, considering that I’ve done white pizza dip and white pizza pull-apart bread and white pizza lasagna. It has been a staple of pizza night in my family since I was a kid, so the flavors are nostalgic and comforting. And delicious! 

I based this on my family’s favorite white pizza EVER. We’re talking a white pizza that has been everyone’s favorite for 30 years, maybe? A super long time. 

The crust is very flaky and pastry-like. It’s actually the reason that I first started using puff pastry as a cheaters pizza crust over a decade ago. Puff pastry is really the only way to easily mimic a flaky pizza crust, plus it tastes fantastic. Of course. 

And I think we all know how much I adore it! (Everyday Dinners may have six recipes with puff pastry… oops!)

The white pizza that I’m referencing is fairly garlicky. If that kind of thing bothers you, just use less! It’s such a simple pizza too. Everyone LOVES it. 

This is what you need for the weeknight white pizza: 

• Puff pastry! I sound like a broken record since it is so frequently talked about here on the blog, but it’s super versatile. My favorite brand is the Wewalka puff pastry. The Wewalka one has no perforations and is just one large sheet. I absolutely LOVE it. And I find that it works best when you want to use puff pastry as a sheet, as opposed to cut outs, etc. 
• I do a quick little garlic oil. Just olive oil and garlic, plus a pinch of crushed red pepper if you like it. Just a pinch. We’re not looking for heat here! 
• Slice tomatoes, which we salt to remove a bit of the moisture. We don’t want them all wet on the puff pastry. And since we do this, they don’t have to be garden fresh or anything. You could get away with some of those less-than-ideal tomatoes from the grocery store in the winter. Because we’re salting and baking them! 
• Cheese cheese cheese. I like to use a mix. Either freshly grated mozzarella or provolone works. You can use a bag of italian blend cheese. I don’t love bagged shredded cheese because it never melts as nicely as freshly grated, but if you like to use it, I highly suggest Tillamook. They make the best! I also do lots of parmesan too.
• A sprinkle of dried herbs like basil or italian seasoning is great here too.

The downside is that this doesn’t make a ton of pizza for a group. It serves two nicely especially if you have a salad on the side. It serves one if you’ve had A WEEK. It’s best when eaten right after making, but it’s still okay when reheated the next day in the oven. 

I know I have a lot of favorites but I have to say that this is probably in my top ten favorite recipes of all time. It’s easy. And flavorful. It’s just simple and classic and lovely to eat. (more…)

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These blood orange recipes are so perfect for the winter season. You can find breakfast, dessert, easy weeknight dinner ideas, cocktails and mocktails and more!

I live for blood orange season.

I mean, citrus is amazing in general, but blood orange is on another level. And it’s not just because it tends to be hot pink! Though for me, that’s a bonus.

I’m sharing 9 of my favorite recipes below! There’s a little something for everyone – dinner, weekend treats, salad, cocktails and mocktails. Which one would you pick?!

9 Blood Orange Recipes

If you need a weekend treat…

Make this Blood Orange Coffee Cake. I will NEVER get over how good this is. It’s one of our favorite things to have in the winter. (more…)

The post 9 Recipes To Make With Blood Oranges This Season. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

This super simple parmesan chickpea soup is so easy, nourishing, satisfying and comforting. It comes together so fast, only requires a few ingredients, is loaded with spinach and tastes incredible. The parmesan broth is everything. Enjoy!

I’ve got your January hug in a bowl.

This soup is going to become a major staple in your menu plan. Especially this time of year! It is so easy, so satisfying and comes together so quickly. It’s flavorful, loaded with chickpeas, greens, a touch of pasta and lots of parmesan cheese. We’re talking an excellent parmesan broth that you’ll want to use for everything.

This soup tastes like a soup that you know. Kind of familiar. It tastes like comfort food on a cold night. In fact, the dish sort of reminds me of my garlic spinach pasta with chickpeas, but in soup form. And minus the spicyness. It’s simple but hearty at the same time. 

All it takes? Some diced onion and garlic. Chicken or vegetable broth. A parmesan rind, of course! Super cute tiny pasta. I mean, how cute is this? A can of chickpeas, some frozen or fresh spinach, a parmesan sprinkle and a spritz of lemon.

Such good classic ingredients that come together to make something surprisingly delicious. 

It’s not like it’s a total shock how good it is, but the ingredients are rather unassuming. Together, they create soup magic that warms you to your core!

This is an embarrassingly easy soup that is the ultimate comfort food at home. It makes a fairly small batch. It’s so warm and comforting, but more importantly quick and easy. Which I realize usually doesn’t apply to soup, at least not in a good way.

But this works. The parmesan broth is incredible. The broth reminds me of wedding soup, all that good broth showered in melty parmesan cheese. YUM. 

Here’s how I make the soup!

• It all starts with some olive oil, onion and garlic. I like to add layers of flavor, starting at the base of course. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper here along with a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. This doesn’t add heat, but just an element of flavor. 
• Next, throw the can of chickpeas in! Stir in the broth too. And don’t forget the most important part, that darn parmesan rind. 
• Bring that to a boil then add in your pasta. You want a super tiny cut of pasta here, like ditalini. You could even use orzo. I’m using this farfallini which may just be the cutest thing ever. Right?! I mean, mini bow ties are adorable. 
• Finally, stir in your spinach right before serving. I actually love using frozen spinach here because it’s usually already chopped and just so easy. Fresh spinach works too! 
• Taste the broth and add more salt and pepper if needed. Or make parmesan, which can technically be your salt.
• Ladle into a bowl and ENJOY. It’s so cozy and warm and nourishing.

This is a great lunch soup if you work from home, because you can cook it in 20 minutes. Sometimes it’s nice to take a little cooking lunch break to numb your mind from the first half of the day, you know?!

Oh and if you want to prep the soup ahead of time, that’s easy too. Cook the soup without the pasta and cook the pasta separately. Store them separately in the fridge and then add a few spoonfuls of the pasta to the broth for your menu. So simple. 

Don’t skimp on the parm! (more…)

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1. 2022 is starting off soooo slowly for me, like I am having such a hard time getting into the new year this time around. Anyone else?

2. I really want to make this any season dragon sauce. Sounds delicious.

3. Feels like the right time in the new year to ask what your current favorite podcasts are! I always get so many good recommendations in the comments.

4. 11 reminders from your mom if you’re having a bad day. Hoping one day I can give this advice. Ha! Doesn’t feel like it.

5. Really want to commit to doing one of those “one line a day journals.” I’ve tried for years and never stuck with it! I like to think my sunday blog post is… basically that.

6. TV things!! Um, all I can think about is the Dexter finale. First, I can’t even BELIEVE how good the season was ten years later. It was still SO good. And for it to end like it did, I was stunned. Did you watch it?

7. Also – we are obsessed with Encanto! We finally watched it. Can’t stop listening to the soundtrack and we all just sing it all day long. Emilia creates her own dances to the songs.

8. Reading hacks to read more. These are interesting. It’s one of the questions I get asked the most! For me, I just have always loved to read so much that it’s a huge part of my day. I love to escape! I’d pick it over almost anything else.

The post Tuesday Things. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

This brussels sprouts farro bowl is the perfect winter meal. Toasted farro, roasted brussels sprouts with pine nuts and citrus and feta, all drizzled in a delicious vinaigrette!

Oh how I love a good grain bowl in the winter!

This one is loaded with toasted grains, roasty, toasty brussels sprouts, my favorite nuts, a hint of citrus and the most delicious dressing. Farro is one of my go-to winter ingredients and this bowl is perfect to add to your rotation.

I live for dressings, especially all the different vinaigrettes I make. They add so much to roasted vegetables, grain bowls, salads and marinades. Definitely a key secret for making good meals throughout the week.

This farro bowl is a dish that you can easily prep ahead of time for lunches for the week or even a quick and easy dinner. It’s also simple enough that you don’t NEED to prep any of it ahead. Of course, I am always pro-prepping things like grains ahead of time. But I prefer my vegetables freshly roasted. So I may mix it up and do half and half. Either way, it comes together fast. 

There are so many things that I love about this bowl!

Beginning with flavor and crunch.

Here’s how it goes down!

The toasted farro has so much flavor. It is slightly high-maintenance because it has a few steps, but it’s not difficult. I soak the farro, then cook it. Then I add it to a skillet with some olive oil and toast it to maximize the flavor and give it some crispy bits. It’s incredible this way and I would love to eat it like this every time. 

The roasted vegetables are super simple too! I use a big sheet pan and do brussels sprout, red onion and pine nuts. I’m obsessed with pine nuts and can eat them on anything. I love their flavor and crunch. Roasting these together gets them all caramely and toasty. 

Citrus!! We’re in the height of citrus season and it’s just so good. Our family can go through a bag of clementines in mere days, we all love it so much. I used cara cara oranges for this bowl, but you can use any orange you have on hand. It brings the brightest pop to the bowl.

Cheese, of course? I mean I guess it wouldn’t be one of my recipes without a sprinkle of cheese! I like to do crumbled feta here. It’s tangy and crumbles so nicely that you can get a bite in each forkful. You could also do goat cheese or even parmesan. Or leave out the cheese entirely if you wish.

The citrus vinaigrette is dreamy. I like to use both freshly squeezed lemon and orange juices. And I also use dill. I find that when dill is used in a dressing or recipe, it often gives you that “ooooh what is that amazing flavor that I can’t put my finger on?” thought. Makes it really delish. 

It comes together fast and of course you can use it as a clean-out-the-fridge meal! Anything wintery that you have – sweet potatoes, squash, more citrus, even herbs. Make it your own! (more…)

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This week was all about getting back into the swing of things!

We were so insanely sad that holiday break was over. It was so dark in the mornings. It was hard to wake up for school! I was so sad Max was gone all day. Whomp whomp.

I took down all the christmas stuff. I’d love to leave it up until the middle of January but if I do that, it just hangs over me and I can’t accomplish anything else!

Prettiest winter skies.

This delicious drooly baby!

We did some arts and crafts.

I’ve mentioned before that my mom and I have season tickets to the broadway series of show here. It’s something we missed SO MUCH the last two years.

Arancini before… omg.

And we got our first snow of the year!

And yes our christmas lights are still on outside… haha. As are many neighbors!

She couldn’t wait to play in it!

She’s the best.

Then the kids had their annual physicals which were made great with stickers.

I definitely dressed this babe in the same nike outfit that his brother was wearing for basketball.

Movie night in bed is my favorite!!

Annnnd it’s a brand new week!

The post A Week In The Life, Vol 2. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

It’s a new week!

This winter menu is full of comfort food, citrus, salads and more.

What’s on your menu this week?

What To Eat This Week

Start things off with my new buffalo chicken wraps!! They are just SO good. While you’re at it, make some extra chicken for tomorrow…

Use that extra buffalo chicken on top of this emerald kale salad. OMG. This salad is so crunchy and SO good. Other options include using rotisserie chicken or even chickpeas or shrimp. Or just eating it plain with some toasted sourdough!

We love these bolognese stuffed peppers – it’s a ground turkey bolognese and so flavorful and comforting.

Chickpeas and dumplings for the win! This is the ultimate comfort food.

Our go-to everyday grilled steak salad is another huge favorite. You can make it a clean-out-the-fridge meal.

Sheet pan shrimp nachos for the weekend!

The best ever egg salad is on tap for lunch for the week!

And blood orange chia puddings for breakfast!

The post What To Eat This Week: 1/9/21. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Happy new year! It’s the first crushing on post of the season, woohoo! Excited to share all the goods I found on the internet this week.

This week on the blog, I shared my annual list of my favorite healthier dinner ideas. There are over 250 meal ideas which add up to 36 weeks of menu plans! I also shared this incredible emerald kale salad which is a new favorite for us. These hot honey buffalo chicken wraps are incredible (can’t believe how many of you have made them!) and this sour cream banana bread is on repeat for us.

You can find a new weekly menu here along with the first weekly photo diary of 2022!

Finally, here is everything I read in November and December!

Also! You can order your copy of Everyday Dinners now! It is on MAJOR sale at the moment. Go ahead and grab a few books for gifts, because I have no clue how long that price will last! Once you have your book, be sure to join the Everyday Dinners Cookbook Club too. It’s been going strong since The Pretty Dish came out in 2018 and it’s super fun! I am LOVING seeing all of your creations on instagram and in our cookbook club. Join now so you can enjoy the challenges and giveaways! New challenge just started this week.

Have a lovely weekend!

What I’m loving this week

Stuffed shells soup?! I’m sold.

OMG. Pesto carbonara with crispy prosciutto. Yum.

4 ingredient peanut butter cookies forever.

Want to try these angel biscuits.

Cauliflower and sweet potato chowder looks incredible.

This veggie dip sounds so good.

Champagne marinated olives and feta! I love this.

Love these whole wheat crepes.

Everything gruyere crackers! Yes please.

Pretty obsessed with this truffle chip and prosciutto app.

Blueberry cranberry meringue pie is gorgeous.

Here is my favorite chili crisp recipe!

Salted caramel cashew latte is delish.

The post Currently Crushing On. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

This is our favorite banana bread! Sour cream banana bread is made with brown sugar, two bananas, butter and sour cream. I love to top it with chocolate chips for an extra treat!

Oh my gosh, do we LOVE this banana bread.

This is by far our family’s favorite banana bread recipe. We make it constantly – I’d say it’s been in the rotation for nearly two years now. I actually photographed it last year to share and never got around to it. Instead I ended up sharing our favorite banana muffins. And pumpkin muffins! 

When it’s not the holiday season, we love to make a batch of muffins or a banana bread on sundays for the upcoming week. The kids love it for a snack, Max loves to have a little piece in his lunch and it makes me so happy that my kids love to bake. 

I also always wanted to be the mom who have a delicious snack on the counter a few days a week, so here we are. 

Enter our favorite banana bread!

Now yes, I do have a bunch of other banana bread recipes. None as classic as this though. We do love this banana bread with espresso glaze. And this whole wheat coconut banana bread. And this almond butter roasted banana bread! All of them are super delicious.

But this one is more of a simple, traditional banana bread version like my mom still makes. It’s easy and straightforward. Plus, a little chocolate on top makes everything better.

Here’s a few reasons why this banana bread is our favorite.

• It only requires two bananas! Maybe three. Or two and a half. You only need one cup of mashed bananas, so it’s not super banana heavy. It also means you don’t need a whole bunch of bananas in order for this to work!
• The sour cream makes the bread super tender and moist. You can also use plain greek yogurt! I’ve made it probably hundreds of times using both sour cream and greek yogurt. It’s interchangeable! 
• The sprinkle of chocolate chips on top brings the perfect amount of chocolatey sweetness. I like it this way better than sprinkling chocolate chips in the batter. When they are on top like this, it’s almost like you get a chocolate crust on top of the bread. Just make sure they are in a single layer, otherwise they will mostly sink into the center! 
• This is a classic banana bread that isn’t spiced at all. No nuts either. I’m strictly team no nuts in (most) desserts. 

Is this a dessert though? Let’s be real – banana bread is just an excuse to eat cake and dessert for breakfast. And I’m not mad about it.  (more…)

The post Our Favorite Banana Bread. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

This is our favorite banana bread! Sour cream banana bread is made with brown sugar, two bananas, butter and sour cream. I love to top it with chocolate chips for an extra treat!

Oh my gosh, do we LOVE this banana bread.

This is by far our family’s favorite banana bread recipe. We make it constantly – I’d say it’s been in the rotation for nearly two years now. I actually photographed it last year to share and never got around to it. Instead I ended up sharing our favorite banana muffins. And pumpkin muffins! 

When it’s not the holiday season, we love to make a batch of muffins or a banana bread on sundays for the upcoming week. The kids love it for a snack, Max loves to have a little piece in his lunch and it makes me so happy that my kids love to bake. 

I also always wanted to be the mom who have a delicious snack on the counter a few days a week, so here we are. 

Enter our favorite banana bread!

Now yes, I do have a bunch of other banana bread recipes. None as classic as this though. We do love this banana bread with espresso glaze. And this whole wheat coconut banana bread. And this almond butter roasted banana bread! All of them are super delicious.

But this one is more of a simple, traditional banana bread version like my mom still makes. It’s easy and straightforward. Plus, a little chocolate on top makes everything better.

Here’s a few reasons why this banana bread is our favorite.

• It only requires two bananas! Maybe three. Or two and a half. You only need one cup of mashed bananas, so it’s not super banana heavy. It also means you don’t need a whole bunch of bananas in order for this to work!
• The sour cream makes the bread super tender and moist. You can also use plain greek yogurt! I’ve made it probably hundreds of times using both sour cream and greek yogurt. It’s interchangeable! 
• The sprinkle of chocolate chips on top brings the perfect amount of chocolatey sweetness. I like it this way better than sprinkling chocolate chips in the batter. When they are on top like this, it’s almost like you get a chocolate crust on top of the bread. Just make sure they are in a single layer, otherwise they will mostly sink into the center! 
• This is a classic banana bread that isn’t spiced at all. No nuts either. I’m strictly team no nuts in (most) desserts. 

Is this a dessert though? Let’s be real – banana bread is just an excuse to eat cake and dessert for breakfast. And I’m not mad about it.  (more…)

The post Our Favorite Banana Bread. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Sharing some of my best cozy recipes for cold January nights! I love making these recipes for my family when we need a cozy meal to warm up the soul.

It’s cold and comfort food is the name of the game!

Earlier this week I shared a ton (over 250!) of dinner recipes for all your menu planning needs in 2022. Today, we’re talking COZY! It is finally getting colder here after a weird warm-ish spell and I am all about it. I wouldn’t mind a bit of snow and to cuddle up after sharing a meal like this with my family.

I love a hearty, comforting, nourishing dish in the deep winter months. My mom was the queen of making weeknight dinners and she really specialized in comfort food. These are some of my favorites and ones that everyone goes crazy for!

8 Cozy Recipes for January

Ciabatta Pizza Bread

A huge love in our house – plus you can customize with all of your favorite toppings. (more…)

The post 8 Favorite Cozy Recipes For January. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

These hot honey buffalo chicken wraps are so crispy and crunchy and delicious! Baked crispy chicken tenders, hot honey buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing, cheese and crisp romaine all wrapped in a warm tortilla!

I will never turn down a buffalo chicken wrap!

Crispy chicken with buffalo wing sauce, crunchy lettuce, a warm wrap – oh and add in a touch of hot honey here for extra flavor and you will be SOLD.

Like this should be dinner tonight! 

Eddie and I have been super into wraps like these lately. For the last few months, we’ve thrown together some kind of wrap for lunch on a weekend or even a last minute dinner. Which happened often during the holiday season! I’d even go as far to say that they are his favorite thing right now.

We started making them after ordering them from a local restaurant and while they were good… mine were much better. Now, I just make them instead of us ordering!

It’s safe to say that buffalo chicken will always be a favorite flavor for us, but I also love making these with honey mustard or bbq sauce. Something about the crunchy chicken and warm wrap… plus some lettuce for crunch and maybe cheese if you want it. Depending on the season, I might throw in some garden tomatoes too. You can always toss in whatever you like. 

I’ve been making these exact buffalo chicken fingers for approximately 13 years. If you’ve followed along here, then you know – my chicken tender recipes are legit! And I’ve been making versions of them since 2009 and they are something we absolutely love. I’d link to them, but every time I pull up a post from 2009 I want to crawl in a hole and never reappear. Horrifying! Happy searching.

The good news is that I’ve perfected the art of the baked-but-crunchy chicken finger. Like super crunchy.

The key is using a wire rack, a mix of different bread crumbs and baking at high heat. Oh and spraying the chicken fingers with olive oil spray before baking. Perfect crunch every time!

I’ve also perfected our favorite buffalo-wing flavor combo! It includes buffalo wing sauce, of course. My go-to is frank’s red hot wing sauce – that is the only one I like to use. For this specific sauce, I added in a dash of honey. It brings a whole hot honey vibe to the wing sauce and it is ridiculously delicious. I don’t always love spicy food, but anything spicy and sweet will get me. Honey + buffalo wing sauce? I want to drizzle it on all the things. 

With that sauce, I love a mixture of fresh cilantro, chives and green onions. If it works, I also love some sharp cheddar. But that depends on the recipe. Crumbled blue cheese too. For this one, I use crumbled gorgonzola. 

My homemade ranch dressing is ideal for drizzling. It brings everything together and really makes it extra delicious. 

Once the chicken is made, preparing the wrap is easy – just use whatever you love. No need for specific measurements. Throw in a handful of lettuce, a sprinkle of cheese, a drizzle of ranch. As much or as little as you like. You can’t go wrong! (more…)

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1. Sooo excited for citrus season. Give me all the savory citrus recipes.

2. I still haven’t tried pasta chips! Want to try this week.

3. This past weekend a bottle of perfume exploded on me. Spilled on me! Went IN MY MOUTH. It was horrific.

4. Are Uggs actually back in style?! I’ve always lived in black ones here in winter to run errands/lounge around, but now I see people wearing them everywhere.

5. How would you describe yourself in five words?

6. TV things!! Okay Yellowstone! I loved the finale, even though I found it pretty predictable. I was happy though! We’ve watched since day 1 and it’s the one show we haven’t binged. Waiting an entire week between episodes is insane these days. On that same note, still trying to get into And Just Like That. Part of me likes watching it because it feels nostalgic but the show… ugh.

7. How to get through these gloomy months of the year. I’ve never loved the first few months of the year, but since having kids the time flies so fast I can’t even handle it. I usually get through these months by reading nonstop!

8. As usual I’m feeling a giant declutter/purge coming on! Wouldn’t be January if we didn’t, right?

9. 12 resolutions to improve life forever.

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This emerald kale salad with peanut vinaigrette is a copycat of the Houston’s emerald kale salad! It’s so crunchy and flavorful, savory and nutty. It’s addictive and a fantastic base for chicken, steak, shrimp or beans.

This salad is about to change your life! Not being dramatic at all.

I hate to be cliche and share a salad as the first recipe of 2022, but OH MY GOSH is this one fantastic.

And while it certainly can be a meal, it’s more of an accompaniment to any meal. Or a really good lunch.

Like one that you can’t stop thinking about. I swear.

This recipe is a version of the Hillstone Emerald Kale Salad. Lacy had it this summer and raved about it over and over again – the way she described it practically made my mouth water. Shredded kale and cabbage that has tons of texture. All coated in the most delicious peanut dressing, with some herbs and green onions, tons of crunchy peanuts and parmesan cheese. Sounds like savory city. 

The salad is SO crunchy. So savory. So crisp and fresh and hearty. The flavor is absolutely amazing and one I crave so often, it’s unbelievable. 

Here’s what we’re working with:

The shredded kale and green cabbage. I like to use savoy or napa cabbage. They are my favorite variety. Either crunchy green or tuscan kale works too.

Fresh herbs and green onions. Some cilantro – a good handful of it. You can toss in some parsley and mint too if you have it.

Parmesan cheese. The good cheese, of course! Freshly, finely grated.

Roasted, salted peanuts, all chopped up for extra crunch. Ooooh these are so good.

And a peanut dressing that will make your taste buds explode. It’s true. Lime spritz and all. 

This dressing!! I have no words.

Now it does require a specific ingredient, which is kind of a pain. However the dressing is SO good that it’s imperative to keep the ingredient on hand so you can make it all the time.

It’s a roasted peanut dressing. Originally, I thought I would just use regular peanut oil, which is totally doable. But then after researching a bit, I discovered this roasted peanut oil. 

Holy cow, it is a game changer. 

I found mine on amazon, but my local grocery store carries this brand so some stores may have it too. I also bought the roasted almond oil too! (side note: this is also the brand that makes my favorite olive oil spray that you guys always ask about over on instagram!). 

Whether you go for the roasted peanut oil or use regular peanut oil, the peanut flavor is KEY. It makes this salad so incredibly savory and nutty – almost buttery. This is definitely my new favorite dressing and one I can find myself using constantly in 2022! 

I finish the entire thing off with a spritz of lime because it brightens everything up and really makes the flavor POP.

This salad usually comes with chicken but I left it off because I love to use it as a base or side salad. It works SO well as a side to almost anything. It’s a crunchy salad meets slaw – because the kale and cabbage are shredded, you could even use it as a topping. 

If you want to add chicken or shrimp or even chickpeas, you totally can. Steak works too! A rotisserie chicken or can of beans would be the easiest thing ever. The base flavor is so incredible that the meat you add only needs a simple seasoning. If you really want to take things over the top, add some popcorn chicken and it’s the best salad. 

Another thing I love is that the kale and cabbage are sturdy enough to hold up awhile in the fridge. I still prefer them freshly tossed in the dressing, but if you end up with leftovers, they will be pretty darn good the next day.

Oh and P.S. serve with fries on the side, of course! (more…)

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Can’t believe the first weekend of 2022 is over!

We had the best week this week. We didn’t do much but just had such a nice holiday break at home. I am so sad it’s over. I have always felt sad at the end of christmas breaks, but man, this is on another level sad. I am not ready for Max to go back to school. I feel like that is the opposite of what most people say but I just want them all home with me.

The one thing I won’t miss was our weather. It was SO rainy, dark and gloomy nearly every day this week. It was terrible! Like the above picture was taken at 8am on monday morning. It looks like night time, it was so dark.

We were excited because we bought timed tickets online for the science center for monday morning. Once we got in, it was SO crowded, we instantly regretted it. I don’t know what we were thinking. Thankfully (?), we didn’t need to make the decision to leave because the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate. It was nuts. So we ended up leaving.

We ran to the mall instead!

Went to nordstrom cafe as soon as they opened and got my favorite app! Haven’t had this in 2 years. I recreated it here.

Played a few rousing games of tic tac toe.

He loves it.

Saw the christmas decor in the city one last time.

We still haven’t got to ice skate… need to make it happen within the next few weeks!

Emilia is obsessed with her new jewelry!

These two!!!

She is also obsessed with her new “real makeup” as she calls it. She does her makeup everyday and is so proud!

My dad teaching max how to play chess on his new magnetic chess set.

And this one is still so edible.

Him and his delicious feet!

And delicious cheeks! I have never seen a baby love the bath as much as him.

Okay just one more.

Then it was new year’s eve!

I made this trashed up spinach artichoke dip which was amazing.

Grilled some ribs on the traeger!

Made espresso martinis.

Whyyyy is caesar salad so good?

NYE cookies for the kids.

But they couldn’t hang.

Not even Max, who has stayed up every year since he was 3!

Eddie made these banana pancakes on New Year’s morning.

And we went to see Sing 2 with friends. Oh my gosh it was SO good!

We can’t stop listening to the soundtrack.

Last week Jordan started to eat real food! Honestly he is not into it yet… ha! His face says it all.

This ornament on my mom’s tree from when I was Max’s age… eeeep.

Annnnd my favorite girl ever.

I can’t believe the holiday break is over. As usual, it FLEW! So bummed it’s over but looking forward to the new year. xoxoxo

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Ahh! I’m a month late and finally sharing my reads for the last two months. These past two months have been quite possibly the busiest/fullest time I’ve ever had in my life and I just couldn’t get to my list. Better late than never… again. I’ve still been reading and almost always choose reading in my downtime over anything else, but never got to put up my mini reviews here.

Now, I did read mostly holiday books this past month and even in November. I unapologetically love them as they just heighten the spirit for me. And I’m really glad they are becoming more of a thing.

Also, I completely dropped the ball on my goodreads list this year. At some point midway throughout the year my kindle disconnected from my goodreads account (it has always automatically synced what I’m reading and finishing, which is incredible) and I never went in and fixed it. Not sure if I will go in and manually add all my books, but I may just start fresh now this year with 2022’s reads. You can follow here if you’d like!

P.S. you can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here. All of the book club interactions have really been taking place in the FB group!

You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!

What I read in November & December 2021

The Holiday Swap – 3.5 stars

Alll the christmas reads this month! This was a cute read. The story follows a chef who is a judge on a cooking show in LA and her twin sister who still lives back home in the mountains. The chef loses her sense of taste and smell (ha!! hits a little too close to home right now, right?!) and asks her twin to switch places. I liked the love interests even though the stories were predictable and it was cute. Kind of Hallmarkish but what else can we expect from a christmas book! If you love holiday stories, it may be a good one to add to your list for next year. I just compare every holiday book to the Winter Street series and have high expectations.

The Santa Suit – 4 stars

I really enjoy Mary Kay Andrews books so was super excited for this. I enjoyed it but I also love anything Christmas, so that helped. The story follows Ivy who is recently divorced and buys an old farmhouse. She finds a note in the closet with a santa suit and decides to follow up and see if what the note says ever happened and came true. This was so cute and I kept thinking of Gilmore Girls/Stars Hollow with the town. It is a bit predictable and reminded me of a Hallmark movie which I don’t usually go far. Slightly cheesy but still cute and a good holiday read.

A Season of Second Chances – 5 stars

I LOVED this book! It’s one of our January book picks too! The story follows Annie who decides to leave her husband after years of infidelity and ends up becoming guardian of a historic home. Kinda sounds similar to the above, right? Ha! I loved the characters in this, it was just the kind of feel good read I was looking for. The friendships are amazing and I love Annie’s sons too. It’s a good one.

How To Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days – 3.5 stars

This is SUCH a cute book. It’s super light and funny and enjoyable and good if you want to escape for a bit. The story follows Lu and her best friend who decide to try to find Keanu Reeves and get him to call off his wedding because Lu thinks she is perfect for him. I mean it sounds absolutely nuts to write out but it’s a cute adventure. I don’t know much about Keanu at all but you don’t need to be a super fan to follow. I loved the ending as it’s one of my favorite tropes of all time, I don’t want to spoil it much more. It’s a fast read if you need something fun to binge-read!

A Magical New York City Christmas – 3.5 stars

NYC at christmas has always been one of my favorite places. While reading this I got Home Alone vibes in 2021, even though they talk Eloise at the plaza which I never got into. The story follows Sabrina who stays at The Plaza for work – not as a guest. But she meets a guy at the bar and pretends to be a guest who can afford it. The guy is not what he seems either and it’s just filled with lots of NYC christmas feels. Super cute read, light and enjoyable. I loved the ending too.

(This is not sponsored but there are a few bookshop affiliate links above! Thank you for reading!)

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