May 2011

Tuesday Things.

May 31, 2011 · 56 comments

1. I did something really dumb. I dipped a pretzel in the Trader Joe’s salted caramel. I don’t even like pretzels. Now all I have is a jar with pretzels sticks sinking like quick sand, a sticky keyboard and a new addiction.

2. Speaking of addictions, I also like drinking those iced mochas. And I don’t like coffee either.

3. So far, you’ve learned that I don’t like pretzels and I don’t like coffee, yet I keep eating them. Why isn’t this possible with vegetables?

4. I don’t like broccoli at all. I just had to tell you.

5. This is rapidly becoming a depressing list. So I will tell you things I do love: shoes, chocolate, sprinkles, cheese, shoes and mascara. And big hair.

6. We had dark chocolate + blueberry pancakes this weekend. They were good. (And healthy.)

7. The weather is sort of weird. It is now 95 degrees. It totally skipped the 50s through the 80s. And I’m sunburnt. But I don’t like when people talk about the weather so I’m going to stop.

8. I ended up ordering the first Anthropologie suit and it’s not as cute as I’d hoped. I sort of look like a lump in it. But I’m currently obsessed with sweetheart neckline strapless one pieces with giant sunglasses. I want to be Jackie O and Elizabeth Taylor. Without all those marriages and other… stuff.

9. You know what I’m saying?

{ 56 comments }

Crunchy Asiago Chicken Nuggets.

May 31, 2011 · 151 comments

Cheese is totally a food group.

Like, it’s own food group.

It’s inexplicably a salty, savory, melt-in-your-mouth group of food.

 

Remember those big fenced in sections of brightly colored balls you used to play in as a little kid? Or as a teenager? Or… last week as a 28 year old freak who wears too much eye makeup? They are smack dab in the center of amusement parks and I think, even… McDonalds? Hmmm. Ew.

Yeah, first… I think those are pretty gross right? Tons of fun and a kid’s dream come true. I used to love the things. But then some grown ups told me they are filled with disease. Germ city. Right? I know you know and you know that I know and we still want to ignore it and play in them anyway. And then I heard on the news or something that they are usually filled with snakes? Okay. Deal breaker. For real, legit snakes slithering through those ball pens. That may seriously be the best dream come true turned into terrible, horrible nightmare. Ugh. The news ruins everything. So do grown ups.

 

But whatever… just imagine if those things were filled with cheese. It would be cheese up to your knees. Unless you’re really tall. Then it would be up to your ankles. You’d have to bend down more to eat your cheese. Thank goodness I’m short and have tree trunks for legs.

If I had to pick a favorite cheese I would cry. Because I could never, ever do it. I’d throw a full out tantrum. Without going in to too much detail, it’s in the realm of the asiago-sharp cheddar-gorgonzola-gruyere-brie family. Something like that.

Which explains these chicken nuggets! This is definitely a meal that helps marriage communication over here. I love cheese. He loves chicken. He also loves cheese, but would probably eat the square slices of goo wrapped in plastic if I didn’t pluck a Benjamin off of our money tree out back and come home with five different bricks of coagulated milk.

I also make chicken nuggets to make up for my misdoings like that. It works. You should try it. Chicken nuggets with super powers. I like.

Crunchy Asiago Chicken Nuggets

serves 2-4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 cups low-fat buttermilk

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup seasoned regular bread crumbs

1/3 cup flour (any is fine, I used whole wheat)

1/2 cup freshly grated asiago cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

2-24 hours before serving, cut chicken breasts into nugget-like chunks. Season with the salt and pepper then add to a bowl and pour buttermilk over top. Let soak for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, heat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then lay a wire rack on top and spray with non-stick spray. Add honey and mustard to a bowl and mix, then set aside. Add bread crumbs, flour, cheese, garlic powder and paprika to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Remove each nugget directly from the buttermilk to the bread crumb mixture and coat, then set on the wire rack. Repeat with the rest, then spritz each nugget with olive oil or non-stick spray. I usually just use Pam because I like the “spritz” it gives.

Bake for 7 minutes, then remove pan from oven and gently flip each nugget with kitchen tongs and spritz again with oil or spray. Bake for 7 minutes more, then serve hot with honey mustard. 

Off to water that tree… it’s gonna be hot today!

{ 151 comments }

Mojito Melon Salsa.

May 30, 2011 · 122 comments


It’s officially summer now, right?

 

Well… okay… June 21st or whatever. But still… it’s summer. It went from 45 to 90 degrees in a matter of days and the back of my legs will now stick to every single chair I sit on until October 1st. Sexy. Sexy summer. It’s summer.

 

Agreed?

 

Sweet. Let’s do this thing.

Raise your hand if you like mojitos!

I wish I had 34 hands. For reals.

Actually… you’d think I did have 34 hands for the amount of mojitos I drank this weekend. Mint + rum? Totally my thing. Dehydration? Not my thing. Mr. How Sweet drinking 6 mojitos then going to bed without a Breathe Right save-my-marriage nose strip? Also not my thing. Snore city. He was banished to the couch.

Then I made up for it the next day because I combined a million juicy melon chunks and fresh mint and a bunch of lime spritzes and piled it high on salty pita chips. Some days we drink our mojitos and other days we eat them. I love balance.

[print_this]

Mojito Melon Salsa

makes about 2-3 cups of salsa

1 cup chopped watermelon

1 cup chopped cantaloupe

1 cup chopped honeydew

1/2 large cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/2 avocado, chopped

10-12 mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 limes, juiced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and serve with chips of your choice. I also think this would be fabulous on tacos![/print_this]

You may have noticed How Sweet it Is has a new look! It’s what I’ve wanted… clean, white, plain, simple, easier to read, etc. There still are a few kinks to work out so bear with me please, especially since I hate change. Nothing else is changing with the site, however in order to keep it more simplistic I’ve removed a few bells and whistles. I need more simplicity in my life… don’t we all? You can still access my favorite workouts on my about page for the time being. And Fit Bites is now called Crumbs because, well… I like that name better. I’ll be adding to the site a bit more in the coming weeks. Thanks to Ryan from NoMoreBacon for the great job he did. Me + NoMoreBacon… who woulda thunk it?

{ 122 comments }

The Weekend.

I’m happy.

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Beer Marshmallow S’mores.

I mean… what else did you want me to do? Make these marshmallows. Buy some graham crackers. Steal some chocolate. Smoosh it all together. Freaking eat this deliciousness. Now.

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Chocolate Covered Beer Marshmallows.

I made marshmallows with beer. Not water. But beer. That stuff you drank in college. That stuff you might drink now. That stuff your grandpa chugged while sitting on his porch steps. That stuff that Lindsay Lohan shouldn’t touch. I don’t think we need to worry about that though. Vodka in plastic water bottles seems more like her thing. Freaking? No need to freak. There shan’t be any freaking about beer marshmallows. Especially if you don’t like beer.   See… beer marshmallows are kind of like beer braised short ribs. Or beer battered fish. Or beer margaritas. Without the ribs, the fish and the tequila. And all the bones and limes and stuff. Not a beer lover? Beer marshmallows can still totally be your thing. There’s a lot of love to give. Beer just enhances the regular fabulousness of food. Know this.   I didn’t really think I liked beer either. But as it turns out… I do like it. I kinda love it. Perhaps it comes with age, which would make sense since I’m getting old and finding subsequent wrinkles? Or maybe I’m just trying to find a way to consume more calories than I already do? <—- Yeah… [...]

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My I’m-Secretly-60-Years-Old Summer Playlist.

  Now please excuse me while I go remove my dentures and put on my housecoat.

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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes.

I made these cupcakes four weeks ago today. I’ve stared at these cupcake pictures everyday for four weeks.   I just don’t like these cupcakes.   I don’t know why. They never did anything to me. They were insanely delicious, that is not the issue. They have a sweet and slightly tart lemony base and the strawberry buttercream? Well… let’s just say that me and a spoon… we had a good time. The lemon buttercream? Love. It’s fabulousness plus twelve. I’m just annoyed by these cupcakes. I want to chuck them out the window. But I want to eat them too. I want them to be prettier. But have less frosting. I want them to do a little dance for me, you know… a jig or something. But they just sit there. DO SOMETHING! Maybe I’m just doing some of that blah blah projecting or whatever. You know.   Bad news bears. Cupcakes don’t dance. They are sort of like that boy in seventh grade… who is really nice to you… and is sort of cute… but kind of boring… and not adventurous… and sort of nerdy… and who your mom really loves, which just makes you not like him [...]

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Skillet Chicken with Peppers and Peanuts.

Say that three times fast. It sounds like… something else. Exciting right?! Hmmm… maybe not.   So.   I think you should slice some peppers. Red, green, yellow, orange… you know, that sort of thing. Purple if you have them. Saute them in some olive oil. Because what good would they be if you didn’t? Really. They will get soft and sweet and juicy. Marinate some chicken. Overnight is best. Two hours is acceptable. 30 minutes is doable and what usually happens because who thinks 24 hours in advance about chicken? Not I.   Combine them in a skillet. Or a pan. Whatever you want to call it. The only thing that matters is that there is only one of them. One skillet. Easy and stupidly simple. Peppers, chicken, peanuts. Sear, bake, eat.   I’m pretty sure we just cooked dinner together. That was fun. High five. There are all sorts of crazy delicious things going on in this skillet. Crispy, seared chicken and crunchy peanuts and caramelized peppers. I’m in it for the marinade. And the nuts. Skillet Chicken with Peppers and Peanuts serves 3-4 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used large ones) 1 each: red, green, yellow [...]

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Tuesday Things.

1. I am insanely enamored with every swimsuit from Anthropologie.  I think they are the epitome of class. I really want this one. But I really want this one. And this. Further proof that I should have been born in the 1950s. I don’t belong here.   2. Remember the robin eggs from last week? Some of you thought they were fake. Totally not fake. I didn’t open the window for obvious reasons, but yikes… I hope they grow out of their ugly phase.   3. Mr. How Sweet ate this for lunch on Saturday. Can we say life insurance?   4. I’m still eating this for lunch a million times a week. I’ve graduated to adding cilantro and sometimes making “melts.” Swoon.   5. For the iced mochas, I’ve been using Trader Joe’s Midnight Moo. Totally love it. And since it’s from TJ’s, it is soooo healthy. Everything there is healthy. You should try their bacon. And their cheesecake. Full of health.   6. I’m still hurtin’ from my workout on Saturday. Ow.

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