1. Today truly starts my most favorite time of year. I love the next four months so, so much!

2. This month definitely gives reset energy without the pressure of a new year. I am ready to clean out my entire closet though in anticipation of fall fashion.

3. The most beautiful italian cream cake I ever did see.

4. Tell me your favorite rollneck sweater out of allllll the variations we’ve seen this past year. I’m partial the the men’s 1988 version at j.crew!

5. The secret history of the honey deuce. I want one.

6. Are you a fall decor person or a halloween person? I loathe halloween so I’m strictly fall, but the kids make me wish I liked halloween more!

7. TV things!! The ending of Furious last night… ah! I also watched the Last Sunrise over the weekend. It was okay but I didn’t love.

8. Ina says get on her train! Love this, love her.

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

This is going to become your new favorite pasta salad! 

This BLT chopped pasta salad is packed with ditalini pasta, chopped romaine, tomatoes, bacon and has an incredible tangy vinaigrette to top it all over. It’s delicious and easy and a big crowd pleaser.

Great for a party, but even better for dinner tonight! 

And yes, why I am in a big BLT mood at the moment. Tomatoes are at their peak after all! 

There’s a reason this is the best pasta salad ever… it’s chopped. Shocking, I know. 

I’m sure you’ve heard me ramble over and over again for years about how chopped salads were my gateway salads. 

Getting a bite of everything on the fork? Obsessed. 

Not having to chew a big piece of lettuce or chicken or a giant tomato awkwardly? Even better. 

I’m such a texture person, that having all the ingredients chopped in one bowl is divine. The crunchy crispness is perfect and exactly what I crave.

And exactly how I crave a salad! 

So this is that. Sure, there are many other BLT pasta salads out there – I’ve even shared another version of one before with broccoli that I adore. 

But it’s not the same as this.

This one requires a tiny tiny cut of pasta. Ditalini. Even orzo. Stelline. Sometimes small and miniscule that makes everything else stand out too. 

It’s not about a big noodle with a chunk of tomato. 

It’s chopped romaine. Chopped tomatoes! Lots of tiny crushed bacon pieces – extra crispy of course. 

And then the dressing. A super zesty shallot-y italian that coats every inch of the salad. 

Lots of shaved parmesan! Shaved is the key because it’s so enjoyable to eat. Not shredded or grated. Buy it shaved or grab your vegetable peeler and shave it yourself.  (more…)

The post BLT Chopped Tiny Pasta Salad. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

And it was the first full week of school too.

First pumpkin cream cold brew.

Took the kids to see ninja kids!

Had a somewhat lackluster dinner, ha.

It was cute and they loved it.

Especially Jordan!

He was locked in.

This crazy chic loved it too!

Had some warm nights to swim!

Cross country practice!

My most favorite girl in the world!

Had hockey too.

He looks sooooo little.

He loves it!

Hockey here for this one too.

I could watch it all day! It’s the only sport I could watch like that.

Waiting for her bros to be done.

Necessary.

I’ve been on a fried mozzarella kick lately!

This vodka pasta was excellent.

And we had such a super chill weekend at home where we did nothing but hang, swim, eat and relax! Restorative and lovely.

The post A Week In The Life, Vol 35. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

What’s on your menu this week?!

What To Eat This Week

Italian chopped salad on sourdough pizza

Shrimp feta corn orzo

Grilled buffalo chicken with corn salad

Grilled portobello burgers

Tomato basil puff pastry

Chopped wedge salad

Chicken salad BLT

Crispy potato egg bites

The post What To Eat This Week: 8/30/26. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Happy saturday!

This week on the blog, I shared this super easy tomato basil blue cheese tart! I also shared this chicken salad BLT and a new summer fridays post.

All of my August favorites are here too!

My substack newsletter is here! You can find my shopmy page, amazon storefront and LTK shop here too.

And here’s a new weekly menu along with a peek in our life.

You can find all of my cookbooks here… let me know what you make from them!

What I’m Loving This Week

Brown butter oatmeal cookies. OMG yum.

Loving this italian dense bean salad!

Chocolate peanut butter birthday cake is the best.

This milk and honey cake is stunning too!

Butter swim biscuits are a must.

Dying to make these homemade corn tortillas.

Pumpkin pie cake bars. Obsessed.

Who’s making a chocolate chip mug cake? Yay!

Lemon herb chicken thighs sound so so good.

Love a chocolate zucchini cake.

Vegan cottage cheese! I want to make this.

Trying biscuits and gravy for the weekend!

Too many tomatoes and what to do with them.

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

We’re close in on our last summer friday of the year!

EATING

My crunchy broccoli slaw. This fall pasta salad! And buffalo chicken meatball balls.

DRINKING

My red apple cider sangria!! My all-time favorite.

MAKING

My garlic butter pasta for the kids this week. Great weeknight meal!

BAKING

My apple cider coffee cake. This is a dream! And my pumpkin zucchini muffins.

CRAVING

My summer BBQ chicken pizza.

GRILLING

My grilled cauliflower salad. And hot honey smoked sausage skewers!

SNACKING

On my apple cider granola. I’m in a very cider-y mood!

PREPPING

These butternut couscous bowls. I am super excited for these! The dressing alone – yum!

LISTENING

I’ve had this slow mornings playlist on for the kids before school and I swear it’s making a difference in our mornings.

READING

I’m reading You’ll Love it Here! Here is my big summer reading list if you want inspo for the next week!

WRITING

The case for a boring weekend. My favorite kind!

WEARING

These soft embrace crewnecks are amazing. I love them for layering – they are sort of like the pumiey or skims tops. Paired with the soft aura sweatpants it’s just a cute lounge outfit! Aka, doing school pickups!

SHOPPING

I still love a chunky sneaker, but I know I should try a low profile one. I have these in my cart and really love them. Especially all the colors – like the blue! I also shared my fall fashion wishlist right here. It’s truly a wishlist and I unrealistically add everything that I see and love for the season. I’m going to track is there in that shop!

LOVING

I just shared my August favorites this week. A few others: this tubing mascara in emerald. It’s so minimal but just looks ever so slightly green. I’m also loving these sarah creal lipglosses in the shimmery shades. And this lip oil stick in the shade bloom!

SHARING

45 recipes for Labor Day Weekend next week! And 85 back to school dinners right here. I reference that list all year round while meal planning.

BUYING

Every year at this time I get SO excited for the my mind’s eye holiday goodies! I have many of the bamboo bowls and platters and use them for entertaining all the time. The paper decor is so fun for the kids. I also love the haunted mansions so much. These are the little things in our home that get my family super excited for the holidays. It makes everything feel extra cozy! The game day stuff is also so cute.

The post Summer Fridays, Vol 14. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

A peek at everything I’ve loved in August 2026! You can also find my wishlist and current favorites here! Along with my recent purchases right here. It’s like a peek into my personal life. 

FOOD

True Lime. It’s taken me a long time to get into this, but I can’t believe how much I LOVE it. I find myself taking packets of it everywhere. It’s amazing in diet coke or even just plain seltzer. I love it. And I got Eddie hooked on it too!

Cinnamon honey. I bought this while in Michigan early this month and it’s so good. I could eat it by the spoon, but I’ve also been making the teddy graham latte with it and it’s unreal.

Hot honey almonds. I’ve been having these as a snack… they are a must try. Love them!

HOME

Everyday tumbler. This is what I have my iced coffee in every morning and it’s SO easy and the perfect size for me. I brew the espresso then do crushed ice in the cup and make it right in there. Love it.

Ninja crispi air fryer. I’ve mentioned this a few times over the last couple of weeks and it is by far my favorite air fryer I’ve tried. It’s incredible! We use it at least 1 to 2 times a day, sometimes more. I think I love it so much because I can see the food in the glass dish. I can see it cooking and make sure it’s done/not overdone!

Self cleaning broom & dustpan set. Um, very random but I have three of these and adore them. They brush cleaner is genious and I had never seen one before. It’s my go-to dust pan and I have one on each floor! Figures – it has over 50K reviews!

BEAUTY

YISE peptide moisturizer. It is crazy how much I love these products – the exfoliating pads are my most favorite that I’ve ever used. This moisturizer is INCREDIBLE. It is so light but hydrating at the same time time and has been incredible this summer. I love how my sunscreen goes over it AND how my makeup goes over it!! This is lining up to be the only brand I love multiple skin care products from.

Lake & Sky 222 perfume. Their 11:11 is one of my favorite scents of all time. It’s fool proof. This is definitely milkier and warmer, but right up my alley. It will be in the fall rotation for sure. I’ve also layered it already with many of my favorites.

Haus Labs highlighter blush in rose quartz. This is such a gorgeous shade! A blush + highlighter in one. I love all Haus Labs products and this one is just as good.

LYS beauty lip balm. The clear gloss is incredible. It makes your lips look so plump and it smells great too. It goes on super glossy and I’m already on my second tube of it! I also have the hot pink shade that I use often.

FASHION

Pavoi oura ring cover. It’s no secret how much I love pavoi – I was so excited to see them come out with this super fun covers! It’s big and chunky but I love it. Makes me feel better about wearing my oura ring out! And can’t beat the price.

AYR the tate shirt. Absolutely IN LOVE with this shirt. I was influenced to by it and it’s so gorgeous because of how the collar lays. I will say that I think it runs really big, so if you want a more fitted version, size down!

Ruti on the loose pants. Another very influencer-y purchase!! I have seen these for the last year but never hit purchase… my cousin hated them so I didn’t think I’d like them either. Then I saw the fall leopard version and knew I HAD to try. Oh my gosh. I love these. I have worn them almost every single day and then I bought them in brown. I usually don’t love a barrel pant, but these just work. I really really love them! I’m 5’2″ and I do prefer the regular length over petite, just FYI.

CRZ yoga softstreme pants. The hot fudge brown color is my favorite. Are you sensing a trend? I love all things chocolate brown!

All yours cropped t-shirt. As a true millennial hater of all things cropped, this shirt hits at just the right spot. It isn’t too cropped. It’s my favorite one that I’ve found because it looks modern enough, but still is classic and not super trendy-cropped, you know??

Rhone anorak. I have been wearing these for years, but I really love to walk in them in the summer. They are SUPER lightweight but also UPF 50, so I can wear them when it’s warm to walk outside. Protects my arms, chest, etc. It is also cute with jeans, shorts and regular leggings!

MEDIA

Whatever’s Clever. I can sing every single lyric of this album. I love it so much. I’ve had the whole thing on repeat for weeks!

Furious on Hulu. This show is absolutely incredible. It is such a thriller and you have no idea what is going to happen next. I love it.

If Not For My Baby. Great read of the month!! Loved this one and was very hooked. I really loved the ending!

KIDS

Ultimate weird but true books. All 3 of my kids love these and I swear they could win trivia games because they read so many of them! We gift these so often too. Kids love them.

Piles. This has been such a fun one for us to play this summer!!

Flowart mini dot activity pads. These have been SUCH a hit with my two older kids. This is very detailed and tiny dot art, so it’s not great for Jordan (who is 5). But it is such a great non-screen activity for the older ones!

The post August Favorites. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

New sandwich alert!!

This chicken salad BLT is going to become a fast new favorite, packed with crispy bacon that melts in your mouth, juicy tomatoes, crisp romaine and your favorite chicken salad. 

It’s so easy and tastes SO good. I actually can’t even believe how filling it is. 

A few years ago I remember someone telling me that they had a chicken salad BLT and it’s been on my radar ever since. I’ve been thinking about it forever and it sounded fabulous. I just never got around to making it until this summer. 

I make many different kinds of chicken salad – and I do so often. My go-tos are this cherry jalapeno chicken salad, dill pickle chicken salad and an oldie but goodie – lemon almond. I’ve also been making a bacon cheddar jalapeno chicken salad this year too. It’s fantastic. 

And as much as I love to trash up my chicken salad, this sandwich is one that requires a somewhat basil, classic chicken salad. 

To me, this is very much more a chicken salad sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato than it is a BLT with chicken salad. Does that make sense? 

We already have some fancy flavors with the tomato and the bacon. I prefer not to go overboard with the chicken – that way, the chicken doesn’t lose its showstopping power in the sandwich. And the classic version of that lets the classic BLT ingredients shine! 

So because of that, I keep my chicken salad ingredients simple and traditional. Mayo, greek yogurt, herbs, a little mustard. Rotisserie chicken! Green onions. Celery if you want it, though I’d prefer to never see a stalk again. 

Keep it easy and light and that way, the sandwich will work without seeming like too much. 

After that, it’s the easiest sandwich to assemble: 

Toast some sourdough

Layer on your chicken salad

Top with tomatoes

Add the bacon

Throw on the romaine

And boom! 

It’s done and ready. 

I also like to allow the chicken salad to be my “mayo” or the spread of the sandwich. If you want some extra mayo on there, go ahead and use it! I find it doesn’t need it, but I’m also weird and really love dry golden toast.  (more…)

The post Chicken Salad BLT. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

1. My head is so messed up with how late Labor Day is this year! I’ve screwed up our schedule multiple times this week already.

2. I need these peach cobbler cinnamon roll bites. OMG.

3. When the fall hits, I always prefer apple cider over pumpkin 100%, but I also had a PSL (from a local place!) and it was pretty good. I’m drinking the koolaid early.

4. Whoa – this maximalist color explosion decor is my dream house.

5. My new obsession is making blue cheese olives to snack on throughout the week. Who needs a martini? I just want the olives.

6. This 5 minute rule is pretty much a part of my daily life!

7. TV things!! I finally finished Ransom Canyon. It dragged for me but it’s mind numbing and good to have on in the background! I’m still next-level obsessed with Furious.

8. I love an admin night but have no clue how I could turn it into a party! It requires my full attention and I can’t imagine socializing during it.

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

This tomato basil tart is super simple and quick, one part pizza, the other part tomato pastry and it tastes like a summer dream. 

And it only has FIVE ingredients. Five! 

If you need a super fast weeknight meal, a lunch for your friends or a party appetizer, this can be it. This will be ready in under 30 minutes. Slice, serve and everyone is your new BFF.

Oh hi, just me again with the millionth way you can use that puff pastry hanging out in your fridge!! 

I know, I know. It may be getting old but I can’t ever stop with the puff pastry. 

It’s easy.

Flaky and butter.

Cooks in no time at all.

Is incredibly versatile! 

There are so many reasons to make something with puff pastry. This is just one of them. 

Okay, so if you have a copy of Everyday Dinners, then you probably know about my mom’s favorite tomato salad. When I was a kid, she never made a classic caprese. In the summer, when tomatoes were perfect, she would instead slice them, top with balsamic and then top them with blue cheese. It was either the salad we had with dinner or a great side dish with grilled chicken or steak. Sometimes my mom would just make it on its own, if we had an abundance of tomatoes! 

Even today, after all these years both of my parents order crumbled blue cheese with any salad they get at a restaurant. I swear it’s because they ate that tomato blue cheese salad for four to five months out of the year.

This little tart is sort of an ode to that. 

We still LOVE these flavors so much. The juicy tomatoes with a hint of sweetness. The tangy and creamy blue cheese. They just work so well together.

And for the basil, I use a bit of pesto! Because why not? I always have it on hand in the summer. I make my own, store it in the fridge and freezer and use it all season long. It’s truly the best. 

This is how fast it comes together.

Poke the puff pastry all over with a fork. 

Spread on your pesto.

Top with the tomatoes – add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

Top with the blue cheese. 

Brush the edges with the egg wash for shine. 

Bake it for about 30 minutes and it’s perfect!

You can top it with fresh basil, even more blue cheese or parmesan too. It’s up to you!  (more…)

The post Tomato, Basil & Blue Cheese Tart. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.