Summer has arrived and I’m here for it! Apologies for this relaunch getting off to a slow start. This winter was something else and I had to pare back of my grander ambitions.
So, here we are with an aim for two features per month of simple, real things I’m cooking and enjoying in my life. Given the world we’re living in, I think we’re all in the mood for keeping it simple these days. Also, I take requests. So, if there’s anything you’d like to see or revisit simply reply and let me know.
On Saturday I shared this really simple, fun hack I’ve put together for my summer coffee habits. To all who may remember, I didn’t even drink coffee until my son was born. That means I was over 35 years old before I could even sip a cup, and even then it was mostly out of pure necessity.
However, with time I’ve grown to enjoy a morning latte or cappuccino. It feels so luxurious to sip and enjoy as the day breaks. I love the pep I get from the caffeine and the flavor always puts me in a good mood. I’m still a big tea drinker too, but coffee has found a place in my culinary heart.
It’s the time of year for hot soups, warm blankets, and roaring fires. Enter a favorite recipe from my first cookbook, Ham & Corn Chowder. This hot, creamy soup is the perfect foil for gray days. I love to make it in advances so it’s ready to be reheated and served in the evening. By the time we’re all home and inside for the day the soup flavors have blossomed and dinner is ready to eat.
There’s nothing like thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies to save the day. There has never been a frown that hasn’t been turned upside down with one of these. As you’ve probably gathered if you’d been a reader over the years, we are big fans of chocolate chip cookies, and these thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies are one of the best. I make them in all styles and have dozens of favorite recipes. In case you missed it, here are my Top 11 Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes of all time. Yes, the post has been updated and yes, I’ll probably update it again in the future. No apologies!!
I had a hard time thinking of what to name this recipe. I landed on Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta. But it also has spinach, and a generous topping of Parmesan cheese, and the option of pine nuts! Creamy Sausage, Spinach, Pine Nut & Parmesan Pasta? Gah! That would’ve been a little too long for a recipe title, so I stuck with the three main ingredients and here we are. I found this lovely recipe a photo story in the internet by Jamie Beck. She didn’t give recipe proportions or detailed cooking methods in her quick Insta-story so I’ve derived my own over time. When I first spotted the finished product it looked so tantalizing, I couldn’t resist giving it my best shot!
I was really excited to write this because once I discovered Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta two years ago I never looked back. Then, I started tell people about it and lo and behold it turns out that it’s closely tied to the Chili’s restaurant chain where I’ve eaten exactly once in my life. It’s not that I’m against Chili’s, it’s that the town I grew up in is so small there are no chain restaurants and you’d have to travel for miles to find one. When I was in boarding school a friend’s family took us to Chili’s on the weekend as a treat and that’s the only time I remember being there. I wonder if this is a benefit in this case? I have zero nostalgia for this recipe, yet everyone does so I get to experience the pleasure of it for the very first time?
There is no whoosh of memories that come back to me when I take a bite of this Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta. The only thing I think about is how much my family enjoys it so it’s gathered us around the table many, many times. It’s just one of those meals that works. The whole family really likes it, it’s fairly simple to make, and it’s just different enough to be novel once in a while. As you’ll see in my recipe notes, I cut down the heat quite a bit. One of my children does not like spice so I tend to dial back any kind of pepper flavor whenever asked. That said, feel free to turn the dial right back up if you want to!
It’s been several years since I’ve written about edible Christmas gifts but here’s what I want you to know: I still give them to friends and family. This Candied Pecans recipe is from my mother and is her signature gift to loved ones far and wide. Luckily, I’m on the list too, I always get a bag. We love these to no end and look forward to them all year long. Sure, I could technically make them whenever I wanted, but they would they be as special if I did?!
The beauty of these pecans is that they hit all the right notes. They’re sweet and salty, enrobed in crispy meringue, and still maintain a nice amount of crunch. As I mentioned on instagram, we love to tip them into a bowl and snack on them throughout the whole day. However, they are also delicious when added to all kinds of things like salad with a sharp vinaigrette, blue cheese, and thinly sliced pears, or a salty nut mix or grazing board. They are functionally the perfect addition to just about anything.
HELLO FRIENDS! I know, I know, it’s been a minute. What can I say, life sped up and it got too hard for me to maintain a food blog while doing everything else with my family and other business interests. I needed to explore life beyond this world and I’m glad I did because it paid off in spades. To put this into context, my very first post on this website was January 6th, 2009. That’s almost 16 years ago!
I started this blog in 2009 as a way of helping people and writing about a topic I love: food as a way of enjoying life. However, as I blogged and traveled over the next decade it got harder and harder for me to square this mission with the values of the blogging-turned-influencing world. The race to follower count, the rampant consumerism, the blatant plagiarism, it was going against everything I wanted to spend my time doing. This is why I decided to take a break and reevaluate.
Come join me at my table…
Since then, I started a successful life coaching business and have enjoyed every second of it. I’ve also been deep in the world of growing children and all that entails. I’d say the biggest lesson that came out of this journey away from blogging and back again is how much I love to help people live their best lives. In the case of The Naptime Chef, I love to be here helping you make good food and have fun in the kitchen. It’s as simple as that. I still love my coaching work and will never give that up, but in this space I can be your coach in the kitchen. Spoiler alert: your food will be delicious and life’s going to work out. I know this to be true.
As for the product side, yes I’ll always tell you about kitchen equipment and books I love if I truly love them. But I’m not going to sell for the sake of selling or encourage the crazy “hauls” of stuff I don’t think you need. I prefer curation to consumption in my own life and want to focus on that here as well. There’s a lot to be said for keeping life simple and enjoyable!
When it comes to feeding your family, you can easily live a wonderful life and cook fantastic dishes with straightforward ingredients. I still cook almost every day and am happy put our favorite meals on repeat because it makes sense. We love the dishes, I know how to cook them well, and every time they get just a little better. I think we all appreciate a mixture of novelty and comfort at mealtimes.
I hope you’ll join me on this new, revised journey with The Naptime Chef website + newsletter. I still have so much love for this world and I’m sharing it with you as a way of helping us all build lives we love. xxKelsey
