Parenting Lesson of the Day: “Chips” are always a hit!
Apple picking is a huge fall activity in Connecticut and we were happy to join in the fun last weekend. There is a farm nearby that boasts apple trees, a petting zoo and farm stand. As you can imagine, it is just about the busiest place in the world on Saturdays. My daughter simply adored riding the tractor wagon up to the orchards. In fact, adored might not be the right word – she is still talking about it two weeks later! It took us about ten minutes flat to pick a bag of apples just as big, if not bigger, then my own child and we headed back down the tractor trail from whence we came.
What’s Going on Today: Having friends over for dinner, taking advantage of the great fall weather with a walk at the Audubon Park.
Tonight’s Menu: BBQ Chicken, Baked Pasta with Vegetables and Smoked Mozzarella, Salad, Roasted Asparagus, Heart-Stopping Bread, Pumpkin Bars
Naptime Goals: Bake Pasta Casserole, Pumpkin Bars, prepare the bread for the oven.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: It’s a little alarming at how quickly they take to the idea of partying!
When I came across this bread on The Pioneer Woman the other day it’s dark crispy crust caught my eye. I wanted to serve bread at an upcoming dinner party but the menu didn’t call for my usual garlic variety. Why not, I thought, give this decadent recipe a try. I’ve been upping my gym regimen lately what with all the book recipe testing, so it seemed to be as good a time as any to experiment with more butter than I ever thought possible for one loaf of bread.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: They can always pick more apples than you can carry.
This weekend I did a little experimenting with my filming. The truth of the matter was that I was incredibly inspired by the fall weather and cooked up a storm all weekend. While doing so it occurred to me that everything I was making should be filmed. Since I usually film once a week to keep things current with my life I was hesitant to explore the idea of filming so much in one fell swoop. My webisodes are meant to chronicle my naptime cooking from week-to-week and I don’t want to start skipping over major parts of each season. But I really didn’t think it was fair to rob you of these recipes. They are that good. So, I’ve compromised and decided to present my weekend film in two parts. (Hey, NBC does it with all of their season finales, so why can’t I?!) Today is Part 1, a film about my favorite way to bake acorn squash. Next week will be Part 2, a film about an entirely different dish.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: You can lead them to the salad bowl, but you can’t make ’em eat it!
I love to cook during naptime and share what I make with you. During my website project I spent some time reviewing older posts, deleting a few recipes I hope you never make, and reminiscing while browsing through others. As I was reading my menus from last winter I noted that I always talk about pairing a lot of my meals with green salads. It’s true, I often serve salads on the side, I love the taste and health factor. Then I realized that never once have I actually given you a recipe for a green salad. Part of the reason for this, I suppose, is that I don’t make my salads during naptime. I toss them together right before dinner. But that doesn’t make them any less relevant to the family meal. So today I’m going to share my approach to salads. Almost everyone I know serves a salad once in a while, and here is how I do it.
This summer I was thrilled to receive a gorgeous hand painted kitchen tile from the wonderfully talentedRenee of Kudos Kitchen. I love connecting with other bloggers, there is such a wealth of talent in the blogosphere! Renee perfectly captured my Naptime Chef logo on a heatproof, dent proof kitchen tile that is now proudly displayed on our main kitchen counter. I’ve had several dinner guests comment on it’s cleverness and whimsy, and, of course, it’s practicality. Kitchen tiles always come in handy, and now I have one that is personalized!
If you are ever looking for a playful gift for friends or family I highly recommend working with Renee. Provide her with a logo or family picture and she will capture it beautifully on your own tile, giving you a piece of kitchen artwork to enjoy forever. To get in touch with Renee, and to see more cool kitchen gifts, pop on over here to this fun new website Kitchen Play. It is loaded with culinary gifts that will please just about every cook on your list. Thanks Renee!
What’s Going on Today: Morning trip to garden center for first pumpkins of the season! Daughter off to school for a few hours.
Naptime Goals: Make Cranberry Muffins with Pecan Streusel Topping for afternoon snack and breakfast tomorrow!
Tonight’s Dinner: Roast Chicken from last night, stripped off the bird and tossed with pasta.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: How quickly they adjust to new situations!
I am beyond thrilled with how quickly my daughter has adjusted to preschool. Knowing that she is happy makes me happy, and I can live with that. My parent’s always told me “you’re only as happy as your unhappiest child” and I understand what they mean. If my daughter came home in tears everyday I would be a wreck! But, she’s been coming home full of smiles and craft projects, evidence of time enjoyed in the company of her teachers and classmates.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Tell them that Dora always wears a life jacket and they will, too.
One of my favorite parts of our August Vineyard vacation was the chance to catch up with old friends. As luck would have it, my pal Phoebe, one half of Big Girls, Small Kitchen (we missed you Cara!), spends her summers on the Vineyard, too. Since we like to make a point of catching up now and then, when I was there we planned for a mid-week cocktail cruise.
This is a sponsored review by BlogHer and Newman’s Own.
I live about five miles from the Newman’s Own headquarters in Westport CT and am thinking I ought to stop by to give someone a big hug for inventing this pizza. I know that sounds a bit extreme, but until Newman’s Own Thin & Crispy came along I had given up on frozen pizza altogether.
When I picked up the pizza last week I decided to pop it in the oven for a quick mother/daughter lunch. Like nearly everyone in the under-3 set, my daughter is a huge fan of pizza and does not yet possess the social skill known as lying to be polite. If this pizza was bad I would hear about it, no holds barred, from her little mouth.
I baked the pizza according to instructions – directly on the middle rack at 425ºF – and it crisped up perfectly. The only struggle I had, however, was prying it off the rack. I found a large pancake spatula and oven mitt did the trick. Then I let it cool down a touch so I could cut it, and my daughter and I went to town.
As my daughter chewed silently – a sure sign of approval – I contemplated my own piece. True to the box, the pizza was thin and crisp, heaped with cheese and sauce. The crust was practically an afterthought, merely functioning as a base for the toppings. The sauce had a true tomato taste and the cheese melted and stretched nicely with each bite. Signs that the pie baked very well.
With the baking process and taste already getting a huge thumbs up I turned to quality. What I love about the Newman’s Own Brand in general is that it truly cares of the health of the consumer. Every product is developed with careful care and study. This particular pizza contains no modified food starch, sodium nitrates, modified corn starch or transfats. All of the ingredients are hand-picked to be all natural and pack great taste. Did I also mention it fits my budget nicely?
As far as frozen pizzas go this is the only one I plan on buying for as long as it’s available. Newman’s Own is generously giving away to prize packs valued at $75 each, contents of each prize may vary. For your chance to enter see the rules below. Now go buy some pizza! And, remember, all profits go to charity. Newman’s Own Foundation continues Paul Newman’s commitment to donate all profits to charity. Over $300 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982.”
1. Contest runs from 9/1/2010 – 10/31/2010
2. To Enter: Leave a comment here telling me your most favorite pizza topping! Be sure to include you email address.
3. Winners will be announced on 10/2/2010. Winners will be picked using the Random Number Generator.
What’s Going on Today: Preschool orientation. Pay attention! Naptime Goals: Prepare Eggplant Parmigiana, put significant school dates in my calendar. Tonight’s Menu: Eggplant Parm, Green salad, dessert from cookbook recipe testing (!) Parenting Lesson of the Day: Even if you don’t think they’ll ever learn their manners, trust me, they will.
Today I attended parent’s preschool orientation. Two hours of my morning was dedicated to listening to field trip policies, noting significant holidays and understanding snow day procedures. This was a meeting for parents only so my daughter stayed home with a sitter. We both agreed that was a good arrangement, it would have taken a hundred lollipops to get her to sit still for just one hour, let alone two! Tomorrow we go to her school for an hour to meet her classmates. Then, next week, I drop her off on her own. For Three. Whole. Hours. (Sniff!)
While she’s at school I’ll be in the kitchen. Like naptime, her school time is my downtime. I’ll have plenty of time to cook, photograph and write about tons of interesting recipes and food. I’ll treat myself to our old favorites, and I also look forward to experimenting with new, interesting methods and ingredients. This way, after she takes her post-school nap (more downtime for me!), dinner will be all ready in the fridge and we can be together for the rest of the day.
Since there is enough change taking place this week, today I am returning to an old favorite. My very first post was about Eggplant Parmigiana (check out the awful photograph!) It is one of my most favorite warm fall casseroles and this week is the perfect occasion for bubbly, cheesy comfort food. Here you’ll see that I prepare it while she’s napping (and in the future could do it while she’s at school), and then leave it in the fridge until it’s ready to bake. I’ve updated my old recipe, using new techniques for preparing the eggplant, eliminating the use of breadcrumbs, and using only fresh mozzarella for the best possible taste and texture. As you’ll see, the casserole comes together beautifully during the day and is perfect to have at the ready for dinner. As we get into the school rhythm I’m sure this is something we’ll be having again and again this fall. I am looking forward to it.
What’s Going on Today: Scheduled teacher visit from school. Library to return books, playtime with friends. Naptime Goals: Prepare ingredients for Apple Snack Muffins, clean house to prepare for visit. Tonight’s Menu:Meatballs for Choir Boys, Green Salad, Garlic Bread, Apple Muffins. Parenting Lesson of the Day: You can’t wait for them to start school, and then they do.
When her teacher called the other day to schedule a home visit it really hit home. I have a preschooler. I know I have many years to look forward to with her living at home, but I can’t quite believe our time together with zero obligations has drawn to a close. For almost three years we have been together from sun up to sun down, no nanny, no cleaning lady, and only a few babysitters here and there. It’s been the just two of us and we’ve become quite a team.
With the book underway and other projects up my sleeve it is probably a good time for school to start. She needs more stimulation then just off-key singing with Mom and time at the playground with the neighborhood kids. I’m sure she’ll excel at all of the singing, jumping and arts & crafts activities they throw at her. But I’m still going to miss her. After three years of non-stop time together nobody knows all of her as well as I do. And, I venture to say, she’s gotten to know me pretty well, too.
Sometimes, I think, the best way to cope with change in the air is to bake. In this case, with the teacher due to arrive the following the day, my daughter and I decided to make some snack muffins to give to her. I mixed up most of the batter during naptime then let my daughter add the shredded apple and put them in the muffin tins when she woke up. We popped them in the oven to bake, then let them cool all afternoon. The following day the teacher came and the kiddo served them to her on a paper napkin with the letter “B” printed on it. The teacher’s last name and our last name have the same initial, a coincidence we loved. The rest of our visit was easy and fun. Together we remarked on the delicious chewy texture, intense apple flavor and slight punch of cinnamon in each bite. They set the tone for what I hope will be a wonderful year.
What’s Going on Today: Taking advantage of last week without preschool obligations (!) Naptime Goals: Prepare dough for Cherry & Cream Cookies, test two recipes for the book. Tonight’s Menu: Two book recipes (I can’t tell you which ones!), Caesar Salad, Cherry & Cream Cookies for dessert. Parenting Lesson of the Day: I don’t think she understands what I mean when I say “you are starting school next week,” but she seems excited about it.
There is nothing I love more then stumbling across a recipe that grips me with such excitement I shift around my schedule to make it straight away. I am doing a lot of cooking during naptime these days, since I am hard at work on the book, but I still need to make room for spontaneity.
Last week I was studiously reading my new issue ofBon Appetitand came across an article about Christina Tosi, the pastry chef at Momofuku Milk Bar, and her indulgent recipes. With words like Crack Pie, Chocolate-Malt Cake and Blueberry & Cream Cookies springing off the pages it was all I could do not to drop everything and make all three right then and there. I love desserts like these, ones that are unfussy and indulgent with a child-like quality, and I was thrilled to see that someone at such a high-end restaurant shared this sentiment.
Here you’ll see that I decided to do a riff on Tosi’s cookie recipe, using dried cherries instead of blueberries. I also opted to make it more Naptime Chef-friendly, cutting the chilling time by two-thirds. Of course, if you want to chill the dough for 24 hours or more, feel free to do so. I decided to work with my usual time table, mixing dough during naptime and baking it after my daughter went to sleep. I could have, however, waited to bake them the following day at naptime if I’d preferred. Tosi’s recipe calls for a few large cookies, but I like small drop cookies for home eating. I played with the baking time to compensate for the smaller cookie size and it worked like a charm.
The speed at which these disappeared from the OXO Good Grips container on my kitchen counter has to be a record-breaker for my household. The chewy texture and smooth milky taste was so unique all three of us went nuts. Each cookie perfectly encapsulates the flavors of cherries, cream and butter. My daughter is a berry nut and kept asking begging and pleading for more, often negotiating them as a reward for my requests that she pick her her toys and use her “indoor voice.” I couldn’t blame here for trying, we all were looking for excuses to have just one more.
