When I’m on vacation I like to do a lot of reading. I read everything from novels to biographies to cookbooks and never shy away from a good collection or two of short stories. In the spirit of vacation, this week I am sharing some of my recent favorites. These are all great books for a variety of reasons and I hope they inspire you to pick up a book and relax.

Martha Stewart’s Pies & Tarts: I’ve barely read through this book once and have tagged at least a dozen recipes I want to try. This collection of pies and tarts range from the savory to the sweet and is illustrated with beautiful photography. This book is bound to be a resource for all home pie bakers for years to come.

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman: Contrary to the title, this book is not about cooking at all. It is a novel set in California pre-9/11 and is  gripping tale of 20-somethings trying to navigate their way through love, life and professional success. Do not be deceived by it’s gigantic size, I whipped through this novel in less than a week. Thank you to my friend Katie for giving this to me.

By the time you read this we will be halfway through our vacation in Charleston. (Burglars take note, our house is still occupied so don’t even think about it!) When I travel with my daughter I always pack a bagful of snacks for the road and grocery shop wherever we land. Not only does this save money, it also helps us steer clear of the junk food/fast food traps that prey on desperate parents with hungry children. Here are some of my favorite eats and tips and I encourage you to share yours. We all can learn from each other when it comes to traveling with kids!

Airplane Food

Beverages: Since water is not allowed pre-security I simply pack my daughter’s stainless steel water bottle and fill it with fresh water once we get to the gate. It is important to stay hydrated during long flights and she does not understand the phrase “wait for the flight attendant.” I save the rest of the water bottle for myself.

What’s Going Today: Doing a jig as I pack our bags for vacation, setting aside winter sweaters to be dry cleaned for storage.

Naptime Goals: Pack away winter in the attic, pack spring clothes in the suitcase, wrap up all obligations and head out of town!

Tonight’s Menu: Meyer Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti with Arugula

More Quick Pre-Vacay Meals: Farmer’s Market Quiche

It was a long hard winter. I had to walk four miles each day, up hill both ways. Feeling sorry for me yet? Don’t. I am being sarcastic. Yes, it was a tough winter between major deadlines, snow days galore and a few visits from the toddler stomach bug, but these silly quibbles are nothing in comparison to the situation in Japan or the true ills of the world. Yesterday I was packing for a vacation with the people I love and wrapping up the house before the trip. (Burglars, the house is still occupied while we are gone so don’t even think about it!) When it came to dinner my only thought was coming up with a quick dish using found items in the fridge.

Be sure to swing by and check out this fun project I did with Clorox and The Motherhood. There is a great contest too!

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

Today’s Powernap Situation: Time to experiment! Can I use my freshly washed mason jars for a fun cake baking project that both kids and adults will love?

The other day I polished off another jar of Dad’s Bread & Butter Pickles and set yet another empty canning jar on the shelf in the pantry. Seeing the clean empty jars there made me excited at the prospect of spring and summer produce. The season is quickly approaching when we can start the picking and canning process all over again. But, that won’t be for bit yet, so the jars will remain empty. Or will they? My friend Aimee wrote a great article about baking rolls in canning jars so it made me wonder if I could do a little jar baking myself. I won’t be canning strawberry jam until July so I may as well use those jars in the interim!

To take part in my special newsletter giveaway follow the instruction in the newsletter and leave the comments here. Don’t get my newsletter? Subscribe to it in the upper left hand corner and I’ll send out a special issue next Wednesday March 23rd to give you a glimpse of the instructions!

What’s Going on Today: St. Patrick’s Day!

Naptime Goals: Make pistachio pound cake for Kerry, wrap up tax filing for 2010 (!)

Tonight’s Menu: Pizza picnic with friends at the beach.

We are not Irish but I got in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day yesterday and made a pistachio pound cake. Pistachios are not Irish in origin, obviously, but the loaf is green and pretty much anything that is green seems to fit the bill today, right? Right. After I baked this loaf I gave it straight to my friend Kerry. Her birthday was last week and I was late in baking her a birthday treat because I had a book deadline. With a name like Kerry you know she is Irish, and even if you didn’t know her name, her red hair and freckles are a dead giveaway! So, I figured, since Kerry was Irish and today is St. Patrick’s Day there was no better thing to make her than this!

I’m stopping in today with a fun little ditty about the True Prep book signing with Lisa Birnbach at JMcLaughlin Westport last week. I whipped up some fun goodies for everyone to enjoy and we had a great time! Check out my friend Jessica’s article about the event on her blog The Entertaining House, and my friend Melissa wrote a great summary of it on her blog Melissa C. Morris. We all had a very fun, very preppy time shopping the JMcLaughlin wares, sipping white wine and nibbling the Marion Cunnigham brownies recipe that is in the actual True Prep book (omg, they are so good!). Be sure to stop by and enjoy JMcLaughlin this spring, the clothes are fabulous and the company is even better!

Hi! My segment with Brian Kelsey (@KelsontheHouse) on Martha Stewart Living Radio on March 9th was fantastic. I had a blast meeting the Sirius team (and Rascal Flatts, too!) and chatting with Brian about kitchen tips and recipes. To see some of my recipes and the show summary online, check out this article. To listen to the segment, click HERE. Many thanks to Brian for having as his guest and to the whole Sirius team at Martha Stewart Living Radio!

Just a reminder that today I’ll be on Martha Stewart Living Radio being interviewed by Brian Kelsey at 3:00pm ET. You can tune in on Serious 112 or XM 157. To listen you can sign up here for a 7-Day free trial on Sirius Radio and listen straight from your computer!

If you are just finding this site after listening to the show let me give you a quick introduction to The Naptime Chef!

* You can always browse my recipes and recipe categories on my Recipe Index Page.

* I send out a really fun weekly newsletter and you can sign up in the upper left hand corner or by SUBSCRIBE HERE. I often do special giveaways and exclusive previews for subscribers and never, ever sell my list!

* I have a really fun Facebook Fanpage.

* I am active (maybe too active?) on Twitter and here is where to follow me: @TheNaptimeChef

* I post webisodes for my made-at-home cooking show 2 to 3 times per month, here is my Cooking Show Channel on MEVIO.

* I write a fun daily column on Babble’s The Family Kitchen if you want more Naptime Chef recipes.

* My first cookbook, The Naptime Chef: Fitting Great Food Into Family Life is being released in Spring 2012 by Running Press

* I recently co-hosted a cool online cooking class about Picky Eaters and you can find the show summary here. I really believe that all parents can still cook and eat great food even with kids in the house. In short, we all can be naptime chefs, so come join in the fun! As always, contact me with questions, thoughts or concerns! Welcome!