The Occasion: Taking treats to a friend for an afternoon playdate and some to my neighbor to celebrate her daughter’s christening.
Menu: Everyone to bring apple-themed treats to the playdate for a fun fall afternoon.
Attendees: Party of 8 (at playdate!)
Naptime Goals: Bake bars so they have time to cool, finish laundry, wrap up articles and pack snack for pick-up.
When I agreed to bring an apple-y treat to a playdate recently I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I experimented with this Apple Crumb Cheesecake bar recipe a lot last year but never posted about it. Now I’ve think I’ve got it fine-tuned and am finally ready to share! They were originally inspired by my husband’s love of cheesecake and my love of apples. I make a lot of apple breads and muffins during apple season, which are great, of course, but I really wanted to try combining cheesecake and apples to make one stellar bar we all would love.
The lower temperatures of fall have arrived and they are slowly inspiring me to revisit my cold weather cooking favorites. The weather isn’t terribly cold yet, but it is too cool for gazpacho and cold chicken salad. I am turning the page to warmer soups and heartier baked dinners. This newest weeknight chicken dish was inspired by my daughter’s recent favorite snack, Craisins. I constantly toss them into salads and have always wanted to try them out in more savory dishes. When a bag literally fell out of the cupboard last week as I was reaching for some graham crackers I took it as a sign that it was time to try!
A few weeks ago I got a great comment asking me to share how I grocery shop with my daughter during the week. I know I am always chatting about my trips to the farmer’s market and gourmet shop, but I do hit our neighborhood grocery store on a regular basis as well. Not surprisingly, when I posted about how much I love to grocery shop by myself at night while my husband stays home with our sleeping daughter I got a resounding response. Casually strolling the grocery aisles sans children is a luxury you all love too! Of course, the reason we consider it a luxury is because it very rarely happens. Usually my daughter is in the cart begging for various treats while I politely ignore her and speed around checking things off my list, trying to steer clear of grumpy people and children waving candy bars (which inevitably leads to my child wanting one, too). The grocery store can be a minefield with kids, but it still necessitates frequent visits. Here is how I do it:
Congratulations to Rochelle, the winner of the Favorite Things Giveaway! Thanks to everyone for joining in the fun and celebrating Naptime Chef Birthday Week. Stay tuned for next month (which is only in a few days!) when we start our next celebration and challenge week centered around a fall theme!
On September 27th the All-Clad Foodie Truck will be parked will be parked at West 4th between Mercer and East Washington Square, on the South side of the street. Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country Barbecue will be on the truck from 12:30-2:30pm. Please stop by and say Hi, I’ll be there having a blast!
I thought I would finish off the week with some fabulous birthday tips and recipes from some of the best food bloggers in the biz! I swear by every single one of these ideas and want to make all of their recipes straight away. I think you will feel the same way. Please chime in with your own tips below for your last chance to enter our awesome Birthday Week Favorite Things Giveaway!:
Phoebe & Cara of Big Girls, Small Kitchen advise: “Think long and hard about the birthday boy or girl’s tastes. A birthday cake is kind of a gift itself, and as with any gift, you want it to be a perfectly matched with its recipient. Our Rich Chocolate Celebration Cake is so classic, yet customizable– you can leave it plain, decorate with m&m’s, or slip a layer of strawberries in with the icing for fruit lovers. For the full story behind how this cake worked its way into our birthday traditions, see the “Baking From Heart” chapter in our book,In the Small Kitchen.”
Julie of The Little Kitchen‘s awesome birthday baking tips are: “Make your icing up to two weeks before the party and store in the refrigerator. Make your cupcakes the night before and cover them with a thin towels and leave on the counter. If you don’t cover them, they will dry out. If you cover them in a plastic container, where I live, the humidity affects the liners and causes cupcake liners to peel away from the cupcakes. First thing you do the morning of the party, place your icing on the counter for 30-60 minutes and decorate your cupcakes when you have a chance. If you’re transporting the cupcakes, now’s the time to add them to your cupcake carrier or box.”
Her go-to birthday recipe is: Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes, like the candy bar only a million times better!
Angie of Eclectic Recipes says: “I always include wine and beer for the adults, even at kid’s parties. If alcohol’s not your thing, offer an assortment of calming teas.”
Dara of Cookin’ Canuck’s birthday tips for kids is: “After planning many birthday parties for my kids, my best tip is to keep it simple with a few games, a simple art project and some playtime. All the kids really want to do is spend time together. You could stick them in an open field with a couple of balls and they’d be happy, as long as they could play with each other.”
Dara’s go-to birthday recipe are these Carrot Ginger Cupcakes which are an ideal change from vanilla or chocolate!
Sommer of A Spicy Perspective advises: ” 1.Order decorations online instead of running around looking for them–it saves time and you usually get a better deal. 2. Instead of doing goodie bags with all the junk toys and candy, set up a cookie pop decorating station. Let the kids decorate a cookie pop at the end of the party then put them in cellophane bags so they can take them home. 3. Have your BFF be in charge of the party games. It takes something off your plate and the friend usually comes up with something WAY more creative than you (I) would.”
Aggie of Aggie’s Kitchen offer this tip: “Set a theme! This past year I decided I wanted to be in Mexico for my birthday. It was January, it was cold and I was craving warm sun and fresh food. I couldn’t run away to Mexico unfortunately so we brought Mexico to me by inviting friends over, cooking up a Mexican feast with lots of fresh salsa and margaritas! Themes make celebrations a little extra fun in my opinion!”
7. 6 Extra Entries: Write a blog post between now and Thursday September 22nd about how you celebrate birthdays in your family and include a recipe for a favorite birthday cake or birthday dish and tell your readers about this post with a link back to it. You will be listed in the post next Friday September 23rd as an official sponsor.
8. Contest will run from September 15th at 7:00am through Saturday, September 24th at 7:00am. Winner will be announced on Sunday September 25th at 7:00am. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn. Winner be selected by random.org.
9. Giveaway items can only be mailed within the continental US.
*Giveaway items generously donated by Andrews McMeel, OXO Good Grips and JMcLaughlin.
I have perfected yellow cake with chocolate frosting because it is my husband’s absolute favorite cake of all time. When we first started dating he informed me of this and mentioned that Duncan Hines was his preferred mix. I shuddered. A cake from a box? Perish the thought! This classic cake is one of those recipes you should have down pat since it can be used for just about any occasion. This time I made it I even gave it my own special twist, browning the butter at the beginning to infuse the cake with a deeper, nuttier flavor.
The other title of this post could be “What Kelsey makes when she is in charge of her own birthday cake” or “what to bake when you are ready to drown in chocolate.” As some of you know, I bake my birthday cake every year and is it always has a chocolate focus. Don’t feel sorry for me, I love to bake so it is really a bit of a treat. On this special day I know my sweet husband will come through with the great gifts and dinner out, but he doesn’t bake and I certainly don’t expect him to learn just for my benefit. This year my cake was inspired by the flavors of nutella. I was in the mood for something rich and chocolaty, with notes of hazelnut and coffee.
This month I am teaming up with All-Clad to share the fun news about All-Clad Chefs Food Truck Tour that recently launched in New York City. This branded, mobile kitchen features All-Clad celebrity chef ambassadors, demonstrating how to cook with signature cookware and is stationed throughout New York City to “pop up” in front of your favorite retail stores, popular restaurants and city landmarks. These impromptu, food truck-style cooking demonstrations give you, New Yorkers, access to the city’s top chefs and gourmet cuisine. Us New Yorker’s always like to be the first in the know!
The reason for this awesome tour is to celebrate the launch of All-Clad’s newly launched stainless steel collection. I use All-Clad stainless steel pots exclusively (they were a wedding present, not something I was paid to say) and adore their versatility. In their new collection All-Clad designed more comfortable handles, added PFOA-free dishwasher safe non-stick coating and a whole host of other wonderful features.
I hope you’ll come join me at the All-Clad food truck in NYC next Tuesday, September 27th. Chef Elizabeth Karmel will be cooking up awesome food and the All-Clad truck will be open for business! Where and when will the truck be parked you ask? Stay tuned for a post on September 25th where I will reveal the date and time. I know it’s a tease, but you can handle it! 🙂 See you soon!
