I am checking in today to wish you all a happy holiday season! I hope you all are having a blast with your families no matter what you are celebrating. I have a lot of reason to celebrate this holiday season and I want to express my thanks, once again, for all of your readership and support this year. Publishing my first cookbook in March was a dream come true and I had such a blast on my book tour, especially the parts where I got to meet a lot of you. This summer I was thrilled to announce that we are expecting our second baby in January (less than a month from now!!), and today I get to share more exciting news: I am writing another cookbook!
I had to squeeze in this one last post before signing off for Christmas. I’ll be back next week with a little check-in and some awesome news (not baby related!). I hope you all will be away from your computers (or, maybe, enjoying your new iPad’s?) and spending time with your families. That is what I plan to be doing anyway! While you are, hopefully, relaxing by the fire here is a great little treat for you – Homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream. Sip it on the rocks, stir it into your coffee, or just drink straight up. Have a happy and safe holiday season everyone!
While I wrap up my holiday preparations in anticipation of next week I thought I would stop in with a quick recap of all of the best holiday food and party ideas I’ve been posting here for the past few years. These are some of our family favorites for the holiday season. The recipes I turn to again and again. Given my current state I had to be especially prepared this year (!) since lately I’ve been in no mood to stand on my feet for any great length of time. I am sure I’ll make up for it next year! In the mean time, I hope you and your families are looking forward to a fabulous and fun week ahead.
To follow-up on yesterday’s overnight panettone french toast today I am talking about a favorite make-ahead egg-based breakfast – asparagus and mushroom strata. There is something about serving a strata that seems so old school. I remember my Mom making stratas when she entertained at brunch, and I even remember my grandmother making them for dinner when I stayed at her house. It is a true classic that always fits the bill. This is definitely one of those recipes that you need in your back pocket year-round, and is perfect for the holiday season!
I know I’ve been concentrating a lot on entertaining and homemade gift recipes this month. When I asked about it on Facebook in November you all said they were things you needed this season. You also said you needed some easy make-ahead breakfast recipes for the holidays which is what I am going to talk about today and tomorrow. Today we are starting off with a simple overnight french toast made with that loaf of panettone someone may have just given you the other day. I happen to adore panettone and this is one of the first things I make with a loaf whenever I get my hands on one. If you’ve only just received one, or are looking for a new way to prepare your favorite sweet loaf, this french toast is a great place to start.
I am so excited to share the third installment of my trip to Thailand from last February. The purpose of this entire trip was to explore Thai seafood on behalf of Sea Cuisine. Having been to Thailand once before I was thrilled to have the chance to return. This post chronicles our last day in Bangkok before we traveled down the Phuket to experience Southern Thailand. We had the great fortune of eating the most amazing shrimp dumplings and fresh cut noodles I’ve ever tried. It has been almost ten months since our visit and I still think about them!
When it comes to entertaining this season a lot of you asked for some easy-peasy quick party recipes. I am, of course, very happy to oblige since you know I am all about delicious food made with minimal fuss. Today I’ve partnered with Whole Foods Market to share an excellent, and simple, seafood appetizer that is perfect for seasonal entertaining. Sure, this could be done with seafood from any market, but today I am specifically working with Whole Foods Market because of their commitment to sustainability. I simply love that Whole Foods Market features Wild-Caught Seafood Sustainability Ratings for each of their seafood products. And, better yet, they no longer carry red-rated (i.e. unsustainable) seafood in any of their stores as of Earth Day 2012. I’ll always root for a company that commits themselves so wholly to respecting the Earth and maintaining our food supply for generations to come.
For my third day of holiday food gifts I am pleased to present an exclusive shopping discount at the Food52 Shop. As most of you know, I am huge fan of Food52 and am so proud that three of my recipes are in their first cookbook. I also highly recommend their holiday iPhone/iPad app, it is so useful during the entertaining season! Today I am psyched to offer this discount because I think their web-based store is a great place to shop for friends and family. Amanda and Merrill personally vet everything that is available for sale and work directly with sellers to create special products and pricing. It is like shopping at the most well-cultivated online food and kitchenware store on the entire internet! Here are some of the awesome things available this season:
I am so thrilled that Food52 is offering a special shopping discount to all Naptime Chef readers this season! Use Code Naptime10, Save an Extra 10% Off* in the Food52 Holiday Shop
*Offer ends December 31, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Excludes past purchases. Limit ten discounts per customer. Excludes travel and copper offers. Minimum $20 purchase. Offer is subject to change without notice and is not redeemable for cash or cash equivalent. May not be combined with any other offer or promotion. Void where prohibited by law.
Today I am thrilled to bring you my foodie holiday gift guide for 2012! Not only is this a gift guide of a few of my favorite foodie items, I also have the great fortune of being able to giveaway one of each of the items below. That’s right, it is kind of like Kelsey’s favorite foodie finds for the holiday season Oprah-style. I had so much fun putting this list together and hope it gives you some great gift ideas. Stay tuned for more holiday shopping tips and giveaways later this week!
Today I am thrilled to kick-off my holiday gift week chatting about one of my favorite causes, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. I know cancer isn’t necessarily a fun topic, but making cookies and selling them to support pediatric cancer research is definitely a fun thing to do. For me there are fewer things that feel better or more worthwhile than putting my baking skills to good use during the holiday season. This month I have joined several of my food blogging buddies to create and promote a great Holiday Recipe Video series featuring our favorite holiday cookies to support Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. I’ll admit, I am feeling rather large these days and didn’t necessarily want to film myself, but I’ll do anything for this organization. (Don’t worry, I plan to bring back The Naptime Chef Cooking Show this spring post-baby – most likely to make lighter food as I lose the baby weight!)
Tonight is Mom’s Night Out! Woot! Of course, this year this doesn’t carry the same meaning it usually does. But I’ll take whatever mid-week break I can get during the holiday season. Celebrating with friends is always up my alley, even if it means sipping my Elderflower Presse and being the designated driver. For my contribution to the little potluck we’ll be having at Maura’s house I am bringing a trio of party crostinis. I LOVE taking crostinis to parties because they are so easy to prepare ahead of time, they travel well, and everyone always appreciates a party nibble that can be eaten in two bites or less.
