A bloody Mary needs no introduction. Any adult, and most kids, have seen it a hundred times before. While we love the classic cocktail we enjoy putting new twists on it now and then. It isn’t about reinventing the wheel, it is more about a little tweak here and there. Sometimes we are inspired by a fresh vegetable from the garden or an amazing slab of bacon we recently tasted, other times it is all about a craving for spice or a certain texture.

When I have the time I love to freshly juice my tomatoes. But, since I don’t own a juicer — how I would love one of these from Williams-Sonoma! — I usually use tomato juice from the store. No doubt fresh juice takes a bloody to a whole new level. But, if you don’t have a juicer don’t sweat it. Last weekend my husband and I were inspired to make a little bloody Mary bar at home and these are what we came up with:

This weekend marks the end of summer entertaining for us. Next week, we’ll be back in full school mode and our simple get-togethers with friends will be less frequent than they have been for the past few months. To send summer out with a bang, I want to have a few friends over and serve some easy dishes that won’t take long to make. I am going to take the opportunity to showcase a lot of my favorite Arla Dofino cheeses since they are a great alternative to processed cheeses and are made with few ingredients, plus, I know everyone will love them! Here is what I’m planning to make:

I am busy stocking up the fridge with goodies for the lunchbox and yesterday I made one of my daughter’s new favorite things: tapioca pudding. It is a dessert we stumbled on by accident. She tried it at a friends house and adored it. She instantly feel for the rich vanilla flavor and interesting texture. In fact, initially she thought it was some kind of warmish ice cream until I explained it was pudding. Perfect for the lunchbox and easy to make I was eager to recreate it at home. It is ideal for tucking into a lunchbox for a sweet and hearty snack.

Every fall I spent a little time freshening up my kitchen. I get rid bits and pieces of food left over from summer, dump out the last bites of jam from jars, refill the maple syrup pitcher, and give my pots and pans a good scrubbing. I also pull out a fresh roster of recipes to make with my daughter since she loves to help me in the kitchen these days. She is learning her way around a recipe slowly and surely and I want to encourage her as much as I can. However, before we dive into a new round of food I like to review a few kitchen first aid with her to make sure we are on the right track.

I went a little peach crazy this summer. The harvest in the Northeast seemed particularly good this year. The peaches were exceptionally juicy and full of flavor. Perfect for jam, punch, and pie. I’ve never shared this pie recipe before even though my mother has been making it since before I was born. It is from her friend Sandy and there is a small secret ingredient that sets it apart from all the other peach pies I’ve ever tasted. The ingredient elevates the peach flavor without overshadowing it. Once you add it to your peach pie you’ll never make one without it again.

I haven’t done as much summer reading this summer as I would’ve liked. Running around after two kids, working on the next book, and keeping up with the house has taken up almost all my time. However, I had the good fortune of getting a copy of my friend Kathleen Flinn’s latest book, Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family, and I read the whole thing cover to cover in just a few days. I’ll admit, I pushed aside work in favor of reading and it was so worth it.

I’ve been canning up a storm in Cooperstown this month with my Dad. As I’ve outlined before, we love canning fruits and vegetables each summer. It is a time for us to bond, plus we get to reap the rewards all winter long. I also give a lot of the preserves we make away for holiday gifts. I am excited to work with my friends at Ball Jar for the second year in a row to celebrate International Can-It-Forward Day. It is coming up this Saturday August 16th and you don’t want to miss it if you are a canning enthusiastic, or a novice who is eager to learn.

This post has been updated October 3, 2016 as part of the 5 Affordable Weeknight Dinners with Whole Foods Market. We were able to enjoy this recipe again in a whole new way with ingredients from my recent Whole Foods Market trip.

These chicken skewers are a favorite of ours. This week it is part of our 5 Affordable Weeknight Dinners with Whole Foods Market. For this project I am sharing how I make five delicious, easy dinners for my family using one bag of Whole Foods Market groceries. I love shopping at there because of their extra fresh ingredients and high commitment to quality. Before I go I always check my Whole Foods Market app and sales flyer for downloadable and printable coupons. They are so easy to use and offer terrific discounts for so many of my favorite every day staples, and the specialty items I love to try.

Making these was super easy and it was made even easier by the spices and chicken I bought at Whole Foods Market. I love buying my poultry there because it is such high quality and I never have to worry that I am getting something that has been filled with antibiotics and water. Whole Foods Market implements and easy to understand animal welfare system in their stores so I can make informed choices about animal welfare when I make my selection. I also know they never sell meat or poultry that was raised with antibiotics, growth hormones, or animal by-product in their feed. With these high standards I never worry about my purchase!

For flavorings I like to pick up 365 brand spices and oils from the spice aisle. They always taste great and are a very reasonable price. Who can argue with that? Some oils and spices can be expensive and flavorless, but that isn’t the case here.

Last weekend some good friends visited us in Cooperstown. When they came in on Friday night we had a big feast to welcome them.  It was all about easy, homey food that we all could enjoy at the big table. My mom made one of the salads from my cookbook, lots of corn, and a salad. I contributed these Greek chicken skewers my friend Caroline had made for us earlier this year. They marinade couldn’t be more simple and their bright, garlicky flavor is ideal for a family meal .

This simple dinner is ideal for summer and fall entertaining. Pair it with a salad and some rice and you’ve got a terrific full meal!

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Whole Foods. The photographs and ideas are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)

Every summer I fold a new selection of recipes into my repertoire. But I also spend a lot of time revisiting old favorites. It is kind of like that saying “make new friends but keep the old.” I spend all winter looking forward to our summer classics just as much as do trying new recipes. Here are some of the tried-and-true family favorites I’ve been making this summer. They deserve another go ’round in the spotlight in case you missed them the first time:

Salads: Grilled Peach and Blue Cheese Salad, Couscous Salad with Blue Cheese and Scallions, Arugula Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, My Big Fat French Salad, Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad

Summer vegetables are always my inspiration when I start composing salads for friends and family. This time of year, they are so fresh and bursting with flavor that I am always sure to include as many as possible whenever I prepare a bowl. Lately, I’ve been trying to take my salads up a notch, making them even more flavorful and exciting. This summer, my trick has been to add a generous shower of creamy, natural Arla Dofino Havarti with Dill. The cheese has a delicious, mild dill flavor which adds a wonderful dimension to the salad.

I’ll admit, I first learned of hasselback potatoes from a Pinterest picture. While I rarely let Pinterest dictate my menu, I do like turning to it for ideas from time to time. I am accustomed to grilling vegetables but I have never grilled a potato whole and was so intrigued by the idea. Frankly, it never occurred to me to try it even though I am always popping potatoes into the oven to accompany meatloaf in the winter. The cool thing about this recipe is that not only it is a snap, but it a really stunner presentation-wise. It always draws a little extra attention because it is just so fun to look at.