Naptime Everyday: Recipes for Everyday Cooking and Baking

My mother made this amazing cucumber soup last week. It was perfect timing since we were in the midst of a terrible heatwave and only wanted light, cooling foods. She merged a few recipes to make her own and it was nothing short of delicious. I ate it as is for lunch, pouring it into a cup straight from the fridge. For dinner I paired it with some cheese and crackers to make it a little more substantial, but still very easy. Wherever you are I hope you aren’t too hot. And if you are, make this soup!

We are back from vacation and I have to share one of my favorite new summer pasta dishes right away. It is a riff on this one from the New York Times and tastes like a lemony summer dream. It is also perfect for right now when back yard zucchini production is peaking. There is suddenly no limit to the amount of fresh zucchini available and I try to incorporate into everything from savory to sweet. This dish comes together in a jiffy and will please the whole family. Enjoy!

One of my favorite food events of summer is Can-it-Forward day. I’ve had the pleasure of celebrating it for the past four years, each time showcasing some new cool Ball jars. This year their new jar is a gorgeous wide mouth jar in a beautiful shade of turquoise blue. They’d be perfect for pickles or beets or tomatoes!

Earlier this summer I got a beautiful care package from one of my favorite food companies, Sonoma Syrup Co. I adore their natural line of extracts, simple syrups, and more. Knowing my love of floral flavors one of the things they sent me this gorgeous Lavender Simple Syrup. It can be used for all sorts of things including flavoring ice cream, infusing strawberry soup, and stirring into yogurt. This week I decided to make some beverage with it and here were our favorites:

Sponsored by General Mills Cereals Since my children are in nursery school and elementary school we are going to be using a school calendar for many more years to come. For this reason, and for other reasons that pertain mostly to my own sanity, there are parts of our school routine we stick with year […]

Strawberry picking season is here and we’ve already conquered the local farm. Two children and 12 pounds later, we are swimming in bright red fruit and I couldn’t be happier. One of the desserts I made with our recent haul is this easy peasy, delicious pistachio strawberry pavlova. It is made with a pistachio meringue, topped with whipped cream and a generous spread of fresh strawberries.

Last month I received my first pressure cooker and it has been a revelation. I am able to cook everything I want, except now in half the time. No joke! I plan to share more and more about it as I continue my experiments, but today I want to share my favorite thing to cook in it: artichokes. As you know, I have a longstanding love for artichokes. This comes from my mother who cooked them nightly when they were in season. I try to do the same, the problem is time. They take so long to cook! But not anymore…

It’s been a busy month of end-of-school picnics, holiday weekends, and soccer tournaments. That means that I’ve been employing a lot of my favorite weeknight shortcuts like cooking double of what I need and repurposing leftovers. It takes a little strategizing, but it is worth the effort if it means solid meals to grab when rushing about. Here are three of my favorite spring meal tips for the “busy season” and a few favorite salad technique!:

My parents visited us last weekend and I wanted to make us as a little breakfast treat for Sunday morning. I didn’t have a lot of time to pull together anything complicated so I pulled out one of my old favorites and made some batter for scones. There is no easier make-ahead breakfast treat, in my opinion, since the dough takes all of five minutes to come together in a single bowl.

I have embraced the zoodles trend wholeheartedly and am never letting go. I love zucchini, I grow it in the garden, and could basically eat it for every meal. Last summer I purchased a very simple zoodle maker and got to work. Now I make zoodles with green and yellow squash and serve it with all kinds of sauces and toppings. Last week I made a very summery version of our favorite dish to celebrate the beginning (return?) of spring.

This is a good one from my mother. She wrapped it up and sent it back to Connecticut with me that last time I was in Cooperstown. So many of my good recipes come from her! This isn’t a long post but I absolutely have to share this with you. It the best kind of loaf cake: soft and crumbly with a strong Meyer lemon flavor and a slightly crunchy, slightly sweet coconut topping. It is perfect with a cup of tea, sent to school in the lunchbox, or topped with whipped cream and eaten as dessert!

Casual desserts that can please both adults and children, and are easy to make, are harder to come by then you think. Ice cream sandwiches are great when it’s warm out, and most adults, and some children, love a good apple tart in the fall. But, really, when it comes one thing that please everyone year round the list is pretty short. One of my go-to’s in the this situation is a pan of brownies. Made from scratch with a generous dose of sea salt, and a hint of bourbon extract, they are perfect for just about everyone.