I am so happy to be back in this space I love so much and today I’m delivering an old family favorite, Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies. These are listed on my age-old, yet still popular, 10 Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies List. In fact, I think I need to brush up that post with a few updates and additions! I’ll save that for another time.
(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hood Cream, a brand I love and recommend. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Naptime Chef.)
Here are the facts: I love food, I love to cook, and I love pasta. Pasta dishes, like Chicken Riggies, is in fact, one of my favorite comfort foods. For our family the definition of comfort food is that we eat it once in a while. That means I’ll never give it up – not even for a fad diet – but it’s also not something I make every night, or even every week. However, when the occasion calls for it, a good bowl of Chicken Riggies, or something equally as deliciously satisfying, is exactly what’s needed. This particular dish is actually native to upstate NY, Utica to be exact, near Cooperstown where I grew up. It features a homemade tomato pepper cream sauce, well-seasoned chicken, and a sprinkling of cheese and basil.
(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hood Cream. The photographs and opinions are wholly my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)
Summer is finally here. The kids are out of school and we are preparing for our upcoming trip to Cooperstown for the Fourth of July. I’ve been hard at work on The Little Snack Newsletter and other fun projects, all of which have been amazing. I’ve also been fitting in some late afternoons at the pool since it’s summer after all!
The true sign of summer is, of course, that I’ve basically turned off my oven and cook almost exclusively on the grill. One of our favorite everyday dinners is this grilled chicken salad. The chicken is simply marinated in a favorite balsamic marinade and grilled to perfection. Then I toss together a salad full of spinach, vegetables, and some cheese. It’s perfectly simple, but what really makes it special is the creamy dressing.
Dear Friends,
I’ve had the best time writing for you since January 2009. I could never have predicted the amazing journey The Naptime Chef has been. Between two cookbooks, one new baby, and three separate kitchens life has been a fun, frantic, mysterious whirlwind and now it has brought me here. The Naptime Chef will be continuing, so don’t panic, but I’ve been working on a couple pet projects for a long time and now I am excited to share them with the world.
The first is The Little Snack Newsletter. I have a wonderful mailing list of readers and sending them only my own blog content doesn’t feel like enough anymore. So, I am starting this lifestyle newsletter for women 35+ that centers around food & wine, design, and travel. If you already subscribe to my newsletter you will get it. If you don’t, please sign up on the sidebar. There is a Cookbook Club and everything!
Update: I’ll be sharing links to the newsletters on this blog as they roll out so be sure to check here for newsletter content, too!
(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hood Cream. The opinions and photographs expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)
Mother’s Day was a blast and now Father’s Day is right around the corner. I know these are both Hallmark holidays, but I do love them. In our house these small holidays are all about family time. It’s about gathering together for a special meal and taking time to enjoy each other’s company. That is something that is much harder to do these days with ours kids sports schedules! This year I partnered with Hood® Cream to create a yummy egg casserole for my husband to enjoy on Father’s Day. It was a lot of fun thinking of all of his favorite flavors and coming up with a dish for him to enjoy!
The most adorable cabana sac for summer at the beach!
This delightful book to inspire her next trip to Paris. (illustration by TheFrancoFly)
A gorgeous tote for taking to the farmers’ market and bringing home freshly picked flowers.
A beautiful book of portraits for livening up her coffee table.
Without question, the most relaxing body scrub.
Fabulous shoes for wearing all summer long.
Amazing handcrafted cards she can put on her desk.
Cushy socks for padding around house or wearing to exercise.
Luxurious face oil to make her extra glowy.
Lavender cookware, because it’s her favorite color.
Mac-n-Cheese is quite possibly the most wonderful comfort food. There is nothing not to love about pasta baked with cheesy sauce topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. Personally, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t adore this comfort food! The problem, of course, is that the dish can lean on the heavy side, so it is really more of a treat than a regular menu item. Unless, of course, you can sneak some vegetables in!
Something I tried recently is puréeing butternut squash into the cheese sauce to make a truly delicious, slightly healthier, vegetable-laden dish. The process is easy. It starts with softening the squash in Skim Plus milk on the stovetop. Then it is puréed until smooth and made into a delicious béchamel sauce. I use Skim Plus milk because it has a lovely creamy texture with 37% more protein than whole milk and 34% more calcium. The creamy sauce is then folded together with fresh cooked pasta and baked into a yummy casserole!
FOR HER:
The cutest shirt to wear all year long.
A super fun subscription to Birchbox so she can discover her new favorite lipstick.
The pouch she can use for just about anything.
Sea Salt Chocolate Truffles that are just about the best treats ever.
A luxurious candle that makes the whole house smell like roses.
FOR HIM:
The most amazing ski socks to enjoy for the rest of winter.
A lovely bottle opener and some good beer to go with it.
A computer sleeve to make business trips that much easier.
The roll that will finally solve his watch storage problem.
A best travel mug and plan a fun hike together!
(Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Skim Plus Milk. It’s a brand we love and the opinions and photographs are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Naptime Chef possible.)
This new year started off with a wintery bang – a bomb cyclone storm followed by frigid temperatures. Being from Cooperstown, I am no stranger to crazy cold and snow, but it is always a little jarring to readjust to winter when it comes on so fast. In the kitchen, this means breaking out my cold weather cooking repertoire and bringing on the hearty stick-to-your-ribs food we all love like this Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder.
This is one of comfort classics in our house. We love its warm, creamy texture and rich flavor. It definitely warms you up, even down to the tips of your toes! I can vouch for this because last week, I ate it immediately after I shoveled snow in four-degree Fahrenheit weather. If there is any time you want warm food, it’s then!
The word “chowder” can strike fear into the heart of many foodies because it brings up images of heavy cream and calorie counts, but I lighten mine up – without sacrificing flavor – by using Skim Plus Milk and Skim Plus Half & Half. Not only does it give this dish the hallmark creamy texture of a classic chowder, it also adds protein and calcium benefits. Skim Plus actually has 37% more protein than whole milk and 34% more calcium than whole milk. It really is a win-win.
We’ve had a fantastic and busy month, but the fun isn’t over yet! We still have New Year’s Eve this weekend if you are anything like my family you are all about easy-peasy family entertaining. One of my go-to’s this time of year is lots of gourmet snacks. Instead of going crazy with homemade from scratch everything, I reach for a few of my favorites off the shelves.
(Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Skim Plus Milk. It’s a brand we love and the opinions and photographs are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Naptime Chef possible.)
My daughter’s favorite holiday flavor is ginger. She loves all kinds of ginger flavored things including cookies, ice cream, whipped cream, and, of course, gingerbread. There is just no form of ginger she doesn’t love. For a recent celebration, I decided to make her a ginger dessert she wouldn’t forget: Gingerbread Bundt Cake with a Chocolate Glaze.
The bundt cake is perfect because it serves a crowd, which is exactly what we needed to do. If you don’t need to serve a crowd, you can also make this recipe in two loaf pans and glaze them. Give one away as a holiday gift, but be sure to save one for yourself!
One of the secrets that makes this cake so good is the addition of Skim Plus milk. It adds moisture to the cake, and I also use it in the glaze. I love using this milk because even though it is fat-free, it still has a creamy texture and flavor. It even has 37% more protein and 34% more calcium than whole milk. This means I don’t have to go out and buy full-fat milk just for baking! It is so nice to be able to us Skim Plus for our morning cereal and for making holiday treats, too.
This rich cake is extra moist and delicious and is bound to be a hit this holiday season.
A comfy buffalo check blanket, $129, perfect for cozy nights by the fire.
A Champagne club that sends amazing bottles of champagne to them everyone month (prices vary).
Blocks with photos of the grandkids, $28.99, for fun memories.
A gorgeous coated canvas French tote, $58, perfect for the beach or farmers’ market.
Hands down the comfiest sleep shirt, $175, in all the land.
A coconut cake, $130, that will last the entire winter and is worth every single calorie.
A stylish hot water bottle, $78, for tucking into sheets to stay warm all night.
Gorgeous potpourri, $80, from the South of France.
Delicious candy, $36, from Paris.
Seawicks candles, $24, to remind them of summer vacation in Maine.
