Last weekend was our first weekend at home in three weeks. You can imagine my relief at not having to get in a car or on an airplane yet again. Not that I don’t love a good trip – but my ankles are begging for mercy! I did my best to keep our schedule generally free and clear to allow for a nice amount of down time. I wanted to focus on some very necessary pre-baby nesting and some fun baking with my daughter. To kick off our weekend we made this orange cinnamon coffee cake. Moist, delicious, and easily made in just one bowl, it was the perfect cozy breakfast treat to celebrate some time at home.
Two weeks ago I had lunch at Islandwith my friend Barbara and we both ordered the lunch special: turkey burgers with gruyere and arugula. I make turkey burgers now and then, and they are pretty good, but these burgers were exceptional. The meat was juicy and moist and they were spiced up with black pepper and something hot, we think it might have been chili powder. Each burger was topped with a generous slice of melted gruyere, a handful of arugula, and some yummy tomato and shallots. Then, as if that wasn’t awesome enough, the towering burger was served on a warm brioche bun with french fries on the side. In short, it was heaven on a plate.
Brunch is a great time of day to entertain when you have kids. Mid-morning most kids are, generally speaking, in a good mood, parents are pleased to get out of the house so early, and the food is always fun. Since my daughter is really into pancakes these days I recently decided to entertain friends with a big Chai-spiced Dutch baby pancake. It is infinitely easier to make than standing over the stovetop flipping the silver dollar kind. Plus, it can be sliced and served like a pie, keeping the brunch buffet neat and tidy.
Last week was a whirlwind. We had barely arrived home from Columbus Day weekend in Cooperstown before we were off to Lima, Ohio for my friend’s wedding. Cooking-wise it didn’t leave me a lot of time to stock up on my weekly groceries and dig into a big week of meals. Instead, I just took each day as it came and whipped up a few of our favorite meals on the fly. One of these was our stand-by quick carbonara. My brother, Uncle Will, is a huge fan of this simple recipe so we always eat it when he is around. It is perfect for when he visits because I can literally make the whole meal in 15 minutes.
Around the holidays I love to get extra-crafty with my gift-giving and celebration style. Most of the time when I give a batch of cookies or brownies to a friend I employ a simple, pretty packaging technique that always looks good but doesn’t take a ton of effort. But, when the holidays roll around, I like to break out the big(ger) guns and see what fun stuff I can come up with. This month I’m all about pumpkin recipesand Halloween and packaging up cute treats to take to friends like these awesome pumpkin swirl brownies!
The funny thing about baby on board is that I’ve eliminated snacking in favor of bigger meals. When I am not pregnant I usually am content nibbling on some baked oatmeal for breakfast, having a poached egg on pesto cheese toast for lunch, and a container of Greek yogurt between meals. However, when I am pregnant this is simply not enough. For lunches I’ve been making two soft boiled eggs and eating them with whole wheat toast and just last week I made this awesome caramelized onion grilled cheese.
I love making big family breakfasts on the weekend. I find it so relaxing to wake up on Saturday morning with nothing particularly urgent to do except making something warm and cozy to eat in our pajamas. With the weather in full fall mode last weekend I decided to make an awesome baked oatmeal to start the weekend right. I had a fresh bag of McIntosh apples on hands, plenty of cinnamon, and everything I needed to whip up this easy breakfast.
I love chai tea in the morning. In the summer I drink it over ice and in the winter I drink it warm with milk. When I ran out of regular milk the other day I decided to try adding coconut milk instead. I don’t need to stick to a dairy-free diet or anything, but I love the flavor of coconut and I certainly wasn’t about to run to the store for milk at 6am! Luckily, my little experiment turned out to be a tasty treat. I did my best to whip the milk into a froth with a whisk (I’ve put this to my Christmas wishlist!), added it to the hot tea, and topped it all with a pinch of cinnamon. The naturally sweet coconut milk was the perfect compliment to the spicy tea and was just the way to start the morning.
I am so excited to today to be participating in a virtual viewing party for my friend Phoebe. Tonight she is making her television debut as part of Team USA on Jamie Oliver’s new cooking show competition: Chef Race: UK vs US. I’ve already set my DVR to watch it on BBC America! To celebrate Phoebe’s accomplishment (I can’t wait to see how she fares!) I am participating in this awesome virtual potluck party for her team featuring all kinds of classic American foods. For my contribution I am making our favorite baked macaroni and cheese with marinara. If there is any more all-American dish I don’t know it and it happens to be a naptime classic around these parts.
This month I’ve been all about indulging my cravings for spicy food and it is beginning to show around here. I know a lot of you don’t mind a little heat now and then so hopefully I’m not going too overboard. Rest assured, I always include instructions on how to tone down the heat to suit your palate! In our Facebook chat earlier this month some of you indicated you want more slow-cooker dishes that are not beef or pork oriented. Lucky you, because now that the weather has cooled down, and I am slowing down I bit, I’ve been using my slow-cooker every chance I get and today I’ve got a great, lighter fall/winter soup for you!
Now and then I like to pop in to chat about some of my newest favorite things. This is the stuff I’ve been enjoying recently from around the internet and beyond. As you can probably tell, my baby nesting instincts are starting to emerge. Lately I’ve been flipping around home decor websites just as much as my favorite food rags. I’ve also been scooping out a few fashiony items, mostly concentrating on the things I can actually take advantage of now (i.e. shoes, bags, and make-up) while I can’t fit into normal clothes. I am also happy to report that I am far less absent-minded and wiped out than I was when I checked in last summer. Phew – I am glad that phase is over! Now I am just a normal pregnant lady who gets out of breath carrying groceries and craves chocolate like it is going out of style.
My Fall Favorites 2012:
Naptime Kitchen Gear: With apples coming in my the bucket load I am all about this slicer – so much easier when I need thin slices for tarts
Naptime Reading:This new novel is SO good. I am crazy about all things Hemingway and this book is a fun look at his second marriage.
Naptime Retail Therapy:These boots are on my wish list…they are they perfect height for pregnant ladies!
Naptime Beauty: This year I am obsessed with this for dark lips. (I mean, just because I can’t wear the fashionable clothes this month doesn’t mean I can’t make an effort!)
Earlier this month on Facebook I asked what you would like to see on The Naptime Chef this fall. I am so grateful that all of you wrote back with the most terrific answers! There were requests for everything from more chicken and vegetable oriented slow-cooker meals, family breakfast food and kids snacks, to toddler finger food, entertaining ideas, and easy Mexican dishes. I promise I am going to do my best to fulfill all of your needs this fall and, given my current obsession with all things spicy, today I am starting with this simple family-friendly make-ahead meal.
