Columns

With all that has been going on webisodes were put on the back burner for a while. I love doing them, but they take a lot more time than a regular post. Since my last webisode I’ve traveled to Atlanta, Vermont, Cooperstown (twice) and Martha’s Vineyard (twice). More often than not, these travels have been as a solo parent which means they were fun, but exhausting! Now that I am getting back in the grove with life I plan to do a webisode about once a month for you all. Of course, if I can fit in more I certainly will!

Today’s webisode is all about meals to go. I pack a lot of portable meals in the summer, both for me and my daughter. She has been going to a day camp where she eats lunch and we’ve been doing plenty of mother/daughter beach picnic dinners. To that end I took a few days to film all the different things I pack and ideas I have for great summer meals. When my daughter goes to camp I pack her lunch after she is in bed the night before or before she wakes up. If we are planning on dinner at the beach I pack everything during naptime! In the webisode you’ll see what I like to pack and the equipment I use. I’ve even included my favorite summer sandwich recipe below!

For this webisode I am especially happy to be teaming up with the Small Kitchen College Team on their Brown Bag Lunch Challenge week. All this week they are running a contest on their website featuring fabulous giveaways from BuiltNY and more great prizes. Be sure to stop by their Facebook Fanpage or tweet them at @BGSKCollege for your chance to win a ton of cute food and wine totes from BuiltNY!

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

When I was at BlogHer Food in Atlanta in May I had the great fortune of sipping the most delicious lemonade I’d ever, ever tasted. It was sold at a tiny cafe at the Auburn Street Market and I am fairly sure every single one of us on the field trip purchased a large serving. What made it so unique was that it was made with roasted Georgia peaches. You could actually taste little bits of peach in every slurp. It struck just the right balance between sweet and tart and was perfectly refreshing on such a hot day. Of all the things I ate on that trip the memory of this simple beverage has stayed with me. So, when the first batch of fresh peaches hit the market last week I couldn’t resist attempting to make it myself. It was either that, or go back to Atlanta!

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

I love a good holiday weekend away, but the chaos of packing that preceeds it can be enough to make me stay put. The two days leading up to our Fourth of July trip to Martha’s Vineyard was full of library returns/dry cleaning pick-up/last-minute drugstore runs — you name it, we did it! I am not complaining, merely observing how having a million little things to do all at once can become a massive time suck. The payoff, however, of a worry-free vacation was totally worth it. During our pre-vacay rush I was focused on making dinner as simple as possible. No complicated sauces, no involved dishes, merely light summery meals that could be pulled together in a snap.

What’s Going on Today: Loving the summer weather, produce. Not loving the early morning wake-ups (although it makes for a nice afternoon naptime!)

Naptime Goals: Whip up Spicy Mango BBQ Sauce, marinate chicken, make quick couscous salad. Book editing!

Tonight’s Menu: Spicy Mango Grilled Chicken, Couscous salad, strawberry-mint ice cream!

The only problem with grilling I really face is that my husband comes home so late from work I have to have everything ready the second he pulls in order to get dinner on the table as quickly as possible. My daughter’s bedtime usually immediately follows dinner and I pay the price the next day if she is up too late! I would just grill our meal ahead of time, but I think cold grilled meat isn’t as good as when it is fresh off the heat. To make it easy for me, and to make the meat as flavorful as possible, I often make the grilling sauce during naptime and let the meat marinate all afternoon. In this case, last week I had some slightly overripe mangos so I decided to whip up a new-to-use sauce with what was on hand.

It is officially grilling season. Some would argue it started last month, but the weather in the northeast doesn’t really perk-up until July which is when summer really begins in my world. To get you started with your grilling this season here are some of my basic grilling tips along with some awesome grilling recipes. You might remember a few of these recipes from my grillmaster brother, Uncle Will, I can guarantee he’ll be back this summer with some more grilling greats for us!

Naptime Chef Essential Grilling Tips: You don’t have to be a pitmaster to grill some basic good food. Trust me, I should know. Until last summer I was a city dweller and only grilled on the occasion I was visiting my parents. Now that we live in the ‘burbs my husband and I grill almost every night! I don’t rely on him to do all of the grilling, instead I asked him to teach me a few important tips so that I could grill for both of us. Even if all I do is get the grill pre-heated before he gets home it is a huge time-saver for him when it comes to cooking time.

Before the holiday weekend gets underway I am stopping in with a few naptime chef ideas for your Fourth of July drink spread, along with a fun new cocktail recipe. It is essential that you have a few great frosty drink recipes on hand if you are entertaining this coming weekend!

I made my first attempt at homemade strawberry vodka last week after our strawberry picking expedition. Rarely, if ever, do I buy flavored vodkas because I think they taste artificial and overly sweet. With the hope of finding a way to make an enjoyable, natural fruity liquor, I wanted to try making my own at home. I’d read that people have had great success with it and the whole process seemed completely simple and naptime chef-friendly. I’ll get into a post about the details of making fruit vodkas later in July (hint, hint, I made more flavors than just strawberry…), but suffice it to say, it worked out well. The vodka was infused with the delicious berry flavor and had just the right amount of sweetness from the sugar. If you don’t have the time or interest to make homemade strawberry vodka the store-bought version will work for with  this recipe!

What’s Going on Today: Early 5:30am wake-up call! Farmer’s market, laundry, camp!

Tonight’s Menu: Grilled Lemon Rosemary Chicken, Couscous Salad, Strawberry-Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Naptime Goals: Make ice-cream base to all the herbs to steep!

This kid is killing me with the 5:30am wake-ups. I swear, I am this close to lining her windows with black electrical tape and turning her bedroom into a cave. The reason she keeps waking me up, she says, is because the sun is already up. (I don’t miss winter weather one bit, but I do miss the 7:15am sunrises!) One of our favorite early summer activities in strawberry picking. Being this tired means that it feels like 1pm, not 10am, when we go to the fields. Naptime feels like dinner hour, and I usually loose track of time completely by late afternoon. Since it felt like dinnertime when I was working on the strawberries last week it should come as no surprise that I was craving ice cream. My body was sure I’d already eaten dinner (it was, in fact, lunch) and was in the mood for something cool and sweet.

What’s Going on Today: Summer camp heaven, walks to the beach, lazy summer days.

Tonight’s Menu: Beer Marinated Pork Tenderloin, Composed Salad with Lambrucha-Chervil Vinaigrette, Blueberry Pavlova

One of the best parts about Belgian beer is that is can be sipped, stirred and baked. In the virtual picnic Wendy and I dreamt up while we were discussing Belgian Beer Week we decided on a beer marinated pork roast as the main course. This easy dish can be served hot or cold and even taken on picnics or boat rides. Marinating it in beer tenderizes the meat and adds all sorts of spicy flavors. I like it, of course, because preparing is so incredibly naptime chef-friendly.

Two years ago I wrote about summer 1997 and my first internship ever working at Vanberg & DeWulf, the Belgian beer importing business in Cooperstown, NY. During that summer I worked closely with Wendy Littlefield and Don Feinberg learning about all aspects of the beverage business. Amidst the flurry of office activity I also learned a lot about their beers. I was barely legal to drink at that point, and had not yet developed any sort of palate for beer or wine, but was intrigued by this new world that extended far beyond the dorm mainstay: Natty Light. In Belgium brewing beer is an art form; the Belgian take their beer as seriously as the French do their wine. To drink a Belgian beer is to enjoy it sip by sip with delicious rustic farmstead foods — it is not the kind of beer that is used for boat races or beer pong.

This week I am working with Wendy, who has since become a friend and mentor to me, on a special Belgian Beer-themed week on The Naptime Chef. Belgian beer can be paired with foods just like wine, and it is also wonderful to cook with. I don’t think it is a stretch to assume most home cooks drink wine or beer with dinner which is why I thought you all might enjoy learning about the beauty of Belgian ales. While Wendy and I were on the phone last week we dreamt up a gorgeous virtual Belgian picnic full of classic flemish flavors. The food is perfect for a picnic on the lake, at the beach, or at your own family table. I’ll share the menu, and recipes, with you tomorrow.

To kick things off Wendy and I compiled a recommend list of Belgian beers that are perfect for summer sipping. These are known at Biere de Tables in Belgium, this translates to Table Beers, and are typically enjoyed during family meals. They have a low-alcohol content, come in a variety of flavors and have a fine bubbly mouth feel akin to champagne. Younger children are often allowed to have small sips of Table Beers with their meals. It is the way Belgians teach their children to appreciate fine beers and food. Others are Saisons (beers brewed on the farm in the winter to quench the thirsts of farm hands  in the growing season); lemony light “Abbey Ales” (great accompaniment to mussels):  or “Wheat Beers” great with spicy foods: or Strong Golden Ales” so suited to grilled chops or burgers. There is  even a “Wild” beer in the mix as a surprise.

The beers we are highlighting today are all on the lighter side and pair well with flavorful summer meals. Stay tuned for our next installment tomorrow when we start cooking with beer and indulging in our virtual picnic!

1) Lambrucha: This unique beer, the marriage of two fermented drinks, Kombucha and Lambic, was developed by Wendy and Don. Tasting Table Chicago recently stated, “Move over, Miller High Life: We’re declaring Lambrucha the new Champagne of Beers.” Strong words for such a new beverage! This tart bubbly drink is rose-colored with light, refreshing citrus notes which make it ideal for summer sipping, especially with summer vegetables and seafood. It is the mimosa of the beer world. Ultimate picnic brunch beer.

A Summer Favorite: Prosecco!

Every so often I like to take a break from recipes to share some of the things I’ve been enjoying on the web recently. These are sites and products, both food related and otherwise, that have been catching my eye and I think you might enjoy as well. Have a great weekend, I’ll be back next week with some great recipes and a fun food theme!

Gilt Taste, the newest addition to Gilt Group, features fabulous food related articles and is being edited by Ruth Reichl. It is also home to a beautifully cultivated fine foods market. Wagyu Beef shipped straight to my door for Father’s Day? Yes, please!

Being a devoted naptime canner, I love Aimee’s article on Simple Bites about preparing for canning season. She has assembled the perfect checklist for canners this year. It is a must-read for anyone — experienced or not — ready to preserve summers gorgeous produce.

I’ve often dreamed of living like India Hicks, barefoot in the sand, letting my daughter run free on the beach after school each day. India’s blog is pure escape at it’s best. She documents her island life and globetrotting adventures with fun pictures and hilarious stories to boot. I am very much looking forward to the launch of her jewelry line.

Phoebe and Cara’s website, Big Girls, Small Kitchen, was one of the first blogs I ever read. We started blogging around the same time and I remember being immediately taken in by their cool concept of quarter-life cooking. To be honest, I felt a little bit like I was reading a flashback to my own twenties in New York. For five years I lived in a one room studio with a kitchen that had been converted out a closet. Those were the days when the cutting board was always spread over my sink and the two mixing bowls I had were in constant rotation. I even had to hang the dish rack over my sink to drain after I hand washed it dish. Good times.

Apparently I am not the only one who was reading Phoebe and Cara’s blog — I am not surprised by this — and fast forward to today when they are officially published authors. Hooray! I was so excited when I got their book, In the Small Kitchen: 100 Recipes from our Year of Cooking in the Real World in the mail I could hardly contain myself. Despite the fact that I am, ah-hem, not in my twenties anymore, their style of recipes appeal to me and I love their just hangin’ out with friends style.