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What’s Going on Today: Celebrating the end of preschool, year one, enjoying the first real days of summer.

Naptime Goals: Prep chicken and potatoes for dinner, laundry, organize last round of winter clothes drop-off for Goodwill.

Tonight’s Menu: Skillet Chicken with Potatoes & Haricot Vert.

I got into making skillet meals this spring. I was given a new skillet and have been having so much fun learning how to cook whole dinners that only required dirtying one pot. When I made this latest meal I was also reminded of how nice it is to cook without having to turn on the oven, it helps keep the kitchen cool in the summer heat! However, of all the benefits of skillet meals, the best thing, I think, is that they can be just as substantial as anything you bake in the oven. No watery vegetables and weak noodles here: chicken, beef, cheesy lasagna, pizza, you name it, it can almost always be cooked in a skillet! As I was thinking about Father’s Day and Dad Food I realized that a skillet meal would be a great idea to share. Substantial, manageable and naptime chef-friendly, it is the perfect celebration meal Dad would love. It can even be made with the skillet you might win my giveaway!

I love my Dad, he is one of the most special people in the world to me. I am sure many of you feel the same way about your fathers too. When it comes to celebrating Father’s Day I like to break out what I consider “Dad Food.” Mother’s Day is all about sweet breakfasts in bed, Father’s Day is all about hearty fare, grilled dishes and stick-to-your-rib hot sandwiches. It is not that my Dad, or my husband for that matter, are overeaters, but they do eat differently than I do. I prefer lighter dishes and sweat breakfast, while they always prefer a savory, more substantial meal.

To help you with your Father’s Day cooking I am going to give you some great tips today, and a great new Dad Food recipe tomorrow. Today I am also throwing in Anolon Nouvelle Copper 10-inch Skillet for a fun giveaway. This new skillet is made of fast and even-heating hard-anodized aluminum with a durable metal-utensil safe nonstick interior and allows you to flip omelets and pancakes effortlessly everytime. It is even oven safe to 400ºF. Now, wouldn’t Dad love one of those? Yes, he would! Read on.

What’s Going on Today: Last week of school!

Naptime Goals: Rhubarb-Lavender Jam

Tonight’s Menu: Homemade Mini-Pizzas, salad, wine

For More Great Rhubarb Recipes Don’t Forget to Read All About Rhubarb (Naptime Simple Tips)

Product of the Week: These canning tongs are most excellent for canning small batches at home. They are much easier to use for picking up jars than regular kitchen tongs and one pair will last a lifetime. Need your own pair of canning tongs? Buy one today at my Amazon store!

It probably comes as no surprise that I am working with rhubarb a lot these days. I swear, I’ll be doing everything I can to buy, cut and cook with those tart stalks straight through September! My friend Amy first told me about this jam recipe last summer and pointed me in the direction of this delicious website. I then relayed my idea for this jam to my friend Cathy (aka Mrs. Wheelbarrow) and she shared her secret Rhubarb-Lavendar Jam recipe with me. I promised I wouldn’t print her recipe, but it is similar to the one seen here. It was difficult to find fresh lavender this early in the season, but I managed to score a fresh jar of French Culinary Lavender from Penzey’s. With it in hand I decided to test my own variation of this recipe while my daughter was at one of her last (weep!) days of preschool for the summer.

I love to incorporate fresh seasonal fruit into just about everything I serve in the summer. In the Northeast our season for cherries, berries, peaches, apricots and plums is quite short it is necessary to get while the gettin’ is good. Our weekly farmer’s market opens in June and on every single visit I come home with a basket or quart of this or that. We even go strawberry and blueberry picking in the summer when the harvest at our local farm is ripe. There is nothing like eating a fresh picked strawberry right in the field.

Today I thought I would share some of my favorite ways to bake with summer fruits. Of course, they can always be thoroughly rinsed and eaten as is, but it fun to bake and cook with them too. Here are my tips on how to make the most of summer fruits, especially in the northern climates where the season is so short!

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.

Today’s Powernap: My herb pots are yielding their first harvest. With the daughter at her last week of school what pestos can I make quickly so I can have them on hand for meals later this week?

I’ve become quite an expert in container gardening in the past few years. I hope to have an actual outdoor garden space to cultivate soon but, until I do, I’ll be using a-lotta’ terracotta for my plantings. This year my Mom and I planted an herb pot (while my daughter was running around the backyard with the dogs) using a selection of herbs from the local nursery in Cooperstown. Here is what we planted:

What’s Going on Today: Preparing for a pre-Memorial Day picnic using leftovers from last nights dinner.

Naptime Goals: Prepare Chicken Salad, pack bag with appropriate tableware.

Picnic Menu: Walnut Chicken Salad, sliced baguette, farmer’s market vegetables, iced tea

I am not a huge fan of mayonnaise but have been known to enjoy a good chicken salad now and again. I prefer the salads that are not especially gooey, but rather use mayonnaise or, even better, Greek yogurt as a binder for the chicken and other additions rather than the main event. It just so happens that my friend Nicole feels that same way about her chicken salad which is how she came to tinker with an old recipe to make this one. Her Walnut Chicken Salad is everything I like in a salad and nothing I don’t. The mayo is minimal, the flavor is maximal, and the walnuts add a unique flavor and crunch.

Phoebe's Shrimp Lollipops for a Boat Picnic

Picnic season is finally here and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. We love taking our meals from home “to-go” in the warmer weather. Our sandwiches always seem to taste a little bit better in the fresh, salty beach air. Lunches beneath the oak trees at the playground have an enjoyable, relaxed vibe and we swear that couscous salad always tastes best eaten out of take-out containers on a boat. When we are feeling particularly ambitious we dress up our daughter for a mini-hike and enjoy meal overlooking a vista of rolling hills with distant glimpses of the Atlantic.

There are a few key things to picnicking I’ve learned over the years and I want to share them with you. Picnics shouldn’t be complicated or stressful. Preparing for them should be easy and fun so you can enjoy your time outdoors with your family, not worrying about food.

Picnic Essentials:

– Blankets: If you are planning to picnic on the ground it is good idea to bring something to sit on. In woodland areas a waterproof surface is ideal. I picked up a simple oilcloth at our local Homegoods for just such occasions. It is cheap and easy and can easily be wiped clean. Light cotton blankets or large beach towels are great for beach picnics, breathable fabric is key for sandy surfaces that can get hot on a summer days.

– Sharp Knife & Cutting Surface: If you are planning on eating hard cheese or meats remember to pack a portable, sharp picnic knife. I like my Opinel 9 knife, it is easy to use and cleans well. Plus, it folds tightly so my daughter is unable to open it. Be sure to pack a plastic or wooden board for cutting your food.

– Plates, Cutlery & Cups: I like to pack recyclable one-use plates, cupcakes and forks for picnics. They are durable to eat with and can be stuck in the recycling bin instead of the trash can at the end of the night. A lot of times I like to use individual plastic containers to transport our food and we are able to eat straight out of them.

– Flashlights: If you are planning a dinner picnic be sure to take a flashlight along in case you happen to finish after dark.

What’s Going on Today: Leafing through the Bon Appetit from last month, loving it, running around signing my daughter up for summer camps!

Naptime Goals: Make spicy tomato sauce, sift through camp paperwork.

Tonight’s Menu: Spaghetti with Spicy Sauce, Green Salad, Wine.

Sometimes the signs are loud and clear when it comes to determining dinner. Earlier this month a box of delicious POMI tomatoes arrived on my doorstep. The next day my new Bon Appetit arrived with a picture of spaghetti and a recipe for the simplest silkiest sauce you could ever make on the front cover. Does it get any more straightforward than that? I don’t think so!

The Occasion: Meghan’s baby shower in Cooperstown NY

Menu: Bacon & Green Chili Quiche, Tomato Pesto & Gruyere Tart, Ham & Asparagus Quiche, Sweet Fruit Salad, Leafy Green Salad, Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream, Prosecco with Raspberries, Iced Tea, Pellegrino, Coffee & Tea

Attendees: Party of 20 women, no kids

Today I need to tell you about the amazing Bacon & Green Chili Quiche from the shower I wrote about yesterday. All the food was great, but this was a real standout. We loved the perfect soft cheesy texture studded with the finely chopped chilis and crispy bacon. It was the perfect balance of spicy, sweet and salty. The combination of ingredients was welcome deviation from more common ham and cheese quiches.

The Baby Shower Cake I Did Not Make

Last weekend my Mom and I hosted a baby shower for my friend Meghan who is expecting her first baby this summer. I have thrown a lot of baby showers in recent years — it was bridal showers before that! — and have learned a thing or two in doing so. Celebrating the impending birth of a baby should be exciting and fun, not stressful and exhausting. When I host these events I am no trying to out-do Martha Stewart, I just want to create a vibe that is warm and welcoming for the guests and mother-to-be. Whether throwing a baby shower next week or next season, here are my tips for throwing a fun, delicious party that everyone will enjoy!

Planning the Menu:

When selecting dishes for a baby shower choose a few things you know can be made ahead of time. Large casseroles, quiches or cold salads are excellent choices, they can be made up to a day or two in advance and reheated right before the event. Be sure to take any food allergies and dietary restrictions for the mom-t0-be into consideration before finalizing your menu. Generally speaking pregnant women are advised not to eat unpasteurized foods, raw fish, shellfish and a host of other items. Check with the guest of honor to see what foods she might be avoiding and do your best to oblige.

A week before the event determine the amount of food you will need based on the RSVP’s. Then make a shopping list for the groceries you will need to prepare everything. If anything has been delegated to co-hosts check in with them to make sure they are on track. There is always room for adding or subtracting dishes at the last minute!

What’s Going on Today: Parent-Teacher Conference Day!

Naptime Goals: Prep chicken, work on a few fun writing assignments!

Tonight’s Menu: Ginger-Lime Tube Pan chicken, long grain wild rice, arugula salad.

When a craving for roast chicken grabs hold there is nothing I can do to stop it. A moist bird with crispy skin is all I can think about eating until I make one for dinner. For my most recent roast chicken I decided to have some fun and experiment with cooking style. I’ve been fascinated by all the recent recipes I’ve read touting roasting the bird standing up in the tube pan. Everyone says it produces a gorgeously crisp chicken and the drippings are conveniently caught at the bottom of the tube pan ready to be made into gravy. Since I just happened to a new tube pan on hand, and hate owning baking pans that serve only one purpose, it seemed like the perfect time to try a new technique for this tried and true dish.