Tales from the Trenches: Recipes & Stories from Family and Friends

I know I am fortunate to not have celiac disease. So many people I know suffer from it and have to cut all gluten straight out of their lives in order to get better. So people handle the news by weeping in their kitchen while tossing all their favorite bread. Others, like April, take a more comedic approach. When April was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago she too shed a few tears. But then she started this cool blog, took the bull by the horns, and made gluten her bitch. Anyone and everyone will love this informative and hilarious book and I encourage you to enter to win it, even if just to give to your BFF with celiac. Trust me, they’ll be grateful!

I have been a huge fan of Daphne Oz ever since she started on The Chew. Her youthful energy and commitment to health is such an inspiration! I wish I had has it as together at her age as she does now. (Just saying that makes me feel so old!) Lucky for us, this week Daphne stopped in for a quick interview about her awesome new book, Relish: An Adventure in Food, Style & Everyday Fun. Anyone looking for an uplifting book filled with healthy recipes, solid life advice, and tips for home improvement this volume is for you!

I love Asian cuisine but I don’t cook it at home that much. Luckily, that is all about to change thanks to Jaden’s new book, Steamy Kitchen’s Healthy Asian Favorites: 100 Recipes that are Fast, Fresh, and Simple Enough for Tonight’s Dinner. It is like it was written for someone like me. I love Asian cuisine by am unsure of how to make any of the healthy dishes I enjoy in restaurants. Today Jaden from Steamy Kitchen, my go-to Asian cuisine blog, is stopping in to answer questions about her awesome new book and what we can expect to see on her wildly successful site in the future:

Today my friend Jen from Savoring the Thyme is sharing her awesome recipe for spring pizza. I love her inspiring blog because it focuses on health and wellness and her recipes are awesome. She is a busy mother of two yet manages to make fitness, cooking, and general well-being look so simple when we all know that it is not! hope you enjoy her tips for making awesome Thai pizza. It is healthy, easy to make, and over the top delicious.

This week my friend Casey Barber of good.food.stories is joining me to chat about her new book, Classic Snacks Made from Scratch. I mean, who couldn’t love a book like that?!! If I wasn’t concentrating on losing the baby weight I think I might work my way from beginning to end without a second thought. Everything looks delicious and harkens back to those alluring snacks of my childhood.

Today I am thrilled to have my friend Phoebe of Feed Me Phoebe sharing her awesome recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala. This is not the first time Phoebe has been hanging around Naptime Chef. You may remember that last year she made her television debut on Chef Race UK vs US, and has also shared her fabulous recipe for homemade granola bars for lunchboxes. Today’s recipe would be ideal for a weeknight family dinner. It is also a great recipe for people new to cooking Indian cuisine!

Today I am thrilled to welcome my friend Aimee of Simple Bites. She is here to share her five awesome tips for the best ways to source excellent fresh produce outside of the supermarket. I find this incredibly helpful since I much prefer to support local producers and feed my family the healthiest product possible. I am sure you will also find your tips as helpful as I do!

Today I am thrilled to share an article and recipe from my friend Catherine McCord of Weelicious. As you might remember, earlier this year I chatted with Catherine about her new cookbook and shared a recipe for her awesome Baked Ziti. Her next book all about school lunches is coming out this summer (yay!) and I can’t wait to get a copy. It is perfect timing for me since my daughter starts kindergarten next fall. I’ll be sure to alert you when it hits shelves! In the mean time, check out these amazing muffins that are completely allergy friendly and great for kids and adults alike.

Today I am thrilled to be chatting with one of my all-time favorite bloggers and published authors, Luisa Weiss of The Wednesday Chef. In case you missed it, last spring Luisa’s first book, My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes), was released. It is a terrific food memoir (foodoir?) that chronicles her life to date beginning with her young childhood in Berlin, Germany. I won’t give away all the stories in the book, but suffice it to say Luisa has spent her life living around the globe, finding love and solace in her kitchen, and is currently – happily – living in Berlin with her husband and infant son.

Today I am having a fun chat with my friends Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs from Food52 about the second volume in their award-winning cookbook series. You may remember that last year I was thrilled to feature the first Food52 cookbook on the blog since I had three (!) recipes printed in it! I don’t have any recipes in the second book, The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2: Seasonal Recipes from Our Kitchens to Yours, but I am still completely enamored of the content. The recipes, organized by season, are all winners of the Food52 weekly contests and are lauded for everything from their complete originality (xx) to their simplicity (Clementine Pound Cake.)

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.

I am thrilled that today my friend Phoebe of Feed Me Phoebe has come to share her recipe for homemade granola bars. These beauties are PERFECT for lunchboxes, snacks, and even pick-me-ups for Moms. (Confession: I keep granola bars in my purse. Do you?) Next month you’ll hear a little more about Phoebe when she hits the airwaves in the first season of Chef Race: U.S. vs U.K. on BBC America. You all had better set your recorders because this show is NOT to be missed! In the mean time, here is Phoebe’s delicious snack solution for kids and adults alike!