The Naptime Chef

What’s Going on Today: Preparing for afternoon with friends the next town over. We are bringing the dessert!

Naptime Goals: Bake cake and give it enough time to cool!

Tonight’s Menu: Jim’s Grilled Tuna, Snow Peas, Rice with Scallions, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

When our friends invited us over for the tuna cookout I was in charge of bringing dessert. Since the attendees of our cookout included three young children, four adults and a few neighbors I wanted to make something that would appeal to all ages. Initially I considered a fancy fruit pie, but that is always touch and go with children. I then briefly thought about my Blueberry Thyme Poundcake with Lemon Glaze, but decided against it since many children don’t like herbal undertones in their food. In the end I settled on the dessert with universal appeal: chocolate cake.

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.

Last month our dearest friends from North Carolina moved to Connecticut. While I know they were sad to leave their life in the South, we were glad to have them  move closer to us. Their two boys get along so well with our daughter she has already started to think of them as brothers! Once their new house was unpacked they invited us over for a summer barbecue evening. We enjoyed a kid’s fair at the local park, a few games of cornhole and a delicious dinner of grilled tuna, snow peas and rice.

This is the latest installment of my Tales from the Trenches Series. An ongoing series where friends and readers share their stories and recipes about the great food they fit into family life. We all have tips and tricks to share with each other: when we cook, what we cook and how we cook the delicious food we love to eat. If you are interested in contributing a story and recipe please feel free to contact me. Today my friend Barbara, the source of many amazing recipes on this site, is sharing her grandmother’s famous potato salad recipe. I’ve made it and it is fabulous! It is also very naptime chef-friendly, so feel free to make it ahead time as need be.

Kelsey asked me a while ago to submit a “Tale from the Trenches” but I don’t’ really feel comfortable doing it because I am at best an “Occasional Chef” – – a “Special Occasion Chef” might be an even better description!  I don’t cook for my family every day.  I love to cook but the truth is that these days I spend more time reading and thinking about cooking than I actually spend cooking.

I live vicariously through Kelsey’s posts and read them faithfully each week. There’s nothing I love more than having a party and planning the menu.  Holidays present the perfect opportunity for me to try new recipes as well as make old favorites – I have a bulging file of recipes that continues to grow and lots of cookbooks (including a family cookbook my sister put together a few years ago as a way to preserve and pass on our family’s favorite recipes).

Be sure to come see if you are the winner of the Dinner @6 American Express recipe contest!

You have got to come over and check out this amazing giveaway from Bertolli and my new favorite way to make gnocchi!