The Naptime Chef

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.

This week we’ve been in full summer mode. Everyday we’ve been taking long day trips to visit friends in neighboring towns and my daughter has been doing most of her napping in the car. This isn’t a problem, really, since I often mine the freezer or fridge for quick meals when I haven’t had a chance to cook during naptime. The other night my excavations yielded some frozen potato gnocchi (a must for any freezer!) which prompted me to head to the deck to check on my bountiful pots of herbs and pick some sage.

Last month we did some mega strawberry picking and one of things I made was strawberry infused vodka. It is not that we are big vodka drinkers, it is just that the store-bought strawberry vodka is so gross and it is nice to have one or two mason jars of the real stuff around during the year. It will take us quite a while to work through the two jars I made. The funny thing was, the technique I used to make the strawberry vodka was so easy and delicious I decided to apply it to other fruits. I mean, why limit it to strawberries only? As you can see above, I ended up making two jars of strawberry vodka, one jar of peach vodka and one jar of citrus vodka. All so simple, and so delicious!

Come over and check out the second installment of the Dinner @6 with American Express Giveaway!

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!

I am beyond excited to be working with American Express on a great project to launch their new Dinner @6 program. Check out this great post about the program which includes a fantastic giveaway!