The Naptime Chef

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.

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: I am heading up to Cooperstown for a quick overnight and want to bake something to take to my parent’s. With a box of raspberries and blueberries in the fridge I am going to experiment with a new recipe for a simple breakfast cake. Quick, delicious and portable.

Last weekend I dashed to Cooperstown for a quick trip to visit my parent’s and host a friends baby shower. I knew the house would be crazy with the party, my Dad recovering from his second shoulder surgery and a 24 hour visit from me so I thought it would be nice to show up a little something. Mom wouldn’t be cooking much over the weekend other than the party food — which was fine by me — and arriving with a cake in hand meant at least Sunday breakfast would be set. With two packs of fresh berries in hand and an hour before wake-up it was time to experiment.

Cookies for Kids' Cancer

Last month my friend Ariana from OXO Good Grips told me the story about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Started by two OXO employees when their son, Liam, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 2, it is a non-profit organization that supports pediatric cancer, the number one cause of death by disease of children in the US. Sadly, Liam passed away in late January after a 4 year battle with cancer. In order to honor what would have been Liam’s 7^th birthday, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has announced a call to action for 700 bake sales in May and Glad has stepped forward to match all money raised by Cookies’ bake sales in the month of May up to $225,000.

To honor Liam’s Mom Gretchen, the founder of Cookies and Director of PR at OXO, a company with which I work frequently, today I am hosting a virtual bake sale on The Naptime Chef. I recently developed this cookie recipe when cleaning out the contents of my baking pantry (half-used bag of cranberries, bingo!, white chocolate – throw it in!) and am giving away three bags of 1 dozen cookies each to three lucky readers. Instructions for entering are below. I am also pledging to donate the cost of the ingredients and of baking the cookies to CfKC in honor of Naptime Chef readers.

I am so thrilled to tell you all I have been asked to be a Gourmet Live Socialvore! What is a socialvore you ask? Gourmet Live, the online offshoot of the former magazine, has handpicked a great group of food enthusiasts to join them on their culinary adventures. I’ll be contributing to the Gourmet Live blog on an ongoing basis and sharing a lot of their great work with you right here on The Naptime Chef. On Friday we kicked things off by including my recipe and photograph for Orange Blossom & Almond French Toast in their Mother’s Day recipe round-up. How fun!

When I scrolling throw the Gourmet Live website the other day I read a great article about this fun pizza taste test and want to share it with you. In fact, my friends at Gourmet Live even wrote a guest post for Babble’s The Family Kitchen all about the taste test experience and I suggest you check it out, it is adorable!

What’s Going on Today: Planning family brunch for the weekend, cleaning up the house after the little one goes to bed (!)

Naptime Goals: Prepare french toast for tomorrow, work on a few articles and stain stick the grass stains out of my daughter’s clothes.

Brunch Menu Tomorrow: French toast, bacon, mimosas.

Product of the Week: Planning to serve Mom breakfast in bed? Don’t forget the tray! This cute tray is perfect for serving up delicious treats to deserving Mom while she enjoys a day lounging in bed watching the news. Need one? Buy it here at my Amazon store!

To follow up on yesterday’s Mother’s Day post I thought I should tell you about my most recent french toast recipe. This has been in regular rotation in our house as of late. With the weather warmer again we are outside 24/7 and my daughter is one hot mess by 10am. I mean, seriously, we are talking grass stains, mud in her hair, dirt under her finger nails, the whole she-bang. It is really fun for the most part, except when I have to spend the entire evening with my stain stick in hand. In order to take part in the outdoor bedlam fun I need to be dressed and out the door like a shot each morning. This means there is very little time to cook long, involved breakfasts. My solution to this is simple: overnight french toast. Not only is this perfect for harried mornings, but it works beautifully for surprising someone, like, say, your Mom, with breakfast in bed. Pop it in the oven first thing and rig up a tray with some coffee and a fresh slice and the morning celebration is complete!

Cinnamon Blueberry Waffles

I know it seems a little ironic that I, the mother, and giving you tips on how to celebrate Mother’s Day. But, I figure that either a) you reading this are not a mother and need ideas for the mother in your life, b) you need to give directions to your spouse or partner on how to make you breakfast in bed or c) you like breakfast in bed in general and are looking for new ideas.

No matter your reasons for reading I am glad you are here. I, for one, think breakfast in bed is a terrific way to celebrate Mother’s Day. It is always a fun activity for kids to participate in and breakfast food is simple and delicious to make. A lot of things can be made in advance too, so you don’t have to worry about getting up at 3:00am to start cooking. Here are my tips for how to celebrate Mother’s Day with breakfast in bed:

The French Toast Route:

Make-ahead French Toasts are a fantastic way to celebrate breakfast. I’ve made this dish several times the day before and baked it the next morning. Serve a slice with warm maple syrup, hot coffee and a fresh wedge of melon for a sweet breakfast.