The Naptime Chef

What’s Going on Today: Hangin’ with Uncle Will in Cooperstown, trip to see new baby lambs at The Farmer’s Museum.
Naptime Goals: Work with Uncle Will as we recreate his famous Chimichurri Amarillo marinade. Bake scones for breakfast tomorrow.
Tonight’s Menu: Uncle Will’s Chimichurri Amarillo Steak, Grilled Vegetables, Rice Pilaf.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Uncles are like grown-up playmates.

We made a quick trip to see my parents and brother in Cooperstown over the weekend. While we were there I seized the opportunity to cook with Uncle Will. You all know how many awesome recipes he produces and I couldn’t wait to learn his latest for Chimichurri Amarillo steak. Since his job requires anonymity (and I won’t tell you any more than that), he filmed me making the marinade while whispering directions from behind the camera. I wish I could have included his face because he is really great, but that will have to wait for another time.

Will developed this recipe after he tasted something similar during a trip to Panama a few years ago with the Coast Guard. Of all the steaks he ate during his time there he concluded that the Chimichurri Amarillo preparation was his most favorite. Upon his return he looked up several similar recipes, did some taste tests and came up with his own version seen here. And, let me tell you, like his burger recipe from last summer, it is brilliant.

Rather then ruin all of the details about this marinade I am going to let you see it for yourself. Like almost all marinade situations I love, I was easily able to prepare this during my daughter’s afternoon naptime and let it rest in the fridge for the afternoon. Once cooked, the meat was exceptionally tender from the acidic marinade with a rich spicy garlic flavor. We paired it with grilled vegetables and rice and had a terrific family meal.

What’s Going on Today: Settling into the new routine, embracing suburban life. Watering the new plants on our porch (!)
Naptime Goals: Prepare Green Beans in Marinade, catch up on bundle of forwarded mail we just received, attempt to figure out cable box.
Tonight’s Menu: Lemon Chicken, Marinated Greens Beans, Cous-Cous, Homemade Malted Milk Ice-Cream.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: You’ve been to one playground, you’ve been to them all.

When it comes to side dishes I love a big serving of hearty green vegetables. There are any number that I eat and I am always looking for new preparation ideas. One of my particular favorite veggies is green beans. I don’t know why, but I just can’t get enough of them, especially the slim green beans known as haricot vert. A lot of times I end up steaming them and tossing them with a tiny bit of lemon better. I also love it when they are tossed with toasted chopped walnuts and a dash of walnut oil. I’ve even fried them tempura style and they came out pretty well, even though it made a gigantic mess in my kitchen.

Last weekend we were settling into our new home and I decided it was time to try the recipe for Marinated Green Beans my mother served the last time I was home. She had gotten this recipe from her friend, Michelle, with whom she taught for almost 20 years. In this recipe the beans are blanched to maintain flavor and crunch, then tossed with a tangy mustard vinaigrette. Best of all, with the new herb pot sitting on our back porch, I had plenty of parsley on hand to give it a boost of fresh flavor.

This was the perfect side dish to prepare during my daughter’s afternoon naptime. Assembling the whole thing took less than 20 minutes and then the beans were placed, covered, in the fridge for the remainder of the afternoon. While they sat there the marinade infused the beans with the deep flavor of dijon mustard and bright red wine vinegar.  By the time we sat down for dinner and I served them alongside our lemon chicken and shallots each crunchy bean was bursting with juices. It was, perhaps, one of the easiest and most delicious sides dishes I’d prepared in a while. It is worth noting that I’ve been told this recipe works exceptionally well with asparagus. I just picked up a bunch at the farmer’s market this weekend, that’s what I’m going to try next.

What Going on Today: My Mom is visiting us in CT to help take care of her granddaughter while I finish unpacking and do errands!
Naptime Goals: Organize paperwork for household bills, assemble meat sauce for dinner. Set Green Beans to marinate.
Tonight’s Menu: Ziti, Marinated Green Beans. Wine.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Grandparents. A necessary part of parenting.

Though I’ve been doing a pretty great job at unpacking – if I do say so myself – my Mom came down this week to help take care of my daughter. She distracts the kiddo with trips to the new playground and library, while I unpack boxes and spend ungodly amounts of time at the DMV. Normally in these situations I would hire one of my awesome babysitters to come over, but I don’t know any sitters in the area yet! Finding a babysitting service is on my list of things to do.

One of the many nice things about having Mom here is not only does she help me with the little one, she also helps me in the kitchen. Technically my Mom is the original Naptime Chef. She was always preparing our meals while we were asleep, or in class, or at soccer practice. She even used to ice our birthday cupcakes for school in her pj’s before we woke up! Although my brother and I flew the coop long ago she hasn’t forgotten any of her old tricks and is always game for giving me a hand.

Yesterday, while my daughter was asleep, we put together a yummy meat sauce for dinner. The assembly was relatively easy and was made especially simple by the fact that there were two of us working at once. She handled the sausage and vegetables while I took care of making the green bean marinade.  Once the sauce was complete we kept it in the fridge until it was ready to be reheated for dinner later that evening. We also set some green beans in the fridge to marinate. More on those next week.

That evening, when I returned from yet another ridiculously long afternoon of errands, we reheated the sauce, made the pasta and assembled the dinner within minutes. It was Mom’s comfort food at it’s finest. The pasta was coated with a delicious red sauce made sweet by the italian sausage with a nice topping of tangy parmesan cheese.  The green beans on the side added the perfect amount of crunch and greenery to compliment the red pasta meal. One of my favorite parts is that we were able to enjoy the sauce again the next day for lunch and even freeze a small portion for a night later this summer when I need a meal in a jiffy. Making this together was a great way celebrate a fun visit, the perfect early Mother’s Day celebration.

What’s Going on Today: Almost finished unpacking! Morning walk to Main Street to get tea and check out the childrens section at the local library.
Naptime Goals: Bake Apple Bread to take to friend’s house, organize cookbooks on new kitchen shelves.
Tonight’s Menu: Dinner at a friend’s house.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: It is truly remarkable how quickly children make new friends.

We’ve have nearly completed our first week living in Connecticut and so far so good. In fact, it’s been pretty great. Of course, I could have done without my daughter smashing her front tooth on the base of the slide at the playground, but that seems to be par for the course with parenthood. Just when you think everything is going smoothly a new injury is sustained and mayhem ensues. Thankfully, we found a fabulous pediatric dentist in town and all has been repaired.

One of the many great things about moving to this town is that we already know a family who lives here. Even better, we know them well enough that they invited us over for casual neighborhood dinner to introduce us to their friends. As the newbies in town we couldn’t have been more grateful for the invitation, even my daughter was excited since their is son is exactly three days older than she is. I can already tell they are destined to be playmates.

With my kitchen unpacked and all of my ingredients on hand it seemed only natural that I express my gratitude by baking them a little treat. I wanted to make something that was completely family-friend so I went straight to my favorite Tessa Kiros volume, Apples for Jam, and opened to an old favorite, Apple Bread. Much like banana bread, this loaf is soft and chewy, flavored with sweet fruit and topped with warm spices. It is perfect for adults and children alike and is great for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack.

This bread was the first thing I Naptime Chef-ed in my new kitchen and it was perfect. While it baked any remaining whiff of fresh paint was quickly erased by the comforting aroma of warm cinnamon and apples. Since this recipe usually makes one large loaf I decided to divide the batter into two smaller loaf pans. When they cooled I wrapped one to take to our friends, and let my daughter have a fresh warm slice of the other when she woke up. Our dinner was wonderful and the food delicious. It was a great evening with new friends and the perfect way to kick-off sweet new beginnings.

What’s Going on Today: After all the packing… we are finally unpacking.
Naptime Goals: Unpack the kitchen (my top priority, obviously!)
Tonight’s Menu: Take-out from the mexican place up the street we can’t wait to try.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Sometime change is good, even for kids.

So, we’ve moved. It was a stressful, chaotic event, just like all moves are, but we’ve done it. Needless to say we are beyond thrilled that everything worked out and are very grateful to our pals at Moishe’s for taking good care of us.

Since I am busy unpacking boxes today I am posting a Webisode I shot last week for my favorite seasonal Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake. As you know, I freeze rhubarb at the end of each summer so that I can enjoy it year round. Last week I was busy cleaning out the freezer and making sure no good food went to waste. This meant thawing and using up my last bag of rhubarb from summer 2009. This was actually good timing since we have just begun rhubarb season in the Northeast. My mother has reported that the plants in Cooperstown have started budding. We should have our first stalks in a couple of weeks.

As you’ll see, I made this delicious cake while my daughter napped in the afternoon then we ate it the next morning for breakfast. It lasted us for a few days which was perfect since I let everything else in our pantry run out, including our usual selection of cereal and oatmeal. It’s longevity on the counter also makes it great for entertaining. It can easily be made 1-2 days ahead of time for a brunch or breakfast.

I’ve baked a lot of coffee cakes in my life and this one, I think, is the absolute best. The cake is moist and creamy but doesn’t overshadow the sweet flavor of the rhubarb. I also love the large sugar crumbs on top, they add just the right amount of crunch on top of the vegetable layer. I hope you all get a chance to make it this season and love it as much as we do.

I’ll be back next week with reports from the new kitchen. And, yes, my daughter loves her new – much larger – bedroom and is taking nice, long afternoon naps as always.

What’s Going on Today: Boxes, packing, general mayhem. Picked up new shower curtain for upstairs bathroom in new place.
Naptime Goals: Finish packing clothes, confirm movers.
Tonight’s Menu: Springtime Asparagus Pizza from Food52. Wine. Lots of wine.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Kids are more resilient then we give them credit for.

Despite the growing pile of boxes my daughter seems remarkably accepting of our home being packed up bit by bit. She awoke after her nap today to find the contents of my closet in suitcases. This wouldn’t normally alarm a child except that mine loves to dive into my shoe rack and clatter around the house in high heels any chance she gets. (I am not-so-secretly proud that she is already this obsessed with shoes.) She peered into the suitcase and pointed at the shoes while I explained that they are making a trip to the new house on a big truck. She asked if she could go on the truck, too, not wanting to miss out on any potentially exciting event. Gotta love her adventurous spirit.

In a few short hours we will be residents of CT and, truth be told, though I am sad to close the NYC chapter of my life, I am excited to return to my country roots. I am, at heart, a country girl and love the slightly slower pace that comes with life outside of the city. The best thing about this move really is that I’ll be a mere 30 minutes from the heart of the Big Apple, so I am really not giving up much at all. I also look forward to country cooking. Of course I’ll be cooking the same food I do in New York, except my new farmer’s market will be thrice as big as anything in the city, plus I’ll have a deck for herb pots and tomato plants. I can finally grow my own food, just like my parents did for us growing up! Don’t worry, the minute all of this starts you’ll be the first to know.

In the mean time, with half the kitchen in boxes and no time to Naptime Chef today, I am making pizza. It just so happened that this recipe was up for grabs on Food52 for recipe testing and I jumped at the chance to try it out. I love pizza of almost any flavor and still have an unpacked jelly roll pan in which to bake it. This is what’s known as food serendipity.

I‘ve made all sorts of pizzas in the oven but this is my new favorite. It was a snap to make at dinnertime since I started with fresh pizza dough from Whole Foods. I even put my daughter in charge of sprinkling on the cheese which she loved. The baking time for the pizza is brief and, I’ll admit, I was nervous that the asparagus wouldn’t tenderize enough in the oven, but it did. After 10 minutes of roasting it was tender to the bite, but not overly wilted. It’s flavor was balanced beautifully by the salty mozzarella and tangy goat cheese and rounded out with a smattering of lemon and anchovies. We couldn’t enough of the symphony of flavors that created a near perfect springtime pizza and devoured the whole thing.

I know this pizza will work well with other spring and summer vegetables and I intend to try them in the future. In fact, given my increased storage capacity in the new place, I might be able to invest in a pizza stone or even attempt pizza on the new grill. The sky’s the limit! In the mean time, I am looking forward to returning to my regular routine of cooking during naptime next week and can’t wait to share it all with you.

What’s Going on Today: Finalizing things with the movers, taking advantage of last few days in New York!
Naptime Goals: Make Lemon Coconut Squares for picnic in Central Park tomorrow.
Tonight’s Menu: Leftover Roast Chicken, Green Beans with Walnuts, Lemon Coconut Squares for dessert (we don’t have to take the whole batch to our picnic, after all…)
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Don’t pack the toys ’til last.

I am trying to take advantage of everything New York has to offer over the next few days and tomorrow we are doing a picnic with friends in the park. We are all bringing homemade food to enjoy – kind of like a Central Park Potluck. It will be a really fun celebration for all of us. Though the kids will be running riot the parents will feast and I am going to do my best to contribute by making my favorite spring treat for potlucks or bake sales, Lemon Coconut Squares.

With leftovers in the fridge tonight this is a great day for baking. I am also baking these in honor of Big Girls, Small Kitchen and their Virtual Bake Sale. I love collaborating with Cara and Phoebe and when they wrote to ask for my participation in this event I jumped at the opportunity.

Big Girls, Small Kitchen will partner with Baking For Good, an online mail order gifting service for sweet treats that donates 15% of every purchase to a cause of the customer’s choosing. Big Girls, Small Kitchen will develop a cookie to be sold on the Baking For Good site and the confection will be available exclusively from April 19th – May 9th (Mother’s Day). BGSK will sponsor the Bake Sale event as a means of raising awareness for The Valerie Fund, an organization in the tri-state area that provides comprehensive health care for children with cancer and blood disorders. Baking for Good will offer an extra 5% donation to The Valerie Fund when people purchase the BGSK treat, even if another charity is selected as the primary recipient of the donation.

I can think of no better way to celebrate spring then by supporting a charity that helps families with cancer. I also can think of no better treat to share with you right now then these squares, they simply scream spring in every way and would be a surefire hit at any bake sale this season. Unlike my other favorite lemon bars, these are more like coconut squares baked on top of a shortbread crust with a lemon glaze. The bright citrus and coconut flavors are light and refreshing with a great balance of tart and sweet. Furthermore, they are easy to bake during naptime, as you’ll see. After they’ve baked I let them rest overnight (sneaking the occasional nibble here and there) and cut them the next morning for our picnic. Like a lot of desserts involving fruit I find that these squares are most delicious after they’ve been able to sit overnight. The flavor ripens and is more vibrant the next day.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. To learn more about the Valerie Fund please visit this website and thanks again for your participation in this great cause.