The Naptime Chef

What’s Going on Today: Visiting a friend in upstate New York, major arts and crafts projects with kids!
Naptime Goals: Relaxing with good friends while the kids nap, making cookie dough to prepare for decorating Linzer cookies.
Tonight’s Menu: Baked Chicken, Creamy Polenta, Carrot Souffle, Easter Linzer cookies.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Sleepovers are so much fun, no matter how old you get!

This year we won’t have a big Easter celebration since we’ll just have returned from traveling, but that hasn’t deterred us from undertaking a few holiday related projects this month. When we were visiting our friends in upstate New York last week the other Mom and I decided it would be fun to bake some cookies with the girls. Ever the fans of baking projects – any chance to eat cookie dough (!) – the girls completely agreed.

Since they both still nap in the afternoon it was easy for us to set up the project. We simply prepared the dough in mid-afternoon and cut out the shapes with the cookie cutters. Then, we set out some fun sprinkles and let them go to town decorating when they woke up. You should have seen the mess on the kitchen floor! After the cookies had baked and cooled they finishing them by spreading the jam on – rather sloppily – and placing the cut-out cookie on top.

To play up the Easter theme we used a mini bunny cookie cutter instead of the usual smaller circle. It was a cute way to give our favorite jam cookies a holiday twist. Needless to say, holding the girls back from eating more than one before dinner was quite tough. However, in typical kid fashion, the cookies were the perfect incentive to get them to clean their plates!

Best wishes to everyone for a fun, family holiday this weekend!

What’s Going on Today: Last minute errands – pharmacy, travel shop, dry cleaner, etc. – before we head out to Charleston!
Naptime Goals: Prepare Chicken Parmesan for dinner, finish packing suitcase.
Tonight’s Menu: Chicken Parmesan, Green Salad, Garlic Bread.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Create a “grab bag” of new toys from the dollar store to keep kiddos entertained when traveling!

We never grow tired of Chicken Parmesan. It’s one of those things I always keep in my regular rotation, like this or that. A lot of foodies might not consider Chicken Parmesan to be a particular gourmet dish, but I beg to differ. When done correctly this dish exudes flavor, warmth and comfort in each bite.

All too often restaurants serve Chicken Parmesan in an overwhelming heap of red sauce, melted cheese and overly breaded chicken. When done this way the chicken ends up dry and overworked, instead of being tender and succulent like I think it should be.

As you’ll see here, I prefer to approach this dish with a lighter touch. I pound the chicken into submission (OK, that’s not so light, but you get the idea) until the meat is nice and tender. Then, I bread it with panko crumbs and parmesan cheese for a light crunch and intense flavor. You’ll notice that my breading technique is not particularly high tech, I don’t invest in anything crazy such as special breading trays or the like. Instead, I keep it simple with a bowl for the eggs and plates for the flour, cheese and breadcrumbs.

Finally, I layer the chicken in my baking platter and pour in some homemade marinara and a light sprinkling of mozzarella. I don’t like to overdo it with the cheese, there is already Parmesan in the breading, giving it great flavor to begin with. Then, I simply refrigerate it for the afternoon while we go off to do other things.

This is really is a great dish to make during naptime and I think you’ll agree. The only effort required in the evening is slipping it into the oven to bake and boiling up some fresh pasta and a fresh loaf of garlic bread. And, voila, a tender and flavorful Chicken Parmesan is served!

What’s Going on Today: Morning at the library to return books, romp in the park to enjoy good weather, grocery store for almond tart ingredients.
Naptime Goals: Make Dutch Almond Tart for lunch at Barbara’s tomorrow, laundry, weed out winter clothes that don’t fit any longer, buy new shoes online for daughter – she’s outgrown them all from winter!
Tonight’s Menu: Leftover Eggplant Lasagna, fresh jasmine rice, Double-Chocolate Espresso Cookies for dessert.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Chocolate milk after 5pm is a bad idea.

Every so often my friends and I do a mass catch-up lunch. This usually involves finding babysitters for the kids and us all hauling off to a predetermined locale from 12-2pm for intense discussions about the business at hand. Unfortunately, these catch ups are less frequent then we would all like, but that’s the way it is when we all have kids and crazy schedules.

When my friend Barbara invited us all over to her house for lunch this week I jumped at the chance to bring dessert. Ever since I’ve learned to make this tart it’s become my absolute go-to item to bring to just about any kind of celebration. It’s an ideal winter treat, a lemony shortbread crust with a thin layer of almond in the middle, topped with crunchy sliced almonds and a dusting of confectioners sugar. It is simple to make and it’s warm, bright flavor is the perfect accompaniment to almost any meal.

My friend Vanessa from The Black Cat Cafe in Sharon Springs NY taught me out to make this tart during one of her infamous cooking classes in Cooperstown. For these particular events my mother and her cronies bring a bottle of wine – each – to their friend Veronica’s house and Vanessa comes over to demonstrate recipes. At the end of the night everyone has learned a little, eaten a lot and drunk even more. It’s a fun and often hilarious learning experience that I was lucky enough to crash one night in January when I was home visiting for the week.

I could see the brilliance in this recipe from the start. The ingredients are simple and of good quality, and it’s very easy for me to make during naptime. In fact, it is best served after it’s cooled off and rested because it gives the lemon flavor a chance to bloom a little bit. I’ll make this for Barbara’s today then keep it, covered, at room temperature until tomorrow.

The next time you are called on to take a treat to a friends, new parent, bake sale, or if you just want something delicious for yourself I highly recommend this as your next item. And, if you ever drive through Sharon Springs be sure to swing by the Black Cat Bakery and tell Vanessa I said Hi, and thanks for the great recipe.

What’s Going on Today: Taking my daughter to museum then out to lunch with her friends! (When did she start having lunch appointments?)
Naptime Goals: Make homemade ricotta and homemade tomato sauce so that dinner is all set to assemble this evening.
Tonight’s Menu: Baked Stuffed Shells with Homemade Ricotta.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Whoever thought of Daylights Savings Time was NOT a parent!

I’ve been hooked on making homemade ricotta for a while, many thanks to my friend Jennifer Perillo, and I’ve always been a fan of homemade marinara sauce. In both cases, the homemade versions are FAR superior to anything found at the store and are incredibly easy to make. Hopefully, with this webisode you’ll see that making homemade ricotta and homemade marinara sauce takes very little time and and is well worth the effort.

Of course, once you’ve taken the time to actually both of these delicious things it is important to incorporate them into a fabulous meal where their flavors can really shine. There have been many times I’ve made terrific lasagnas and spaghetti dishes tossed with ricotta and marinara, but over the weekend I wanted to try something different. Why not, I thought, makeover my old childhood favorite, stuffed shells.

I think stuffed shells have gotten a bad rap over time for being boring and bland, but I am doing my best to repair their reputation. With this recipe I stuff the shells with a filling of homemade ricotta and spinach, then top them with a light layer of homemade marinara. The result is a terrific dish of light baked pasta, creamy cheese and delicious, healthy winter greens. Also, as you’ll see here, I was able to assemble everything while my daughter napped, place it in the fridge and bake it right before dinner.

When I served this to my husband and daughter they were both enamored with the silky texture of the cheese and, in my daughter’s case, the cool shape of the pasta shell. I think she was intrigued by how different they looked from her former favorite, ravioli. Ah, kids. Either way, I was thrilled with their warm reception.

Lemon Pudding Cake with Dad from Kelsey Banfield on Vimeo.

What’s Going on Today: Morning at the Farmer’s Museum to enjoy the Sugaring Off breakfast, the celebration of the maple syrup harvest with lots o’ pancakes and fresh local syrup!
Naptime Goals: Bake Lemon Pudding Cake with my Dad, an amazing home cook who wants a lesson in folding egg whites!
Tonight’s Menu: Italian Meatloaf with Mom, green salad, Lemon Pudding Cake for dessert.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Grandparents spoil their grandchildren, there is no stopping it so don’t bother trying.

While I was home in Cooperstown last weekend my Dad and I did some baking together. He had recently picked up the new Cook’s Illustrated Entertaining and discovered a recipe for an old childhood favorite, Lemon Pudding Cake. The only problem was, despite being a great home cook, he didn’t understand the instructions on folding egg whites into the batter. I was surprised that he hadn’t done this before, but he really is more into making Short Ribs and grilling steak then he is baking, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

In the true spirit of Naptime Chef-ing, the moment my daughter went down for her nap Dad and I set to work on our lesson. As you’ll see above, we had a roaring good time and were rewarded with a delicious, silky lemon cake at the end. Obviously, given our family love of all things lemon, we couldn’t bear to wait for our first bite. We had our first taste when it was fresh out of the oven, then another slice after dinner when we were joined by my Mom and daughter.

Given the success of this episode I’ve already put my Dad on the hook for another one, this summer we’ll be showing you how we make his famous Bread and Butter pickles. As you can see, he is a doctor and a scientist, so his canning methods are very precise and quite successful. Stay tuned!

What’s Going on Today: Babysitter arrives for daughter in the morning, I am off to appointments, lunch with friend, then home to take daughter to playdate after naptime.
Naptime Goals: I’ll be out to lunch! (Hope my daughter behaves for the sitter – it is so rare that I have one during the daytime!)
Tonight’s Menu: Roast Salmon with Perfect Pesto, green salad with pine nuts and gorgonzola, Rice with Toasted Almonds.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: Babysitters serve to remind us that sometimes we need a break from our kids, and sometimes the kids need a break from us!

Do you ever have one of those weeks when everything happens at the same time? Like, one week you have all the free time in the world to frolic in the park, and the next you barely have time to throw on some chapstick before running out the door? Well, I am having one of those weeks. I’m not quite sure how I managed to schedule things this way, but when I opened my planner yesterday I was slightly dismayed to discover that it was chock full of appointments and events. To some that may sound all very well and glamorous, me flitting around Manhattan in taxi cabs and high heels but, trust me, it’s not.

So, what to do about dinner? Easy. For one of my meetings I will be near my favorite fish store in our neighborhood, so on the way home I’ll stop by and pick up some fresh wildcaught salmon. I still have some Perfect Pesto in the freezer and it will make for a great main course, paired with some rice and a salad.

It is rare that we have a babysitter during the day, I usually choose to splurge in the evening when my husband and I are in the mood (re: desperate) for date night. But today I have no choice. This, of course, means that I won’t have time to Naptime Chef today. Instead I’ll turn to one of my favorite family meals that I can assemble on the fly, Roast Salmon with Pesto. As far as I can tell, there is hardly a better way to enjoy pesto. Yes, I love it roasted with creme fraiche as well, but this way is a tad tastier, I think. The garlic herb flavor of the spread contrasts beautifully with the fresh salmon, while the oil from the pesto prevents the fish from drying out in the oven.

So, after a day out and about this is what we will be enjoying, I am happy to report. And, yes, some of the other dishes like this or this are fantastic when there isn’t much time for dinner either. The good news for you all, however, is that one of the many to-do’s on my agenda is to working on my next Webisode for Thursday. In it I’ll be baking with my Dad, a fellow home-baker who loves the kitchen as much as I do, and it is definitely not to be missed!

What’s Going on Today: Snow still on the ground, off to the park to attempt snowman #2 of the week, grocery shopping for weekend goodies.

Naptime Goals: Bake cookies with the dough I made last night, Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich for lunch, catch up on emails (!)

Tonight’s Menu: Leftover Tomato Florentine Soup with cheese toast, peanut butter cookies for dessert.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: Teach kids to steer clear of yellow snow!

Winter is dragging on forever and it is driving me crazy. As you can see in the video above, the piles of snow on our somewhat clear sidewalk are over my daughter’s head – and are almost as tall as me! Cooperstown NY, where I grew up, gets more snow than any place I know so I should be used to this, but I still don’t like it.

The funny thing about snowstorms is that they go hand in hand with comfort food. When the snow flies I have no interest in sushi or tempura, I want soups, sandwiches and peanut butter. Lots of peanut butter. My love for peanut butter is fairly serious. You can ask anyone of my childhood friends, peanut butter has been my go-to comfort food since before I can remember. It was the exclusive main course in my lunch box for at least the first five years of grade school.

Peanut Butter Cookies

When the snowstorm struck the other day it triggered my comfort food reflex and I immediately reached the peanut butter jar in our pantry. Cookies felt like a must so I employed one of my favorite Naptime Chef techniques and made peanut butter cookie dough during my daughter’s naptime, then left it wrapped in the fridge overnight. The next day I retrieved the dough during naptime, baked the cookies and treated myself to a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich for lunch. The following day I also made myself a big batch of soba noodles with peanut butter sauce, but that is a recipe for another time.

To help you along with your peanut butter recipe repertoire, here are a few of my favorites! Enjoy!

Naptime Chef’s Favorite Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes:

1. Peanut Butter Cookies by Cook’s Illustrated: Soft, moist and chock full of peanut butter flavor, these are my favorite peanut butter cookies of all time. The dough is incredibly simple to make and tastes even better when allowed to rest for a day in the fridge before baking. To give it a little crunch I recommend adding a handful of chopped roasted peanuts.
2. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters by Dorie Greenspan: The combination of chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal in this cookie is practically lethal. The chewy texture and slightly caramelized flavor of these cookies are perfectly balanced with a hefty dose of chocolate. Beware, it is very easy to eat the entire tray fresh out of the oven.
3. Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes by Martha Stewart: Leave it to Martha to figure out take a typical peanut butter cookie recipes over the top. These little beauties are heavy on flavor and are sure to impress. Sometimes I like to dip the tops in chocolate to give them a peanut butter cup look and taste.
4. Peanut Butter Blossoms: Though baked mostly during the holiday season, these cookies are great year-round. In fact, I am hard pressed to understand what exactly is so Christmas-y about them. I love that they are like an inside out peanut butter cups. I grew up calling them Cyclops cookies.