The Naptime Chef

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Hood Cream. The opinions and photographs are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)

Snickerdoodle cookies are an all-time holiday favorite in our house. The only trouble is that they are eaten up so quickly and they aren’t great for feeding a crowd. When it comes to having guests over I really prefer something slightly more festive, which is where this Snickerdoodle Cream Bundt Cake comes into play.

The beauty of this cake is that it is incredibly easy to make and serves a crowd. It also tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie! Honestly, I adore it for many reasons, but my guests really love the creamy texture and cinnamon-sugar flavor. They always ask for the recipe!

Like any classic Bundt cake this one is fairly simple to make. When I make the batter I always use Hood Cream. It blends beautifully and has a lovely, rich flavor. Hood Cream is a high-quality ingredient I can trust to provide the creamy and thick texture you look for in a snickerdoodle cookie. It really takes this recipe to the next level and your guests will love it!

A rich creamy flavor and thick texture is one of the hallmarks of the Snickerdoodle cookie, and the Hood Cream really delivers on that when I bake it.

Allbirds wool loungers, incredibly comfortable all-wool shoes to wear around the house.

The softest, most luxurious faux fur poncho for the walk to school.

Lovely cookies that are almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

The book she’s been dying to read, or another notable one she’s been eyeing.

A chic tassel that will give her purse an instant upgrade.

One of the most inspiring baking books of the season, she’ll be whipping up cakes in no time!

A ultimate blend for a long, relaxing tub soak.

Amazing face oil that makes skin positively glow. Every drop is pure luxury!

A lovely waterbottle for toting around in her purse.

The most gorgeous scented candle that smells like the Maine woods in deep summer.

A truly amazing product that leaves you with the softest feet EVER!

The newest book from one of her favorite mystery authors.

A super fun traveling jewelry box for all of her adventures!

Big Block French Kitchen Soap for all of her pot scrubbing needs and that even makes the kitchen sink look chic.

Gorgeous hand-painted notepads for writing lots of notes about important things.

A fabulous cookbook all about feeding friends and loved ones with yummy, easy recipes.

The world’s coziest fleece for everyday hanging out and running errands.

An awesome card deck she can use every day for alignment, love, and growth.

Hands down the coolest French bag company – the possibilities are endless!

The most gorgeous table linens, because she always entertains in style.

Give 5 Year Olds:

The BEST cozy sweatshirt for winter.

Timelines of Everything, because curious kindergarteners want to know!

Yummy candy to remind them of summer.

Construction and demolition all in one game, need I say more?

Emoji punching balloons for hours of fun.

Gifts for 10 years +:

A super cool portable speaker that pulses with their music and is totally waterproof.

A belgian waffler maker for making Saturday morning waffles.

A Rockets of Awesome box full of fun clothes she’ll wear over and over.

An Ozo Bot, the coolest robot she play with for fun while honing her coding skills.

Greenglass House, a riveting mystery full of ghosts, magic, and more!

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mirum, and all the opinions expressed and photographs are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)

Halloween is ovah and it’s time for the real holiday season to kick into high gear! For most of us busy parents that very sentence strikes mild panic into our hearts. Are we really read for hosting relatives/decorating/wrapping/socializing and the like? How on Earth will be handle it all? Don’t get me wrong, I love and adore the holiday season, but it is definitely not the most laid-back time of the year.

So! Today I’m here with five easy ways to relieve holiday stress. These are some easy peasy quick-fixes that will help the next two months go off without a hitch. Promise!

1. Plan Menus NOW: I know menu planning is not necessarily everyone’s favorite topic. However, planning menus for Thanksgiving, cocktail parties, Christmas Dinner, kids parties and more makes such a difference. Can you envision the difference between “oh, I’m making potatoes and cocktail nuts for Thanksgiving!” and opening your cupboard and fridge for the ingredients…versus running to the store the day before, sharpening your elbows and hoping for the best while you sweat it out in the crowds?! Advance planning helps you get ingredients in the cupboard, the right cookbooks pulled from your shelf, and all the worrying out the way. Ahh, now doesn’t that feel better?

2. Pick three simple recipes for breakfast and lunch and put them in rotation. Planning the big celebratory meals is fun, but planning breakfast and lunch can be an afterthought. Yes, leftovers are always an option, but what about the kids? And your great Aunt who just came to town? Many mouths to feed! Pick three recipes everyone likes, buy the ingredients, and get them in heavy rotation. Soups, hearty salads, and paninis are popular choices in our house!

Here is an ongoing list of our Cookbook Gift Guide for 2018!

Fantastical Cakes by Gesine Bullock-Prado, ideal for the the aspiring cake baker.

High Alpine Cuisine by Marla Meredith. Perfect for those who love mountain food!

The Ultimate Kids’ Cookbook by Tiffany Dahle. A great family cookbook, especially for young kids!

The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Deanna Segrave-Daly and Serena Ball. The best collection of healthy, delicious recipes we’ve ever seen!

Keto Soups & Stews by Carolyn Ketchum. A collection of tasty soups any eater would love, but are great for those on a keto eating plan.

Cooking with Scraps by Lindsay-Jean Hard. A fascinating book full of enticing recipes that can be made with food scraps!

Pie Squared: Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pies by Cathy Barrow. A charming collection of sweet and savory square pies that are perfect for the whole family.

Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan. Dorie’s lovely collection of recipes from around her home table.

Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious by Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook. An amazing collection of Israeli-inspired recipes anyone can make.

It’s been so much fun having Katie Workman as one of our fall features for Cookbook Club! Today Kelsey & Katie settled in for a little chat about food blogging and all that it entails!

Kelsey: What inspired you start food blogging?

Kelsey: Do you ever order take-out or do live in the world of the “merry home cook” all the time?

Katie: PLEASE!  If I don’t have sushi at least a couple of times a week I start vibrating. I think I might be made of mercury at this point, there is so much raw salmon coursing through my veins. And I live in NYC, with teenage boys and their friends, so thank god for take out pizza.

Kelsey: Fess up – what’s your favorite and least favorite thing about food blogging?!

Katie: My favorite thing is hearing from readers, with a question, a comment, and in the best moments people telling me that they loved something and so did the people who ate it.  That’s amazing, and I never tire of it.  The best thing that happened to me lately was that a reader asked me if I could fix it so they recipe intros would be printed out along with the recipes because my writing was very important to them.  I almost wept.

What is annoying is trying to understand what the hell google wants at any given moment in terms of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so that my recipes come up at the top of search when people are looking for a lasagna or whatever they are searching for.  The wisdom always changes, the search engine gods change their minds all of the time, and most of the time I just focus on the writing and the food, and let the cards fall where they may (but there is still a whole lot of tagging and back end stuff to deal with).

Thanks, Katie!