The Naptime Chef

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

Mother’s Day was a blast and now Father’s Day is right around the corner. I know these are both Hallmark holidays, but I do love them. In our house these small holidays are all about family time. It’s about gathering together for a special meal and taking time to enjoy each other’s company. That is something that is much harder to do these days with ours kids sports schedules! This year I partnered with Hood^® Cream to create a yummy egg casserole for my husband to enjoy on Father’s Day. It was a lot of fun thinking of all of his favorite flavors and coming up with a dish for him to enjoy!

The most adorable cabana sac for summer at the beach!

This delightful book to inspire her next trip to Paris. (illustration by TheFrancoFly)

A gorgeous tote for taking to the farmers’ market and bringing home freshly picked flowers.

A beautiful book of portraits for livening up her coffee table.

Without question, the most relaxing body scrub.

Fabulous shoes for wearing all summer long.

Amazing handcrafted cards she can put on her desk.

Cushy socks for padding around house or wearing to exercise.

Luxurious face oil to make her extra glowy.

Lavender cookware, because it’s her favorite color.

Mac-n-Cheese is quite possibly the most wonderful comfort food. There is nothing not to love about pasta baked with cheesy sauce topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. Personally, I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t adore this comfort food! The problem, of course, is that the dish can lean on the heavy side, so it is really more of a treat than a regular menu item. Unless, of course, you can sneak some vegetables in!

Something I tried recently is puréeing butternut squash into the cheese sauce to make a truly delicious, slightly healthier, vegetable-laden dish. The process is easy. It starts with softening the squash in Skim Plus milk on the stovetop. Then it is puréed until smooth and made into a delicious béchamel sauce. I use Skim Plus milk because it has a lovely creamy texture with 37% more protein than whole milk and 34% more calcium. The creamy sauce is then folded together with fresh cooked pasta and baked into a yummy casserole!

FOR HER:

The cutest shirt to wear all year long.

A super fun subscription to Birchbox so she can discover her new favorite lipstick.

The pouch she can use for just about anything.

Sea Salt Chocolate Truffles that are just about the best treats ever.

A luxurious candle that makes the whole house smell like roses.

FOR HIM:

The most amazing ski socks to enjoy for the rest of winter.

A lovely bottle opener and some good beer to go with it.

A computer sleeve to make business trips that much easier.

The roll that will finally solve his watch storage problem.

A best travel mug and plan a fun hike together!

Hi! It’s been a while since I’ve popped in for a big check-in. 2017 was a busy year, I’ve been planting lots of seeds, enjoying some non-Naptime Chef freelance work, and hanging out with the kids. I’ve also been thinking of the best way for this site to evolve since, obviously, my kids don’t nap any longer. I’ve decided to relaunch my newsletter in May 2018 with more helpful tips and recipes, and be fully upfront that my kids don’t nap any longer but I still cook a lot. Getting a good meal on the table definitely requires just has much maneuvering as ever these days!

Also, last fall my website was hacked and there have been some terrible re-directs taking place. I am so sorry! The malware has been removed and I am just waiting for Google to re-crawl my site and then it will be back to normal again. Hopefully the Google Gods will be on my side and do it soon. It’s never easy!

If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet do so right away because a big giveaway will be going out the first week of it’s launch in late May 2018. Also, you can still find me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. As you’ll see, last week Krusteaz sent me an awesome box of goodies and we had fun making breakfast for dinner!

Happy 2018!

(Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Skim Plus Milk. It’s a brand we love and the opinions and photographs are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Naptime Chef possible.)

This new year started off with a wintery bang – a bomb cyclone storm followed by frigid temperatures. Being from Cooperstown, I am no stranger to crazy cold and snow, but it is always a little jarring to readjust to winter when it comes on so fast. In the kitchen, this means breaking out my cold weather cooking repertoire and bringing on the hearty stick-to-your-ribs food we all love like this Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder.

This is one of comfort classics in our house. We love its warm, creamy texture and rich flavor. It definitely warms you up, even down to the tips of your toes! I can vouch for this because last week, I ate it immediately after I shoveled snow in four-degree Fahrenheit weather. If there is any time you want warm food, it’s then!

The word “chowder” can strike fear into the heart of many foodies because it brings up images of heavy cream and calorie counts, but I lighten mine up – without sacrificing flavor – by using Skim Plus Milk and Skim Plus Half & Half. Not only does it give this dish the hallmark creamy texture of a classic chowder, it also adds protein and calcium benefits. Skim Plus actually has 37% more protein than whole milk and 34% more calcium than whole milk. It really is a win-win.

We’ve had a fantastic and busy month, but the fun isn’t over yet! We still have New Year’s Eve this weekend if you are anything like my family you are all about easy-peasy family entertaining. One of my go-to’s this time of year is lots of gourmet snacks. Instead of going crazy with homemade from scratch everything, I reach for a few of my favorites off the shelves.