The Naptime Chef

Last weekend I took a little time off from unpacking to attend the Greenwich Food + Wine Festival. Part of my role as a Sargento flavor correspondent this year is to investigate popular new flavor trends that are changing the food scene. Specifically, I am documenting two topics: the current explosion of food trucks, and popularity of cooking with mushrooms. I’ve been having a blast diving into both subjects, sampling food trucks all over the area, and cooking with mushrooms any chance I get. At the Greenwich Food + Wine Festival I was particularly interested in attending the crispy taco demonstration by Richard Blais, and the Weeknights Meals with Sara Moulton.

Hi! Moving day has come and gone. If you have ever moved you will totally understand what I mean when I say we are living in a sea of boxes and moving paper. Hopefully it will all be cleared up and everything will be in at least a temporary place soon. I can’t wait to cook my first meal and arrange my container garden on the back porch. Then I will know this is really home. I’ll be back on Thursday with my first “new home” recipe. In the mean time, here is some great reading from the around the web. Wish me luck!

– Birthday party train started? Make DIY thank you notes with your printer!

– Phoebe’s take-out! Nom, nom, nom.

– Teach kids to share recipes with their friends by making their own recipe book.

– Kind of obsessed. Reminds me of high school.

– Mmm, apple cider season. This is such a great video!

– Perfect for when we all get tired of apple pie.

– Cool fall mornings call for fruity oatmeals.

– Cakes become downright artistic. Love.

There are so many things to think about for the kitchen renovation it is hard to know where to begin. Right now we are targeting summer 2015, but we will see where the wind takes us. In the mean time, I have been obsessing over countertops lately. Our current ones are hunter green faux marble tile and they just aren’t my style. Plus, they are pretty worn. Right now I am tied to the idea of using dark wood counters in the new kitchen. I love how they look polished, yet still a little rustic. I also find wood comfortable for food preparation and cooking with kids.

When I think of food trucks one of the first cuisines I think of is Mexican. When we lived in New York, long before food trucks were a trend, we had a taco truck nearby. I often would roll up in the stroller and buy a whole bagful to bring home for dinner. Since then the food truck scene has exploded and tacos remain one of the most popular cuisines in the market! So, you can imagine my excitement, when I discovered the Taco Loco food truck in my neighborhood the other day. It is actually an extension of the Taco Loco restaurant down the street and just hit the streets about a week ago!

Last year I had a great chat with Catherine about her amazing book, Weelicious: One Family, One Meal, based on her popular blog. Luckily for us, Catherine is already back with a new book, Weelicious Lunches: Think Outside the Box with More Than 160 Happier Meals. This year I am packing lunch and two snacks everyday for my daughter and I am particularly grateful for this book. It can be so hard to think of new things to pack every single day! Catherine’s book covers all the basic and great ideas…and then some! Today she is here to chat about the process of writing her book and what we get to see next!

Earlier this summer I reviewed my new Magimix Vision Toaster. I immediately fell in love the way it toasted bread to perfection in just minutes. Truly, I have never seen a toaster that so perfectly makes the toast warm and soft on the interior and perfectly crispy on the exterior. There is no other toaster quite like it!

Last weekend I celebrated my birthday! This is my fourth time posting about my birthday on Naptime Chef. I know it puts me in the minority, but I actually enjoy celebrating my birthday. For real. I am not really all that concerned about my age, probably because I was always the youngest kid in my grade growing up. For me my birthday is the one day a year when I really let go and do whatever I want. This year I went to the gym (which I actually enjoy), had brunch with friends, spent the afternoon with my family, and my husband took me out to dinner. I also, of course, baked myself a cake.