The Naptime Chef

Over the summer I received a shipment of wine from the Martha Stewart Wine Co. It was their Sip of Summer package featuring six varieties of wine selected specifically for summer enjoyment. Needless to say, I loved it. Ever since I started my journey with WSET I’ve become very picky and selective about the wine I drink. I want each bottle to be a learning experience, an education for my palate. It’s not about spending lots of money, it’s about noting quality, reading tasting notes, and generally paying attention to the details.

It seems that the good people at the Martha Stewart have my back in this because the wine that was selected with quality in mind. The package I received contained a well-balanced selection of 3 whites, 2 rosés, and 1 sparkling wine. If that doesn’t sound like the perfect summer wine bar I don’t know what does! The wines ranged from sweet (a succulent Italian Moscato) to dry and acidic (a lighter than air Pinot Grigio). We enjoyed them with everything from oysters, to grilled chicken, to goat cheese from my favorite farm in Cooperstown.

While I don’t plan to give up my regular trips to our awesome local wine shop, based on this experience with Martha Stewart Wine Co. I can honestly say that is the perfect place to turn when you are looking to expand your palate. The themed boxes are fun and contain interesting wines you might not be recommended at your local wine shop but are definitely worth a try!

To get you started at Martha Stewart Wine Co. I am thrilled to share a special shopping code they’ve created for Naptime Chef readers: Just type NAPTIME20 in the promo code box to receive 20% off your order. Go ahead, treat yourself to some new delicious sips this fall and enjoy!

(Disclosure: I was sent these wines to try but was not compensated for this post. The photographs and opinions are wholly my own.)

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mirum but all opinions are my own. I am proud to work with Mirum to bring attention to the Feeding American program.)

Friends! I took a lot of the summer off to be with my kids. They are growing so fast and I really need to take time just to enjoy having them around. It was also a good time to take a brief break from the blog because I really needed to replenish my cooking repertoire. The good news is that I’ve done just that and later this month you’ll find lots of new and interesting content here. Today I am starting off with a topic that is near and dear to my heart, Feeding America.

I am very proud to promote this partnership between Feeding America and Unilever because it is particularly important this year while we all reach out to those affected by Hurricane Harvey, and by those who are hungry closer to home. This fall I am getting in the hometown spirit and shopping for Unilever products at my local Stop & Shop.

This month Feeding America has partnered with Stop & Shop and Unilever to help alleviate hunger in their communities. Making your own contribution is SO simple:

If you purchase $15 in Unilever products, you’ll save $5 on your purchase, and part of it will be donated to the Feeding America program. Each transaction provides 11 meals to people in need from September 1st through September 14th, 2017. In addition, if you tweet about this promotion and use the hashtag #HomeTeamAgainstHunger an extra $1 will be donated up to $5,000. Check out the scoreboard above!

This is such a simple way to do so much good! It is not about donating money, or buying something you don’t want or need. It is simply about selecting some of your favorite Unilever products at Stop & Shop and letting them do the rest.

So, if you have the time this weekend I hope you’ll buy some Unilever products and help out this campaign. It will make such a huge difference in the lives of many. Together we can work to alleviate hunger in our communities and I am grateful that this partnership is taking place in mine.

Thank you all for your participation! 

Friends! I am still reeling from the amazing number of good cookbooks that came out this spring. I’ve been having such fun profiling them here and I hope you like reading about them. So, recently my friend Pamela came out with this terrific book called Kitchen Matters: More than 100 Recipes and Tips to Transform the Way You Cook and Eat — Wholesome, Nourishing, Unforgettable. For me it’s the perfect book for healthy eaters who don’t want to give up all their favorites. Pamela is the master of healthy cooking with tons of flavor. She knows what we all like and makes dishes healthier without becoming dull and flavorless.

This spring I had a great chat with Pamela about her recent book!:

I have to stop in today, while we are in the middle of a terrible heatwave, the share this super fun recipe. It was sent to me by my friends at Santa Margherita when I spotted it online. It is the most genius idea! It requires two things: edible flowers (my pot of nasturtiums is overflowing), and Prosecco!

My friend Phoebe is so accomplished. I love reading her blog Feed Me Phoebe for all kinds of great recipes and her instagram account is amazing. This spring I am proud to say she came out with a terrific new book called The Wellness Project: How I learned to Do Right by My Body Without Giving Up My Life. In it she chronicles her year of trying new wellness solutions to combat her Hoshimoto’s disease and several other chronic ailments. It’s terrific for anyone looking for concrete solutions to long term problems, or just for general health tips!

Recently I had a great chat with Phoebe and here is what we discussed:

1) Your wellness journey was an inspiring read. Even for those of us who are mostly “well” can glean a lot from your work. When this all began did you realize it was going to be such an endeavor?

I did! I commited to the year up front and tried more or less to design my 12-month curriculum. A lot changed along the way as I really wanted to let my body do the steering. It wasn’t just a gimmick: I really wanted to heal! As intimidating as the year commitment might seem, it was actually a huge relief compared to what I had been doing prior, which was basically throwing a million health darts at the wall to see if one would stick. I felt guilty all the time about the doctor’s orders I failed to apply to my life, and since there wasn’t a lot of awareness behind the things I was doing, it was hard to tell what was really moving the needle. I designed this slow and steady approach—one lifestyle change, one month at a time—so I could figure out which health practices were actually worth the time, money and energy I was spending on them.

Soft towels for drying off or using as a picnic blanket.

Chic tumblers for keeping drinks cold by the pool.

Rhubarb Basil Shrub for mixing fun cocktails.

A fun summer baking project for your kids.

A marble wine cooler for keeping Rosé chilled all day!

Basically the cutest plate set ever.

A trio of hand creams that make the most perfect hostess gift.

Fun snacks from Naturebox to please the kids and adults.

The BEST chocolate chip cookies known to man, perfect for cookouts everywhere.

Fish popsicles for hours of fun with kids.

Every time I learn that Elizabeth Bard is coming out with a new book I pre-order it immediately and wait, very impatiently, for it to arrive. You see, I adore her first two memoirs and cook from them all the time. I basically wish she would write a new book every quarter to fuel my ongoing fascination with French food and life. Though I am well aware that is unlikely to happen, so far she seems to be publishing delightful new books every two years and this year happened to be one of them! Dinner Chez Moi: 50 French Secrets to Joyful Eating is her latest inspirational book that is part memoir/part French recipes. It features beautiful watercolors of ingredients and Provence and in it she shares all sorts of lovely recipes and tidbits about life in France.

Recently I had a fun chat with Elizabeth, here it is!:

1) A cookbook! I love how this book is a cookbook with memories scattered throughout. It is a nice supplement to your memoirs. How did the idea for this book come to be?

With Dinner Chez Moi, I wanted to create a sort of mini-reference book – a synthesis of everything I’ve learned about French cooking and eating habits over the past 15 years. So now, Lunch in Paris and Picnic in Provence can stay on the bedside table, and Dinner Chez Moi can handle all the sticky fingers chocolate stains in the kitchen!

2) I love the range of recipes in this book. It is everything from the simplest of teas to a long pork roast and everything in between. How did you decide what to include and what to leave out?

I wanted Dinner Chez Moi to be a tour of my French kitchen – the majority of recipes are part of my weekly menu planning – lentils, yogurt cake, the chickpea and fresh herb salad, cherry tomato pasta and Provencal risotto are things I return to again and again. I make soup in all seasons, and cheap braising cuts have become a beloved part of my winter cooking. I wanted to include some of my go-to entertaining recipes as well – the lamb and apricot tagine and the Fondant au Chocolat are great make ahead options.