The Naptime Chef

It is finally the time of year when we start thinking about homemade holiday gifts. Yes, I did make my big batch gifts like Homemade Vanilla Extract and Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce earlier this year, but my smaller batch gifts are just getting started. This is the food that is easy and fun to make in small batches as needed throughout the season. One of my favorite things to make in this category are fresh, crunchy biscotti in an assortment of flavors. Not only are these sophisticated coffee-dipping cookies a welcome departure from the onslaught of super-sweet Christmas cookies this time of year, they are also perfect for a wide variety of gift-giving situations. For example, when I hear the moms in my daughter’s class are assembling the teacher gift bags I always whip up a quick batch of Lemon Ginger Biscotti to add as my contribution. Or, when I know I have a meeting with a client or editor coming up I bag a fresh batch of Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti to bring along. Sometimes I even make two or three batches at once and ship an assortment to friends around the country to spread a little holiday cheer.

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

Today’s post is in honor of my daughter who is celebrating her birthday this month. She is at such a fun age and this year I am going a little overboard with the whole occasion. This week she’ll be having two small parties. The first will be at school where I will bring in a little art project for all the kids to make together. The second will be outside of school with some of her closest friends. Finally, at the end of the week I’ve promised her a flower manicure at our favorite nail place followed by special snack of peppermint hot chocolate and a donut (her favorite treat) at home with Mom.

I’ve been posting some of my Thanksgiving favorites over the past week because we’ve been enjoying them all month long. That is really one of the hidden beauties of skipping the mega family feast every few years – you can just enjoy what you want when you want! To leave you with a truly wonderful dish, today I am sharing one of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts. Obviously, I love pumpkin pie but sometimes I need a break. I mean, who doesn’t love it when the pumpkin flavor comes from the ice cream (!) and there is a graham cracker crust involved.

Last week I got the new Barefoot Contessa cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust. As I always do with her books, after only a couple of quick passes I tabbed dozens of recipes to try and kicked off with this one last weekend. I am slipping this into my week of Thanksgiving food because, although I have never served it for Thanksgiving, I can honestly say it would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving table. While creamed spinach may be more traditional at Thanksgiving, this lightened up version with salty feta and crunchy pine nuts would be welcome break from the tried and true.  I’ll be reviewing the book more in the new year but I promise this one is a great place to start!

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

We have a bit of a cranberry sauce divide in our house. My husband insists that it should be served straight out a can, preferably still in the shape of a can with the rings from the actual can visible on the jiggly tower of sauce. For nearly ten years I’ve tried my best to understand why he thinks this is the most desirable way to eat cranberry sauce and still haven’t figured it out. I, on the other hand, find the gelatinous canned stuff completely unappealing and prefer a simple scratch recipe. I love this because it is so good on the dinner table and is even better on turkey sandwiches the day after. Who doesn’t love a condiment that performs double-duty?!

Even though our postponed Halloween celebration just took place on Saturday I am in Thanksgiving mode. This year we’ll have a small family celebration in Boston. It will be nice and easy which is just what I’m in the mood for since I am definitely slowing down a bit. Next year I am sure we’ll happily host a huge family bash, but this year I need a little break. In light of this I’ve had some fun spacing out some of our Thanksgiving favorites over the past week. Just because we aren’t having a huge feast doesn’t mean we should skip our favorites for an entire year. Last week I made some of Gwyneth’s Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Olive Oil and they were as delicious as ever. Over the weekend I made a classic Roast Chicken and paired them with these Scalloped Potatoes with Thyme. Next week I plan to indulge in our favorite Thanksgiving dessert so stay tuned!

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