The Naptime Chef

Last week I had less than half an hour to whip up a simple summer treat for a last minute dinner party. With some fresh tomatoes, my ever-present stash of Parmesan, and a tuft of fresh basil in the herb pot I decided to make my favorite Tomato Tart with Parmesan and Basil. Coincidentally, my dear friend Liz the Chef had just emailed me from San Diego to say she was enjoying her latest version of this tart. We both became addicted to it last summer when I first wrote about it on Babble. It seems with tomato season in full swing we both had this light summer dish on the brain!

Today I am joining in the PBS celebration of Julia Child’s life in honor of what would have been her 100th birthday this August. People from all over are spending the month cooking their favorite Julia recipes and sharing them far and wide in the spirit of food and friendship. My favorite Julia recipe has long been her brownies. They are the perfect combination of fudgy and cakey and I simply adore them served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

When it comes to lobster rolls I take them classic New England style. I usually only eat one or two a year and prefer – no, demand – that they are of the highest quality. The good news is that demanding high quality does not mean undertaking complicated cooking techniques. It just means buying the freshest lobster possible, using delicious high quality butter (or mayonnaise if you are in camp mayo when it comes to lobster rolls), and a little celery for crunch and flavor.

Last week on Martha’s Vineyard my family and I took some time to enjoy the island between book events. We strolled the streets of Edgartown, took boat rides along the coast, and cooked lots of great food. Over the course of our vacation we enjoyed several delectable dinners that took very little effort. We focused on simply prepared super-fresh seafood, easy sides, and, of course, wine. Here are some of our favorite menus from vacation. I hope they each give you a little taste of a true New England summer.

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.

When we got home from Martha’s Vineyard the first thing I bought at our local market was a bag of fresh peaches. I adore peach season and am so thrilled it is finally here. I can’t wait to preserve peaches in vanilla syrup, make roasted peach iced lemonade, and eat them sliced over granola for breakfast. This week I was also in the mood for a peach dessert so I decided to adapt the classic peach pie recipe from my cookbook and make a peach galette.

Today I stopping in with a fun announcement! To celebrate all of the fresh summer fruits and vegetables of summer this Thursday, June 26th, OXO and I will be hosting a Twitter party at 4pm ET. Please stop by using the hashtag #OXOfresh and join the conversation with our awesome co-hosts Eclectic Recipes, Fifteen Spatulas and Cookin’ Canuck. During the hour we’ll be giving away some awesome OXO products and talking all things fresh and summery. Here is a sneak peak at what we’ll be giving away and your chance to win awesome OXO kitchen tools and a copy of my cookbook yourself!

There are lots of delicious vegetables abound in farmer’s markets all over the country right now. I am especially excited by what I am finding in the Northeast. Because we have such a relatively short growing season what is available right now is truly a fleeting pleasure. Here are some of the awesome locally grown vegetables I’ve been spying on Martha’s Vineyard this week and a few ideas for what to make with them. If you have resolved to have your children try some of these scrumptious vegetables with you this summer I suggest you pick up a copy of Crunch a Color. This award-winning eating game by Jennifer Lee ( I chatted with her yesterday) will get them happily munching away on healthy summer veggies in no time. Even better, enter to win one of five copies here today!