Today’s Powernap: The quick and easy cookies I like to serve at the JMcLaughlin Cafe
I’ve been catering the JMcLaughlin Westport Cafe for almost two months now and I want to share one of the cookie recipes I’m making this month. They are just SO good that it would be a crime to not mention them. You all know how much I love Mexican Chocolate Cake and Mexican Hot Chocolate so you can just imagine how I swoon over these cookies. Sweet, spicy and very chocolaty, they hit all the right notes for a rich winter cookie. I’ve often make the dough during naptime and bake them after my daughter goes to bed or before she wakes up in the morning. Then I deliver them to the store by 9am. Be sure to swing by if you want a taste. Or, just print the recipe and enjoy them at home! 🙂
Naptime Goals: Relax with some delicious hot chocolate and tell you all about my favorite winter beverages.
Parenting Lesson of the Day: You’ll always be amazed at what they ask Santa for Christmas (a trampoline?!)
Today is kind of a fun one. I was brewing up my favorite Christmas tea the other morning – Celestial Seasoning’s Nutcracker Sweet, in case you are wondering – and was struck with inspiration. I use my electric tea kettle daily (thank you Linda & Ginger, it was a most excellent wedding gift) and I was wondering if you all ever use one too. It is definitely the fastest way to boil water. It also is great for filling water baths when baking souffles, dissolving sugar and espresso powder and a whole host of other things when cooking and baking. If you don’t have one, why don’t I give you one? This time there are no sponsors, just me giving you one of my favorite kitchen appliances (a new one though, not the actual kettle from my kitchen) and a box of tea. And, while we are at it, let’s talk hot beverages.
Christmas is literally around the corner and there is one little girl in my household who is beyond excited. (Does the phrase “pinging off the walls” mean anything to you?! ) We’ve been cooking and baking up a storm and I thought I would share some of the favorite things we’ve been making. These are all things that you still have plenty of time to make and will impress all of your household guests. Let the holiday naptime cooking crunch-time begin!
1. Cocoa Almonds: These simply sweet chocolate candied almonds are perfect for last minute gifts. They take less than ten minutes to make and look wonderful packaged simply in clear plastic bags.
2. Christmas Pinata Cookies: My daughter is a huge fan of these and has been “hiding” all sorts of things in hers. She gets such a kick out of the fact that her Dad will find a gummy bear in one cookie and a Hershey’s kiss in the next.
3. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies: Leave it to Martha to give us a recipe that is simultaneously sweet and spicy with just the right amount of chew. Tie them up with a sweet ribbon for the perfect homemade gift.
4. Sweet & Spicy Walnuts Nuts: These are the perfect salty nuts for the salt tooth in your life. They also make great last-minute hostess gifts.
5. Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce: I’ve already made five – yes, 5 – batches for gifts. Whipping up one batch is very simple and is great for drizzling over ice cream or giving as gifts.
6. Eggnog Cheesecake: Your entire family will be so impressed if you serve amazing cheesecake at Christmas dinner. It can easily be made in advance and feeds a holiday crowd.
7. Sparkling Eggnog Muffins: For breakfast or, honestly, anytime of day, these gorgeous muffins are the perfect holiday breakfast/afternoon snack.
8. ‘Twas the Night Before…French Toast: We will be eating this classic recipe on Christmas morning. My whole family loves it and it makes my life sooo much easier since I can prepare it the night before.
9. Peppermint Patty Brownies: All things mint and chocolate are welcome this season and these brownies most definitely hit the spot. They are so much fun with kids and look great when frosted with vanilla buttercream and topped with crushed candy canes!
I don’t post a lot of smoothie recipes in this space because mostly they confound me. What the proper ratio of vegetables to liquid? How much sugar is too much? How do I properly “superfood” my beverage without overdoing it? Lucky for me, my friend Jenna Helwig has finally written a Smoothie-licious: Power-Packed Smoothies and Juices the Whole Family Will Love, a cookbook I can identify with. The recipes are amazing and accessible! That means, smoothie novices like me don’t find them intimidating in the least. In fact, they look downright delicious. Today Jenna stopped by to talk all things Smoothies and share a copy of her book to give away!
1) I’ll admit, some smoothie recipes intimidate me. But your book makes them so accessible. How did you first start making smoothies for your family?
About three years ago I did a “detox” where I gave up caffeine, alcohol, gluten, dairy, and sugar for a week. I also tried to eat more veggies, including at breakfast. Since I have more of a sweet tooth in the morning smoothies seemed like a natural choice. I started concocting naturally sweet smoothies and my favorite was a creamy drink with avocado (it turned into the recipe Avocado Bliss in Smoothie-licious). The real eye-opener was when my daughter—an avowed avocado hater—asked for a sip and continued to drink it even after I told her what the ingredients were.
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 restaurantdown the street and just hit the streets about a week ago!
Today I invited my friend Jeni Britton Bauer, the genius behind Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, easily the most luscious and addictive artisanal ice cream I’ve ever tasted, to join me for a little kitchen Q & A. I am a huge fan of Jeni’s New York Times bestselling book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, and love her philosophy on using the power of business to create positive change in the world. Clearly Jeni’s business is booming, but I was also curious to take a peek under the tent. For someone who runs a rapidly expanded business, I wanted to know what she cooked for her husband and two young children after hours. Here she reveals how she feeds her family, her take on winter ice cream, and the adult meal she is planning for Valentine’s Day!
1. Your book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, dominated our kitchen last summer. I found myself whipping up lots of ice cream base during naptime and churning it with my daughter after she woke up. Do you ever make ice cream at home with your kids?
My kids, especially my oldest daughter Greta, have always loved getting into the kitchen with me. In fact, when I was testing about 100 batches of ice cream as I worked towards innovating the perfect ice cream base for the recipe in Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, I did so with Greta, as a small baby, strapped on my back. She was with me the whole way through that process and I think the memory will always be something we share. I also to involve my kids in testing new flavors at home. Their palates continue to surprise me. They’re never afraid to try new flavors, and are even less timid to express their feelings about them.
My friend Katie moved to San Francisco in January. She used to live five blocks from me in New York, but now she lives five hours away. I would usually be sad about this scenario, however, I’ve been seeing a lot of Katie lately. She and her family spend their summers at their home in Sag Harbor this summer, which is where I have been going to beat the heat.
Katie is a foodie and accomplished cook and, since she is an avid Naptime Chef reader, she correctly predicted that I would be writing a travel post to share with you. Weeks prior to my arrival she started sending me notes on places to visit, and explore we did. We traveled high and low all over Sag Harbor and I have loads of great information to share. If you haven’t planned your Sag Harbor trip this summer I highly recommend you make the time, it is a terrific getaway.
Naptime’s Sag Harbor Favorites (in no particular order):
1) American Legion: Dockside: It seems strange that the American Legion would have one of the best spots to eat in the Hamptons, but they do. Katie whisked us off to lunch within moments of our arrival and I am glad she did. The fish tacos are absolutely amazing, the best on the East Coast. I also loved the crab stuffed zucchini blossom and plan to test out a recipe of my own. It is also worth noting the beautiful view, you eat overlooking the harbor.
2) Cavaniola’s Cheese Shop: You know I love good cheeses and this shop is definitely the best of the best. The staff is extremely knowledgeable, plus they have a great selection of gourmet foods. When I told them we liked sharp cheddar they sent me home with one of the best slices of authentic English cheddar I think I’ve ever had. They also have an excellent wine shop and prepared food store one door down.
3) Cromer’s Market: From the outside Cromer’s looks like a dingy market you only run to during emergencies. But, on the inside is one of the best butchers in the Hamptons. I was impressed with their selection of grass fed beef and humanely raised pork products. This is a great place to stock up for cookouts.
4) North Sea Farm: Once I was at this farm I realized why it looked familiar, Ina shops here, too. It is an obvious choice for anyone who appreciates farm to fork food, the chickens wander freely in and out of their coop. Then end up for sale at the poultry counter, without their feathers. The eggs have gorgeous orange yolks, and the fresh produce is swoon-worthy. My particular favorite was the cool lettuce “wheel” (pictured below) that you rotate to select your desired variety.
5) Schiavoni’s: Traveling with children means several trips to the grocery store, and this one is well stocked. They have a great meat counter, selection of cereals and foods for families. They also have the most amazing homemade guacamole available in the cooler section. Get there early though, it always sells out by the end of the day.
6) Amber Bakery: This humble bakery opposite the Sag Harbor Post Office is the destination for cookies, cakes and scones. I adored their chocolate chip cookies and noted that it would also be a great visit for a bride. Their wedding cake display was gorgeous.
7) Sag Harbor Farmers’ Market (Saturdays): Part of the fun of exploring farmers’ markets is discovering vegetables and flavors that are new to me. I just loved these bunches of multicolored vegetables (pictured below), as well as the fantastic selection of tiny tomatoes. Needless to say, dinner was not difficult that evening.
8) Round Swamp Farm: It seems awfully strange to go to a farm for mexican dip, but I promised to introduce you to interesting food finds, and this is one of them. For some reason this farm specializes in a dips and I haven’t tasted anything as amazing as this one. It is layers of salsa, cheese and guacamole baked in a puff pastry. Nothing short of heavenly, delicious with fresh chips and a margherita.
9) Espresso: Katie is as addicted to coffee as I am to tea, which is why we hit Espresso daily. We also went several times for lunch, their sandwiches, pizzas and salads are Italian delicacies and perfect for taking to the beach.
10) Tiger Spud Potato Chips: It is unusual that I champion a brand, but I will root for these chips. They are made locally by a farm (the Hamptons were once famous for potato crops), and are the most flavorful chips I have ever tasted. And, trust me, I have tasted a lot. A national distributor needs to snap this brand up right away, anyone I know would happily toss all other sub-par brands for a bag of Tiger Spuds.
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.
