Naptime on the Road: All About Eating on the Road & Traveling with My Family

We got an iPad for Christmas and I have totally fallen in love with it. I never thought they were a big deal, but now that we have one I’m not sure why we waited so long to get it! One of the first things I did on December 26th was load it up with some foodie apps I’d been hearing a lot about. Of all the ones I bought there have been four I’ve been turning to constantly for information and inspiration over the past few months. I’ve even find myself turning to them on the road when travel! If you are in the market for an awesome, parent-friendly, foodie apps here are a few I highly recommend.

With breakfast and dinner under control I decided to try a new technique with my slow cooker: baking. We were going out of town for a long weekend in Boston and I wanted to pack some sweets to take along with us. I’d already had some success with a batch of Martha Stewart’s slow cooker brownies and wanted to attempt something else. A simple pound cake seemed like a good place to start. I know they transport well and can be adapted any number of ways. With a jar of nutella on hand I decided to swirl it in to the batter, along with some chocolate chips and give it a whirl.

I thought it would be a fun idea to take a break from recipes today and do a little “check-in.” That is the term I use at home when I want to step back and assess a situation that seems to the focus of my days at that particular moment. Here is my check-in for today: how is your holiday cooking going? Is all your shopping done? What are your travel plans this season? Here are the answers to those questions on my end and a few last minute gifts and tips for holiday travel with kids.

I make it no secret that I am a huge fan of Magnolia Bakery. Not very long ago I lived, literally, right around the corner from the UWS location. It was a very dangerous time. I used to walk at least five times around the block before purchasing a cupcake, then walked around several more times after eating it. It was always worth it. As luck would have it, last week my friend Nicole and I went to delicious Thanksgiving dessert tasting at that very store to sample some of the amazing desserts they are offering this Thanksgiving season.

I am taking a break from recipes today to share some of my favorite things from late summer and early fall. We’ve been back in the swing of things with the school but have still managed to escape to Cooperstown and Martha’s Vineyard for some family visits. Along the way I’ve been reading some terrific books, reading new favorite websites and browsing newly released cookbooks. Here are some of them that have really stood out along the way:

This summer has been pretty low-key. We’ve been traveling to our usual haunts, trying out new recipes and enjoying the slower pace of the season. Work-wise I’ve been spending a lot of time editing the manuscript, revising the layouts (which look awesome) and getting down to the nitty gritty. It has been a blast and I truly can’t wait until Spring 2012 to show you the final product. In the mean time, next month I have a newly redesigned website so share with you.

By the end of the first day at the King Arthur Flour Blog & Bake I was exhausted. After madly taking notes on everything from how to make bread rise perfectly and the difference between flours, to Sara Moulton’s herbed spaetzle and how to properly debone a chicken breast, I had absorbed just about all [...]