Naptime Simple Tips: Fun & Essential Tips for Your Kitchen

Dinner Chez Moi | The Naptime Chef

5 Spring Books

It’s that season again…time for new books! I’ve been loving all the new covers I’ve seen popping up on my screen lately. It’s been wild to see all the good stuff that is coming out this spring. I can’t wait! Here are five books I’ve pre-ordered or ordered so far this season:

Salted Caramel Brownies | The Naptime Chef

Cookies, Cakes & More!

There is nothing I love more than a good baking session with my kids. We love getting into the kitchen for a fun baking session and going crazy. Yes, it is messy, but who cares? It doesn’t matter to me as long as we are all having fun. Last weekend we had three days off for the holiday so I used some of that time to bake with my kids in anticipation of my son’s birthday. Pillsbury had sent us a whole box of fun mixes and I let them pick what they wanted and then we got to work!

In a French Kitchen | The Naptime Chef

3 Tips from My Latest Book Obsession: In a French Kitchen

I am a little late to the game with reading Susan Loomis. My mother handed me a whole stack of her books last winter and I noticed the first one was written over a decade ago! Needless to say I read them cover-to-cover in just a few weeks and have steadily cooking my way through a lot of her recipes. My favorite of her bunch is In a French Kitchen. I’ve recommended it before and am here to do so again.

5 Tips: Stocking Your Freezer for the Holidays

Now that we’ve all recovered from Thanksgiving it is time to think about the next holiday. No matter what you celebrate in December, it is a time for food and merriment with friends and family. For me it is also a time of my children running around at a fever pitch and bouncing off the walls with excitement. Much like Thanksgiving, my strategy is simple: plan, plan, plan. Then stock the freezer based on said plans. A little time in the war room now pays off in spades later!

Balancing Halloween | The Naptime Chef

5 Tips for a Healthy & Sweet Halloween

Halloween is quickly approaching and the excitement in our house is palpable. Costumes have been selected, trick-or-treating strategies mapped out, pumpkins carved. I’ve even purchased a few bags of candy and stuck them in the basement in preparation for the busy night on our street! I am all about letting the kids embrace the holiday, […]

Packing Fruit in Lunchboxes | The Naptime Chef

5 Tips for Packing Fruit in Lunchboxes

My kids are fruit fanatics. They love having fruit in their lunch boxes and for snack time. Of course I am happy to oblige but I do run into snafus now and then. Sometimes the fruit they want is out of season. Other times I have to pack fruit creatively so it doesn’t bruise or wither. It isn’t always easy to keep fruit safely contained in a lunchbox! Here are five of my favorite tips for packing fruit for school this season. Please share yours!

Summer Favorites 2016

I am on vacation this week and wanted to leave you with a few favorites of mine from around the web. These are things I’ve enjoyed recently and think you will, too. I’ll be back in early August with some fresh summer recipes and stories from our family trip. It is sure to be a […]

3 Lavender Drinks for Summer

Earlier this summer I got a beautiful care package from one of my favorite food companies, Sonoma Syrup Co. I adore their natural line of extracts, simple syrups, and more. Knowing my love of floral flavors one of the things they sent me this gorgeous Lavender Simple Syrup. It can be used for all sorts of things including flavoring ice cream, infusing strawberry soup, and stirring into yogurt. This week I decided to make some beverage with it and here were our favorites:

10 Faves: No Cook Summer Meals

10 Faves: No Cook Summer Meals

Gazapacho No-Cook Tomato Sauce Salmorejo Chilled White Gazpacho Cherry Walnut Chicken Salad Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt via Simple Bites Sweet Corn and Jalapeno Salsa via Feed Me Phoebe Melon Soup via Bon Appetit Zucchini Garlic Soup via The Kitchn Walnut Tarragon Chicken Salad

Wine Love: Rosé

Wine Love: Rosé

‘Tis the season for rosé so I thought I’d write a little bit about it for my wine love column today. Rosé has experienced a surge of popularity in recent years. It is hard to say why since “blush” or White Zinfandel has been around for decades and was always popular with grandmothers the world over. However, marketing has played a key part in its rise and, frankly, it’s delicious! Rosé hits all the right notes for summer with mild, sweet berry and tropical flavors, and a refreshingly high acidity. It pairs well with nearly all lighter summer fare like fish, gazpacho, and salads. Plus, it always looks pretty on a summer table. Here are a few of my favorite rosés and gear to go with it:

5 Spring Kitchen Cleaning Tips for Kids

There is nothing I love more than a good spring cleaning. With a little bit of time and some elbow grease it doesn’t take long for any given space in my house to go from drab and wintery, to bright and fresh. Since I cook so frequently and we eat in our kitchen I am always especially conscious of cleaning the kitchen the minute it is warm enough to open the windows. We wipe down the shelves, clean out the fridge, and clear away any leftover clutter from winter.

Revol Porcelaine | The Naptime Chef

Revol: The Prettiest French Bakeware

It’s been a while since I tried a new piece of bakeware. The dishes I was given over a decade ago for my wedding are still going strong. But recently I had the opportunity to try some beautiful pieces from Revol and decided to give them a go. I didn’t need a new tart pan or chicken roaster, but their pretty designs intrigued me and I wanted to see how they’d fit into my everyday cooking and kitchen aesthetic.