Product Reviews

I recently had the pleasure of developing a recipe for Plum Organics, the awesome organic baby food company. They weren’t around when my daughter was little, but I wish they had been! For my contribution to their new recipe box I made some yummy fruit and yogurt pops. I added some Meyer lemon zest to creamy Greek yogurt and layered it with some of their most delicious fruit and vegetable baby food!

Welcome to the third episode of The Naptime Chef Cooking Show! This series of three cooking shows is made possible with support from OXO and features recipes from my new book. My first show featured my recipe for Couscous with Tomatoes & Arugula and my second episode featured my Artichoke-Lemon Pesto.. The final episode showcases my awesome recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread (yum!) and features OXO measuring cups and the new OXO handheld grater.

Welcome to the second episode of The Naptime Chef Cooking Show!! This series of three cooking shows is made possible with support from OXO and features recipes from my new book. My first show featured my recipe for Couscous with Tomatoes & Arugula. This episode features my Artichoke-Lemon Pesto from my Side Dishes & Salads section and features the awesome OXO measuring cups, a great OXO citrus juice, and a handheld mandoline. The final cooking show in this series will be rolled out in two weeks will each have more giveaways for awesome OXO tools and my book. We’re also going to be having fun Facebook contests and Twitter parties so stayed tuned!

To enter to win your very own Measuring Cups, Citrus Juicer, Handheld Mandoline and SIGNED copy of my book see below:

1) Leave a comment sharing your favorite dish with artichokes!

2) Like The Naptime Chef on Facebook.

3) Like OXO on Facebook.

4) Sign up for The Naptime Chef newsletter on the upper right hand side of my website.

5) Contest runs from Tuesday, March 27th at 7:00am ET through Tuesday, April 3rd at 7:00am ET. Winner will be announced Wednesday, April 4th at 7:00am ET.

6) Winner will be chosen by Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim her prize before another person is chosen.

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.

Right before I left from Thailand I was invited to work on a great new project for Philadelphia Cooking Creme. Given that I was concentrating on quick recipes for a few nights before I left I knew it would be the perfect time to use the new creme. I picked it up at our local shop and was thrilled to find the version I was looking for in a low-fat variety. For dinner that night I whipped up this simple savory pasta bake with meat sauce and we all feasted on the delicious, quick meal.

I am popping in today with a quick holiday hello and some crafting ideas to kick off the holiday season. Before I begin I need to offer full disclosure and tell you I am not a heavy duty crafter. I like to decorate things here and there, but I’ve never once made anything truly worth displaying. That said, when I was invited to craft with the Martha Stewart Family Room Blog team I jumped at the chance since I knew it would be a chance for me to finally learn how to set-up some great holiday crafts I could do with my daughter. I view crafting together as the same bonding activity as us cooking together, and the more I know about it the more fun it will be for both of us.

I am excited to be working with Costco to celebrate National Pork Month! Throughout the month Costco is featuring all kinds of awesome deals on pork products as well as fantastic family-friendly recipes everyone can make. To kick things off, this week Costco is celebrating by knocking $2.00 off a package of Boneless Sirloin Tip Roast. An intensely flavorful pork cut available only through Costco, the sirloin tip roast is ideal for feeding a crowd on a dime. I use this particular cut all the time in the winter and on Friday I’ll be sharing an awesome recipe using this cut in the slow-cooker. That’s right – it is slow-cooker season (yeah!)

I’ll also be celebrating the Friday post with a $25 Costco cash giveaway so you can go pick up a boneless sirloin tip roast of your own so be sure to stay tuned for that. In the mean time, here are some more great recipes and tips for you to read up on!

• Costco’s “In The Warehouse” website provides flavorful recipes and tips for preparing each week’s featured cut of pork. Check back weekly for fun, new information on Costco’s featured cuts!
• Another great resource for pork recipes is PorkBeInspired.com. They feature recipes for all kinds of pork cuts, including the boneless sirloin tip that is featured this week!
• Don’t forget the temperature Update:  In May, the USDA reduced the temperature guideline for pork loins, chops and roasts from 160 to 145 degrees F, with a three-minute rest. This will yield a juicy, flavorful product that may be pinker in color than most home cooks are used to. Ground pork, like all ground meat, should be cooked to 160 degrees.