Napping with a Stockpile of Tomato Sauce: Emergency Meal #6

Storage space in my New York galley kitchen is precious. Yes, I do have more room than most people in my building since our apartment was recently renovated, but it still isn't much. Like most New Yorkers I store my pots, pans and cookie sheets piled precariously on top of one another in two deep cabinets. All of my plates and glassware are stacked in order to save space, and I nestle my bowls and tupperware in order from small to large.

With storage space at a premium, I must be ruthless when it comes to keeping food. Since I tend to cook with mostly fresh ingredients my apartment size fridge can generally accommodate my purchases. I have a well-edited selection of spices on my lazy susan, a shelf dedicated to essentials like dry pasta and condiments, and a corner for my daughter's snacks. In order to save space I steer clear of store-bought jarred soups and sauces. Instead, I make a lot of them in large quantities and freeze them. Though this sounds inefficient, it is actually a space saver. By making large batches of tortellini soup or tomato sauce I always have some at the ready to thaw, which is just the thing when I am dead tired at the end of the day and need to throw together a quick, delicious meal.


Three weeks ago I returned from our trip to Martha's Vineyard with five loads of laundry and a huge bag of tomatoes. Traveling had been a blast, but with summer coming to a close it was time for me to get back into the swing of things at home base. On our first day back I put my daughter down for her nap and started in on the laundry. Then it was time to start in on the tomatoes.


I set aside two of them for a caprese salad for dinner, and got to work with the rest making tomato sauce. Over time I've made up this tomato sauce recipe based on one I found in Bon Appetit a few years ago. I like my tomato sauce to have an intense tomato-y flavor that is not overshadowed by heavy spices and seasonings. I find that a basic marinara is the best thing for me to have in my freezer, that way I can season it later depending on the dish I am cooking.

To prepare the tomatoes I begin by roasting them for about an hour along with some garlic cloves and lots of olive oil. Then I give them a quick blitz in the blender, and put the sauce on the stove to simmer. I also add the roasted garlic cloves, oil from the roasting pan and a little extra tomato paste to intensify the flavor. Once everything has thickened I simply store it in a sealed tupperware and pop it right in the freezer to save for later.


Stockpiling tomato sauce in the freezer is one of my favorite, and most efficient, tools for having dinner at the ready. Just the other day I was in need of an emergency meal and was able to thaw some sauce in a pinch to make Buccatini All'Amatriciana. A little pinch of red pepper, some onion, garlic and pancetta, and voila, dinner was served. Yes, the space in my freezer is precious, but I am confident that storing this sauce is the most efficient, and delicious, way to use it.

Freezer-Friendly Roasted Tomato Sauce
adapted from Bon Appetit a while back
2 lbs tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise (Plum are best)
3 T. olive oil
1 t. Kosher salt
6 garlic cloves
1/4 c. tomato paste
Yields about 2 cups, recipe can be doubled or tripled

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a 12x18 jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and set side.
2. Place tomatoes in a bowl and toss them gently with olive oil. Line the tomatoes on a jelly roll pan and sprinkle them with kosher salt. Arrange unpeeled garlic cloves around that tomatoes on the pan.
3. Roast tomatoes for 50min-1hr, or until tomatoes are soft and just beginning to brown.
4. Remove from oven and allow tomatoes to cool slightly. Then place the tomatoes, and any oil from the pan, into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves and drop into the food processor as well. Puree until smooth.
5. Pour puree into a sauce pan and add the tomato paste. Bring the liquid to a bowl and stir often until sauce is thickened. Allow to cool and then place in tupperware to freeze.

Naptime Note:
Naptime Recipe Props: It is hard to go wrong with a stockpile of tomato sauce. There is an infinite number of uses for it, and you can always season it to your liking when you add it to your meal.
Naptime Stopwatch: Aside from the roasting time making the sauce takes about 10 minutes total. This minimal amount of time makes it incredibly worth it when it saves you time later on.
Naptime Reviews: Basic tomato sauce is always a crowd-pleaser. I use this for everything from lasagnas, to pastas to soups. Everyone loves it.

Napping after a Road Trip: Emergency Meal #5

For our family, Memorial Day marks the beginning of road trip season. As summer begins, and the scenery in New England reaches its peak, my husband and I love nothing more than to strap our daughter into her car seat, buckle our seat belts and hit the open road. With our GPS activated we enjoy smooth scenic trips to visit friends and family, sprinkled with side jaunts to our favorite foodie restaurants along the way. Sometimes, of course, our trips go haywire, like when a highway suddenly shuts down due to fire, or my daughter experiences a rare bout of carsickness. I chalk up these unfortunate moments to being an integral part of the family vacation experience, they are totally unavoidable, but easy to forget. In fact, there is really only one part of our trips that I always remember and unequivocally hate: arriving home. Every time we start unloading the car my travel-induced relaxation wears off and I snap into household mode, thinking about loads of laundry, stacks of mail, and, of course, what to make for dinner.


When we returned from Martha's Vineyard on Monday evening there was very little food in the house. At first I thought I might get away with not cooking until I noted my daughter's pouty expression, she was obviously hungry. So, working quickly, I pulled my go-to recipe binder off the shelf, took stock of my pantry and got to work on an Emergency Meal. During the warmer months I prefer to make lighter meals which is why I chose to make this hearty salad. It is full of fresh peppery arugula, tangy goat cheese and sweet sausage. In lieu of vinaigrette I merely add a cup of cooked pasta with a drizzle of pasta water to melt the cheese, this creates a light dressing that doesn't overpower the delicate greens.

Of all my summer Emergency Meals this one was perfect for cooking on Monday evening. I had all the ingredients on hand and, since there were no difficult cooking techniques involved, it was a cinch for me to quickly pull together while a ravenous toddler whimpered at my feet. To make it, I first boiled the pasta in salted water and heated the chicken sausage in a skillet. The remainder of the ingredients were ready to eat right out of the refrigerator, thus all I had to do was assemble the salad in a big bowl. The entire preparation took less than twenty minutes and yielded a deliciously filling meal, much to the happiness of my hungry family. As I ate my helping I realized that the worst part of coming home from our trip was already over. All I had left to do was the laundry.

Naptime Orecchiette, Sausage and Goat Cheese Salad
adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
3/4 c. orecchiette pasta
2 c. fresh arugula
2 large links chicken sausage, preferbly a sweet flavor like sun-dried tomato
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
2 T. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to Taste

1. Cook orecchiette in salted water until al dente. RESERVE 1/2 c. of pasta water. Drain, set aside.
2. Cook sausage links in a skillet until fully cooked through. Remove from heat and cut into thin slices.
3. In a large heatproof bowl add sausage slices, arugula, goat cheese and parmesan. Top with warm pasta and reserved pasta water. Working quickly, toss all of the ingredients to melt the cheese and wilt the greens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: This salad packs a punch, it is full of good protein and is extremely easy to prepare. Also, given that this is a salad, you could add or omit whatever ingredients you would like. I have used regular mixed greens in lieu of arugula, and have used grilled chicken slices instead of sausage. Feel free to make adjustments to suit your own tastes.
Naptime Stopwatch: The longest part about this salad is the pasta, it takes about 12 minutes to cook. While it is boiling I cook the chicken sausage and assemble the ingredients in the bowl. Then, add the pasta and the meal is ready!
Naptime Notes: For my daughter we chop the arugula leaves so they are easy to chew and she adores the orecchiette shaped pasta and sausage slices, they are easy to pick up with her little fingers. My husband and I love this meal because it hits the spot without being overly heavy.

Napping in Soyaki: Emergency Meal #4

I don't know what is worse, caring for a sick child when you are healthy, or being sick and trying to entertain a healthy child. Based on a recent personal experience, I would argue that the latter is far more difficult. As parents we are all aware that winter is known as "cold season" because germs run riot through every indoor play-space, library and public arena in the greater New York area. The only way to avoid these germs completely would be to live in total seclusion for four months which is, obviously, not an option. When spring arrived last month I wrongly assumed that "cold season" was over, my daughter hadn't had a cold in weeks and I was feeling very proud that I had avoided a bad cold all winter. Suffused with confidence I began to let my guard down, neglecting to wash my hands after toddler gym-class and not replacing the bottle of hand sanitizer for my purse. These were moves, it turns out, I would later regret.


I now know that germs do not depart the northeast upon the arrival of spring weather. I learned this the hard way when I recently woke up very sick and my daughter seemed to be completely healthy. It was a startling reversal of roles, I had to care for myself while protecting my daughter from contracting my germs, not the other way around. All I wanted to do was spend the day in bed, however, all my daughter wanted to do was spend the day playing with her friends. So, armed with tissues, Tylenol and lemon tea I staggered through our daily routine, keeping my distance from other people while silently berating myself for not being more careful. Naturally, while I was sniveling away at the playground, the last thing on my mind was what I was going to make for dinner. Thankfully, when I was about to break down and extract a take-out menu from the drawer I experienced a moment of clarity, this was the perfect occasion for an emergency meal.


Of all the emergency meals I keep up my sleeve, this one, Soyaki Chicken Thighs, is the easiest. It is a simple and satisfying chicken bake made with two ingredients which I always have in my kitchen, chicken thighs from the freezer and marinade from the pantry. Like all good emergency meals it is simultaneously uncomplicated to prepare and delicious to eat. Preparing this during naptime is breeze, barely requiring any effort on the part of the preparer. I simply season the chicken thighs, place them in baking dish, pour the marinade over and let them sit for the remainder of the afternoon. At dinnertime I slip the dish in the oven to bake, prepare my side dishes, and wait for the oven timer to ring.

I love this dish because chicken thighs are incredibly moist and tasty, perfect for absorbing the flavors of the marinade. I also find that chicken thighs hold up better than chicken breasts when they are baked, they stay juicy and tender instead of getting tough and dry. As noted in the recipe my marinade of preference is Trader Joe's Island Soyaki. It makes the chicken taste almost identical to the sesame chicken served at our local chinese restaurant, only less greasy and more flavorful. (In fact, the chef at the chinese restaurant really should consider using Island Soyaki, it would probably improve their dish.) If you don't have access to this sauce I would recommended substituting it with Soy Vay Teriyaki Sauce, which is readily available in most grocery stores nationwide. I don't want to make any bold claims like this dish was responsible for my recovery, however, I am not going to dismiss the idea, either. After all, by the time I woke up the next morning I was already feeling much better.

Naptime Soyaki Chicken Thighs
6 chicken thighs, thawed
8 oz. Trader Joe's Island Soyaki (or, Soy Vay Teriyaki if TJ's is unavailable)
Salt & Pepper

1. Remove chicken thighs from package, trim fat, rinse with water and pat dry.
2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and place in large baking dish.
3. Pour the marinade over the chicken, swirling it around with your hands to make the chicken is entirely coated and mostly covered.
4. Let the chicken sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375.
6. Bake chicken at 375 for 45-50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: This recipe is a breeze to prepare which is why it is great in an emergency. If you can open a bottle and pour, you can make this meal for which your entire family will be grateful. If you feel adventurous you can certainly add more seasoning to the chicken, just be careful because the marinade is already very flavorful. I like to serve this with jasmine rice and a green salad on the side.
Naptime Stopwatch: The chicken takes about 5 minutes to prepare. The baking time is usually about 45 minutes and dinner is served. I think this dish takes the shortest time of any to make, it is definitely worth keeping in your roster when you need an easy meal to make for your family.
Naptime Reviews: My whole family loves this dish, even my in-law's and parents. It is great for children, too, my daughter loves the little chicken pieces which she mixes with the rice before eating.

Napping with a P for Panini: Emergency Meal Series #3

Sometimes, on the weekends, I put my husband in charge of cooking. I am lucky, he is a very capable cook, having grown up in a household where both parents regularly turn out delicious meals that would make any chef green with envy. Since I've known him he has made some fantastic dishes including homemade vegetarian spring rolls, mustard-crusted rack of lamb, and all sorts of seafood dishes involving scallops, which are my favorite. It is pretty rare that he takes a misstep in the kitchen. I've only seem him burn - no, char - a pork tenderloin once. In his defense we were also trying to hang pictures in the other room at the same time, hence, we learned our lesson about multi-tasking when cooking. Last month, having witnessed many of his past successes, I decided it was time to give him a true challenge. I put him in charge of an emergency meal.


You see, that morning my daughter and I had just flown home from Florida. The trip had not gone well, my daughter was wide awake and crying for the entire flight, plus, she had a low-grade fever. We were tired, cranky and not in the mood to do anything other than be lazy on the sofa while watching Dora and Boots scamper over rickety bridges. For the duration of the afternoon my husband served as chief runner, jogging back and forth from the kitchen bearing sippy cups of ice water and cheddar goldfish for my daughter, and fresh cranberry spritzers with sourdough pretzels for me. By dinner time I recovered enough from our flight trauma to generate a small appetite, and, after all the running to and fro, my husband was ravenous. When he looked to me, desperate for meal ideas, I held both hands out to my side and turned my palms upward. I was at a loss for inspiration, he was on his own.


Being the resourceful guy that he is, in the middle of this meal crisis, he pulled a brilliant move. From the dark recesses of a kitchen cabinet he retrieved our panini maker. We had received the panini maker as a gift at my "alphabet" themed wedding shower in Cooperstown, my hometown. My friend, Christina, was assigned the letter "P" and, thus, bought me a panini maker. I hadn't registered for it but I am forever grateful for the gift. The panini maker quickly became one of our most favorite kitchen gadgets from the moment we unwrapped it. In our pre-parenthood years, when we were both working at offices, we would come home spent and uninspired after long days at work. It was during these times we discovered that, as long as you have a loaf of bread, almost any combination of ingredients can form a panini. In this particular instance my husband had spied a fresh loaf of sourdough bread on the counter, along with recently purchased thinly sliced spanish jamon, roasted vegetables and a ball of mozzarella in the fridge. I hadn't planned on making sandwiches with all these ingredients, but, despite my original intentions for them, it was obvious they were meant to form our dinner.


As with any toasted sandwich the assembly was a total snap. It was even snappier because of the low-tech kitchen tool we had at our disposal. All we had to do was assemble sandwiches and squash them between the heated plates to toast. During the few minutes it took to cook I had time to refill my spritzer, pull a plate out of the cupboard and prepare myself for warm, oozy mozzarella. As expected the flavors of this sandwich were perfect. Instead of using anything too heavy my husband had drizzled the inside of the bread with olive oil and a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar. The dreamy mozzarella perfectly offset the sweet vegetables and salty jamon. I found comfort in every single bite, exactly the kind of meal I needed after an arduous journey. Even my daughter liked the sandwich we made for her, just a simple pressed cheese of fresh mozzarella with diced vegetables on the side. I think she was as grateful for the warm, homemade meal as I was. After we tucked her into bed that evening I hugged my husband, congratulating him on surviving an emergency meal, one of the great cooking challenges of all time. I was glad to be home.

Naptime Jamon, Vegetable and Mozzarella Panini - inspired by ingredients in the fridge
4 slices of fresh sourdough bread
6 slices of fresh lightly salted mozzarella
2 thinly sliced pieces of spanish jamon (or prosciutto if jamon is unavailable)
4 slices of roasted vegetables, any kind you want (we had slices of roasted red pepper, squash, zucchini and eggplant)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Yields 2 paninis, double portions to make more sandwiches

1. Preheat panini maker and lightly brush plates with olive oil. If you don't have a panini maker you can use a simple griddle pan, or even a skillet. Just be sure to have a wide spatula to press the sandwich down with while it toasts.
2. On one slice of sourdough bread drizzle it lightly with olive oil. Then sprinkle it with balsamic vinegar.
3. Cover this slice of bread with a layer of jamon.
4. Then, over the jamon, place a layer of roasted vegetables, allowing the vegetables to overlap slightly.
5. Finally, place three slices of mozzarella on top of the vegetables. Top with second slice of bread.
6. Place sandwich on the panini maker and toast until the bread is crispy and cheese is fully melted.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: Everyone loves a warm sandwich and this one fits the bill. I encourage you to explore the flexibility of this recipe. Try different vegetables or cheeses, or, if you are a vegetarian you can omit the meat altogether.
Naptime Stopwatch: This meal took about 15 minutes from start to finish. Assembling the sandwiches takes about 3 minutes, then the toasting takes about 7-9, depending on your sandwich maker.
Naptime Reviews: A panini ranks right up there with a grilled cheese, an ideal comfort food. We all loved it, including my daughter. I know we will leave this kitchen tool where it is easily accessible.