Napping with Chow & Chatter

Chow and Chatter is a great blog run by Rebecca, a trained nutritionist and talented home cook. It never ceases to amaze me how many delicious, healthy dishes she whips up in her kitchen for her beautiful family. Last week Rebecca kindly asked me to a write a guest post for her site and I am pleased to share it with you here. Happy Monday!

Napping with Uncle Will's Dirty Blondies

My younger brother is a swell guy. Growing up our age difference was fairly significant - five years - so we had little in common. But these days that gap hardly matters. We chat like old friends on the phone, and he adores being Uncle Will to my daughter.

These days I am embracing motherhood, food writing and cooking, while Will travels the world as a Lt.JG in the Coast Guard. Due to his hectic schedule we don't see him often, but when we do the reunion is always full of laughter and fun. Although our everyday lives differ, we still have many things in common. Including our love of good food.

Since we both grew up in a household of excellent cooks it is no surprise that Will knows his way around the kitchen. To prove it, last month he gave me his formula for burgers, which I shared with you here, and it was amazingly popular with readers. During Uncle Will's burger mania I received several requests for more of his recipes. So, being the awesome older sister that I am, I have invited him back for another post. This time, it turns out, he is not grilling - which I used to think was his forte - but baking. Yes it's true, just when I thought he'd be forever perfecting hash marks, he decides to fire up the KitchenAid mixer instead.

My favorite part about this recipe is that Will brought it back with him from summer camp in 1994. He was so smitten with the brown sugar blondies the cafeteria served, he actually wrote down the cooks recipe in his jagged 12 year-old script (the original is pictured below), and brought it home to my mother! Needless to say, she got a huge kick out of his request for Dirty Blondies and has been making these for him ever since. When Will moved away for college she taught him how to prepare these in his own kitchen, and to this day he makes a fresh batch at least once a week.


When Will made this for us on our last visit to Cooperstown he allowed me to photograph his superior baking skills. Like a true Naptime Chef-expert he whipped together the batter while my daughter was asleep, and had them cooling out of the oven long before she woke up. With five adults and one child in the house these obviously did not last long. None of us could resist the warm chewy blondies, studded with a generous dose of chocolate chips. We liked to eat them after dinner with a big bowl of vanilla ice-cream, but also sneaked several nibbles during the daytime until they were all gone. I am sure these will be as big a hit in your house as they were in ours. In fact, I am so confident that these will be popular I've already asked Will to prepare another guest recipe for this fall, I can't wait to see what he turns up next.


Uncle Will's Dirty Blondies
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1 egg
1 c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Whip the butter and sugar together in a mixer until well incorporated. Add vanilla, baking soda, the egg and flour. Mix on a low speed until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
3. Prepare a greased 8x8 pan or 7x11pan and pour in batter.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until top of blondies are browned and set.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: The simplicity of the ingredients and batter makes these a snap to prepare at any time of the day or night. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a last minute sweet-treat, or for someone who needs a break from traditional brownies.
Naptime Stopwatch: The batter takes Will about 5 minutes to prepare, then it is just a matter of making sure they don't burn in the oven.
Naptime Reviews: Blondies are not just for kids, they are refined and sweet enough for adults, too. If you want to serve them at a more formal affair simply cut them into small squares and place them on a decorative plate.

Napping with Back to School for Cookie

Hi! I thought you all would enjoy my latest article for One Little Bite, Cookie Magazine's Food Blog. All month they will be providing great ideas for ways to spruce up your children's lunchboxes, and I was thrilled to contribute a few suggestions of my own. I just adore reading their site everyday, it is always chock full of great ideas for family food. Enjoy!

Napping in the Apple Orchard: Apple Mania 2009 Recipe #1

Welcome to "Apple Mania 2009," my new seasonal food focus. Similar to the format of last summer's ice-cream festival, this fall I will be highlighting delicious recipes made with my favorite seasonal fruit, apples. Look for new recipes all this season showcasing delicious ways to incorporate apples into your everyday cooking and baking!

When the seasons change so does my cooking style. Though I love the sunshine and warmth of summer, fall is truly my favorite season. Maybe it is because I was born in September (my birthday is - hint hint - a week from today), but there is something about the crisp air, cooler breezes and autumnal colors that make me feel alive and inspired. Just this weekend I tucked away my light summer salad recipes to hibernate for the winter. In their place I pulled out ones for hearty cold weather fare like stews, lasagnas and dishes loaded with root vegetables and fall fruits.


New York State is one of the top five leading producer of apples in the country and, since I grew up right smack in the middle of the state, it is no surprise that I love to incorporate apples into just about everything I make. For the next few months I'll be Naptime Chef-ing many of my favorite apple foods from sweet cookies, pies, breads and muffins, to savory pork with homemade applesauce, tart salads, and these, my favorite scalloped apples. When I came across this recipe a few years ago I was immediately drawn to the way it echoed a favorite childhood snack, apples slices with cheese. In this dish the apples are baked until soft, with only a pinch of sugar and spice for flavor, and topped with a light layer of sharp cheddar cheese. It is a snap to prepare and is a wonderful addition to any fall lunch or dinner.


Preparing this meal it not time consuming so I am always able to complete it while my daughter naps and re-heat it later in the evening. Or, sometimes, I make it a half hour prior to dinner and let it bake while I get everything else on the table. Everyone I've ever served this to loves the savory sweet contrast between the baked apples and sharp cheese. It is slightly reminiscent of another favorite, apple pie with cheddar cheese crust, only without the heavy butter pastry. Last week I served this with roasted sausage from the farmers market and a slice of rustic bread. I was pleased, but not surprised, to discover that my daughter loved it, and I was more than happy to serve it to her since it contains high-quality fresh ingredients with nothing extra. Watching her enjoy the food made me excited that fall cooking season as arrived, I can't wait to see what inspires me next.


Scalloped Apples
adapted from A Recipe Repertoire
4 large tart apples, cored and sliced
1 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 T. flour
3 T. sugar
1/4 c. water
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Core and slice apples and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle cinnamon, flour and sugar over the apples and toss them with your hands until apples are evenly coated.
3. Arrange apples in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish so that they are slightly overlapping. Mix water and lemon juice together in a bowl and pour over the apples (this prevents the apples from browning). Top apples with dots of butter.
4. Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
5. After the time is up remove the foil and sprinkle cheese evenly over the apples. Recover the dish and return it to the oven. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: It is essential to have a simple savory apple dish on hand for fall cooking, and there is nothing better than apples with cheese. Feel free to experiment with any cheese or spice you like - the flavor possibilities are almost endless! This works well served alongside pork loin, tenderloin or roast chicken. I've even served it as a Thanksgiving side dish.
Naptime Stopwatch: Coring and slicing four apples takes about 5 minutes and then rest of the time is just baking. It took me about 35 minutes (including baking time) to make this dish - that can't be beat!
Naptime Reviews: My daughter has joined my apple-loving ranks and happily gobbled this up. It is also proved sophisticated enough for her father, who devoured it as well. It is always nice to have dishes that everyone loves, especially when they are healthy and easy to make.

Napping with Strawberry Soup

When I was little my grandmother once served my strawberry soup. I don't remember when or where she made it for me, but I will never forget it's smooth creamy taste that was neither too sweet, nor tart. When it came time for my cold soup challenge with Cheryl Tan of A Tiger in the Kitchen I initially tried my avocado soup recipe, and it was a disaster. Then, I realized, instead of torturing myself trying to rework an imperfect recipe (which had once been perfect), why not have fun with an old favorite?! I quickly ditched the avocado idea and started over with strawberries.

Luckily, I am still able to find strawberries at the farmers market so I was pleased to use sun-ripened local organic fruit. Though, I know a container of Dricoll's would work just as well. I was thrilled when my recipe adaptation worked beautifully. This soup is subtly sweet with a cool creamy finish. In many ways in mimics a strawberry smoothie, but it is has a silkier finish and more refined flavor then what I usually make for a post-workout treat. I find this soup very refreshing to enjoy on these warm end-of-summer days and I hope you do, too. I should also mention that this soup is completely child-friendly, my daughter couldn't get enough of it.

Summertime Strawberry Soup
1 lb. fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
Juice of one lemon
2 t. sugar
1 c. plain Greek yogurt, well-stirred
Fresh mint for garnish

1. Wash and dry strawberries, hull the fruit.
2. Place all ingredients in a bowl and, using a hand immersion blender, process until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a food processor.
3. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.

Napping with Aunt Ethel

My friend Mary has many fond memories of her Aunt Ethel. Ethel was, in fact, not her aunt, but her neighbor in Haverford PA who helped Mary's mother care for Mary and her sisters while their father was fighting in WWII. During these tough times Ethel and her husband, Hamilton, who had no kids of their own, would frequently cross the street to Mary's house to happily help out and teach their mother how to cook.

The fact that these days Mary is an excellent cook is due to Ethel's expert tutelage. Ethel not only taught Mary's mother the ways of the kitchen, but instructed Mary as well. Luckily, Mary has preserved many of her beloved neighbor's amazing recipes, many of which have become family favorites in her household over time.

Last month Mary dropped off a fresh batch of blueberry muffins that were so delicious my mother and I were speechless after just two bites. They were perfect. Unlike so many muffins I find today, these didn't have a sickly sweet cake-like texture, and they were the size of a small apple - not a softball. Mary's muffins were light and a little flaky, with just a hint of sweetness and lemon. In fact, if they had a little more butter and less sugar they would probably be considered a scone.

Naturally, I asked Mary for the recipe and she was more than happy to send me a copy. Even better, she sent me the original copy in Aunt Ethel's handwriting (pictured below), along with a picture of Aunt Ethel herself (pictured above, she is on the left). I loved the personal story that came with these tasty treats. Discovering this recipe only furthered my conviction that tried and true home cooks often possess some of the best recipes of all time.

I am excited to share these muffins with you because they really are as delicious as they sound. They also are a snap to prepare. I make the batter in one bowl and can do it easily while my daughter naps, or on a Sunday morning when we are the mood for fresh baked goods. I have already tried these once with cranberries and they are delicious, I bet they would be great with raspberries, too. Whatever fruit you choose I hope you enjoy them. I didn't know Aunt Ethel personally, but I know enough about her to guarantee that she would be happy to know you are cooking with your family, too.

Aunt Ethel's Blueberry Muffins
an original recipe from Ethel Wolf
2 c. all-purpose flour
6 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
4 t. baking powder
1 t. lemon zest
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 c. blueberries
1 egg
3/4 c. whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Cut the butter into chunks and pinch it into the dry ingredients with your hands. This takes a few minutes to do, but make sure the butter and dry ingredients are fully combined.
3. In a separate bowl lightly beat the egg and milk. Pour them into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Note, the mixture will look odd and a little gluey, but this is totally normal.
4. Stir in the blueberries until just combined.
5. Pour batter into a 12-cup regular sized muffin tin. Make sure each cup is about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are golden.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: Muffin recipes that are not too sweet are hard to come by and this one fits the bill. I love that I can substitute almost any kind of fruit for the blueberries and they still taste delicious.
Naptime Stopwatch: The batter is a snap to prepare and takes less than 10 minutes. Then, after a brief 20 minutes of baking time, the muffins are ready to eat!
Naptime Reviews: Everyone loves muffins that aren't overly sweet which is why we've been devouring these in our house. I highly recommend you serve them to guests soon, they will love them.

Napping with Labor Day Lemon Chicken

It is just as important to celebrate the end of summer, as it is the beginning. In my family we choose to celebrate these occasions with good food, great people and lots of time outdoors. On Memorial Day it is our tradition to throw some swordfish steaks on the grill and enjoy a delicious seafood meal. In many ways this is the kick-off of grilling season, as we proceed to cook most things over an open flame all summer long.

When it comes to our celebration style, Labor Day is no different. We roll out the cold salads, put a few bottles of beer on ice, rev up the grill and it is time for grilled chicken.

I love it when readers write to me with questions and comments. In fact, some people even send me some amazing recipes. When I received this lemon chicken recipe from my "virtual" friend Ashley in Chicago I knew I had to give it a try. I loved the ingredients at first glance and especially appreciated the part where she recommended marinating the chicken in a Ziploc bag. I know it isn't elegant (as evidenced by the picture below), but I firmly believe that marinating meats and poultry in Ziploc is always the most effective. By placing the meat in a bag it can be surrounded by liquid, as opposed to sitting in a pan with marinade poured over it.

Since I was nearly certain that Ashley's recipe would be a hit I put it to the test last weekend at our pre-Labor Day cookout. To ensure maximum flavor I used fresh organically raised chickens from our farmers market, and rosemary sprigs plucked fresh from our herb pots. Before I placed the chicken in the Ziploc bag I pierced the breasts several times with a fork, this allowed it to absorb a lot of the delicious marinade. I prepped the chicken and marinade while my daughter napped, and left the Ziploc in the fridge for about 5 hours before we were ready to grill. This amount of marinating time might have been extensive, but it was worth it because the flavor was amazing. However, if you don't have that amount of time on hand, I am sure 1-2 hours in the fridge would work just as well.

As we expected, the chicken was juicy, moist and bursting with a sweet lemony-herb flavor. Preparing it had been a cinch and eating it was just as easy. In fact, I had to write down the recipe for several of our guests. After we devoured all of the chicken, we agreed that the taste of this marinade rivaled that of our previous favorite, Brooks BBQ Sauce. There is room for both in our pantry, and I'm sure Ashley's recipe will stay on my go-to marinade list for quite a long time. I hope that this recipe serves you well for your upcoming Labor Day cookout, I know that this is what I'll be making next Monday afternoon.

Ashley's Perfect Grilled Lemon Chicken
a recipe from a great reader, Ashley S.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 lemons, halved and juiced (save juice and rind)
6 cloves of garlic (smashed with flat side of knife)
6 whole sprigs of rosemary
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon red pepper (crushed or cayenne works)
½ teaspoon cinnamon

1. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Pierce breasts several times with fork tines. Drop chicken into a Ziploc bag.
2. In a separate bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, salt and spices. Pour on top of chicken and squish chicken around in the Ziploc to make sure chicken is fully coated.
3. Add lemon halves, garlic cloves and rosemary springs to the bag. Squeeze air out and seal. Squish chicken around in all ingredients again to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Marinade in the fridge for at least one hour.
4. Heat grill and cook chicken over a medium flame for 7-8 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: The great thing about a marinade is that you can always double or triple the recipe if you have more mouths to feed. I bet this would also be delicious with shrimp or fish.
Naptime Stopwatch: The best part about grilling is that it is so easy. Mixing the marinade takes 5 minutes during naptime and then it merely sits in the fridge and does all the work on it's own. There is nothing more Naptime Chef-friendly than that.
Naptime Notes: My daughter isn't too keen on the taste of grilled food yet, but she enjoyed this. The rest of the family polished off their pieces, then asked for the recipe.