This Pesto, Prosciutto & Fresh Mozzarella Panini is that recipe for me. It’s barely recipe, more of technique really, and I make it all the time in the summer until I’m tired of it. Then it’s put away for about ten months until I’m ready to see it again at which time the process repeats. No apologies for never learning to pace myself so I can enjoy it year round, it’s just the way it is.

Instead of taking lots of glamour shots I took a quick step-by-step scenario for you when I made it this morning. So easy, so delicious. Makes a great lunch or dinner (or BOTH!)

First, start with a really good bread. In this case I’m using a slice of Heidelberg Italian Bread with a tablespoon or so of unsalted butter on medium-low heat. Spread a healthy dollop of pesto on the bread. I use The Naptime Chef’s Perfect Pesto recipe, of course.

Then, layer on a slice or two of prosciutto. You can also use thinly sliced ham if that’s your preference. Just don’t pile on too much. You want to keep this sandwich thin and crispy, not too much of a mouthful.

Add two or three slices of fresh mozzarella. I buy this at the grocery store, but you can source yours wherever you like. Press the second slice of bread on top to close the sandwich and use a spatula to put some weight on it so it compresses.

Add more butter if needed and flip the panini back and forth on medium-low heat until it is golden and toast and as thin as it can be.

Serve warm and with salad or chips if you can!

I know, it’s not too complicated, but it’s soooo flavorful. We love this sandwich and I hope you do, too. I will say, my other favorite is a BLT, and I’ve never met a Caprese sandwich I didn’t like. What’s your favorite summer sandwich?

Enjoy!

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I’m sharing them today in case you’re interested in the fun, helpful items to have around your world. I think they really are as good as I pitch them to be. In most instances I’ve tried many variations of these items and landed on these with a lot of trial and error. Perhaps you have more you’d like to add to this list? Please let me know!

I tab all of my cookbooks to help me remember what recipes are of interest. Sometimes I tab my top 10 of any recipe selection and then challenge myself to cook those 10 recipes before choosing another round from the same volume. This is probably overkill, but it’s fun for me. These tabs are super cute and have sticky glue that actually works!

Mini silicone spatulas are in constant rotation in my kitchen. I use them for everything from making doughs to getting little bits of homemade pesto off the food processor blade. Also, they’re dishwasher safe – the dream of every home cook! One set of these will last you a decade. Plus, they make a really pretty gift when you tie them bouquet style with a ribbon

This mini measuring cup changed my life. Have you ever tried to measure ¼ cup liquid in a 2-cup measurer? It’s impossible! This itty bit measuring cup does the heavy lifting with the micro amounts of liquid recipes sometimes call for.

I love having salt perched next to my stovetop so I can dramatically throw pinch after pinch into almost anything I’m cooking. It makes me feel like a real-life Ina Garten! This little salt dish comes in many colors and is the perfect shape and size. I have it in green and have given it as a gift in many colors.

I’m not a perfect eco-warrior, but I try! Swedish dish clothes are a must in my kitchen. They last so much longer than sponges and have basically replaced paper towels. I like to buy ones with cool designs. Sometimes I buy a big 10-pack and give them out as gifts individually.

Again, my semi-perfect eco warrior self uses these tabs for all my regular cleaning. I dissolve one in a spray bottle of water and have the most deliciously scented and effective cleaning solution ever.

If you make homemade yeasted items you’ll want this spoon. It literally measures the precise amount of yeast typically found in each packet. I buy a big jar of yeast and use this spoon and it works perfectly.

A little fine mesh sieve is the key to making so many things easier. Yes, there’s tea straining. But there’s also straining zest and seeds out of squeezed fruit, draining pastina, and all sorts of tiny cooking moments that call for a delicate strainer to ensure smoothness.

Last but not least, the pens of my dreams. These are truly the most perfect writing utensils and are the only pens I write with. The ink doesn’t run at all and leaves a nice sophisticated line on every handwritten item. I can’t say enough about these simple but perfect writing implements. Everyone needs a pack or three.

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I like to share what I’m cooking these days in case you are looking for new ideas or fresh inspiration. It’s unlikely that a Caprese Orzo Salad is breaking new ground, but this recipe is perfect for right now and I’d like to highlight this if you’re looking to change things up. In fact, I’ve made this salad many times in the past, but haven’t really done so in the last few years. I think it’s because I honestly burned on it. We went through a big caprese salad season a few years ago and needed a break from it for a little while!

The nice thing about a salad like this is that it’s totally adaptable. I made this one with a classic balsamic vinaigrette, but you could just use olive oil and salt if you’d prefer. It also might taste great with lemon zest and a lot of pepper! I’ve also added chopped peppers to it before because I had some in the fridge to use up. Lastly, try pesto if you’re in the mood for it.

I like to make this in the evening and let it cool in the fridge overnight. When I first make it the salad is never salty enough and I add a lot. But I’ve learned that if I do that I’ll end up with a salad that’s too salty after the flavors meld. SO! Make it according to plan and let it rest. Taste test, add more salt if needed.

This is a favorite of ours in the summer. I like to have it in the fridge to have with leftover protein for an easy lunch. It’s also makes a nice cool side dish at super on hot days.

Sometimes I use cherry tomatoes, but this time I chopped up a big, fresh tomato and a log of mozzarella and it was perfect. Our herb pot is abundant right now and there’s more than enough basil to go around so I was extremely generous with the amount I used on this recipe.

Enjoy your classic caprese orzo salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It’s incredible!

The post A Classic Caprese Orzo Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette appeared first on The Naptime Chef.

To that end, here are 8 Summery Cookbooks I’ve been pulling off the shelf this week. We’re getting through our first summer heatwave and there’s nothing I want more than cold summer soups, refrigerated salads, and ice cream!

I’m curious, what are your summer cookbook favorites?

New England Open-House Cookbook: 300 Recipes Inspired by the Bounty of New England by Sarah Leah Chase. This really knocks it out of the park with seafood recipes, but all the recipes are great. Just look at the cover!

Canal House Cooking Volume No. 4: Farm Markets & Gardens by Melissa Hamilton & Christopher Hersheimer. Ohhh, these two are the masters of farm stand cooking. This book is nicely sized, you might consider taking it to the farmer’s market with you so you can purchase according to the recipes you’re craving!

Summer: A Cookbook: Inspired Recipes for Lazy Days & Magical Nights by Marnie Hanel & Jen Stevenson. This gorgeously illustrated volume is practically a piece of art. (Warning: it will make you want to throw a beach picnic at least once a week.)

Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day by Lidey Heuck. The Chicken Shawarma and the Tomato Basil & Corn pasta (on the cover) are two of the most delicious summer dinners you’ll ever make.

Salad Seasons: Vegetable-Forward Dishes All Year by Sheela Prakash. I know I wrote about this earlier this month, but it bears mentioning one more time.

Bakeless Sweets: Pudding, Panna Cotta, Fluff Icebox Cake, and More No-Bake Desserts by Faith Durand. There is still no better book for ice cream and frozen desserts!

Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad by Alexandra Stafford. This cookbook is the reason I’m working on mastering how to make homemade pizzas on our Green Egg. I’m so psyched about the progress I’m making and will share more this fall.

The Cook and the Gardener: Recipes and Writings from France by Amanda Hesser. I’ve had this cookbook for years and it was just re-released. I highly recommend this fantastic book of seasonal recipes based on the ingredients sourced from the garden of the chateau where Hesser lived and worked.

The post 8 Summery Cookbooks I’m Leaning into Right Now appeared first on The Naptime Chef.

One of my favorite issues was the holiday cookie issue of December 2005…I still have all the pages neatly arranged in my recipe binder. SO many good ideas! Yes, her cookie cookbook followed a year or so later, but the magazine had a better selection of recipes, I think.

Here are some of the recipes and photos from the good old days of naptime cooking I’m leaning into this summer to give it my own “Martha Summer” theme. With the world feeling so sad and fragile, it seems like an excellent time to dial back to simple joys with communities of loved ones.

Merrill’s Strawberry Jam spread on lightly toasted slice of sourdough bread sounds heavenly for a summer breakfast.

Roasted Peach Lemonade was something I first tasted on a food blogger trip to Atlanta. I recreated my own version at home and have been making it ever since. The ingredients are easy to procure and the recipe is dead simple. I still haven’t found a better picnic drink.

Summer Tomato Pie is one of my favorite vegetarian main courses of summer. I absolutely love this dish and first made it at my Blog & Bake Camp at King Arthur Flour in 2011.

Big Crumb Rhubarb Coffee Cake is the ultimate summer breakfast / snack / dessert. I even feel like Martha when I harvest rhubarb from my very own plant.

Strawberry Mint Ice Cream is still one of our favorites. I remember serving it to my kids in these little ramekins when they were young!

Strawberry Rhubarb Slab Pie is a real showstopper in the summer. This takes a little time to make but will make you SHINE like Martha when you present it to family and friends.

Chilled Salmorejo is an incredible summer soup. In fact, I’m glad I’m posting this here because I’m putting it on the list to make again in July!

Blueberry Thyme Poundcake with Lemon Glaze is one of the best summer cakes. Yes, we eat a lot of fruity desserts in the summer and I love it!

Marian’s Plum Torte is famous around the world for a reason. It’s the perfect recipe for summer. No notes.

Homemade Ginger Ale sounds like it might a little fussy to make, but I guarantee you it’s 100% worth the effort. I mean, let’s face it, Martha would definitely make it homemade for you if you went to her house.

I’m grateful to live in the Northeast where summer is so gorgeous and accessible. My Martha summer involves a lot of cooking, farmer’s market shopping, and light gardening.

What will yours involve?

xxKelsey

The post My Martha Summer of 2025: A Return to Beautifully Simple Joys appeared first on The Naptime Chef.

Jam Jars with Lids: Per my Jam Jars Iced Lattes newsletter, these are in heavy rotation right now. I bought a six-pack years ago and they’ve been used for all sorts of food storage and drink service. Highly recommend.

Reusable Straws: I make a lot of ice teas and such in the summer so straws are used daily. Plastic and paper straws are long gone from our house. A pack of these has lasted years and years. I clean them after every use and they’re good for kids and adults.

My friend gave me the most perfect sized Yeti, 20 ounces, for Christmas and all others have been pushed to the back of the cabinet. I don’t know how else to say it, this is the best size because it holds just the right amount of liquid, is easy to hold, and fits in every single cupholder I’ve tried so far.

Farfalle pot gripper: These grasp onto the handle of my Creuset pots perfectly and are a great conversation piece. Plus, they’re a wonderful gift for a culinary life-loving friend!

Biscuit Cutter Set: We’ve been really into empanadas lately (recipe to come soon) and I’m using my biscuit cutter a lot these days.

Salad Seasons by Sheela Prakash. Oh, I love this book! We’ve been really into the summer salad chapter and don’t get me started on the incredible burrata salad that’s on the cover.

Ayoh! Hot Giardinayo Mayo: The ketchup in our household has been sidelined. I think this may be our new favorite condiment of all time.

Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens: (Recipe writers and cookbook note takers, this one’s for you!) This might seem a little off the beaten path of kitchen items, but these are the only pens I write with now. I make notes in the margins of my cookbooks every time I cook and these are the only pens where the ink doesn’t run at all. I can’t say enough about them. I never used to think about writing implements, but these pens really changed the game!

The post My 8 June Summer Kitchen Essentials appeared first on The Naptime Chef.

So, here we are with an aim for two features per month of simple, real things I’m cooking and enjoying in my life. Given the world we’re living in, I think we’re all happy to keep it simple these days. Also, I take requests. So, if there’s anything you’d like to see or revisit simply reply and let me know.

On Saturday I shared this really simple, fun hack I’ve put together for my summer coffee habits. To all who may remember, I didn’t even drink coffee until my son was born. That means I was over 35 years old before I could even sip a cup, and even then it was mostly out of pure necessity.

However, with time I’ve grown to enjoy a morning latte or cappuccino. It feels so luxurious to sip and enjoy as the day breaks. I love the pep I get from the caffeine and the flavor always puts me in a good mood. I’m still a big tea drinker too, but coffee has found a place in my culinary heart.

For years I’d been using this really cute green Moka pot to make my espresso. I still use it on occasion because it’s so easy and adorable! However, this size only makes one serving and it can be a pain to clean. So this year we finally decided to invest in a KitchenAid Fully Automated Espresso maker and I LOVE IT.

OMG, has this really changed the game!

All winter I experimented with different hot drinks and landed on loving the classic latte with a tiny drop of Tarini Salted Caramel Syrup for a touch of sweetness and flavor.

But, once the weather turned I came up with this fun hack so I could have my latte nice and cold first thing in the morning. Here it goes:

Step 1: When I’m cleaning up after dinner I make two lattes in my favorite La Parfait jam jars with lids (a six-pack of these jars has lasted me years). I allow them to cool on the counter for a bit until they aren’t steamy.

Step 2: Then, I put the lattes in the fridge for the next day.

Step 3: In morning I take off the lid, add my syrup and a few ice cubes, pop in my straw (if needed) and my jam jar latte is in full effect.

So simple!

If I need my latte on the go I pour it into my Yeti and hit the road.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, I have considered making coffee ice cubes to add to the latte, but I haven’t gotten that far yet!

The post Jam Jar Iced Lattes: My Summer Coffee Hack appeared first on The Naptime Chef.

It’s the time of year for hot soups, warm blankets, and roaring fires. Enter a favorite recipe from my first cookbook, Ham & Corn Chowder. This hot, creamy soup is the perfect foil for gray days. I love to make it in advances so it’s ready to be reheated and served in the evening. By the time we’re all home and inside for the day the soup flavors have blossomed and dinner is ready to eat.

I first got the recipe for Ham & Corn Chowder from my grandmother, Pat. She was a terrific cook and had many recipes that made the most out of simple flavors readily available from the store. In this case, the base of the chowder is potato, carrot, and onion. They are boiled until softened and then blended until smooth. Her old recipe instructed the cook to put them from a fine mesh sieve to blend the ingredients. I imagine this would function somewhat like a potato ricer. When my children were little I used to use the food mill. Now, I use my immersion blender or a food processor. It’s fine if there are still a few chunks left in the chowder, the texture is good. Then, return it to the stove and add in the rest of the ingredients and warm it through.

I buy the cooked ham at the store and add it in at the end. It heats through beautifully and stays firm for eating. This Ham & Corn Chowder recipe also stays very well for a couple of days in the fridge. It’s one of my favorite lunches mid-week when everybody else is at work and school. Enjoy this delicious soup and have a warm and happy winter at home!

The post Easy Ham & Corn Chowder Recipe appeared first on The Naptime Chef.

There’s nothing like thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies to save the day. There has never been a frown that hasn’t been turned upside down with one of these. As you’ve probably gathered if you’d been a reader over the years, we are big fans of chocolate chip cookies, and these thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies are one of the best. I make them in all styles and have dozens of favorite recipes. In case you missed it, here are my Top 11 Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes of all time. Yes, the post has been updated and yes, I’ll probably update it again in the future. No apologies!!

The beauty of this recipe is that they’re a lot like the ones from Tate’s Bake Shop. Thin, crispy, salty, with the perfect amount of crunch. This is achieved with the right butter and sugar ratio. When you adjust these it’s amazing to see how differently a cookie can turn out. I also bake these right to the edge before they burn. This gets them deep and golden brown and gives them a caramel-like flavor. The texture is fantastic, they shatter just the right amount when you bite into them.

A hearty cookie like this is also great for other things like making ice cream sandwiches or using to make a really cool cookie cake. They’re also infinitely transportable and can easily make the car ride from kitchen to dorm rooms in a container without them falling apart.

When you’re making these don’t expect them to last very long. But, if they make it through the day, then simply store the remainder in an airtight container and layer them with wax paper to keep them fresh. They also freeze well, or the dough will freeze well, if you need to make these chocolate chip cookies in advance. I hope you love these as much as we do!

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I had a hard time thinking of what to name this recipe. I landed on Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta. But it also has spinach, and a generous topping of Parmesan cheese, and the option of pine nuts! Creamy Sausage, Spinach, Pine Nut & Parmesan Pasta? Gah! That would’ve been a little too long for a recipe title, so I stuck with the three main ingredients and here we are. I found this lovely recipe a photo story in the internet by Jamie Beck. She didn’t give recipe proportions or detailed cooking methods in her quick Insta-story so I’ve derived my own over time. When I first spotted the finished product it looked so tantalizing, I couldn’t resist giving it my best shot!

This secret to this recipe is the many layers of flavor. Shallots and garlic, chickpeas, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, a spicy or sweet sausage, lemon juice, spinach, Parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts. I mean, all bold flavors and all used generously in this dish, which comes together in a creamy sauce bound with creme frâiche. I first made this two years ago and it’s become a go-to staple in the winter. We love (love!) how it’s a great one-pot meal, the spinach counts as a full vegetable serving for our family, and is ideally served on a cold evening in the later weeks of January.

A few notes about the recipe I think you must know are that it makes a nice big portion. So if you’re just serving two or three people you’ll definitely have a lot leftover. That said, feel free to double the recipe and you’re game on for serving an intimate dinner party. I also find this is one of my lunch masters. It reheats beautiful and the creamy sauces bounces right back after a quick microwave or heat-up on the stove.

You’ll love this Creamy Sausage & Chickpea Pasta for your future cozy evenings at home. Enjoy!

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