Power Nap #87

How to batch cook with friends / Molly's best must-have to date?! (Kate and Jess both immediately ordered) / would you want to live with a 28 hour day?

If you are one of the roughly 2,000 people who subscribed in the last week (wow!), welcome to the Power Nap, a weekly email where you can catch up on all things Naptime Kitchen as well as interesting articles, recipes, quotes, movies/tv shows/books, product finds, and other items from me, Nate, Jess (on the NTK team), and Molly (my best friend). Hope you enjoy!

Take Them a Meal March is here! If you’re new, every March we seek to share tips and tricks to help take the pressure off around loving people through food. Here’s a quick video I shared on IG:

Q&A: Batch Cooking with friends

I got this question via email this week and thought it was a really great topic to discuss, especially as we are still in the cold days of winter, which are perfect for a slow day of batch cooking. I am going to share how my mom and I do this as well as some general thoughts/tips on the matter. If anyone else does this regularly with either friends or family, I would love it if you would leave a comment if you have extra thoughts to add!

Batch cooking with friends does require more planning on the front end, and while there is great payoff in the food you make, I think the greater payoff is time with someone else. Think about it: You likely make upwards of 10 meals a week, and almost all of them you do alone. This is a chance to do something you already have to do, but get to do it with someone you enjoy! Here’s a few tips:

1. Keep it small. The average kitchen isn’t huge, so I would say 1-2 others is plenty. Invite more and you will likely have people standing around which is fun for chatting but not what you are hoping to accomplish on a batch cooking day.

2. Picking the recipes: I think if you are hosting and initiating, it is fair to pick the recipes, or maybe you pick one and have your friend pick the other. Whatever you choose, it can be easier in the prepping and shopping if you…

3. Group like recipes: If you are going to be browning beef, maybe you opt to make two recipes that both call for browned beef. You of course don’t have to do this but it’s a great way to get more variety out of a prep day. (Examples: a ziti and a shepherds pie, or shredded chicken for both chicken enchiladas and a broccoli-chicken casserole.)

4. Always double (or triple!) the recipe: If you are taking the time and effort, get as much out of if as you can. Hopefully this means you get dinner for that night and 1-2 meals for the freezer.

5. Splitting the cost: I think you can do this one of two ways. Either split the ingredients, or, have one person shop for everything (they could even do grocery pick up or delivery to make it easier) and then split the bill. The latter is easier for keeping it equal, but mom and I almost always do the former. Then again, we don’t keep strict tabs on cost. We do it enough it feels like it evens out over time and if I had to guess mom always spends more than me, but she’s my mom. If wanting to keep it equal, have one person shop for everything then split the bill.

6. Bring your dishes: When batch cooking, either get a pack of foil pans or bring the dishes you want to use. We usually do 8x8 casseroles and 4x8. You might prefer to do larger 9x13. Whatever you choose, make sure you have them with you ready to go. We prefer foil because you can bake from frozen if need be and also you can gift them without needing your dish back.

7. Stay busy: what I mean by this is if I am browning the veggies mom is grating cheese. If I am covering and labeling the finished casseroles, mom is doing the dishes. This part is actually very satisfying because it’s like having a second person in the kitchen. Everything gets done so much faster and you have a friend to talk to.

8. Keep it lighthearted and low stakes: At the end of the day the hope is that you got to make some meals (which you already do often) but this time you had help and it felt less lonely. If someone does a step in the recipe different than you would, no sweat! If one person ends up with an extra casserole, try not to keep tabs. The win is being together and leaving with some yummy food.

A FUN RIFF:

Maybe you aren’t interested in batch cooking meals, but your friend down the street makes the best chocolate chip cookies or homemade biscuits. Consider having an afternoon (or even a girls night) where you and a few friends get together to all learn how to make something one of you is really good at. Scones or sourdough. Homemade broth or the best bolognese sauce. You can do this for just about anything, and everyone leaves with a small amount and a new skill.

Q’s:

But what if I don’t have the extra freezer space?

If you don’t have the extra space to store more than one, I would go ahead and plan to gift the other casserole you make either that day or that week. This is actually awesome!! You can go into the cooking day knowing you are not only making dinner for your family but also helping someone else that same week.

Is the effort really worth it?

Every time I have ever batch cooked it has felt worth it. Namely, I get time with my mom. We actually spend a good amount of the time not talking (we are easily distracted and mess up the recipe!) but just doing it together is really enjoyable. And then, I usually have 2-3 casseroles for the freezer which is a HUGE gift to my future self and means I almost always have a meal at the ready when someone is in need.

What did I miss? What other questions do you have? Let me know and I can try and answer some in the next Power Nap!

In Case You Missed It

1. Need meal inspo for what to make a loved one? Last year, you all helped create this resource: Take Them A Meal Manual: A collective guide for feeding friends. Not only does it share the recipe, the person who submitted it also tells you why they love it and what they send with it! It’s completely free and a treasure trove of great ideas.

2. Here are 5 meals to make while it’s still chilly. Complete meal plan and grocery list!

3. One bowl, no mixer, whole-wheat, almond butter blondies. Recipe to print here.

4. Here’s two tips for using parchment paper when baking. Here are the parchment paper sheets I am obsessed with.

5. Here’s a perspective shift about the kids taking over my room in the evenings.

6. Allow me to introduce you to “fancy” chocolate popcorn.

7. I talked briefly about my current skincare routine in stories. My skin is insanely dry from accutane and I have found some real winners for keeping it moisturized. Here’s what I’m using right now.

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“I think and think and think, I’ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.”

-Jonathan Safran Foer

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Things Nate Found Interesting

If you are new, this segment is where we put articles we found interesting. It doesn't mean we necessarily agree with everything in every article (sometimes we even disagree!). Also, we do our best to link to free articles, but occasionally articles may require a subscription or require you to create a free account.

1. Some good life principles from Nabeel Qureshi, a tech entrepreneur who studies AI, the economy, and technology governance (I don’t know much about him, but I liked these):

   1. Fun is underrated. The best and most creative work comes from a root of joy and excitement. (Reminds me of the Sandlot’s “If you were having fun you would have caught that ball.”)

   2. Ask dumb questions. The people who matter won’t judge you for it, and you’ll learn things as a result.

   3. Once you are ok with people telling you ‘no’, you can ask for whatever you want.

   4. Understand power laws. Outlier math rules all.

   5. Don’t network, make friends.

   6. Luck isn’t a constant, it increases with surface area: be in the right places, have lots of conversations, put yourself out there, ask for what you want and be optimistic and positive.

2. Have tennis balls gotten worse? Also, if you’ve ever watched pro tennis and wonder why the server always takes three balls from the ball kid, inspects them, and then chooses one and taps it back to the ball kid, here’s your answer: “A tennis ball is a pressurized rubber ball with an outer felt coating. It's normal for them to move slower through the air as that felt gets worn out and fluffier, increasing air resistance. This is why you'll see players rifle through a few balls before they serve, in search of one with the least poofy felt.”

3. This guy decided to live operating on 28h days, and here he provides a one-year update. If you aren’t familiar, this means you live as if each day is 28 hours long, not 24. I don’t know much about this, although apparently it fits some people’s preferred sleep schedule. As you might guess, he’s a big fan. I'm not sure it's for me (although the thought of being up sometimes when no one else is so that you can get a ton done is appealing). h/t to the Browser

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Molly’s Must-Haves

“Molly's Must-Haves” is brought to you by Kate's best friend Molly who is a meticulous researcher. Each week she shares an item, the problem it solves, and why she chose it. This week, she is sharing a solution for the dreaded wet area around the sink.

Triangle Drying Rack

Let's talk about the wet drippy spot by the kitchen sink. You know, the spot where your sponge and dish soap live that stays wet and gunky around the clock? I figured there must be a better way and tested a couple solutions I found on online. This triangle drying rack was the clear winner for me! It simply rests on the left corner of my sink and is the perfect spot to store my dish soap and sponge because all the water just drips down into the sink! I've also found it's perfect for hanging my Swedish dish cloths to dry between uses. I love that it doesn't take up any counter space but still gives me full access to my sink. -Molly

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Thanks for reading!! Until next week,

Kate, Nate, Jess, and Molly

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