If you’re a fan of Jamielyn Nye’s blog, I Heart Naptime, you’re sure to enjoy her new cookbook. The concept behind her blog is that naptime is a special time for moms, an indulgent hour to relax, cook, bake, and do some fun crafts. Her cookbook carries this concept from the internet to the printed page and is full of ideas for quick and delicious meals, treats, and drinks, as well as some simple DIY projects.
The book covers a wide range of recipes. Specific chapters are devoted to breakfast foods, baking, side dishes, soups and salads, dinner classics, slow-cooker meals, party snacks and drinks, cookies, and desserts. There’s a helpful listing of metric conversions, as well as sections on pantry staples, meal planning, and freezer cooking.
Jamielyn goes one step farther, though, scattering Freezer Tips and Helpful Tips throughout the book. These tips indicate which recipes freeze well and how to prepare them for the freezer, or recipe variations and shortcuts. In addition, each recipe has a sidebar with the number of servings, prep time, cook time, and total time, which is a big help when planning.
Of the several recipes I marked to try, the first ones I made were the Favorite Enchiladas (page 133) and the Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting (page 191). Both were quite successful–simple to make and tasty, too, especially the enchiladas. They were so good that I’m planning to make them again soon.
My Impression: Overall, I think this is a lovely book, particularly for young families. That being said, if you’re an experienced cook looking to broaden your skills, this may not be the book for you, although it will likely expand your repertoire and give you some ideas and starting points for a wide range of dishes. Some recipes are missing details that might be important, especially for beginning cooks; for example, the slow-cooker recipes don’t specify the size of the slow cooker. I also found that the beautifully styled photos don’t necessarily reflect the recipe as written; this isn’t a deal-breaker for me, but it might be a problem if you’re relying on the photos when preparing the recipes. The Sugar Cookie Bars I made are an example, as the photo shows a thick layer of the Cream Cheese Frosting but the recipe actually makes a much thinner layer (I almost halved the frosting recipe, but I’m glad I didn’t!).
The I Heart Naptime Cookbook would make a nice gift for a bridal shower, a new mother, or for any young people starting out in their own kitchen.
Giveaway: One lucky reader is going to win a copy of the same cookbook I reviewed!
Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on September 23rd, 2016 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog.
I love baking the most because you can do it no matter what the weather is, and I have a big sweet tooth.. There are so many recipes to choose from and I love checking out family recipe books, new recipe books, and then adding my own special twist to it. I would love to win this for more inspiration especially with birthdays and holidays coming up this fall!
Cooking, Baking, Grilling _ I do it all and I love it all. I spend half of my free time trawling the net for recipes that i then pin, and some of those I actually go on and make. I have pinned from Jamielyn Nye’s blog, and I always make her Slow Cooker Ribs. I would love to have her book.
grilling because it’s easy, and always like trying new recipes.
I follow you on bloglovin
I do follow I heart naptime on instagram
I forgot to put that was my pin love your boards so many interesting ones
Protect Your Back and Knees with the Ohuhu® Garden Kneeler and Seat just bought one at Marshall’s for only $12
I followed on bloglovin as barb for an extra entry.
I am following your website on bloglovin and my username is barb.
I am following along using instagram for your sponsor. Username is @BG19561818.
I like baking. This would be great cause I have twins and no time to cook
Well, I like grilling ordinarily, because we grill vegetables as healthy meals. However, for treats, I love baking, because we enjoy home-baked desserts, especially blondies and brownies. This cookbook looks excellent!
I really love baking; I just really enjoy making treats for my family.
I followed I Heart Naptime on Instagram lundstromjulie.
I like baking the most for the kids love to help which gives us some fun family time.
I love grilling. Things just taste so much better right off the grill.
Following you on Bloglovin!
I love baking. It’s therapy for me. I’d totally love to win this cookbook as I love to experiment with new recipes & I follow her blog. Totally one of my faves!
I really love to grill all year long. I love shiskabobs. I follow under bloglovin and follow the company with instagram.
I like baking because I have a sweet tooth.
I enjoy baking the most. This cookbook would be nice to add to my collection. You can never have too many cookbooks.
I like to bake and share treats with friends and family. I would like this book because I am always looking for simple and easy recipes especially to have when my grandkids are around.
I like to grill. I like to put steaks, burgers hotdogs on the grill. I am always looking for new foods to try
I love baking the most, I find it super relaxing and I love sweet treats 🙂 I’d love to win because cookbooks are always a great thing to have. Plus, I love being in the kitchen.
I follow iheartnaptime on instagram.
I Follow the Two Classy Chics blog on BlogLovin.
I love to bake. I bake with coconut flour and almond meal. I would like to win this book for inspiration.
I love baking and I find that I have so much still left to learn. I love baking because I find it really relaxing and I love to share what I bake with family and friends. I so want to win this book because I am super interested in the part of the book about freezer cooking.
i would love this cookbook because it sounds like there would be easy recipes i could involve my kids in helping with. i love baking because it has always been something my boys do with me!
i love baking! it’s something my kids like to do with me. i like to take family recipes and make them my own with a new ingredient.
I love grilling bc it’s fun to be outside. I want to win bc I love cookbook
I really love cooking. I like it when I take up a challenge an my family loves the meal.
My favorite thing to do is cook. I love that with cooking you can add, or take away an ingredient to your own liking. I would love to win this giveaway so that I can try new recipes for my family.