A few weeks ago, first time author and veteran blogger Jackie Hennessy sent me a copy of her book. I failed to review it right away because I was busy finishing my own book.
I think that makes me a jerk.
But I’m ready to review it, now. And to make up for my lack of blogging, I have a free, signed, copy to give away to one of you!
Jackie’s book is a niche book, for sure. It is only for moms who get frustrated with their lives and children and are not lactose intolerant. Fortunately, that’s a pretty enormous niche! And it’s one that I believe 98% of my readers fall into.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way, first. This book could make you me very, very fat. But if you’ll look through my Foody Friday posts, I think you’ll come to the conclusion that I’m not that worried.
“How to Spread Sanity on a Cracker: Mom-to-Mom Whines, Cheese, Rants and Recipes,” is a book for moms who love cheese and love to wash down whines with laughter. It’s that simple. This book is for pretty much all people female. And your husbands will devour the absolutely never calorie counting recipes.
I don’t want to give too much away, but if you want to learn how to make an amazing (and fast) baked brie while reading about Jackie’s difficult introduction to stay-at-home motherhood…or how to make spinach dip while giggling over the true story behind what she lovingly calls “pay-to-stay” mom parties…this is the book for you. It’s funny, it’s fattening, it’s pretty fabulous!
If you want a free copy (I only have one, so the rest of you are going to have to buy your own!), tell me how much you love cheese (or hate whine – or both) in the comments.
And in honor of Friday, I thought I’d let you in on one of our little household comforts. It’s caused my children to exclaim, “You’re the best mom in the world!” on several occasions, so I think it’s worth sharing with you.
A few years ago, someone (one of you, I believe) told me that you could microwave cake in a coffee mug. I was given a recipe with this amazing bit of knowledge, but y’all know how well I stick to those. To this day, filling a greased mug half way with cake batter and microwaving it for somewhere under a minute is still our favorite way to achieve dessert bliss is less than five minutes.
But now, we’ve brought the revolution to breakfast!
Because you can, I’m happy to announce, do the same thing with pancake batter!
19 Responses to “Whine, Cheese, and Pancakes”
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I love cheese!! My daughter is hooked on string cheese.
As far as whine goes I’m not a fan.
I. LOVE. CHEESE. On everything. Last night’s dinner was Cheesy Chicken Potpie. This morning’s pregnancy snack was cheese and crackers. And for lunch… Mac and Cheese!
Love the mug cake idea! I also mix jello pudding mix into the batter to make it moister. No additional liquid necessary just throw it in there.
As far as cheese, I LOVE it. Not the really stinky blues, but everything else if it’s cheese I want it. There is a cheese factory near our house that has like 8-10 samples of their cheese available. Believe me I am not the only person there having a cheese feast instead of a sample. I can do without the whine from my 10 year old but she is just gearing up for her teenage years.
Shoot! I was all ready to send a comment for the hopes of winning a free book. Why? Cuz I love to win giveaways. But, alas, this one will not work. I don’t really like cheese. There are some types that I can tolerate like Brie. I just pretend it is butter. Butter! Now, there is a food item that I can get behind.
As far as whine, I prefer to handle that with small doses of wine. Usually the red variety. I find that if you take 4 fluid oz. every forty minutes for as long as the whining lasts, you won’t even care anymore.
Glad to see you posting again. My love for cheese is very deep. I love all kinds…except Swiss. To me it smells like dirty feet!! And the whine….well, I could go without; however, that’s part of life when you are a momma.
My head is all over the place with this post!
1. Welcome back!:)
2. Your book is now for sale!? What!? Did I misunderstand or miss the announcement?
3. Not a huge fan of a variety of cheeses, but do enjoy a select few…immensely!;)
4. Hoping there’s a recipe for homemade, baked Mac-n-Cheese in there, because I was asked to make it soon and I’m terrified. The last time I tried to make homemade M-n-C…it was not a good texture! Gritty? Not smooth…not good!:/
5. Not a fan of Whine or Wine! Whine=I simply ignore and/or remove them from my vicinity until it subsides! Wine=I simply to do partake!;)
6. Cake and pancakes in a mug!? Explain, please! Do you eat right out of the mug!? Isn’t the mug too hot to touch!?
No, not for sale yet! I’ll make that announcement separately….and clearly.
The details on cake/pancake in a mug are EXACTLY as simple as I wrote in this post. Really! Just fill a greased mug half way with batter…and nuke it for somewhere under a minute (depending on the size of mug and micro strength. The little mugs in the picture took about 45 seconds.
I love cheese…and hate whine
I never thought to do that with cake mix or pancake batter…but I’ll definitely be trying it out!
Woah wait! You have to post details – pancakes in the microwave?? Don’t make me experiment in ugly messy ways – explain!
The details on cake/pancake in a mug are EXACTLY as simple as I wrote in this post. Really! Just fill a greased mug half way with batter…and nuke it for somewhere under a minute (depending on the size of mug and micro strength. The little mugs in the picture took about 45 seconds.
That is some sort of awesome. Thanks! My almost-seven-year old’s new chore is to make breakfast for herself and her sibs, which usually just means “fixing” cereal or smearing some cream cheese on bagels. But I think maybe she could do this… we’re going to give it a try!
Nuking pancakes, hmmm interesting! IF we ever start using the microwave again, I’ll have to give that a whirl. My kids LURVE pancakes.
As for cheese? Great googly moogly! We go through cheese here like it’s no ones business! I love me some goat cheese, but the wHine? I can totally do without the wHine. We have plenty of that here too.
Pancakes in the micro? Really? If you turned one of those mugs upside down, would it fall out nicely or would it stick? I’m wondering b/c I picture that lovely pancake in the middle of a plate w/ … lots of goodies! But no cheese. I love cheese, but I don’t think with pancakes. Whine and wine…love those too.
I am one of those that does not own a microwave. We removed it from our kitchen years ago when we built our “green” home and I haven’t missed it even one time. While the pancakes look good, and I admit to now craving a good fluffy pancake with fresh strawberries and real cream, I cannot make them as quickly as you.
I move freely between a vegan and vegetarian diet, and when vegetarian I LOVE cheese. Whole foods and Trader Joe’s both have good cheese sections and I can spend my weight in cheese. Beautiful cheese. Wonderfully tasting cheese. I don’t even think I have a favorite as I simply love it all. I now pronounce tomorrow as officially the beginning of vegetarian week (or month
I find your blog so delightful and miss your daily posts. I am excited about your book. Do you have a release date? Where will you be traveling to on your book tour? Will you be doing readings and signings in various cities? I would love to come to a reading if you are in my area. This is such an exciting time for you.
–P
Oooooooh mug cake…my mother in law made chocolate mug cake for us in their camper a few summers ago. SO GOOD. No idea you could do it with pancake batter!
And cheese? I love cheese. Whenever we venture into Whole Foods we make a beeline for the cheese counter to look for samples. If we get away to go on a picnic together we splurge on some really, really nice cheddar to eat with apples. One of the first things I made for my husband when we were dating was brie-stuffed french toast. Cheese plays a big role in our lives.
No No Sarah! No cake or pancakes. I’m low carbing it these days and am staying away from sinful baked goods
Now cheese….love it. All kinds. My friend tempted me with apple slices and Jarlsberg the other day. So good!
Seriously?!?! I do NOT need to hear about a microwavable ooey gooey yummy recipe.. I am so not ready for beaching it yet.. and now, I may never be. Thanks. A lot.
Me and cheese go together like PBnJ.. wine.. not so much.. I’m more of a mimosa kinda gal.. or pina colada.. mmmm..
bikini shmeeny..
SERIOUSLY!?! I had no idea you could do that with cake batter or pancake batter!?!?! This might just change my life…
And I hate whine but I am a recovering whiner myself. It’s a major struggle…on a big long list of struggles.
So excited to see your book “FOR SALE”!!!
I’ve missed you! Seriously, you can cook pancake batter like that?! GENIUS
Adore cheese – could live on cheese and homemade bread! Whine – hate it. Best way I’ve found to not get so annoyed with it is to whine back something completely ridiculous. Cracks ‘em up every time.