{Admin Note: Voting is now open in the DC Lamb Pro-Am. I’d be oh-so-flattered if you’d take a moment to vote for FoodieTots’ Lemon-Mint Crusted Leg of Lamb. Thank you!}
It’s not often I find myself in the kitchen, a novel in one hand, sautéeing apples with the other while steering the toddler towards her refrigerator magnets and out from underfoot. And I’m pretty sure this is the first adult fiction book review I’ve done here on FoodieTots. But when I read the description of Sarah Pinneo’s Julia’s Child, I couldn’t resist: “A delectable comedy for every woman who’s ever wondered if buying that six-dollar box of organic crackers makes her a hero or a sucker.”
I did have a little apprehension, though. Those of us on the whole foods-local food-organic food bandwagon can be a little, well, sensitive about our food choices. But I follow Pinneo on Twitter (@Julias_Child) and was reasonably certain she was on my side. Sure enough, the novel was an enjoyable read about a woman out to “save the world one bite at a time.” It’s good to laugh at ourselves once in a while, and I found myself laughing out loud at the main character, Julia’s, conversation with her husband about recycled toilet paper. Let’s just say we may have had that exact conversation in the FoodieTots’ house.
In the novel, Julia is a mother who leaves behind a corporate paycheck to launch an organic toddler food business, and moms of all types will relate to her struggles as she attempts to balance the needs of her own family with the demands of her growing business. Even better, a few recipes from the fictional business are included, and it was the Apple and Cheddar Muffets that I found myself baking first. A “muffet” is a savory muffin, the primary product Julia is producing and, at the start of the book, selling to the stereotypical moms of Brooklyn (of course). Aside from the cutesy name, I liked the “muffet” concept and appreciate that they are a low-sugar but still full-flavored kid-friendly snack. (With whole milk, butter and sour cream, they are not a low-fat snack, which is fine for the toddler crowd but may make you feel a smidge guilty after polishing off two in a row. Hypothetically speaking.) As I write this, the kitchen smells amazing, and just look how lovely they are.
If you own a Bugaboo (er, “Frogaboo”) or are a perky blonde co-host of The View (er, The Scene) the satire may hit a little too close to home, but otherwise I think many foodie mamas will appreciate this funny and engrossing read.
The author has also offered one lucky reader a free copy of Julia’s Child, along with a basket of mom-made food products. (Not sure if that includes the muffets…but once you have the book, you can bake them yourself.) Leave a comment below telling us one of your children’s favorite after-school snacks, and I’ll select a winning commentor at random. Comments are open until 11:59 pm Eastern time this Friday, February. 17.
Learn more about Sarah Pinneo on her own blog or Facebook page. And of course, look for Julia’s Child at your local bookseller or online.
17 responses so far ↓
1 Jen Gould // Feb 13, 2012 at 2:29 pm
My daughter likes crackers dipped in peanut butter.
2 Nutella // Feb 13, 2012 at 3:14 pm
Curly isn’t picky when it comes to snacks especially carbs or fruit. But our go-tos between daycare pickup and dinner are a stick of cheese or a fruit/veggie crusher. He’d love a “muffet”!
3 Jill // Feb 13, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Applesauce, berries or any kind of fruit are favorite snacks in our house.
4 Bethesda Locavore // Feb 13, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Those muffets look delicious. And the book sounds like fun – not having read it, I’m guessing we’ve probably had the exact same recycled toilet paper conversation in our house as well. Kids’ favorite snacks after school … this isn’t our usual fare, but (obviously) they flip over the occasional hot chocolate with some kind of dipping cookie/biscotti.
5 Sarah at Julia's Child // Feb 13, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Those muffets look gorgeous! Thank you so much for that lovely review of the book. Of *course* I’m on your side, by the way. 🙂
6 Kati // Feb 13, 2012 at 7:07 pm
I must try this recipe! I wonder if they freeze well…. I’ll make dozens! My kids love carbs after school. Crackers, muffins, goldfish, toast. And cream cheese.
7 Katie // Feb 13, 2012 at 9:06 pm
our typical afternoon snacks are some combination of popcorn, fruit, cheese, crackers, nuts, peanut butter
8 meghan
Twitter: mkw70
// Feb 13, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Belive it or not, my little guy loves either pretzels or fruit snacks.
9 Lisa // Feb 14, 2012 at 11:25 am
My son LOVES 2 snacks above all others: 1) squares of whole wheat naan and hummus (which also works for lunch instead of a sandwich) and 2) blueberries
10 Ashley // Feb 14, 2012 at 1:25 pm
Grapes, grapes and lots of grapes!
11 Sheila K. // Feb 14, 2012 at 2:02 pm
My boy likes multigrain pita and my home-made hummus (and so do I)!
12 Donna L // Feb 14, 2012 at 6:42 pm
My daughter liked peanut butter toast and sliced apple.
13 Marci // Feb 15, 2012 at 2:53 pm
Chocolate chip cookies with milk – we have it once or twice a week 🙂
14 Lakisha // Feb 16, 2012 at 5:16 pm
We absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content for you personally? I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on most of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome blog!
15 Denise @ wyomingstorygirl.wordpress.com
Twitter: wyomingstorygirl
// Feb 17, 2012 at 3:39 am
My kids (1yr & 3.5yr) love apples and cheese sticks for a snack. Someone loves Sarah Pinneo in Casper, WY, because her book is on the 14-day loan circle as a “new” book! I reviewed it as part of one of my 2012 reading challenges but mainly I read it because of the mompreneur struggles of a the character. In the book, muffets are totally freezable – I love and I’m trying the recipe out tomorrow morning for breakfast.
16 Julia’s Child {Book Review and Giveaway} | wyomingstorygirl // Feb 17, 2012 at 3:42 am
[…] Julia’s Child {Book Review and Giveaway}. Share this:PrintEmailTwitterFacebookDiggLinkedInRedditStumbleUponTumblrLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. This entry was posted in Challenges, Foodie by WyomingStoryGirl. Bookmark the permalink. […]
17 Margot Core // Feb 28, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Those muffins look wonderful, I’m going to make them.