I was in a hurry, so this time I made chocolate crinkle cookies, an old favorite that uses vegetable oil instead of butter. Crunchy outside, gooey inside, this batch is  ridiculously easy to make… as long as you don’t mind a little powdered sugar on your nose.

Here’s the recipe.

Worth spoiling your appetite for dinner.

In appreciation of you voting for me in the “Top 25 Book Author Moms,” I share with you my two favorite holiday cookie recipes.

Click HERE for the thumbprint recipe, and below is my mom Char’s decadent date nut cookies, using only 3 ingredients.

• 1 pound pecans, chopped
• 1 pound dates, pitted and cut up
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Let set for about five minutes. Mound each spoonful on a cookie sheet, greased and lined with parchment paper (because these goodies are super sticky). Bake 350,  for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from cookie sheet. Let cool.

Enjoy, and don’t blame me if you gain a few pounds.

I admit it. I love celebrity gossip. I watch E! while I chop onions for dinner, and I always choose the longest line at the grocery store so that I can catch up on People magazine. In fact, it annoys me when the bagger asks, “Ma’am, paper or plastic?” and I’m engrossed in a story about Suri Cruise’s hooded pink buffer jacket by Monnalisa. Or maybe it’s because the teenage clerk called me “ma’am.”

Anyway, my latest obsession is Kate Middleton. No surprise there. As everyone already knows, the 30-year-old Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant with her first child. If that wasn’t news enough, she was recently hospitalized for extreme morning sickness called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), which thanks to the Internet I know more about than I care to. Then the drama started, and I was intrigued by the infamous prank phone call between the Australian radio station and the nurse. Is nothing sacred? Give the pregnant mum a little privacy, please, as she pukes her guts out.

The royal couple isn’t a new fascination of mine. I’ve been stalking William and Kate since they first met in 2002 at St. Andrews University in Scotland where they studied art history. Don’t ask me how or why I know their major. When they broke up five years later, I was devastated because Kate was like a breath of fresh air. I know, I need to get a life. Over the years, I’ve soaked in every photo of the vibrant, active pair as they ski at the Swiss ski resort Klosters, sunbathe in a Caribbean hideaway, trek through the African safari, cheer the Brits at the London Olympics, and compete in all kinds of sports, including hockey, cross-country running, trout fishing, and, of course, anything to do with horses. I don’t know, they seem real to me. William proposed to Kate in October 2010 while they isolated themselves in a log cabin in Kenya, nothing fancy, except for the sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring that belonged to his late mother, Princess Diana, another obsession of mine. I was glued to the television for both of their royal weddings.

The latest picture that makes me smile is of Kate greeting well-wishers as she departs King Edward VII Hospital and clutches bright yellow roses. Now she heads to Kensington Palace for a “period of rest.” With servants at her beck and call, and her family nearby, Kate deserves the royal treatment.

Then again, don’t we all?

Even though I haven’t quite mastered the downward dog pose without feeling like I’m going to pass out from blood rushing to my head, I still couldn’t wait to read Lela Davidson’s hot-off-the-press book, “Who Peed On My Yoga Mat,” the follow up to her debut momoir “Blacklisted from the PTA.”

Come to find out her newest title has nothing to do with yoga, except for the leaky bladder part, and everything to do with an enjoyable collection of humorous, insightful essays on marriage and motherhood, botox and boobs. When it comes to female bonding, Davidson is da bom (never used that word before but I think it fits).

Anyway, the chapter that resonates with me is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” which is timely because it describes the challenges of staying sane in the often chaotic holiday season.

Sure, I’m Jewish and she’s a Christian living in the Bible Belt, but we have a lot in common besides a love for cocktails. Clearly, we love our family, and we try to create traditions and memories that our children will cherish, or at least laugh about when they’re older. Her ritual is collecting ornaments; mine is frying potato latkes and trying not to catch my hair on fire. In other words, despite the pressure to have a perfect Grinch-less holiday, we both try to keep it real, and for Lela that means bribing her kids to go to midnight Mass by playing with fire. Mine is influencing my kids to brush up on their Hebrew by playing the dreidel game.

So, if you’re looking for a great Hanukkah or Christmas gift this year for a mom, “Who Peed on My Yoga Mat” is sure to bring a smile to anyone who reads it. Not only that, you’ll find out the real reason Lela was blacklisted from the PTA.

Her much anticipated book launch party, featuring fabulous door prizes, is tomorrow night at the Chancellor Hotel, in Fayetteville, AK. Road trip anyone?

Thanksgiving is not a Jewish holiday, but Jews are thankful for any opportunity to gather around a table, overeat, and share our blessings.

8 Ways To Celebrate Thanksgiving “Jewishly”

1. Encourage your family to tell each other what they’re thankful for—this might take some practice—and write their responses on a piece of paper to display them on a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Share their notes at the table while your stomach digests mashed potatoes.
2. Autumn is a favorite season in the St. Louis, so get plenty of fresh air, enjoy a brisk walk on a nature trail, take in the scenery, and burn some calories.
3. Share your bounty with others less fortunate. Donate canned goods to your local food bank, such as the Jewish Family & Children’s Service Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. You also can join your temple to adopt a family and provide Thanksgiving dinner or serve a meal at a shelter.
4. Try a new recipe or activity this year and start a new tradition. St. Louis offers plenty of family friendly holiday events--FREE!
5. If your children are lucky enough to have living grandparents, give the older generation an opportunity to reminisce and talk about their childhoods.  Learn your own family’s pilgrimage about how they came to America or St. Louis.
6. No one should feel alone on the holidays, so make room at the table and incorporate the Jewish value of welcoming strangers, Hachnasat Orchim, into your home.
7. Say a Jewish prayer of gratitude. The Hebrew blessing before a meal is Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz. Thank You, God, for the blessing of bread and for the meal we will now enjoy together.
8. On holidays and to celebrate special occasions, we say  the Shehecheyanu.Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam shecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higyanu lazman hazeh. Blessed are You, our God, Creator of time and space, who has supported us, protected us, and brought us to this moment.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

1. It’s November.
2. My pumpkins have rotted, and haystacks from my sukkah have sprouted grass.
3. Leaves fall off trees, the temperature drops, and I’m wearing my snowflake thermal underwear.
4. Christmas music already plays on the radio, and I still have rejected Halloween Jolly Ranchers in my candy bowl.
5. Some of my neighbors have wreaths on their doors, red bows on their mailboxes, and lights on their houses.
6. My kids work on their Hanukkah wish lists more than they do their homework.
7. I buy a bag of cranberries every time I visit the grocery store.
8. My anxiety builds over how to bake a turkey that isn’t raw or dried out.
9. Friends make plans for Spring break before winter arrives.
10. I gave up on dieting because what the hell I’m going to gain at least five pounds in the next two months anyway.

How are you planning for the upcoming holidays, or are you in denial?

Ever feel like you bite off more than you can chew? I do. No wonder I have occasional indigestion. It must be a mom thing.  This time around I have an exciting opportunity for ALL St. Louis Moms and Imas to really shine.  As the co-director/producer of the Listen To Your Mother  (LTYM) Show in St. Louis, I would like to invite each and every one one of you to join me on this special journey.

Let’s just say Mother’s Day will never be the same again. Watch THIS PROMO! 

LTYM is a national series of live readings by local writers in celebration of Mother’s Day. Born of the creative work of mothers who publish online, each production is directed, produced, and performed by local communities, for local communities. And it’s time for St. Louis moms to shine in the spotlight.

“The mission of each LTYM production is to take the audience on a well-crafted journey that celebrates and validates mothering through giving voice to motherhood—in all of its complexity, diversity, and humor,” says founder Ann Imig, a Jewish mom, writer, blogger, and former social worker and musical theater actress.

After a successful first showing in Imig’s hometown of Madison, Wisconsin in 2010, LTYM expanded to five cities in 2011 and doubled the next year. In 2013, St Louis is one of 24 cities to “provide an opportunity for local writers to spring their literal voice into a microphone from their literary voice on the page,” says Imig.

LTYM aims to support motherhood creatively through artistic expression, and also financially–through contributions to non-profit organizations supporting families in need. In St. Louis, proceeds will benefit Connections to Success, a program to help women and families break the cycle of poverty through hope, resources, and a plan.

Stay tuned for more details on how you can be a part of LTYM St Louis, or contact me personally for more info at ellie@mishegasofmotherhood.com.

All I gotta say is, FINALLY, moms have a captive audience who will listen to us and give us their full attention. Unlike our own children.

To RSVP or for more details, please check out our facebook event page:

It’s officially time to start thinking about holiday shopping. Why? Because “Oprah’s Favorite Things 2012” just came out, and even though men’s underwear is not on her list, it should be. Why? Because when the man in your life feels good about himself, who reaps the benefits? Hopefully, YOU, his better half.

Besides, what do you give that guy who has everything? This year, consider luxurious, colorful, and high quality underwear that’s as stylish as it is affordable. Obviously, I’m not talking tighty whities. And the best part, you can shop online at boxers-and-briefs.net and avoid crowded shopping malls.  Whether he likes boxers, briefs or something in between, brands like Jockey, Armani, Calvin Klein, D&G, Diesel, Emporio Armani, HOM, James Tudor, Pringle, Sloggi, Tommy Hilfiger, and 2KX are classic names you can trust.

Start the season off in style with this new collection of designer underwear that demonstrates unique detail, high quality materials, and trend designs that fit a host of men. Plus, a rainbow of colors that include azure, indigo, navy, teal, marl, graphite, and red, are sure to please. So get some of your holiday shopping done early and browse the full collection of designer men’s underwear that are not only appealing to the eye, but give new meaning to photoshopped. If nothing else, you’ll have fun looking at the various styles of briefs, boxers, trunks, thongs (yes, thongs), and tshirts.

This leading online underwear company was established in 2005 with the aim to provide 100 percent authentic designer underwear products to customers at competitive prices, while ensuring the highest level of quality and service. They continually expand their inventory, too. 

All items items are sold from stock so you don’t have any unexpected waiting times and they are dispatched in strong plain packaging to preserve the presentation boxes.

 If you have any questions or special requests, send them a note , or follow them on Facebook and Twitter for latest news on new arrivals and sales promotions.

For something extra sexy and low slung with a killer cut, shop until you drop at Blokes Undies. Let’s just say these folks are passionate about all things underwear, including boxers, briefs, jocks, socks, and even those often maligned y-fronts.

If you want to know what mesh jockstraps and bulge enhance underwear look like without getting yourself arrested for pornography, check out Andrew Christian’s superb first collection of designer men’s underwear that combines clever modern technology with comfort and functionality.

Follow Blokes on Facebook and Twitter, and your love life may never be the same.