Today I am thrilled to welcome Vanessa Barger to “Book Bites” on Not Even Joking. Her middle grade fantasy Super Freak will be out next month from Tantrum Books. Didn’t we all kind of feel like freaks when we were thirteen years old, or was that just me? In any case, this book looks Super Fun! (Did you see what I did there?) Vanessa also shares a recipe for Oreo Cookie Butter. Um…that sounds too yummy to actually exist.
Who is the main character in Super Freak? What is she like?
Caroline Bennings is a totally normal, possesses-no-magic eighth grader with dryads for parents. She loves puzzles and riddles and mostly doesn’t mind that she doesn’t have any magic. She’s also addicted to chocolate, and her best friend is a preteen dhampir named Diana.
What would Caroline choose for her last meal?
Caro would probably have spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, and cake. Maybe she’d start with the cake. It IS the last meal, after all.
How about you? What would you choose for your last meal?
Hmmmmm… Filet Mignon, baked potato, a whole jar of mini kosher dill pickles and tea. Followed by oatmeal cake. Or Burnt Sugar Cake. Maybe both. If it’s the last one, I might as well go big or go home, right?
Why should someone bite into Super Freak?
Because it’s awesome! It’s all about realizing that sometimes being different is good, and feeling comfortable with your own gifts can lead to great things. And there’s magic, mythical creatures, and a really fun story.
Do you have a recipe you’d like to share?
This isn’t in my list of things, but I can’t give you the recipe for the Burnt Sugar Cake. It’s a family recipe, after all. However, here’s something easy and OMG delicious that a friend gave me – COOKIE BUTTER. (Seriously. Its cookie you spread on anything. Or eat with a spoon. What’s not to love?)
Oreo Cookie Butter
Ingredients:
- 1 package of oreos
- 1/4 c coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Directions:
- Break your oreos into a food processor. Measure out 1/4 cup of coconut oil and dump in with the vanilla. The action of the food processor will liquefy the coconut oil, and then later it will harden to a peanut butter consistency.
- Process for 5 minutes, scrape down the pan, then process another minute or two. The longer you go, the smoother it is.
- I will warn you – if you use organic coconut oil, it’s going to have a coconut taste. Bonus – with just these three ingredients, no refrigeration necessary!
That sounds incredible. Spreadable cookie. Who knew?
And I have already added Super Freak to my Goodreads “to read” list. Caroline and I seem to have a lot in common. Sadly, I’m not magical either. And I totally have a chocolate addiction. Thank you so much for sharing today!
You can learn more about Vanessa Barger and Super Freak at her website or on Goodreads.
We could all learn from Vanessa’s take, and her creation, Caroline, to start a meal with cake. No need to wait until it’s our last, is there? 😉 Been doing it for years, and so far I’m alive.
Vanessa’s book sounds delectable.