Where's Mom Now That I Need Her: Surviving Away from Home

by Betty Rae Frandsen, Kathryn J. Frandsen, Kent R. Frandsen

This book is full of hints about nutrition, grocery shopping, laundry and clothing care, first aid, recipes for quick, easy meals and lots more. Also available in Paperback. (ISBN 0-9615390-11)

Genres: Reference, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, How To, Health

Ring-bound

First published March 1, 1983

Reviews

[Robert Hensley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where's Mom is half a cookbook, half a Boy Scout handbook to life. The book mostly succeeds at giving helpful pointers to things young adults might not initially think about when living on their own, like common household items, nutrition, cooking techniques, and common illnesses. There are several quick and instructive descriptions of topics related to independent living that act as great encouragement into developing productive practices. The book however is kind of mediocre as a cookbook. The recipes are written in a quip fashion to be conveniently short, but I just found the directions to be too vague and not descriptive enough at describing what the end result of the recipe would be. Honestly, this book would be better off with just cooking techniques instead of attempting to be both a cookbook and a reference guide. Despite the recipes being OK, the rest of the book is pretty handy and full of helpful living tips.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, by far, the best cookbook one could ever possess. Easy to follow. Easy to understand. Very educational without talking down to the reader. I received my first copy upon graduating from high school and a couple copies later I still use it. The recipes are very basic and simple. And I won’t lie, some are better than others. It also provides, not only cooking hacks, but hacks for laundry and other home issues that might arise. When I divorced, my ex went out and got a copy, as did both of my kids when they aged out of our copies. 😂 Just an excellent book to have on hand whether you’re 18 or 88.

[A.M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book with a misleading title. I put this book down at first after staring at the title but then decided to give it a try. Luckily I did! This book is something a teenager who just moved out of parent's houses need on their bookshelves, or people who live by themselves but feel lost somehow. I bought couple copies and send it to my relatives and friends as a Xmas gift. They loved it!

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really simple recipes our family enjoyed from a cookbook given to tom by his mom when he headed off to college.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet first time out on your own cookbook that I haven't used since first year of marriage. Very basic easy recipes. Easy introduction to cooking.

[Jaimie Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it, so very useful for those questions you never knew you needed answers to.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm 52 and I still reference this book. It had a lot of info about basic living skills.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great graduation gift and full of plenty of useful tips for adulthood and almost-adulthood.

[Stacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A regular referral book for young folks who don’t seem to have a reference point.

[Suraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's face it, the title of the book is weird enough to make sure you look through it at least once. The book is very helpful if you're someone new to living alone. I basically got this because I wanted to check out some quick microwave recipes which is here in limited quantities but there's a lot more that the book as to offer. It has many ruled pages titled 'Mom's Old Standbys' for taking notes which I personally think is overdone and there's just too much of it. I would never want to scribble on a book I own with my handwriting. Like I said before, the recipes in it are quick and good. Microwave recipes are not enough in number and we could use a lot more of those. No Indian food if you're a fan though.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my "moving away present" from, you guessed it, my mom. That was around eighteen years ago. The same copy today is dog-eared and spattered with gravy, grease, and I think that red stuff is jelly.

This book made me realize there is a huge difference between survival cooking and cooking food that is tasty and enjoyable to eat. Chock full of simple delicious recipes composed of affordable ingredients, this book, along with a little effort, provides the quickest route to scrumptiousness for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert!

There are also handy tips on household maintenance, which I admittedly use less than the cookbook portion.

[Douglas Tiegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must have for any young man or woman when they first go away from home. Not only does it slightly remind you of how your parents would talk to you (encouraging, at times anyway) but it also includes some quick dinner recipes that would not be hard for even the toast burners. I know the first time I went away it was to college almost 20 hours away from my home. This book really helped me and I would recommend it to anyone to flip through and not just the people who are recently out of the house.

[Andie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super good book! I would recommend it for EVERY teenage going off to college or moving out on their own. Not only does it have great tips in it, but it's easy to read all of it, or just the section that pertains to you at that moment. I especially like the section that told you how to treat basic ailments, and when you can do it yourself, versus when you need to go and see the doctor. There's also some great information about when to buy certain things to get REALLY good pricing and what foods are in season and when.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a nice idea, the execution falls a little flat. If you're making a book for kids who have moved away for the first time, you don't have things in recipes like sifted flour. I do like the extensive list of how to choose and store ingredients -- something even I am still learning!

I also would have liked to have seen more variety (roughly 75% of the book is recipes / nutrition / food prep). The sections on laundry care and car / bicycle maintenance are pretty useful as well, and I wish there was more of it.

[Katie Kenig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've put this as a cookbook though really it's a homekeeping manual with everything from stain removal to how to boil an egg (mostly though, it's cooking). The recipes in here are for college kids, beyond that you're not really gonna want to eat this stuff. It was an okay resource when I was 18, but I already knew most of the contents. I'm saving it until I find someone clueless and young to pass it on to.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential guide book for First-Time-Away-From-Homers. Provides a comprehensive host of information on nutrition, stocking the kitchen, cleaning, repair, medical emergencies. and basic recipes. Brief entries make this easy to read at a glance. the recipes are not gourmet, they run more along the can of Cambell's casserole variety but would likely bode well for a young adult with limited cooking skills and finances.

[Tonya Wertman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom gave me this book upon graduating from high school and I cannot tell you how many times I have used it over the years! Not only does it have fast and easy recipes, but it also has grocery shopping tips, first aid, car and home repairs tips. A great reference book for any one out on their own for the first time.

[Rita Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book as a high school graduation gift. It has been the most useful gift I think I have ever been given. The hints and tips in the book show up in various and assorted internet 'memes' now, but having them all in one place has been utterly handy!

This book really is a pocket mom. All info, no nagging, and super useful.

[Kathleen O'Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book showed up on my desk at work in 1985. It was in response to some stories I had told about some really bad cooking.

Not a month goes by that I haven't refered to this cook book.

I your mother didn't teach you how to cook, this is the book for you!

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book after getting married and I absolutely loved it! Great advice, recipes and more....and such an easy read! It is perfect for someone moving away from home or getting married. Excellent book!

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

A roommate of mine had this book (a gift from his mother). Both he and I already knew how to cook and clean etc so it was useless to us, but I think it would be helpful for the average college freshman.

[Janet Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books the first few years of marriage. I managed to survive college w/o it because the college I went to (Ambassador College) was mom & dad away from home, and staving was the least of my worries.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cookbook for those of us who don't or can't cook...like me! I love it! Lots of simple, easy recipes.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mum gave me this book (which happens to be an omnibus of information in a three ring binder) the Christmas before I went to university. I've fallen back on it ever since.

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful book. I've made some of the recipes and they've turned out great. My apple pie recipe (crust and all) comes from here and people love it.

[Melanie Franklin · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty decent cookbook and tips... but it seems out of date.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a handy kitchen reference.

[Katie Dickerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a graduation gift. I reference this book often, it has all the things a person moving out on their own should know... how to remove ink from clothing is one I learned early on.

[Teresa Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this cookbook. Has many great recipies

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a present my first year at college from the people I worked for at the bookstore. I definitely recommend it for people venturing out on their own.