I can’t even begin to count the number of times I took Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs out of my local library. Yes, even way back then I was obsessed with images of food, and perhaps a closet glutton. Needless to say the combination of a favorite childhood story mixed with 3-D technology means I will be at the theater on opening day. I can’t wait for meatballs and pancakes to fly in front of my face while I’m sporting those hideous plastic glasses!

There’s an eye raising comparison between the Poland Spring logo and that of a company called Palm Spring over at Newlywed in Dubai. Let’s just say that someone in that art department is going to get fired…

My favorite “green gossip” blog, Ecorazzi, has an amusing shot of Jennifer Garner exiting a grocery store with a Virgil’s All Natural Root Beer clutched in her hand. Obviously this means that she and I should be best friends since I used that brand of root beer to make the Root Beer Float Pops. Jennifer! Call me! I’m dying to know what it was like to kiss Mark Ruffalo.

My very good friend Erin has recently undertaken a new venture called Plum Pear Apple Designs and is, as we speak, working her fingers to the bone making absolutely adorable superhero capes for little boys and girls to save the day in.  To celebrate the opening of her online store she’s having a contest. You have until midnight MST on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 (yikes!  that’s tonight!) to enter the contest. All you have to do is leave a comment so I expect you to go on over there right now.

PS: In case you didn’t get a chance to see it, the lovely Marilyn at Simmer Till Done posted an interview with me during which I revealed all of my deep, dark foodie secrets and bad habits.  Please check it out!

Last night I had a craving for a soft and chewy bakery style sugar cookie. While googling for a recipe, a link to a particular cookie on the Cooks Illustrated website caught my eye. Unfortunately, as many of you have probably already discovered, the full version of the meticulous Cooks Illustrated recipes are only available if you subscribe to their online service. I do subscribe to the Cooks Illustrated monthly magazine so I found it quite annoying that access to the website wasn’t included in this fee.

And then I remembered a blog post CK had shared with me via google reader that suggested subscribing to the online version of Cooks Illustrated was not only a way to lower costs, but the author also made a great point about the site being searchable. Honestly, if I have a craving for a certain food, or I want to make something using a limited number of ingredients I almost exclusively rely on the internet. My numerous cookbooks and glossy magazines are all collecting dust, but not so much the search box in my FireFox browser. So I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf. I wont be renewing any of my numerous magazine subscriptions this year. Real Simple, Rachael Ray, Cooking Light etc… all have online databases with recipes that you can search and print for free. In addition, Cooks Illustrated online has an incredible wealth of tried and true recipes, techniques, and tips covering 14 years of back issues. The site also allows you to save favorite recipes, create menus, and print grocery lists. I’d highly recommend at least testing it out. There’s a 14 day free trial available. A full subscription costs $24.95 a year or if you already subscribe to the print edition the price drops to $19.95. PS: The cookies were seriously to die for!

One of my favorite actresses, Gwyneth Paltrow, is going to be shooting a cooking show with Mario Batali. Apparently the duo will travel around Spain this Fall while being filmed by PBS. How much do you want to bet that program ends up premiering during one of those pledge drives…

Have you tried the Bear Naked Trail Mix yet? I have no fewer than four kinds of their granola in my cupboard so I’m already a huge fan, but seriously Brendan and Kelly have out done themselves this time. The trail mix is absolutely delicious. I picked up a huge bag at Costco and I can’t stop picking at it. I keep putting it on progressively higher and higher shelves hoping to discourage my snacking but it just isn’t working. Yes, it’s that good! Definitely an office drawer must have for those 3 o’clock blues when you can’t focus on spreadsheets for one minute longer (and the potato chips in the vending machine are calling your name). Just remember to snack in moderation. 1/4 cup of nutty goodness has 140 calories.

Has anyone been able to find the new Heavenly Chocolate Granola yet? I keep hoping it will turn up at Whole Foods, but no luck yet.