Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 5h

The story, for reference. apnews.com/article/smuc...

Smucker sues Trader Joe's, saying its new PB&J sandwiches are too similar to Uncrustables

J.M. Smucker is suing Trader Joe’s, saying its new frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are too similar to Smucker’s Uncrustables in their design and packaging.

apnews.com

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 5h

Brb drafting a cease and desist for bad food puns on LinkedIn Uncrustables hot takes.

LinkedIn post that reads, "Smucker v. Trader Joe's: Is This Claim Legit or Just a Bit Crusty? The J.M. Smucker Co. just filed suit in the Northern District of Ohio against Trader Joe's, alleging that TJ's new Crustless Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches are a deliberate knockoff of Smucker's famous Uncrustables sandwiches."

LinkedIn post that reads, "Smucker's is suing Trader Joe's over a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It sounds nuts, but it is no joke. Smucker's says Trader Joe's crustless PB&J copies the look of Uncrustables and the 'round pie-like shape with distinct peripheral undulated crimping' registered trademark, right down to the round shape and crimped edges."

LinkedIn post that reads, "Trader Joe's is in a real jam. Smucker's just filed a federal lawsuit against Trader Joe's, accusing the store of selling an 'obvious copycat' version of its Uncrustables sandwiches. Smucker's holds a trademark protecting the sandwich's 'distinct pillow-like shape with peripheral undulated crimping.'"

LinkedIn post that reads, "A food fight has broken out... but it isn't in the cafeteria. Smucker's has sued Trader Joe's claiming its new peanut butter and jelly sandwiches look too much like its famous 'Uncrustables.' And this isn't your run-of-the-mill trademark case.

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 6h

🎃🥧 October 18: Betty Crocker's New Picture Cookbook (1961) has a... mild definition of "spicy."

To turn Autumn Pumpkin Pie into Spicy Pumpkin Pie, just swap sweetened condensed milk for evaporated, increase the cinnamon, and add a hint of cloves. I guess that's as close as you get to spicy in 1961.

Front cover of Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book. It has different pastel squares and rectangles blocked out, with photos and illustrations of food in each one, including a cherry pie, frosted layer cake, jar of cookies, roasted turkey, and bundle of produce.

Photo of Autumn Pumpkin Pie. It's a classic pumpkin pie on a decorative pedestal, with one slice removed. There are harvest fruits and vegetables on the table in the background.

Two different pie recipes. The first is Autumn Pumpkin Pie and the second is Spicy Pumpkin Pie. The main difference is that Autumn uses sweetened condensed milk, and a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, while the Spicy used evaporated milk and slightly more cinnamon, the same amount of nutmeg and ginger, and a tiny bit of ground cloves.

Line art illustration of a jack-o-lantern with a broomstick and three pumpkin muffins.

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 6h

If you're lucky it will be this kind of Dracula and you'll be spry in no time.

Screen grab from the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It's the scene where Peter is on stage performing his puppet Dracula musical, and the puppet Dracula is in the spotlight, with Peter dressed in black in shadows behind him.

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 6h

In addition to being coldhearted, this type of service just feels like a means to get personal information about elderly people so that they can use it to try to trick them into giving over passwords and banking information. It would be a treasure trove for scammers.

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 17h

Not surprising. I once actually had someone say to me (Re: printing locally) "Don't you want to make money?" And like, yeah, obviously, but ethics are also a factor - which apparently confuses some people? 😂

Reposted by Natalie Litofsky

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 6d

I find TV show screenshot accounts fun to follow, but it's frustrating that almost none use alt text. Most just put the episode number and/or title in the alt text and some don't use it at all.

It's not that much work to describe a scene and quote text, and I promise it matters for your audience.

Scene from the show Parks and Recreation facing characters at a conference table. Andy is sitting with head back and eyes closed, April is next to him with her hands up, and Ron is sitting next to her with his arms crossed looking annoyed. The caption is April saying, "Time is money, money is power, power is pizza, and pizza is knowledge."

1 3

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 18h

I've had to explain SO many times to people who tried to give me business "advice" that our books cost what they do because we oversee the entire process, including having set runs made from a local printer who we vetted for service and quality. (Also why they'll *never* find them on Amazon.)

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 19h

New insult just dropped.

Photo from the 19th Pillsbury Bake Off Cook Book, from 1968. It features a recipe for Taste-Me Nut Carrot Pudding, and next to it is a photo of what I think is the Easy Crust Cheese Cake that is mentioned further down the page.

2

Reposted by Natalie Litofsky

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

We're (finally) back with another episode of GHOULS IN THE HOUSE!

We take a look at FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES through the lens of the series as a whole, and pay our respects to the legendary Tony Todd.

Find us on the ATB website and all your favorite apps: www.atbpublishing.com/2025/10/15/e...

3 1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 1d

The Nintendo shop's section for Simulation games has been looking like that for months now. They can't even sell them at deeply-discounted prices, nobody wants them.

Screen shot of a row of 3 games in the Nintendo store. All 3 games look like they have AI-generated thumbnail images. The games are all discounted by 40%-50% and are all under $5. The games are Wrap Shop Simulator, Food Truck Kingdom, and Prison Life Sim 2025 - Survival. The Wrap Shop Simulator looks the worst, with a barely-clothed woman in a chef's hat and an apron, looking extra shiny and holding a comically-large wrap.

11

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 1d

🍎🥐 October 17: Pillsbury's Bake Off Cook Book (1970) is from the 21st competition.

Crescent Apple Snacks are canned dough wrapped around apple slices, deep fried, and rolled in cinnamon-sugar. It may seem simple, but it was tasty enough to take top prize in the Refrigerated Division that year.

Front cover of Pillsbury's Bake Off Cook Book: prize winning recipes from the 21st Bake Off. It features a photo of a slice of some sort of meat pie with lettuce on top.

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 1d

Fun fact: I finished up grad school during the last recession and I wrote my business card on the back of Monopoly money in a desperate attempt to be remembered at networking events.

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks so much! We joke all the time about my weird talent for developing sequels on the fly. I also have a knack for fixing movie endings that you never knew needed fixing. 😅

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 1d

*running into the church screaming* "IT'S A COOKBOOK!"

A row of recommended books at the bottom of a shopping page, with the title "You Might Also Enjoy." The books are, from left to right, The Magic of Jello, Joy of Jello Molds, The New Joys of Jell-O, Jell-O: A Biography, Holy Bible: King James Version, and More Joys of Jell-O.

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 1d

I'm considering starting a monthly Patreon-type thing where people sign up to get sent vintage stuff. Maybe toys or books or accessories, with a heavy emphasis on pop culture and nostalgia.

Is this something people would be interested in? If so, would you want a theme or pure randomness?

1 2

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

"Women don't like the vehicle."

Screen grab from the Daria episode "I Loathe a Parade." The character of Chuck is waving while riding in a parade in a crappy pink convertible with two blow-up dolls as backseat passengers. The words "Love Machine" are painted on the side in yellow letters, and a banner behind the car says "Lawndale Swingers." There is a crowd of people watching from the sidewalk.

3

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

0/10 would not play again

2

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

There's also this classic!

Screen grab from the Spider-Man classic cartoon, where Spider-Man is sitting at a desk in an office, with a framed portrait of himself as the only thing on the wall behind him.

1 2 23

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

The only time I watched Arachnophobia, many years ago, I was sitting alone in the dark, watching on network TV, and when I reached to turn down the volume during a commercial... a huge spider was crawling across the remote control.

I threw the remote across the room and never finished the movie. 😅

1 10

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

Sometimes we like to do a double feature with THE SHINING either preceded or followed by ROOM 237. It's a wild ride to watch them back-to-back. www.imdb.com/title/tt2085...

Room 237 (2012) ⭐ 6.2 | Documentary

1h 42m | Not Rated

www.imdb.com

1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

If any Japanese business or town or mountain or snack cracker or whatever would like to license me personally as a mascot, I feel confident we can spin my interests so they align with whatever your specialty is.

Mondo Mascots @mondomascots.bsky.social · 2d

Izunyan, a fashionable cat-like fairy who enjoys changing clothes and eating mandarin oranges, is the mascot for Izumiya Shopping Center in Osaka.

A white cat-like mascot with orange, green, and blue patches and a red love heart on its chest is standing in a park.

1 1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

🎃🍰 October 16: The Oster Kitchen Center Cookbook (1981) is designed to showcase their appliance's features.

This is a basic 1-bowl Pumpkin Cake with a basic Butter Cream Cheese Frosting you could probably make right now with ingredients already in your fridge/pantry. Oster Kitchen Center optional.

Front cover of the Oster Kitchen Center Cookbook. It features photos of dishes made using the various features of the multi-function appliance the cookbook is based around, including blended drinks, cakes, breads, roasted meat, and shredded salads.

Photo of Pumpkin Cake with Butter Cream Cheese Frosting on top. It's on a brown plate, with a fork resting on the side. In the background is a stoneware kettle and a glass mug with what appears to be hot apple cider with a lemon slice and cinnamon stick visible in the top.

Recipe for Pumpkin Cake includes pumpkin puree, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vegetable oil. It's a basic one-bowl mixer recipe where everything is blended together and then poured in a pan to bake.

Recipe for Butter Cream Cheese Frosting includes cream cheese, butter or margarine, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract. You cream them together and you get frosting. The recipe suggests using this frosting on spice cakes and cakes with fruit.

1 1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 2d

We're (finally) back with another episode of GHOULS IN THE HOUSE!

We take a look at FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES through the lens of the series as a whole, and pay our respects to the legendary Tony Todd.

Find us on the ATB website and all your favorite apps: www.atbpublishing.com/2025/10/15/e...

3 1

Natalie Litofsky @positivelynatalie.bsky.social · 3d

🎃🧀 October 15: TV Guide Celebrity Cookbook (1994 - Canadian edition) is a hodgepodge of both recipes and celebrities.

Come for the inedible-sounding Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe, stay for the "fun fact" that Regis Philbin loved to wear a horrifying mask and scare the crap out of trick-or-treaters.

Front cover of TV Guide Celebrity Cookbook: Anne Murray and a Galaxy of TV Stars Share Their Favorite Recipes. Unsurprisingly, it features a bland photo of Anne Murray.

Recipe page for Regis Philbin's Pumpkin Cheesecake. He's in the Hosts section of celebrities. A thumbnail photo of Regis is in the top corner, and the heading says, "Regis Philbin scares up a sweet treat for Halloween." Text on the page reads, "Regis Philbin doesn't scare easily. On camera each weekday as co-host of Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, he's seldom caught off guard. And at home in his New York apartment, Philbin remains fearless - even at Halloween. When scary little trick-or-treaters come to his door, he's become famous for donning a horrible face mask to scare the daylights out of them! However, Philbin did get a real scare, when an emergency angioplasty forced him to take a hard look at his diet. 'I cut down on a lot of the fat content in foods,' he says. But even the fit and feisty enjoy a rich-tasting dessert occasionally. This light Pumpkin Cheesecake is much lower in fat than most and is the perfect treat anytime. The recipe is from the daytime duo's second cookbook, 'Entertaining with Regis & Kathie Lee' (Hyperion, 1994)."

Photo of Pumpkin Cheesecake on a plate with decorative whipped cream on top. In the background are tiny pumpkins on the table.

Recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake includes egg whites, egg yolks, ricotta cheese, sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and icing sugar or whipped cream.

1 2