Cookie dough may taste great but be warned: It's making people sick

I'm sad to tell you the newest food recall involves one of my very favorite foods: Nestle Toll House Cookies.

Friday Nestle recalled 300,000 cases of cookie dough including refrigerated cookie bar dough, cookie dough tub, cookie dough tubes, limited edition cookie dough items, seasonal cookie dough and Ultimates cookie bar dough. It includes chocolate chip dough, gingerbread, sugar and peanut butter dough and other varieties. The recall occurred after 66 reports of E-coli were reported in 28 states. All the infected people consumed raw cookie dough.

According to the story I read, "The FDA advised consumers to throw away any Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their homes and asked retailers, restaurateurs and other foodservice operations not to sell or serve any of the products. "This has been a very quickly moving situation," Nestle spokeswoman Roz O'Hearn said, adding the company took action within 24 hours of learning of the problem. O'Hearn said the company will "cooperate fully" with the FDA's investigation."

According to the Nestle website, "Consumers who have purchased these products should not consume them. Instead, we are asking that consumers return these products to their local grocer for a full refund. We invite consumers with questions to contact Nestlé Consumer Services at 1-800-559-5025 and visit our web site at www.verybestbaking.com.

The products involved in the voluntary recall include all varieties of Nestlé TOLL HOUSE refrigerated Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub; Cookie Dough Tube; Limited Edition Cookie Dough items; Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough. Variety information is included in the list below."

Description Consumer

Unit Code (UPC)
Nestle Toll House Cookie &
Brownie Dough
COOKIE & BROWNIE DOUGH BAR
Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz 0
50000 62231 3
Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz 0 50000 11308 8
Chocolate Chunk
bar 16.5oz 0 50000 62235 1
Walnut Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz 0 50000 62233 7
Jumbo Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz 0 50000 62237 5
Oatmeal Raisin bar
16.5oz 0 50000 06219 5
Sugar Cookies bar 16.5oz 0 50000 62244 3
Sugar
Cookies bar 16.5oz 0 5000012178 6
Mini Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz 0 50000
62242 9
Mini Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz 0 5000012188 5
Mini Brownie Bites
bar 16oz 0 50000 62227 6
Fudgy Brownie With Peanut Butter Filling 19oz 0
50000 00820 9

COOKIE DOUGH TUB
Chocolate Chip tub 40oz 0 50000 62246
7
Chocolate Chip tub 80oz (5 lb) 0 50000 00934 3
Sugar tub 40oz. 0 50000
62253 5
Gingerbread tub 40oz 0 50000 44060 3
Peanut Butter tub 40oz 0
50000 44062 7

TUBE (CHUB) DOUGH
Chocolate Chip tube 16.5oz 0 50000
62239 9
Chocolate Chip tube 32oz 0 50000 00400 3

ULTIMATES COOKIE
BAR DOUGH
Ultimates Peanut Butter Cups, Chips & Chocolate Chunks bar
16oz 0 50000 00922 0
Ultimates White Chip Macadamia Nut bar 16oz 0 50000
00923 7
Ultimates Chocolate Chip & Chunks with Pecans bar 16oz 0 50000
00925 1
Ultimates Chocolate Chip Lovers 16oz 0 50000 00926 8
Ultimates
Turtles bar 16oz 0 50000 00928 2
Ultimates Peanut Butter Lovers bar 16oz 0
50000 00507 9
Ultimates Chocolate Chip with Caramel Filling bar 16oz 0 50000
44066 5
Ultimates Chocolate Chip with Chocolate Filling bar 16oz 0 50000
44069 6

SEASONAL COOKIE & BROWNIE DOUGH
Valentine Hearts Sugar
Cookie Shapes 15.5oz 0 50000 12009 3
Valentine Swirled Chocolate Chip bar
16oz 0 50000 00931 2
Fudgy Brownies With Raspberry Filling 19oz 0 50000
20090 0
Easter Eggs Sugar Cookie Shapes 15.5oz 0 50000 52009 1
Easter
Swirled Chocolate Chip bar 16oz 0 50000 00932 9
Easter Swirled Mini Brownie
Bites bar 18 oz 0 50000 20093 1
Red, White & Blue Swirled Choc Chip bar
16oz 0 50000 00937 4
Halloween Pumpkin Pals Sugar Cookies 13.5oz 0 50000
06217 1
Halloween Swirled Chocolate Chip bar 16oz 0 50000 00929 9
Halloween Swirled Fudgy Brownies bar 18oz 0 50000 00088 3
Christmas
Shapes Sugar Cookies 15.5oz 0 50000 00505 5
Christmas Swirled Chocolate Chip
bar 16oz 0 50000 00930 5
Christmas Swirled Fudgy Brownies bar 18oz 0 50000
00089 0
Limited Edition Mint Swirled Chocolate Chip 16oz 0 50000 00827 8

Discontinued Varieties
Valentine Hearts Sugar Cookies 13.5oz 0 50000
44056 6
Easter Brownie Bar 18oz 0 50000 00518 5
Easter Bunnies Sugar
Cookies 13.5oz 0 50000 44058 0
Halloween Sugar Shapes 15.5oz 0 50000 00829 2
Christmas Sugar Cookie Tube 16oz 0 50000 00448 5
Oatmeal Cranberry
Cookie Tub 48 oz. 0 50000 62229 0

So I guess my mother was right; I shouldn't eat raw cookie dough. None of us should (I know it's terribly hard NOT to eat it....it's so delicious). The website also said not to cook the dough and eat it believing you will then be safe from the E-coli. While it's true cooking does destroy the bacteria, anything that the dough has come in contact with (your hands, the counter, a knife) will have the bacteria on it and you can still become ill. My advice would be to just return it to the store and get your money back. I know that's what I would do.

By the way, haven't I mentioned how scared I am becoming of food? I don't mean ALL food but I mean it when I say one of these days I'll grow or raise everything I eat. It's just too scary to trust that all the food I buy is safe. Cookie dough. Imagine that.

Adam is MY American Idol

Ok, I know I'm a little late in posting about the outcome of this year's American Idol and I'm sorry about that...it's not my fault LOL

Anyway...

Even though I'm late, I have quite a bit to say. I know, I know; when DON'T I have quite a bit to say...

So about a week before the finale, my sister and I were driving down the road and we heard a "spot" on the radio station that was set to the tune of The Clash song Should I Stay or Should I Go (I'm actually NOT sure that's the name of the song but I'm pretty sure you know which song I'm talking about). The part of the song that went "So come on and let me know; should I come in or should I go?" was changed to "Adam Lambert let us know; which way do you go?". We were both appalled.

I mean, I know that people are obsessed with other people's personal lives. All you have to do is turn on the radio or TV or pick up a People magazine and that sad fact is proven. Regardless of that knowledge it still shocked us. Here was a major radio station (K-Hits out of Houston) and they were encouraging the gossip that spread throughout the final shows of American Idol concerning Adam's sexuality. They were continuing it. I think that's crap.

Since when is American Idol a MORAL competition? I was under the impression that it was a SINGING competition. I'm really disappointed that so many people used the singers personal lives as a deciding factor. I was born in the 60's. I grew up on great (in my opinion) music performed by people that I had no idea what their personal lives were about. I didn't care if Freddie Mercury was gay. I didn't care what David Bowie did when he was off stage. All I cared about was their music. The music was the point not any of that other stuff.

I am so proud of the way Adam has handled all of this. He is a true winner in my eyes. In a People magazine interview he said "It's a really, really cool thing, to be able to show people that you can be yourself, and you should be proud of yourself, and you should own who you are and what you're about, and never make apologies for it." So to those who speculate about his sexuality, he has a message. "Calm down," he says, and "keep speculating." I think that's cool.

I am NOT trying to say bad things about Kris Allen. Not one bit. I think he did alright. I wasn't blown away by him but he didn't make me cringe either. There is some controversy now over AT&T giving out free phones with text packages at Kris Allen A.I. parties. If that really happened then I'm upset about that too. I think it should be a FAIR competition no matter who the winner is.

But like I said, he didn't make me cringe. I think he'll do fairly well in the country music business (which means I'll probably never hear him. I like old country but this new stuff isn't my cup of tea) or in the style of Jack Johnson (which means I may hear him because Jack Johnson is one of the flavors of tea I enjoy...sorry about the tea analogy lol I'm not sure where that came from...) But I don't believe Kris will be even close to the star that Adam will become. I just think he's easily forgettable and quite honestly I can't even remember what his voice sounds like at this moment. That's not a good way to become famous.

So, I believe Kris needed to win to be able to just get his foot in the music business door. I did hear a rumor that he already had an album (from 2007) but I can't find anything about it online so I'm treating that as it is...a rumor. I don't put much effort into believing rumors.

Back to my point (yes, I have one)... I believe Adam will be around for a long time. I saw him on The Early Show this morning and he was as amazing as ever. I'm just really proud of him. As soon as his album comes out I'm buying it!!

So congratulations to Kris Allen for winning American Idol and congratulations to Adam Lambert for winning my heart. I think they both did well but as I've said many, many times before today: Adam Lambert is already a superstar in my world!! Keep on rockin!

An update....kind of...

So maybe you've noticed that I haven't been here for awhile...I sure do miss it. I decided to steal borrow my sister's computer for a little bit. I'm not sure if that was one of my best ideas; it's only reminded me how much I love and miss my computer and everything and everyone that's in it. Hopefully it won't be much longer before I can be here all the time again. (Maybe by then I'll be able to tell you what's been going on. Maybe.)

I also got to catch up on my news & TV a little.

I'm happy Victor and Tammy won The Amazing Race (even though I REALLY wanted Margie and Luke to win...and the ending seemed like a huge let down to me. Is it just me? Did y'all think it was boring? I've seen some great ending to The Amazing Race and I just think that that wasn't one of them.) I'm very excited to see Adam Lambert in the finals on American Idol (and I still can't stand Kara in case you were wondering). I still believe he's going to win it. I'm VERY excited about Paula and Danny being the final two on Hell's Kitchen. I like both of them a lot so either one would be great to win. The ones I hated are out of the competition but a few were brought back for the final cookoff. We'll see how that goes. I figure it'll be crazy. Cool. :)

I was sad to read that both Bea Arthur and Dom DeLuise passed away. They were both a part of my life for a long time. Bea Arthur first came into my life in the 70's as Maude and then in the 80's as Dorothy on one of my all time favorite shows, The Golden Girls. She died at home on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from cancer.

I can't remember a time that I didn't know who Dom DeLuise was. It seems like he was a "movie star" my whole life. He always made me laugh (even when he was just a voice in a cartoon). My favorite character that he potrayed has to be Captain Chaos in the movie Cannonball Run. When he would say he was going to get "HIM", I would laugh until I practically cried (I never said I was normal..). He died on May 4, 2009 at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He was hospitalized at the time, suffering from kidney failure and respiratory problems following a long battle with cancer according to Wikipedia.

Well, I guess that's about all from here for now but like I said, I hope to be back on a regular basis very soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Take care everyone.