As you may have noticed, I have something of a weakness for vintage cookbooks. I like seeing how women were cooking (and it was almost always women doing the home cooking back in those days) in the few generations before I was born. I like the pictures, which typically range from quirky and appealing to downright stomach-turning (that cherry pie doesn't look particularly appetizing).

This Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book, which is the second edition and was published in 1956 (to see covers of all editions of this book, click here), satisfies my vintage cookbook needs on a lot of levels. It starts you out with a photographic tour of the modernly decorated offices and workspaces of the Betty Crocker kitchens (complete with faux living room) and then moves you into the basic recipes and meal plans. There are pictures throughout the text, but more often you come across helpful diagrams and line drawings, some very reminiscent of the illustrations found in my preferred edition of the Joy of Cooking (late sixties/early seventies, with the white dust jacket and turquoise fabric underneath).

Beyond all that though, it is a useful and still-applicable cookbook. It has pie crust recipes which aren't particularly different from many of those available today. It has temperature guides for roasting meats and offers an assortment of menus that help you get dinner on the table fast (whether you're doing your cooking in 1956 or 2008).

General Mills has very strict advertising guidelines. They "consistently [avoid] advertising on programming that contains graphic violence, excessive sexual content and foul language," to much applause from consumer groups. It is the newest change to that policy, however, has those groups almost cheering aloud. The company has said that it will no longer advertise certain products, those that are considered to be unhealthy or high-calorie, to children. If a product contains more than 175 calories per serving, it will not be advertised to children under 12 via TV ads, movie tie-ins, internet content or using licensed cartoon characters. On top of that, "every product also must be considered 'healthy' or provide an important childhood nutrient, as measured by government guidelines." They will continue to use characters, including the Trix rabbit and the popular Dora the Explorer, to promote their other cereals, as the company has done for decades.

It is a bold step for the company, as it means that they might lose market-share to competitors in this area, but if parents applaud the move as much as the consumer groups, it might encourage some of them to stick with the brand in support.

Kellogg's is planning to raise prices and decrease package sizes for its ready-to-eat boxed cereals this fall. The cereal giant is expected to increase its marketing budget, or at least maintain it, to make sure that customers keep buying their products in spite of pricing changes. After all, they have to convince the consumer that it is worth paying more money for less cereal for their profits to remain the same.

But is it worth it? The two main reasons that people eat cold cereal are convenience and price. A bowl of cereal takes seconds to prepare and you can get several meals out of one box. But, if given all the time and luxury of a relaxing Sunday, cereal might not be the first thing that breakfasters would reach for. A small price hike, about 2%, might not make a big difference in buying habits, but it will certainly set the stage for other cereal companies to follow in the footsteps of the largest cereal company and could even lead to further changes in pricing. When consumers realize that they are getting less than what they think they're paying for, some might stop buying cereal on a regular basis and the companies could be hurt more in the long run.