Seinfeld cookbook resembles earlier one

NEW YORK, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- New York comedian Jerry Seinfeld's wife published a book on tricking children into healthy eating a few weeks after a similar cookbook appeared in stores.

Readers have noted that Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" and Missy Chase Lapine's "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals" have quite a lot in common, The New York Daily News reported. Both authors, for example, recommend spiking mashed potatoes with pureed cauliflower. While Seinfeld suggests mixing pureed butternut squash into macaroni and cheese, Lapin offers white bean puree.

HarperCollins agreed to publish the Seinfeld book after rejecting Lapin's, which was published by Running Press. Steve Ross, Seinfeld's publisher, said the company thought the Lapine book was too similar to one already on its list -- and, of course, did not have a celebrity name as author, although Lapine is the woman behind BabySpa, a line of natural baby products.