Meredith, still hammering away at finalizing its purchase of Time Inc., nevertheless has time to sizzle up a new cookbook magazine launch.

The Hungry Girl magazine, in a joint venture with bestselling author and Food Network host Lisa Lillien, is launching with a spring issue on sale Jan. 16 with distribution of 225,000 and a cover price of $9.99. A second test issue will hit in May.

Meredith Group Publisher Scott Mortimer said, “Lisa’s brand, Hungry Girl, was digital along with books and was missing that magazine print component.”

Lillien, who began writing for Teen magazine, started her own blog 10 years ago and has since published 12 books — the most recent a No. 1 bestseller: “Hungry Girl: Clean & Hungry OBSESSED!”