Rachael Ray

I’m Italian and we LOVE our stuffed mushrooms, but for some reason we only seem to make them around the holidays. In my opinion, it’s a crime to only make them once or twice a year when they’re so delicious and not at all difficult to make. Well, last week I decided to change all that when some yummy portobellos caught my eye at the market. I knew they would be the perfect excuse to try and make a dinner sized portion of my beloved stuffed mushroom. I tweaked my basic recipe and gave them a Greek flare by using spinach and feta as a flavoring for ground chicken. Yum, right? These mushrooms are SUPER in size and flavor. The recipe [...]...

My husband and I love throwing parties. Well, er…that was BK (Before Kids). Nowadays, we still enjoy throwing a good soiree, but they’re definitely few and far between and much more chill than in our single days. It’s cool because having kids forces you to rework a lot of things in life and your social life is definitely one of them. Our parties have gone from more formal dinner parties, with a few friends to bigger (everyone’s invited). We found that the more casual affairs allow us to see many friends at one time which is great since everyone’s time is always limited these days and we don’t get to see people as much as we used to. We streamlined our [...]...

I just made the most insane cookies yesterday! I HAD to share this recipe with you ASAP because it’s THAT good. I’m a cookie freak. No. Seriously. If I had to choose one dessert to have for the rest of my life, cookies would be it. I spend a lot of my time creating and perfecting cookie recipes, like this one and this one and my mind is constantly consumed with different cookie combinations and flavor ideas. What can I say? I’m a bit of a cookie monster. Lucky for you, eh? This was the case yesterday. I had no intention of baking anything and my day had already been a flurry of insanity and craziness, so I wasn’t really in [...]...

Remember a few weeks ago when I gave you a recipe for a slammin’ Quinoa Muffin and wrote about how I wasn’t a fan of New Years resolutions ? Well, if you remember that, you should also remember that in lieu of a proper and oh-so restrictive resolution, I made a promise to myself to incorporate more healthy items into mine and my family’s every day diet and with that also try some new foods. Well…have I got a new one for you—Miso Paste! What is Miso Paste? Miso paste is a lovely word for fermented soybean paste. This savory paste is a staple in Japanese cuisine and believe it or not is made by adding a yeast mold (known as “koji”), salt [...]...

As a work-at-home mom of two, I rarely if ever have a chance to sit down and eat breakfast or lunch. And after the birth of my second son last year, I got into the bad habit of not eating breakfast at all. Bad idea. This year, I made promise to take better care of myself, because as the saying goes, “If mama ain’t happy (and in this case, healthy), ain’t no one gonna be happy”. So true, right? : ) I decided that starting with my eating habits was a good way to begin my “take better care of mama” year. Anyone who has kids knows it’s virtually impossible to try and sit down for every meal, even though one [...]...

Well, it’s almost the end of the first week in January. How are we all doing on our resolutions? You over this whole resolution thing yet? Me too! Actually, I don’t care for New Years resolutions. Never did.  They always come with a lot of guilt and this “all or nothing” mentality which, if you ask me, is basically a one way ticket to disaster-ville. So, instead of resolving to do something drastic like “swearing off dessert for eternity”, I much prefer to use the start of a new year as a way to refresh, rejuvenate and take stock of what needs a little work in my life. No guilt. No hard restrictions. No failure. Am I right? This year rather [...]...

After New Years many of us make a resolution to eat lighter and even strive to lose some weight in the new year. Making a resolution to take better care of your body and get in shape is never a bad thing. Except for one thing: leftover pannettone!!! If you’ve ever had the stuff, you know, there’s no way you’re starting a diet with a leftover hunk of that lying around the house. No Italian house is complete during the holidays without at least one box of Panettone lying around. For those of you who have no clue as to what I’m talking about, Panettone is a type of sweet bread/cake that is one of the symbols of Milan Italy. It’s most commonly [...]...

WARNING!  THIS POST IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! My oldest child is three this Christmas and it’s a lot of fun because he’s finally beginning to understand Christmas and all of it’s traditions. Together we are really enjoying our advent calendar and the Elf on The Shelf. I find those Christmas activities to be a festive way to get your kids excited about Christmas while, giving them something fun to do during those exciting days before the big day. In the case of the advent calendar, I feel it’s a great way to give kids too young to understand the concept of time and patience a more concrete and visual way to count down the days until Santa arrives. Plus, I really [...]...

Is everyone as behind as I am with the holiday shopping this year? I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the fact that this year I have two kids instead of one or maybe it’s just because I dread going into stores this time of year. I love giving gifts, I just hate the chaos that is shopping around the holidays. Regardless…I still have a lot of presents to get and the thought it can be quite overwhelming. You too? Glad I’m not alone. Lucky for you (and me), I have a plan! This year, to minimize my stress level and help me check quite a few people off of my (ever growing) list, I decided to make a lot more edible gifts. [...]...