Rachael Ray

Dear Cooks: I have a 5 year old who has very bad food allergies. Here is a list of things that my son can not have or things that is made with it: wheat, eggs, dairy, sea food, peanuts, tree-nuts. With me packing his lunch every day for school I’m fresh out of ideas. I was wondering if you had any new cool ideas/recipes so I can stop boring my 5 year old. Thanks - Mom of Kid with Allergies Dear MOKW: We have some ideas for your son’s lunch recommended from a mom whose son has allergies too. Corn flour tortillas are readily available and a great platform for wraps or quesadillas. Rice is also a great solution and you can buy bread [...]...

Dear Cooks: I look at Rach’s daily morning program everyday. Thanks for your meals/recipes and ideas. I want to know whether I can freeze a homemade cheesecake? and for how long? Thanks, Cyndi Dear Cyndi: You are in luck - cheesecakes freeze incredibly well. To freeze, place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag.  Seal and return to freezer. It can be frozen for several months. Thaw the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight. Always garnish your cheesecake (with berries, whipped cream, whatever you like) just prior to serving. Click here for a simple cheesecake recipe from King Arthur Flour. ...

Dear Cooks: How about some ideas for using an overabundance of lettuce? We get a lot of lettuce in our CSA box and just can’t eat it all before the next week. Thanks, Lettuce Lover Dear LL: Here are a few quick ideas on how to use your lettuce, beyond salad: Replace a bun with lettuce to wrap your favorite burger or sandwich. Make a quick lettuce soup topped with homemade croutons. For the soup, in a large pot, sautee 2 chopped shallots in a drizzle of EVOO until soft. Add 4 cups chicken or veg stock and one peeled and chopped russet potato and simmer until the potato is tender - 15-20 minutes. Add 6 cups torn lettuce and 1/2 cup fresh herbs of your choice (basil, parsley, [...]...

How many times do you go to the grocery store with the best intentions, loading up the cart with fresh produce and other perishables, only to look in the fridge a few days - or weeks - later to find unused, wilted fruits and veggies? You are not alone. It’s estimated that Americans discard an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption each year, according to a government study. It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American. That’s a pretty sad statement, given both how many hungry people there are in the world and the rising cost of food. So next time you look in your fridge, save the food that’s about to turn! [...]...

Popovers are like magic. You take a few simple ingredients - all of which you probably have on hand - and poof, out comes puffed golden airy beautiful buttery deliciousness. When it comes to popovers, it’s all about timing. You have to eat them quickly (honestly, it’s mandatory)  before they collapse like a souffle so have the softened butter and jam handy.  I had a childhood friend whose grandmother would make popovers for a casual weeknight dinner and I was blown away. I figured they must be so difficult when in fact now I know how easy they actually are. Popover pans are about $15-$30 for 6 or 12 cup pans but if  you don’t own a popover pan, you [...]...

For the past ten plus years my husband and I have taken a weekend afternoon in late summer and made pesto, assembly line style. Depending on how much basil we have (from plants in our yards, pilfered from his mother’s, or if our plants had a bad year, local basil from the grocery store), we make anywhere from 12-20 bags of pesto with one bag saucing one pound of pasta or two pizzas. It has become a tradition, and last Sunday was Pesto Day 2011. Here is how we do it. My pesto recipe is from the first cookbook I ever had - The Silver Palate by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (still one of my favorites). While most pestos have pine [...]...

Dear Cooks: Is it safe to eat potatoes when the eyes have sprouted? I have heard that they can be poisonous but have a hard time believing it - what’s the scoop? Thanks, Bob A. Dear Bob: A sprout of any size can be toxic, but you’d have to eat many sprouts to get sick. Potato sprouts are considered toxic due to their potentially high concentration of glycoalkaloids, which can exert their toxic effects on the nervous system by interfering with the body’s ability to regulate acetylcholine, a chemical responsible for conducting nerve impulses. Phew - got that? In addition, when potatoes sprout, the starch in the potatoes is converted into sugar. If the potato is firm, it has most of the nutrients intact and can be [...]...

Grease happens. Whether you are frying bacon or chicken, you are left with a hot mess. Do you ever wonder what exactly you are supposed to do with it? Save it? Toss it? Freeze it? Here is the scoop on disposing leftover cooking fat or oil: Do not pour down the drain. I repeat, do not pour down the drain. It will eventually solidify and clog your pipes and drain. Yuck. You can let the grease cool and pour into an old mason jar or coffee can and toss in the trash. If you don’t want to waste an old container, place it in a bowl or other container, freeze or let harden in the fridge, and then scoop out the grease into a [...]...

Dear Cooks: This may sound like a silly question, but can nectarines always be used as a substitute for peaches? They seem interchangeable. Thanks! Sue A. Dear Sue: You are correct - they are interchangeable. A nectarine is basically a bald peach and can be used as a substitution for peaches in recipes. Many people prefer nectarines because they don’t like the fuzzy texture of a peach. Also nectarines tend to be firmer, sweeter and more aromatic than their fuzzy cousins. Here are some facts about peaches and nectarines from the University of Rhode Island Landscape and Horticultural Program website: Peaches provide antioxidant vitamins A and C along with potassium and fiber. Nectarines provide twice the amount of vitamin A and slightly more vitamin C [...]...