Rachael Ray

Who knew today was National Rum Day?  I sure didn’t until a friend sent me a bottle of Santa Teresa Venezuelan sipping rum.  She is working with the company so she turned me on to a few recipes people have created using the rum as a mixer but encourages people to drink it straight up as well.  I tried the rum and it is delicious and rich tasting-it is not too sweet but also not too dry like my other favorite rum, to be revealed in a moment. Here’s the Hemingway Daiquiri from Steve Schneider of the Macao Trading Co in NYC, courtesy of Santa Teresa rum: Ingredients 1 3/4 ounce Santa Teresa 1796 rum 3/4 ounce fresh grapefruit juice 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice 1/2 [...]...

Last night I spotted this giant lump crab meat at the market and without thinking snatched it up. Instinctively I thought about crab cakes but really didn’t want something so breaded and fried for dinner.  It’s summer and it’s hot, so I wanted something a little refreshing but substantial. I decided to buy fresh, short pasta to match the size of the crab chunks so my dish would be easiest to eat. As Marcella Hazan once said in quoting someone else who I can not remember (it’s in her book, Amarcord), “The pasta and sauce should fit as well as a man and his suit.”  Or something like that.  I can’t remember the exact line, but I remember its meaning, which [...]...

Want to impress your friends and family or just learn a little bit more about grilling?  Take note of what Pat has to say,  and believe me, he knows meat! Pat LaFrieda is a fourth generation butcher and provides meat to over 1,000 restaurants in New York City and beyond.  His family business is featured on the hit Food Network show MEAT MEN.  Pat also has an app where he shares everything you need to know about meat.  Pat LaFrieda’s Big App for Meat is available on iTunes.  Get it today! Buying Tips 1.       Odor over color - Fresh meat should practically be odorless. If you get home and open the package and it has a slight [...]...

I have been making meatballs my entire adult life and I am 41.  I didn’t learn as a child, tied to my mother’s apron strings as some would like to fantasize the Italian girl’s rearing to be, mostly because I didn’t like meatballs or the idea of them until I became an adult.  As a child they grossed me out, as did most of my favorite foods of today (sardines, tomatoes) so I steered clear of eating or learning about them until I hit 20. When the time was right, I learned easily how to make a meatball (second nature), but for years have been changing and rewriting my recipe and the more I tinkered with it, the worse my meatballs [...]...

Last night I was somehow inspired to make Pad Thai, no idea why.  I think because I had seafood on my mind and knew I had a bag of frozen jumbo shrimp in my freezer. By the way, what a key ingredient to have on hand for a quick meal.  Yes, you could go to the fish market and get fresher shrimp, but guess what?  I’m pretty certain they were all previously frozen. So if you find a brand you like, the frozen bag is a good short cut to have on hand. All of the other ingredients were pretty basic, I just needed to pick up rice noodles.  I took Rachael’s recipe and improvised by using grated carrots and scallions [...]...

Won Ton Soup is one of those things that I crave and is on my list of top ten comfort foods.  Who doesn’t love the slippery noodles and comforting chicken broth? Those little chewy pieces of pork with the red edges (why?) and the floating scallions?  What I used to get in a Chinese restaurant was probably a fast food equivalent of the real thing, but I love this soup and so does my family so I decided to make my own version at home.  I am not trying to claim to be an expert in cooking Chinese cuisine, but to make a knock off that resembles the restaurant version is okay by me for a quick fix and a [...]...

I really hate artificial anything, especially knowing what we all know now about the effects overly processed foods have on our bodies.  We also know how much better fresh food tastes-think about fresh from the farm, hormone-free milk in glass bottles as opposed to non-organic milk in plastic jugs from the grocery store.  The low fat organic, antibiotic and hormone-free milk tastes so rich and creamy, it’s better than store bought whole milk.  It’s also sweet and fuller-flavored. I also always like to look for the more economical way of doing things and ones that don’t involve tin cans. Alas, I decided this weekend to make a few things on my own, starting with Vanilla Extract. This couldn’t be easier.  [...]...

This snack couldn’t be easier.  I was tinkering with puff pastry and crab meat making a crab puff appetizer when I realized how much I love puff pastry in general.  So I decided to try a few alternate uses and they were all heavenly delicious. Inspired by Pepperidge Farm’s own website, here were my variations: Roasted Tomatoes Take cherrys or plums and cut them in half, toss with EVOO, sea salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet, along with sliced onion for about 1/2 hour.  Check them at this point as I let mine go too long and they not only burned but ruined the sheet pan.  If you want them a little drier, keep going but don’t overdo it. Sauteed [...]...

This past weekend, I made a few of my most requested desserts for a party I was having, plus I threw in a chocolate pudding when I needed another dessert at the last minute.  All were delicious and so easy. Aunt Rachel’s Rum Cake My Aunt Rachel used to make this cake all the time when I was growing up and I would devour it.  It is so sweet and salty at the same time and deliciously moist.  You really do need to use a dark rum to make it taste best.  The recipe originally came from Bacardi, so if you can, use their dark rum, 80 proof.  Here is the recipe from Bacardi: 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 1 package  yellow [...]...