Rachael Ray

Sometimes, you just don’t want a full on dish for dinner. Whilst tucking in to a meal works well most nights, there are some nights you want a little freedom. Perhaps a beer and some think that doesn’t require a fork and knife. Last Wednesday was an evening like that for my husband. He wanted to chill and munch on something right form the couch. Salmon was already on the cards, only, instead of doing my Asian preparation, which involved oyster sauce and sticky rice, I decided to make fish sticks. These were no ordinary fish sticks that were flour-dredged, egg-dipped, bread-crumbed and fried. These sticks had so much oomph that he didn’t even need ketch-up or hot sauce on [...]...

Lunch duty is a trial-and-error (and trial by fire) sort of thing. Sometimes you just need to try things and hope you learn something along the way. So in that spirit, here are seven highs (and lows) I learned last week over at LunchBoxBlues.com. Purchased crepes only sound like a good thing. You know the ones I’m talking about. The grocers sell packages of them in the produce section. Got me thinking how creative and delicious it would be to wrap a few of those around some fruit and pop them in a lunch container. Except they act like sponges when wrapped around anything moist. Which means you end up with a big pile of mess by lunch. If you want [...]...

It’s no secret that I love oatmeal. I literally eat it all year round. I do however like to mix it up a bit as the weather warms up and make a chilled version of my favorite breakfast food. The best part is, it’s not only super quick to toss together, it can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This recipe is wide open to interpretation. In fact, I encourage you to play around with your favorite dried fruits and nuts and even spices. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination, so go wild!! Every  ingredient in this recipe is wholesome so it’s the perfect way [...]...

Half the fun of discovering a new restaurant is sharing it with people you know will enjoy it. As Rachael Ray’s resident restaurant guru, here’s an inside look at what I report back to Rach about some of my favorite restaurant finds and food experiences! From: Kappy To: RR Sent: Friday, May 10, 2013 10:42am Subject: A Meaningful Dinner in DC Hey Rach - As you know, I went from your high school alma mater’s fundraiser in Lake George to DC to visit my good friend, Jason. He’s the one I told you about - we went to culinary school together in New York and then on to hospitality school in Miami. And then? He joined the Army. He’s been around the world, most recently returning [...]...

My children attend public school in New York state, not too far from New York City, so it shouldn’t surprise me that we have a diverse student body.  But when we sent out a survey asking where the parents of the students were born, we heard of 35 different countries!  We sent the survey as part of something we call International Day-every other year we dedicate a whole Saturday to celebrating foods and cultures from around the globe. We wanted to make sure as many countries as possible were represented, so we sent out the survey and then of course asked the parents to volunteer on International Day to cook and serve foods from their native lands or ancestry. The [...]...

Last weekend, we hosted a sleep-over. All I could hear was giggling, little feet tip-toeing when they should have been tucked in a blanket, and lots of giggling. It was late, but why would I challenge their pixie moment? In keeping with their spirit, I decided to make a fun little breakfast for them. Cookie-Crusted French Toast. Since I also had a moral obligation to their mothers for being somewhat nutritious, I felt this was a good middle ground. This dish works with any cookies you have at home. All you needs is a few crushed cookies, bread, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla essence. Whilst the cookies add a playful edge, not to mention texture, there is another ingredient that takes [...]...

A few months ago I made the commitment to myself to eat healthier and exercise more. I am proud to say I’ve been doing great! It is never easy to take care of yourself when you also have a family to care for, but I reached the point where I knew it was essential to take charge of my own life and work on “me” for a change. And let’s face it, if mama ain’t happy, ain’t no one gonna be happy, amiright? I’m happy to say that I’ve lost a few LBS and am feeling great thanks to weight training and a vow to eat cleaner, which means sticking to higher protein, good carbs and no processed foods at all. [...]...

Half the fun of discovering a new restaurant is sharing it with people you know will enjoy it. As Rachael Ray’s resident restaurant guru, here’s an inside look at what I report back to Rach about some of my favorite restaurant finds and food experiences! From: Kappy To: RR Sent: Monday, May 6, 2013 1:32pm Subject: Ramen in Wicker Park… and a Brewpub Dear RR - I know that you and I both love a good, hot bowl of soup on a cold day or night, but me… ramen is my jam! I’m not a snob about it, but I sure do love a flavorful broth with great noodles! Oiistar is a new place in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, not far from my apartment. [...]...

With the help of nothing more than a large whole-wheat tortilla, I can turn just about anything into lunch box-friendly sushi. Well, perhaps “sushi” overstates it a bit. But I can create sushi-like bites that are easy to pack, fun and nutritious. And so can you. And the best part — no raw seafood needed. The first time I tried this was with a banana. I’d planned to make my son a peanut butter and banana wrap for lunch. So I smeared peanut butter over one side of a tortilla, popped a banana onto it and rolled it up. Trouble was, it didn’t fit in the containers I usually pack his lunch in. So I cut it in half. When I looked at [...]...