Rachael Ray

On my quest for the perfect brownie recipe, I have discovered a new favorite in the past month. Peanut butter caramel swirled brownie - it is a delicious combo of creamy and slightly salty peanut butter, rich caramel and fudgy brownie. I have made these four times in the past two weeks - a good sign. These are best served cold from the fridge and small - if you can! Peanut Butter Caramel Swirled Brownie (adapted from a recipe by Bobby Flay) (Click here for printable recipe) Ingredients: 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural style) 1 tablespoon corn syrup Pinch salt 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into chunks 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 2 ounces bittersweet [...]...

I have been hearing more and more frequently about people consuming kombucha on a regular basis and how it is a wonder drink - it purifies you, energizes you, some claim it cures a hangover - or even cancer. It also is an acquired taste, according to most people. So what is kombucha? It is an effervescent, fermented drink made with yeast, tea, sugar, and bacteria. Although it’s sometimes referred to as kombucha mushroom tea, kombucha is not a mushroom — it’s a colony of bacteria and yeast. Kombucha tea is made by adding the colony to sugar and tea, and allowing the mix to ferment. The resulting liquid contains vinegar, B vitamins and a number of other chemical compounds. A cottage [...]...

My father-in-law is an incredible chef. He’s one of those culinary masters that has perfected the sleight of hand that, no matter how closely I watch him cook, sneaks something into every meal that makes me go “hhhmmm….what is that?”. A recent peek in his refrigerator revealed one such secret ingredient: the elusive green peppercorn. Green peppercorns live in the supermarket aisle of “all things pickled”, usually nestled as only one or two inconspicuous jars living between the capers. These less-acclaimed, younger and softer cousins of the well-known black peppercorn come packed in a vinegar brine to keep them preserved, otherwise they’ll go south very quickly after being picked. Unlike their dried black counterparts, these peppercorns can [...]...

I am 41 years old and how I didn’t know this is beyond me.  When I think of buckwheat, I think of pancakes and pancakes are usually made with flour, right?  I thought buckwheat was some kind of whole grain flour, but that’s not the case at all! Buckwheat is not a wheat at all, instead it is related to, of all things-rhubarb, sorrels and other weeds and flowers.  It is not a grain and not a wheat, it’s a seed!  I was so happy to hear that I might actual be able to eat something that feels bad for me, ie pancakes or crepes, but isn’t! The uses for buckwheat are endless, from using the groats to make porridge or kasha [...]...

Here is a salad to shake you out of the winter doldrums! It’s crunchy, it’s colorful, and it’s got a tangy-sweet dressing that will make even raw beets taste good. I happen to really like beets on their own, but their earthy taste benefits from being paired with fat and acid even more. For example, you will often find roasted beets in a salad with walnuts (sometimes candied) and goat cheese or blue cheese and a sherry vinaigrette dressing. The richness of the nuts and cheese at one end of the taste spectrum, and the bright flavor of the vinegar on the other lets the beets fall comfortably in the middle. This recipe has some hearty fats in it too, in the [...]...

This is post number three on my quest to broaden my culinary horizons this year. So far, I’m doing great (see how well non-resolutions work?). If you’ve been following along, so far I cooked with quinoa, miso paste and this week I tackled wheatberries. I have eaten them a few times at the Whole Foods Buffet but never attempted to make them at home myself. WOW, was I missing out!! These things are great! So come with me and let’s dive into this exciting and tasty grain together. What’s a Wheatberry? The term wheatberry or wheat berry refers to most of the wheat kernel (except for the hull) which consists of bran, germ and  endosperm. They are tan or slightly red in [...]...

So my Valentine’s Day went just as expected. My dog ate a pan of brownies that a customer had ordered from my baking business. We discovered we have a serious home pest issue and my husband and I spent the day with the exterminator (nothing says romance like the exterminator - and his bill). My Valentine’s Day family dinner prep took longer than expected and my kids were wound up by the time I got dinner on the table. Before the meal even started, my daughter spilled a giant glass of cranberry juice all over the table that was strewn with valentines. As we sat down, I suggested we all go around the table and say one small thing we loved about each [...]...

It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, so it’s the perfect time to whip up a batch of these Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. They are a great combination of a not-too-sweet chocolate cupcake perfectly complemented by a rich, sweet, cream cheese frosting. You will make a lot of sweethearts with these! Red Velvet Cupcakes (click here for printable recipe) (adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten) Ingredients For the cupcakes: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened best quality cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk, shaken 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs For the cream cheese frosting: 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 12 [...]...

It wasn’t until recently that I was introduced to malt soda.  Now that we’ve grown quite well acquainted, it’s hard to imagine a time in my life when such a treasure wasn’t there.  Tucked away with ready access in the Mexican or Latin foods aisle of the supermarket, malt soda (or “malta” as it’s referred to in Latin American countries) is basically beer that hasn’t been allowed to ferment.  Brewed from the same wheat, hops, barley, and water that go into the beer production process, this mixture is then sweetened, carbonated, and enjoyed most commonly over ice. The beautiful part about malta (well, one of the many beautiful parts) is that it’s a delicious, alcohol-free alternative for adding the depth of [...]...