Rachael Ray

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. [...]...

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 [...]...

With warmer weather in sight, we’re breaking out our cottons, lace and flip flops and packing away our cashmeres, wools and boots.  YEAH! But before you do that, I just wanted to share some tips to insure when cooler months return and you break out your fall and winter clothing from their summer hibernation, you don’t also find your fave cardigan sporting new holes courtesy of those flaky little pests AKA Moths! First a few facts about ‘em.  They: o HANG: in humid, dark corners and folds o COCOON: which enables them to blend into fabrics making then hard to spot o EAT: wool, fur, down, dander (i.e. dead skin from ye and Fido) o PROCREATE: they’re love machines and love to mate Regardless, the point [...]...

Four large russets. Is that is what my kitchen is being reduced to at this present moment, I thought? I looked in the refrigerator one last time, bit this was really it.  It is on days like this, that I am particularly thankful for a well-stocked pantry. My mother had trained me well.  With a full range of spices and canned tomatoes, there was no way dinner would be an after thought. One of the dishes I loved growing-up, was ‘tariwala alu’ – potatoes cooked in a  bold gravy of tomatoes and mustard seeds.  The dish uses a lot of spices from the South, with ingredients like curry leaves and black mustard seeds – benign looking black seeds that pop like [...]...

Last week, I posted a “Supermarket Score” blog with some new ideas for using up buttermilk.  One idea in particular – the homemade ricotta cheese – elicited some facebook comments and emails from some of my friends.  They were intrigued, but wanted to know more.  “It can’t be that simple to make at home!” some said.  “How do I know if I’m doing it right?” said others. Be not intimidated!  I’ve got a Play-By-Play coming your way to walk you through the whole thing so that you, too, can show off your own homemade ricotta cheese to your friends and family. GATHER YOUR EQUIPMENT & INGREDIENTS To make about 1 3/4 cups of fresh ricotta, you’ll need: · A medium saucepot · A fine-mesh strainer · [...]...

Last week I gave you the recipe for my new morning obsession: Almond, Chocolate Chip Oatmeal. This week, I want to share my newest breakfast love with you: Almond, Cocoa, Banana Blast. Are you seeing a pattern here? It’s no secret I love sweets and, well, I will sneak chocolate and almonds into anything I can so it should be no surprise that this recipe has a little cocoa powder in it. Anyway…a few months ago I became fascinated with the concept of smoothies you can “chew”. Sounds funny, I know! But I was never all that satisfied using a smoothie as a meal or snack because, well, I like to chew! I find the process of chewing very satisfying and the thought [...]...

I always took pride in the fact of my indifference to vegetables. If it didn’t have parents, I didn’t want to eat it. My hostillity to the whole plant kingdom was famous. But getting old and fat has weakened my resolve. And the sudden appearance, so sudden and unexpected, of some intensely gratifying vegetable dishes, has also eased my process of gender transformation. One person I have to thank for this is my friend Paul Denamiel. Paul is one of the last persons I would have ever expected to help me transition into a part-time plant eater. For one thing, Paul is the chef of Le Rivage, an old-school French restaurant where I have eaten often, and heartily, and [...]...

I got a call from Robbie Richter the other day. Robbie Richter is a New York barbecuer, and probably my oldest friend in meat. I’ve cooked with him, and drunk with him, and argued with him about the use of water pans, for ten years. His brother is my doctor. Now, after all these years, he is leaving for LA so we decided to cook one last blowout meal together. And we did. There were beef shortrib tacos, with a sriracha / kewpie mayo and a piquant Korean bbq sauce, and kim chee, and fresh cilantro; there was a jamaican jerk pork belly, which Robbie finished on the grill; there were some fantastic mojo-marinated chicken thighs. And there was a [...]...