Rachael Ray

I have never liked Mondays - back to school, back to work, the weekend is over. You would think I would feel differently now that I work from home, but oh no, I still suffer from the Monday blues. My older daughter has inherited this attitude - or more like she has observed her mother who is not setting a very positive example - shouldn’t we be taking the week by storm? seizing the day? Oh well. Is it Tuesday yet? Instead I decided we should embrace our least favorite day of the week and try to do something fun. I told my daughter we would bake something special on Monday nights so at least one good thing could come out [...]...

We were recently at a friend’s house for dinner and when we walked in a platter of heart-shaped Jello cutouts were on the counter, beautifully displayed. My kids went bananas - they have only had Jello of the store-bought cup variety at our house - they had never seen these before (You would have thought it was a platter of caviar. Not that most kids like caviar. At least not my kids. They haven’t had caviar. I digress. Maybe a platter of hot fudge sundaes).  I remember having something similar at a friend’s house when I was little but her mother called them Knox Blocks and they were cut in squares, not cookie-cutter shaped. We made some at home this week [...]...

March is tomorrow, perhaps my least favorite month. You think the winter is over, but oh no. It seems to go on, and on, and on. I am ready to put my boots away, yet I am fooling myself, I will most likely be pulling them out in April. I wanted the snow in January, yet it was no where to be found, it was waiting for March. I tend to do a lot of baking in the ho-hum days of March, and these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting will brighten any gray March day. I am a fan of any chocolate+peanut butter dessert, and these cupcakes are moist and chocolate-y with a rich and creamy peanut butter frosting [...]...

Have you ever wished that when you went out to dinner, or visited a new town, you knew where to find a restaurant that served healthy food? Well that’s the information that the Clean Plates website provides, and now they’ve published The Clean Plates Cookbook, full of healthy recipes — many of which are contributed by their favorite restaurant chefs. Above: Kale Salad recipe, by chef Hadley Schmitt of New York’s Northern Spy Food Co. restaurant, from The Clean Plates Cookbook Most healthy cookbooks have an outlook on eating that relies on one exclusive theory, such as veganism, raw food, the Paleo diet, etc. But the author of The Clean Plates Cookbook, Jared Koch, is a nutritionist, and he has a different [...]...

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and in my house this romantic holiday has turned into a family event - and I couldn’t be happier. We make a nice dinner, eat together, and I always make a special dessert. I have to say this is a far more enjoyable way to spend the day, or evening (which I have always considered a non-event), than pre-children when my husband and I would feel obligated to brave the masses and try to get a reservation at an overcrowded restaurant. Dessert on Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily mean chocolate (of course it usually does to me), but definitely something special. Here are a few recipes from our website that would be perfect for Valentine’s Day: Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes Triple Layer [...]...

When I first starting baking, your standard chocolate chip cookie or classic brownie was more than enough for me. As I have continued on my baking journey, I have delved deeper and deeper into different kinds of recipes. Classic recipes are my favorite - think lemon squares, oatmeal cookies, blondies, red velvet cupcakes. I went through a cake phase (I subsequently realized not my strong suit), a cream puff/eclair stage, muffin madness, a cheesecake binge, the list goes on. I’ve noticed that the current trend in baking is recreating childhood treats in your kitchen - homemade twinkies, ho-hos, cream filled frosted cupcakes. My friend gave me this cookbook for Christmas - “Baking Out Loud” by Hedy Goldsmith - which features many [...]...

It being the new year, I started 2013 with the best of intentions. I would eat more fruits and vegetables, eliminate or cut down on processed foods (good bye fries and chips), cut down on wine (ugh), vary my workout routine (hello stretching), and no sugar during the week (this means baking too). I officially started this regime this past Monday, I made these brownie/cookie combo bars Wednesday night. Three days is better than none, right? These bars - a thick, gooey brownie, topped with a chocolate chip cookie layer - are off the charts rich. Just to ward off any requests for calorie count, full disclosure - they come in at 7 eggs and 4+ sticks of butter. They are [...]...

I have always loved cookie cake and fondly remember the cookie cakes from the 80’s and 90’s. I was a frequent patron of the Original Cookie Company (I think that was the name?) at my local mall in high school - nothing better than a slightly undercooked giant chocolate chip cookie with thick frosting. Then when I was in my 20’s it seemed like every time I walked into my office break room there was a half-eaten cookie cake on the table. The cookie cake seems to have fallen out of style a bit, but I am ready to bring it back. (Note for future project: home-made Carvel-style ice cream cake with chocolate crunchies - beloved yet mysteriously absent.) My son’s [...]...

I think scones get a bad rap. I have had my fair share of dry, crumbly scones that are less than satisfying. But they don’t need to be that way  - oh no. They can be moist and delicious and give muffins a run for their money. These scones pack three of my favorite ingredients - oatmeal, crunchy peanut butter, and yes, chocolate chips, and come together in no time. Mind you, like most scones, these are not overly sweet, in a good way. These are a great breakfast or snack and my kids love them. I feel good because of the oatmeal - definitely a better choice for a quick breakfast than a doughnut. A batch of these as [...]...