Rachael Ray

On the Cleaning Lady Blog we talk a lot about natural cleaning products (vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice are the stars) but we haven’t actually covered how to quickly and effectively handle a laundry stain. Hot water or cold water? Apply soap or leave it alone? Here is a how-to on what to do when you spill on your favorite top. The most important thing is to move quickly! Blot up any excess liquid with a clean white cloth, paper, or other towels. Remove excess solids by gentle scraping or chipping with a dull knife or metal spatula. If the spill is a thick substance like mud, removal may be easier after the stain has dried. Excess can be brushed off [...]...

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 [...]...

Dear Cleaning Lady: I have had my trusty 9 x 13 brownie pan forever and I am noticing some rust spots. Is this dangerous? Can I clean off the rust or should I toss it? Thanks! Brownie Baker Dear BB: Don’t toss the pan but definitely get rid of the rust before you bake with it again. Here’s how: 1. Rinse the pan and shake it dry - do not wipe with a towel because you want it to be slightly damp. 2. Dust it lightly with baking soda (it should stick because of the remaining water), making sure you cover the spots that are rusting. 3. Leave the dusted pans for about half an hour. 4. Clean the pan gently with a scourer making sure you get rid [...]...

I love big jewelry - particularly necklaces - and I have accumulated so many necklaces over the years that they started to take over the very valuable and limited real estate of the top of my dresser. I have these cute necklace hangers/trees that were meant to be decorative yet eventually mine were overflowing with necklaces, to the point I couldn’t even see what I had. I resorted to keeping the necklaces (and bracelets and earrings) in little zippered bags on my dresser as well so then I really had no idea what I had. I ended up skipping wearing jewelry altogether. I knew there had to be some kind of jewelry organizer out there similar to an over-the door shoe organizer [...]...

A semifreddo is a sweet, frozen mousse. You make it almost the exact same way that you would make ice cream, except you don’t need an ice cream maker. Semifreddo means “half-cold,” or half-frozen, in Italian. I think this is because it contains eggs and whipped cream, so it doesn’t freeze solid into a block of ice, but stays soft and pliable, like ice cream. You can flavor a semifreddo with almost anything, whether it’s chocolate, nuts, fruit, fruit juice, jam, or nut butter. Depending on what you put in it, you’ll want to whip up your cream and eggs first, and then fold in fresh fruit, chunks of chocolate, or nuts. Alternately, you may want to melt the chocolate and whisk [...]...

Evan Rachel Wood Love the daring transformation and that her styling is off her face with some texture, a little different from the traditional pixie. Olivia Wilde The bangs certainly give her more drama and structure to the overall look. I love the square bangs and how they disconnect from the front layers really bringing out Olivia’s cheek bones and eyes. Blake Lively The secret to changing your color is not only identifying what’s fashionable and that you like it but more importantly that it suits your skin tone. This transformation is stunning and her skin is glowing! What I also love is that the color is not too saturated so it has a natural authentic feel to it. Selena Gomez It’s not always [...]...

…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: Sunday, January 7, 2012 11:45am Subject: BBQ with Robert Duvall Hey Rach, Well, I didn’t really have BBQ with him, but you have to hear about this insane experience I had. I was in Austin at a friend’s house over New Year’s. I’ve done a lot of the BBQ circuit there…you know, Stubb’s, Iron Works, Salt Lick, Rudy’s, and the rest, but there was one outstanding place I heard about a few years back. It’s called [...]...

When I visited Istanbul last year, one exotic taste that struck me was the Turkish coffee. The secret was the sweet and fragrant spice cardamom. In Turkey, and in many Arabic countries, coffee is brewed with sugar and cardamom. It has a taste that’s slightly spicy, slightly sweet, and full of character. It helps that in Turkey, coffee and tea are often served with a dish of whole cloves after meals, to cleanse the mouth. This makes the coffee taste even more aromatic. In Turkey and points east, coffee is actually brewed with sugar in it, and it’s up to you if you want to add more once it’s in your cup. Coffee is served and drunk black. Typically, there are grounds [...]...

In the world of bed bug infestation, it’s important to take a look at your mattress and consider its lifespan and care. First, when you buy one, you should buy a protective covering that you can take off and wash periodically or if something spills on it.  This should be waterproof. You should rotate your mattress every 6 months so it gets even wear and tear. Vacuum your mattress to clean it, don’t use soap and water unless there is a stain. Here’s a sort of disgusting statistic but one that is important to know.  After 10 years, your mattress DOUBLES in weight from years of absorbing your body oils, dead skin and dead bugs!  This according to Men’s Health magazine, made me think [...]...