Rachael Ray

I love Spring and our kiddies love it even more then we since they can frolic to the heart’s content in the great outdoors.  So whether your child’s favorite activity is riding their bike, rolling in the grass, playing in the mud or enjoying a chocolate ice cream cone, when they come home smiling they also come home dirty from head to toe. Baths await, laundry looms and some tough stains remain. Here are simple ways to pre-treat some of spring’s most common stains that unite we moms coast to coast and child to child that will help save their clothes and our manicure. Firsts a few stain removal tips: o Treat ASAP o Never rub, blot unless otherwise noted o Test hidden area [...]...

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 [...]...

I just received my yearly batch of maple syrup from Circle C Maple Farm, a small family business run by Joe and Cathy Cicero on their farm in New York State. I’ve been ordering their organic maple syrup for the last few years, and as soon as my order came in, I knew what I needed to do: make pancakes. Before I get to the recipe, here’s the backstory on the maple syrup that inspired me to make them. Circle C Maple Farm is nestled in the Shawangunks Mountains “The Gunks.” My friend Jen Ward is Joe’s niece, and she spread the word about Circle C to all her fancy friends (like me) in New York City, and that’s how I [...]...

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 [...]...

If ever there was a spice more stereotyped by “one trick pony” status, cinnamon would take top honors.  We all know it as the backbone of Sunday morning French toast, the bit of lovin’ that makes snickerdoodles so delightful, or even that inedible stick floating in your warm apple cider. Cinnamon is so much more than all that!  It’s used the world over as an ingredient in cleaners and mouthwash and even makes a great alternative to moth balls in keeping critters out of your wardrobe.  Cinnamon is also highly acclaimed as an addition to savory foods in many types of cuisine all across Asia and North Africa.  Check out these three unexpected places to incorporate cinnamon that will give your [...]...

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 [...]...