Rachael Ray

As the warm weather approaches, so does that amazing time of year when summer fruits and vegetables overcrowd produce stands. When the cup runneth over, the best deals are had as prices drop to move the surplus. In other words, it’s time to come up with some new ideas to use up one of my favorite summer veggies: red bell peppers. Check out these three fresh new ideas to make the most of this summer’s bumper crop: ROAST ‘EM! I know that by now the idea of roasting a red pepper probably feels pretty familiar. It’s a simple way to get them cooked and ready-to-use after a few minutes of charring on a grill, gas burner, or under the broiler. What’s [...]...

All of this running around, eating on the run has gotten the better of me.  It happened so quickly, but one day I realized I had gained 20 lbs.  Now, if you read my blog, you’ll know that I went through a ton of very stressful incidents in my life and on top of all that, or maybe because of that, my thyroid slowed down and I am now taking Synthroid for the rest of my life.  Needless to say, I need to watch what I eat and lose some of this extra weight that is dragging me down. I saw a nutritionist who told me I was exercising too much and that my [...]...

I am particular about bananas, like most people. I have always liked them slightly under-ripe. My mom likes them on the ripe side, cold from the fridge. My friend can’t eat them whole, but needs to cut them up first. My dear, departed dog Biko wasn’t particular and would eat them from the floor, or the brown ends I would feed him (he could hear or smell me peeling a banana from a mile away and would come running. Oh Biko. Sigh.)  And of course my kids don’t eat them at all. I had some bananas past their prime on my counter this week and needed to bring a dessert to an evening event. My go-to chocolate chip banana bread couldn’t [...]...

Ever get confused by the terms and words beauty experts seem to mention in every sentence? From hairdressers to makeup artists, beauty experts often use words and terms that only they really seem to understand. From ‘antioxidants’ to ‘neutral eyes,’ it can get confusing to know exactly what means what. This week, check out exactly what those confusing ingredients and scientific terminology actually mean. Antioxidants Essentially, antioxidants are the good guys. In the most simple of terms, they are good molecules found in certain foods (such as blueberries, salmon, and avocado), that help to fight against bacteria (the bad guys), which live in our bodies. They also help to plump and brighten skin, and keep us looking and feeling healthy. [...]...

When your 8-year-old son comes home from school and asks — for no apparent reason — if it’s OK to eat bacon and peanut butter together, there really is only one appropriate response. And it involves Elvis and bananas. I never did suss out how or why Parker was considering this peculiar culinary pairing, but I’m a big believer in exposing kids to as many foods and flavor combinations as possible. And that often means unquestioningly seizing opportunities when they present themselves. The next morning as I pondered packing Parker’s lunch, I noticed a partial bag of whole-wheat hot dog buns left over from the weekend grilling. And they were sitting right next to the bananas. You see where I’m going with this, right? Elvis [...]...

With the unofficial start of summer the living is getting easier but along with it comes some common ‘stuff that bugs us’ literally and figuratively….Here are a few simple, money ‘n time-saving, semi home-made tips and tricks to deal with these little annoyances! Sneaker Odor: Read all About It! Simply crumble up sheets from those newsapapers you were about to recycle.  They’ll act to absorb odors and moisture which can cause yucky smells, mold ‘n mildew! Stink Bugs: Chill to a Kill Smell rotting garbage and have none?  Well that might be because you have those ugly brownish shield shaped pests (say that five times fast) known as stink bugs.  Never squish them cause they’ll release that lovely defensive scent and it will linger [...]...

Animal shelters compete for chance at $600,000 in prize grants for saving more animals NEW YORK-The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is gearing up for tomorrow’s start of the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, where a total of $600,000 in prize grants are up for grabs to help shelters save more homeless cats and dogs. The 49 contestants will work to save more animals - during the months of June, July and August 2013 - than they did over the same three-month period in 2012. Last year’s competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 14,376 over the same period in 2011. “Starting at midnight tonight and continuing through [...]...

It occurs to me, looking back on all these grilling columns that I’ve been doing, that maybe I am jumping ahead too far. While I like cooking a rolled, boned lamb leg bound with coat hangers, maybe that’s not for everybody. Maybe some of who have never done any serious grilling, outside of some hotdogs and hamburgers on a gas grill now and then. It is my purpose in life to make sure that you grill well. For those unfortunate readers who are stuck using a gas grill, I’d deal with that terribel handicap next week; for now, I want to give you the most very basic, stripped down checklist of what you will need to cook well outdoors this [...]...

Sting; former member of the Police and his wife Trudie Styler, producer and actor have another ‘message in a bottle’, only this time it takes on some very different notes. Yes, Sting and Trudie are bottling the good life with honey, olive oils and wines grown from their very own backyard in Tuscany. The line is called Il Palagio and is christened after the estate it is grown in, an estate that yields a bounty of olive groves, flora and vineyards , as well as inspiration for some of the greatest songs and movies of our time. Photo By Alessandro Moggi The line of honey is like a chiffon ombre of colors ranging from caramel to a water-colored yellow and the [...]...