Rachael Ray

Check it out, the Rachael Ray 2-pc. Berry Paisley Platter and Dip Bowl, Red/ Orange (above) is as colorful and perky as Rachael Ray, herself, is.

Fresh veggies, fruit slices and even plain old chips would look twice as nice on Rachael’s nine inch paisley-shaped platter! The platter and coordinating bowl hold enough munchies and dip (or salsa) for the whole family. Sturdy melamine is dishwasher-safe.

A sneaky little tip that you didn’t hear from me: Stop by your favorite Authentic Mexican Restaurant (here in Owensboro, Kentucky, mine are Real Hacienda or El Toribio’s on the river) and get an order of chips and salsa AND cheese dip to go. Bring it home, dispose of the evidence a.k.a. the bag/containers. Serve the chips, cheese sauce, and salsa alongside some killer tacos or a taco salad. Served up on gorgeous dishes like the Rachael Ray 2-pc. Berry Paisley Platter and Dip Bowl, Red/ Orange, you’d be the talk of the town…or at least the table.

Okay, changing the pace here for a minute - going from Authentic Mexican food to Mexican-ish food. The next time you go to Taco Bell…don’t deny it, I’ve seen you there….order a hard shell FRESCO taco. They’re, honestly, better than the regular tacos. They seem fresher and, dare I say, more authentic. They’re also healthier. Trust me on this one - I’m addicted to them.

Today’s Food Network line-up makes my Kentuckian heart skip a couple thousand beats. Yeah, that good.

First of all, early this morning on Boy Meets Grill, Fried Chicken is the star of the show. Sign me up for any show where Fried Chicken’s center stage!

On Everyday Italian (the 4:30 pm episode), Giada will make pancakes with ricotta. I love pancakes almost as much as fried chicken, so I’m completely on board for that. Also, I love cooking with ricotta - whether it’s lasagna, manicotti, or stuffed pasta shells…it’s one of the most agreeable cheeses in the world. I can’t wait to see how she uses it with pancakes!

Immediately after this Everyday Italian, the Barefoot Contessa has an amazing sounding episode featuring Mac and Cheese, Peach Raspberry Shortcakes, and Radishes with Butter and Salt. Talk about beckoning to Spring.

As if that weren’t enough, Rachael Ray is even dedicating one of her 30 Minute Meals episodes to Bluegrass Burgers today. She’ll be making Kentucky Burgoo Burgers and Southern Succotash and Julip Sweet Tea. On the 30 Minute Meals right after the Kentucky one, she’ll feature Mac and Jack Salad and BBQ Chicken Burgers with Slaw - in her own words, “Yum-o!”

On Throwdown with Bobby Flay there’ll be more…. (wait for it, wait for it)…. Fried Chicken! The recipes will be Hattie’s Southern Fried Chicken, Fried Chicken with Ancho Honey, and Sauteed Swiss Chard with Red Onion and Serrano Chile Vinegar.

The 11:00 Good Eats ALSO features Fried Chicken! In between Bobby and Alton are my much-beloved and anticipated Ace of Cakes episodes. This is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable shows on the Food Network, I just wish there was a new episode every night. These lovable and talented people are the most entertaining people on television.

Great day on the Food Network - don’t miss a minute!

Rachael Ray 10 PC Gusto-Grip Birch Wood Block Set

If you’re serious about your kitchen and mean business when you’re cooking, you’ll want to add more Rachael Ray products to your collection. Mark my word, if this lady’s name is on it, it’ll be perfectly amazing and amazingly perfect.

Not only are her products of the highest quality, they’re designed by someone who actually cooks (a great deal) and, therefore, understands what products will best serve a cook. She knows what we need to be more efficient, neater, and even speedier. After all, she’s all about the speed, right?!

Furi Gusto-Grip Clean Cut System

I also love the bright, beautiful orange that her products come in. They’re like her personality - cheerful, colorful, and impossible to ignore.

Click through any of the link products in this post to learn more.

The following is a description from the web site about the 10 Piece Rachael Ray Hard Anodized Set, above.

This cookware set is an exceptional value including all of the pans needed to equip your kitchen with the most used cooking pieces. As the set contains only basic pieces you’ll really use each and every pan! It includes saucepans for whisking a homemade sauce or cooking your morning oatmeal, a big stockpot for soups stews or boiling pasta, and skillets - probably the most used pan in any kitchen that will help you turn out perfect pancakes or a tasty tuna melt.

Yesterday afternoon, my husband called me while I was in the grocery store getting the ingredients for the Japanese-Style meal I had planned. He asked me what I was making for supper and when I told him, I could tell he was a little disappointed. Nothing against Japanese food, he loves that - but I could tell he had something else on his mind!

He said he thought the Buffalo Chicken Salad we’d seen Rachael make on 30 Minute Meals sounded really good. So….I pulled a rewind - I backtracked and put the other ingredients back in their proper place, then fast forwarded to the ingredients I needed for plan B.

I’m so glad I did! The Buffalo Chicken Salad was beyond amazing - even better than it sounds like it’d be. I plan on making this Yum-O meal regularly. The recipe calls for using ranch dressing and blue cheese crumbles, but my husband just put quality Blue Cheese dressing on his salad. I used only the ranch, because Blue Cheese just isn’t my favorite thing in the world. Our daughters used the crumbles and ranch…so we were all over the map on the toppings.

We all agreed, though, that this was one of the best Food Network recipes we’d tried in a while. It’s amazing!

For our vegetarian daughter, Brittany, I seasoned and cooked up some Morning Star Chik’N Strips in Canola Oil, then added hot sauce to the pan. They tasted really, really, really good. She loved her Vegetarian buffalo chicken salad!

The very next chance you get, you HAVE to try this recipe. It’s very fast and easy, and the taste will blow you away. Just be sure to use Romaine Lettuce, though. Iceberg just wouldn’t be the same.

You WILL NOT be disappointed. Then again, Lady Rachael never disappoints.

Today’s Food Network Line-up is Summerlicious. All the girls are cooking foods that go as well with summertime as a glass of iced lemonade. Paula’s Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps, The Barefoot Contessa’s Guacamole Salad, and Rachael’s Devilish Chili-Cheese Dogs will all get a turn in our kitchen and/or grill.

As a Coconut fanatic, I’m also excited about Alton’s Good Eats Tonight: “Coconut Cake Revival.” He’s set to make a Coconut Cake with 7-Minute Frosting , Coconut Milk and Cream, and Coconut Extract.

Paula’s Home Cooking: “Summertime Favorites” - Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps,
Strawberry Shortcake,
Almond Broccoli Salad,
Watermelon Punch

Everyday Italian: “Giada’s Summer Entertaining” - Focaccia Lobster Rolls,
Ice Caffe Latte,
Pecorino Crackers,
Avocado and Papaya Salad

Barefoot Contessa: “Girls That Grill” - Blue Cheese Burgers,
Chocolate and Vanilla Sundaes,
East Hampton Clam Chowder,
Guacamole Salad

Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee: “Summer Show” - Sweet and Spicy Slaw,
21 Burger,
Tapioca Cake,
Blu-tini

30 Minute Meals: “Grilled to Perfection” - Flank Steak Pinwheels,
Toasted Hazelnut and Shredded Carrot Salad

30 Minute Meals: “Endless Summer” - Oil and Vinegar Slaw,
Devilish Chili-Cheese Dogs,
Summer-ish Succotash Salad

Have you caught any of the great grilling shows on the Food Network? There have been some amazing recipes, techniques, and tips. From Bobby Flay to Paula Deen, from Tyler Florence to Emeril, and From Rachael Ray to Alton Brown - they’re masters of the grill as much as the kitchen.

One of the recipes on today’s shows (Paua’s Home Cooking) that caught my eye…or tongue, I guess…is for Lime Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs. How amazing does that sound? I see it in my near future. Rachael Ray, on one of her 30 Minute Meals is also making something that sounds like a winner: Roasted Asparagus Tips. YUM-O, indeed!

Robin Miller - a lesser-known Food TV personality, but as good as any of the super stars - is making several intriguing things on her afternoon show: One is a Quick Fix Avocado Salad and the other is Chai Tea Smoothies. I have an appointment with each.

Not to be out done by the ladies, Bobby Flay (on the Food Network BBQ special tonight) will feature delicious-sounding Green Chile Cheeseburgers. The Green Chile sauce on these guys sounds to die for. (Eat, THEN die for them.)

Okay, for all my preaching about healthy eating and watching red meat, etc….I have to admit, every now and again you just have to have a big fat juicy burger. HAVE to! Look at this beauty to the left and tell me it can be refused. It’s one of the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Burgers that Sandra Lee will be making on today’s Semi-Homemade and one of the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Burgers that Joi Sigers will be making in tonight’s kitchen in Kentucky.

The Bleu Cheese topping calls for Bleu Cheese crumbles and butter (My mouth’s watering already!) The burgers, themselves, include lean ground beef, real bacon pieces, Montreal steak seasoning, and more crumbled Bleu Cheese. It’s all served with condiments on toasted onion rolls. Click HERE for the Recipe.

A perfect side dish would be the Portobello Mushroom “Fries” that Rachael Ray will make on one of her 30 Minute Meals this afternoon. Unfortunately there wasn’t a picture available, so you’ll have to use your imagination. This recipe calls for large Portobello mushroom caps, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, pepper, eggs, flat-leaf parsley, Italian bread crumbs, and grated Parmesan. Click HERE for this recipe.

A second side dish could be a pasta or tossed salad, or spaghetti squash with tomatoes and basil. With the heaviness of the burger, and the extravagance of the Portobello fries, I’d say something fairly light would be best. Otherwise, I’d go with Tyler’s Potatoes Gratin. As it is, I think I’ll save them for another day. Maybe for brunch this weekend, with ham and biscuits.

For dessert, you can never go wrong with chocolate OR with Ina, so we’ll finish the meal off with the Chocolate cake she’ll make on today’s Barefoot Contessa. “Beatty’s Chocolate Cake” is a cake after my own heart - the recipe calls for three of my very, very, very favorite culinary joys: Chocolate (of course), buttermilk, and coffee. How could it miss?

Ironically, on another one of my blogs I just wrote about exercise - then I turn right around and post about a meal like this. Oh, well… the weather’s getting gorgeous and my tennis shoes are dying to get busy, so bring on those burgers!

I know there are plenty of you who are also Rachael Ray fans, so I thought you might get a kick out of these pics. They were taken at the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum on February 21, 2007 - sort of Rachael Ray meets Rachael Ray as she checks out her Wax figure.

Click each pic to see the larger version. Rachael looks beautiful (the human one) and I’m loving her necklace - very fun and quirky…like its owner.

Photo Credit: Jemal Countess/WireImage.com

When I was working on the Food TV scroller (to the right), I noticed a few featured recipes on today that’ll soon be featured in my own kitchen. The beautiful, refreshing-looking drink above is the Pomegranate Breakfast Soda that Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) will fix on an episode titled, “Bed and Breakfast.” (Click the link for the recipe - it sounds amazing.)

Other recipes from the show are:

• Breakfast Bread Pudding
• Garlic and Herb Tomatoes
• Maple-Roasted Bacon
• Parmesan Black Pepper Crackers

On an episode titled, “Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut,” Alton Brown will make a Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi that I WILL try out before the week’s out. We’ve been trying to eat as much fish lately as possible - so I’ve been trying out different varieties of fish as well as different cooking techniques.

Yesterday I steamed a Haddock as well as a few Flounders - and they were absolutely delicious. I’d never steamed fish before, because I didn’t have much faith in the flavor. Plus I thought they’d fall apart. I was very pleasantly surprised - and my family ate them as fast as they do fried fish. I was worried about the kids - but they went back for seconds and thirds….always a good sign!

I only used a little salt and some Lemon Pepper for seasoning, because I didn’t want the fish to have to compete with anything. I served it alongside some brown rice that I added crushed almonds to and some great hushpuppies. Brown rice has a unique flavor that, in my own opinion, benefits from the addition of almonds. Left to itself….well, I’m not that in love with the flavor! But, add some almonds and it’s perfectly amazing.

$40 a Day will be on pretty late tonight, but it’s worth staying up for. It’s the Cape Cod episode with the highlight being delicious-looking Stuffed French Toast. I have to try this one out. When I make Stuffed French Toast, I use softened cream cheese, whereas this recipe uses ricotta. I’m anxious to see how that tastes. It alongside the Pomegranate Breakfast Soda….and coffee, let’s not even pretend it isn’t the star of the show….sound like a little bit of heaven to me.

Have you ever browsed around the deliciously fabulous website Chef’s Corner? If you answer anything but yes….don’t even finish reading this, skip to the button at the end of the post and off with you!

Nah, on second thought I’m not ready to let you go yet….I like your face.

Chef’s Corner has it all - from Rachael Ray products (we all know how I love the Rachael) to some very, very chic Cuisine Art - like the guy at the top of the post. If you want to look him up when you get to the site, enter Pablo’s Red Sauce in the search box. Voila!

I won’t detain you any longer, a heckuva great website….not to mention Pablo…await you.