Watching Rachael Ray

I’ve spent the past several days (and will spend tomorrow morning as well) out of town at a Writers’ Conference a couple of hours away from my tiny city home. While I’ve been refreshing my mind and body with some sleep (not much, granted) and a lot of inspirational thoughts and readings and workshops, I’ve also taken the time to discover Blue Moon Margaritas at the Hotel Bar.

OOOOOHHH boy are they Yum-O! And PRETTY too!

So, as I have not even turned on the tv since we arrived here in beautiful Homer, Alaska, and have mainly used the comptuter to check email and check in with you all, I thought what better way to commemorate my freedom from kids and responsibilities for these five days then to lead you to Rachael Ray’s Cool Cocktail Archive!

There are some yummy looking drinks there, for sure! There is even a “bottom of the bottle” type recipe! I most certainly will be trying out some of these through the summer months when I feel the need for something new, and deliciously cool. Check them out - and let me know which are your favorites!

Little People, Big World

Rachael has quick solutions for the stars of TLC’s Little People, Big World, whose four hungry kids are all on different schedules! Plus, Julie Chen’s beauty secrets, tips for stress-free holiday travel, and “EVOO” makes its way into The Oxford English Dictionary!

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Angela Bassett

We’re talking about love with Angela Bassett and her husband Courtney B. Vance, including their struggle to conceive a child and what every couple should know to keep their marriage steamy. Then, attention moms! Could you be sitting on a million-dollar idea? Meet “mom-preneurs” who’ve turned their at-home hobbies into successful businesses. And what’s for dinner? Rachael puts an Italian spin on the classic fish and chips.

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Soap Star Dancing Challenge

It’s our knock-your-socks-off daytime dancing challenge when we team up three of daytime’s hottest stars with three professional dancers, and then give them one hour to learn an all-new routine before a surprise celebrity judge steps in. Plus, Evette Rios gives a style-challenged mom a crash course in home decorating, and you’ll want to start working late when you see her ideas for sprucing up a depressing office cubicle!

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Kristin Davis & Mario Batali

It’s the conversation every parent dreads: the birds and the bees! Why is it so hard to teach your kids about S-E-X, and what are the dos and don’ts for having the talk? Then, superchef Mario Batali is doing his best to “Stump the Rach,” and he teams up with Sex and the City’s Kristin Davis to give Rachael a break in the kitchen!

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Nancy Drew’s Emma Roberts

Who doesn’t dread the moment when the dinner check arrives and it’s time to navigate who’s paying for what? Money wiz Bill Rancic has solutions for the classic dilemmas of dining out. Then, a mom of seven reveals how she keeps her grocery store bills down, and Emma Roberts (yes, she’s Julia’s niece!) finds herself in the hot seat with 16 rapid-fire questions from Rachael. Plus, Dr. Manny’s tackling questions every parent wants to know, and Rachael’s got a bottom-of-the-box recipe

The key to growth in any enterprise is to diversify - and no one knows that better then Warner Music and Scripps - the parent company of HGTV and the Food Network. They’ve recently struck a deal for distribution that will allow Warner to market and distribute DVDs of popular TV programs - such as 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray!

The deal is just one of several recent efforts by Warner and other music labels to diversify. With CD sales plummeting another 20% in the first quarter, executives are realizing that the traditional model of music sales is dead. In response, major players are trying to expand into other forms of entertainment such as film and television, while multiplying their digital platforms and getting more aggressive in advertising, merchandising and endorsement deals for signed performers.

For example, Sony BMG Music Entertainment last year started marketing music compilations selected by Rachael Ray. Executives now start developing revenue streams beyond music sales before they even sign an artist.

Folks just can’t get enough R’n'R!

I had planned on another cooking experiment this weekend, but my mom and I are headed out of town for a few days for a local-ish Writers’ Conference in Homer where we’ll get to see Amy Tan! Cooking will have to wait until I return!

I’ll be posting as usual from there on Monday and Tuesday! Have a great weekend, all!

Rachael, Ray, Rachael Ray, 30 minute meals, RR, TV, a day, Food Network, Everyday

Desperate to remember that quick and easy pasta recipe on a 30 minute meal from days gone by? Search no more - if you NetFlix, anyway!

Newly released: Rachael Ray’s Fasta Pasta 1.

Bubbly Rachael Ray shares her secrets for making quick, delicious pasta and other Italian fare in this four-episode collection from her show, “30 Minute Meals.” From vodka cream pasta and grilled vegetables to broiled lamb chops and bruschetta, these dishes are ideal for entertaining friends, family or that special someone. Other recipes include gemelli with roasted red pepper sauce, mixed greens with Romano cheese crisps, and tortoni sundaes.

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I’ve always wanted to visit South Beach, but I don’t do a lot of traveling so will just have to live vicariously through Rachael Ray to visit - at least she finds the good stuff! And no, I don’t mean the eye-candy, but the food! A gal like me has to eat, after all, and in body conscious South Beach or not - I’m gonna want the good stuff for cheap!

First off - Rachael looks adorable. She has the proportions of a real woman, not that a magazine cover size 0, and I find that appealing! Many (on that site that shall not be named!) bag on her stubby hands and legs and being fat - but seriously, despite her love of clunky necklaces and wide belts, she looks fantastic. Even trying to roller skate after her Java Joe with Fat Burning Boost Smoothie breakfast for $5.36.

For lunch she enjoyed a Cabano Sandwich at Larios for $13.03 - which left her with more then $21 left over for the rest of the day.

Tips for cutting the bar bill in half? Show up at happy hour and enjoy reduced cost drinking! After an afternoon of shopping, she follows a locals advice and finds herself a bar with a Pineapple Sapphire Icepop Martini inside the Tides Hotel. At half price for happy hour, it was still 7.54, so it’s certainly spendy, but at least it looked like it was worth it!

For dinner, Rachael ended the day with a couple Tapas Dishes, Tortilla Espanola and Stuffed Piquillo Peppers at Tapas y Tintos - and, of course, made her budge of $40 with 18 cents to spare.

A great travel tip - Look for the Tapas bar! Small dishes, small prices, with the ability to tailor it to your own personal tastes. Someday, when I get to travel as much as I’d like too, I’m certainly going to put those tips to work!

(Picture: Rachael Ray at the 2006 South Beach Wine & Food Festival - Grand Tasting)

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It’s summertime, and for some reason, when that happens, the kids rediscover their fascination with bubble gum and blowing bubbles with it. We chew gum often around here anyway, but when their bored, it’s all about the bubble-blowing all the time.

And since I’ve already heard “I’m bored!” 18gazillion times since school let out two weeks ago, I figured some tips from an expert would aid my kids bubble championship dreams. Lucky for me, Rachael Ray had the same idea a few months back! For all you haters out there, here’s some lovely pictures of everyone chewing their cud and sticking their tongue out.

Awesome.

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Felicity Huffman - Repeat

Desperate Housewives’ Felicity Huffman pops up at Rachael’s window and shares her guide to being or finding a better boyfriend! Then, is there really a cure for cellulite? Find out what every woman needs to know.

Raquel Welch & Rupert Everett - Repeat

Screen goddess Raquel Welch is sharing her secrets for staying sexy after 60, and then Rupert Everett has the scoop on his famous leading ladies like Madonna and Sharon Stone! Plus, foods that actually fight fat.

Kids and Body Image - Repeat

What are your kids saying about their bodies when you’re not around? The answer from girls as young as 5 may shock you. Then, country music star Vince Gill performs, and spend a day at the pet ER.

Chandra Wilson - Repeat

The Grey’s Anatomy star is dishing on her co-stars, giving Rachael a lesson in the kitchen, and then cooking up an Italian soul food dinner! Plus, planning a party on a budget and extreme bartending tricks.

Sopranos Sauce-Off - Repeat

It’s two wise guys, two sauces and only one winner when The Sopranos’ Steven Schirripa and Vince Curatola battle it out in Rachael’s first ever sauce-off. Plus, double-duty decorating tips and Midge the crime-fighting dog!

Happy June, everyone! Where on earth has this year gone? The kids are home from school, I’ve already heard “I’m bored!” 8.2 billion times, and all is well with the world. Unless, of course, you’re Goldilocks over at Knitting Bag Therapy.

It seems her son, the SuperHero, is addicted to Macaroni and Cheese, and will accept no homemade substitutes, having been Brand Faithful for a couple years, even at the tender age of four. It’s Annie’s or nothing for this little guy, and his mom is at her wits end.

She even tried Rachael Ray’s recipe, and it was close but not quite. Thus! She’s having a contest! Was your mom’s homemade mac’n'cheese to die for? You think you can improve Rachael Ray’s version to appeal to a picky palette? Well, then, head over to The Knitting Bag and enter the contest. Here’s more:

The SuperHero Macaroni and Cheese (and Peas) Contest
I am looking for a tasty, healthy, wholesome, thin-sauced, no nutmeg macaroni and cheese recipe that The SuperHero will consume happily. A modification of Rachael Ray’s recipe could work. I think it was close. The contest will run from May 18, 2007 to July 20. 2007. The winner will be announced and notified on July 27, 2007. I will try recipes throughout the summer and post updates on the blog. Yes, for him and him alone will I turn on the stove all summer to find the right macaroni and cheese. He’s lucky he’s mine. Or maybe he’s just lucky I’m crazy (about him, that’s for sure, and maybe in general).

The winner will receive Rachael Ray’s Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All Occasion Cookbook, retail value of $13.57 on Amazon.com. So worth it to me. If only you knew how much money I’ve wasted on pasta, cheese, milk, and butter in recent weeks. Not to mention my nerves. MY NERVES. They are frayed, I tell you. Help me.

Good luck, and be sure to let me know how it goes!

Rachael, Ray, Rachael Ray, 30 minute meals, RR, TV, a day, Food Network, Everyday, Contest, knitting, therapy, moms, macaroni and cheese