Watching Rachael Ray

Howdy, folks! Sorry I’m running a little late on these this week – both my mom and my sister had surgery on Tuesday morning, and things have been a little hectic around here as I shuttle back and forth between home and the hospital – they’re both recovering well, though, and things will get back up to speed around here asap, promise!

On Monday – the gorgeous Jennifer Garner entered the studio with Rachael to start the hour off with a bang! Jennifer looked stunning, as always, as she chided Rachael for not taking better care of her voice as Rachael struggled to be heard through her laryngitis and the loud applause. (No, suxors, they weren’t applauding the laryngitis, they were applauding Jennifer Garner! Sheesh! (g)) While Rach sipped on some tea, Jennifer ‘translated’ for Rachael and showed off some pictures. The one with her equally gorgeous hubby was prefaced with “So, I’m hanging around THIS guy for some reason…”

Well who WOULDN’T want to hang around with that guy?! She shared of her beginning gardening skills, which she shares with her daughter Violet, giving them much needed bonding time together as she shuttles between stage and screen. She’s currently working on Broadway in Cyrano De Bergerac and is also the ‘Face of the Flu’ this year, and reminds everyone to get your flu shots. You can also catch her in the new movie Juno, and she’ll be working with Matthew McConaughey and then with Ricky Gervais. Talk about Celeb Boyfriends…. Rawr!

Does your man wear the same ole boxers, the same ole underwear styles he has since he was a kid? One viewer shared the same delima and it resulted in a whole bunch of blushing on Rachael’s part and some very sexy mostly naked men. WHOO!

As if that weren’t hot enough – what’s for dinner? Braised Short Ribs with Roasted beets and creamy Polenta!

Monday
Jennifer Garner

What’s Jennifer Garner’s secret for finding quality mommy/daughter time with 2-year-old Violet - especially now that the gorgeous actress is busy performing on Broadway? And see how Jennifer’s maternal instincts even have her looking after Rachael! Then, it’s the makeover that’s almost too sexy for daytime! Don’t miss Gretta’s underwear overhaul for your man.

Tuesday
Jeff Foxworthy

America’s favorite redneck, Jeff Foxworthy, is taking us back to his school days and sharing his hilarious version of a vocabulary lesson! Then, we’ve got a staffer with a baby on the way, so Kristan Cunningham steps in to create the ultimate nursery without breaking the bank! And for dinner, Rachael’s got two fast and figure-friendly ways to cook up eggplant.

Wednesday
John Cusack & Rach’s Mom

Welcome to our holiday open house! First up: one of Rachael’s all-time favorite actors, John Cusack! Then pop sensation and rising star Christina Milian is reading us her childhood Christmas list, and Rachael has a holiday surprise for her mom Elsa.

Thursday
Jarod’s Wild Winter Wonderland

Jarod Miller is turning our studio into a wild winter wonderland with six spectacular animals - including a reindeer! Then, Oscar winner and mom of three Marcia Gay Harden, gives us a peek at her Christmas cards and brings the inside dirt on Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood. Plus, Rachael shares her favorite gifts this season… and then gives you a chance to win them online!

Friday
Justin Long and Gloria Estefan

He’s one of Hollywood’s cutest young stars, and now Justin Long is sharing his kitchen disaster stories with Rachael. Then, it’s a holiday “dish” that no parent should miss because Lara and Rachael are serving up seven affordable gift ideas for kids of any age! Plus, can our hidden camera surprise help a clingy girlfriend back off before she destroys her relationship? And for dinner, America and Cuba collide with Gloria Estefan doing the cooking.

Time to DISH!

Rachael’s voice is going and big time – which is funny, as Lara tells her she still sounds cute and sexy. Complete with giving her the eye… Nice!

First up – B… for Betsy creates ways to show your Football spirit and still be cute and sexy and be a man magnet to boot! There’s scarves, and belts, and scarves that sport the names of a variety of sports teams. Imagine your man’s smile when you dress to kill with his favorite team’s emblem! It’s a definite winner.

Fiberwig – no, it’s not what it sounds like, it’s actually a mascara from Japan that Lara says is ‘unbelievable’! It has actual fibers that lengthen the lashes as you put it on, negating the need for false eyelashes! Rachael snatched that one up right quick, and Lara swears it’s worth the $22 price tag.

Keihls is a company that doesn’t spend any money on advertising – it’s all word of mouth and they’ve got a huge celebrity following. They make all organic shampoos and body washes, conditioners and the like.

Want a little old school with your new school? There’s an FM radio that’s like a boombox for your iPod called the iHome Speaker, and if that isn’t cool enough for you, watch what Rachael decrees ‘the best coming-of-age movie I’ve ever seen!’ - Superbad.

Then, in a glimpse of pure heaven (Jolie – this one’s for you!) Rachael talked about the Bacon Chocolate Bars that Nigella mentioned when she was on the show Thanksgiving week. I looked through and found them then because the concept SO delighted my bacon loving little soul, and you can get them here at Vosges Haut Chocolat.

Next up, Mario Lopex and Melissa Joan Hart (who looks STUNNINGLY beautiful pregnant! I must admit it makes me hate her perky little self a bit… but only a little bit!) joined Rachael at the kitchen table to chat about old times, and their new movie on ABC Family. They played a tv trivia game for fun, and with every question right they got to show embarrassing pictures of the other – we saw Sabrina as a puritan, and some show stills from Mario’s Mullet days. He tried to insist that the mullet was once cool, but we all know better. There was a lot of laughter and good-natured bantering as they teased each other. The movie, Holiday in Handcuffs, airs on the 9th on ABC Family.

As a mom, I understand the fear of toy recalls and buying things in general for your kids. My kids are older now, thank goodness, and it’s not quite as bad as it was, but there are a lot of recalls still going on, and things that simply need to stay away from younger children. Make sure that you are buying age appropriate toys as well as toys for your child’s abilities as well. To keep track of recalls, check out ToyTips.com.

What’s for dinner? Cobb Salad Turkey Burgers with Oven Fries.

Today, a body language expert, Janine Driver, has decided to help Julianne clear up her confusion and frustration in getting a job. She’s had dozen of interviews, but a little spy work shows Julianne that it might not be her resume that’s keeping her phone silent!

The first thing noticed is that Julianne tends to figgit a lot, and plays with her hair - there’s talent there, clearly, but she’s not to confident about it all. Some tips to help get over your nerves? Practice! Grab a friend and a video tape, and work on it, keep track of the little idiosyncracies that are creeping up when you’re nervous! You can click here and hit the web exclusive of Janine and her acronym PRAISE (Praise, Rapport, Attitude, Inform, Shaking hands, Eye Contact), which was shortened to PIE for the show - it’s always all about food, of course! Ha!

Man, speaking of body language - that Janine? She was more annoying on camera then people say Rachael is! Yikes!

Tracy Morgan is up next, but he doesn’t show up on cue - nope, not Tracy, he’s to busy backstage eating! The guests are always talking about how good the food backstage is, leave it to Tracy to refuse to come on set until he’s ready. He grabs a plate and brings it with him. He even drops a piece, picks it up and eats it - God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt! Whoo!

He is SUCH a goofball. Heh. He says straight up “We gotta get married!” Then tells the audience they’re beautiful and all his baby mama’s! He’ll be ’round… (And busy! Hah!)

He says he’s not like his character on 30 Rock, he’s far more stable, but he loves to play the character and bust it out every week. Tina has his voice, and he gets to release the energy and not get arrested! Perfect. He joins Rachael in a raucous round of Stump the Rach! After much laughter, we discover the following items: Chop2Pot cutting board, Finger Nose Hair Trimmer, Nellie’s Dryer Balls, and the Turkey Cannon.

What’s for dinner? Rock Soup!

It’s a big day on the Rachael Ray show, and doesn’t she look quite in her red wrap dress? Not quite as fabulous as yesterdays purple, but still very fetching!

Hey! Kevin, a designer on the show, is one of the designers on Project Runway! Which is part of the tie in to the first guest, of course, the fabulous Tim Gunn! They talk about Kevin a bit, a sweetheart, a good team player, and a superb designer! Tim things that any one of the 15 this season could win the show, because they are all so very talented! He admitted to be wrong a few times in his assumptions, because more then ever this season is all a matter of taste.

They also talk a bit about his new show, Tim Gunn’s guide to style, and how they fit real world people. Tim says that the greatest achievement for a designer should be to have real women wear their clothes.

Now for the big Ambush! Three of the staffers on the show, who don’t get to dress up because they’re always behind the scenes. First, Chef Kara - she can dress up any meal, but she is all about casual when it comes to herself. She wears t-shirts and jeans all the time and never dresses up. How cute is she with her red cheeks?

Next up is Veda, who is always in a vest because the studio is always cold, and she giggles and squeals and says she’s ready for whatever he wants to do! Blond today, red tomorrow, whatever you need, she’s your girl!

Joan, the art director, is the last ambush victim, who’s shocked and excited. She loves fashion and the arts, but the job she does she doesn’t get to dress hardly at all - it’s dress up day!

Tim tells them they’re adorable and he’s thrilled to work with them and they head off stage to do their 1 hour makeovers.

Next, the surprises keep coming, as Kristan Cuningham, staples and Rachael team up to bring a family together for the holidays. Brandy, an ER nurse and her husband Bill, a paramedic firefighter and their young son Camden have celebrated Christmas as late as February do to their hectic schedules, and their dedication. With the help of Staples, Kristan sets them up with laptops and webcams to use while they’re apart, so they can see each other, and their son can see dad too. A digital camera helped put their Christmas cards on the top of the list, and then the two biggest surprises showed up at the show, as Brandy and Bill’s supervisors showed up and gave them several days off in order to spend it together as a family. Awwwwwwwww! Rachael also gave them $1000 to make sure they could do Christmas shopping for the ‘itty-bitty’ Camden.

Staples actually gave everyone in the audience a camera, and if you hit the rachaelrayshow.com, they’ll be giving away a camera a day to lucky viewers!

Next, it was time for the big reveal of the makeovers - and all three look fantastic! And better then that, they felt good too and you could see it in the way they reacted. As Kara said “I feel faaaaancy!”

Now, it’s Jenn’s time! The winner of So you Think You Can Cook is back to boss around Rachael in the kitchen as she makes her Blue Cheese-Stuffed Filets with Rosemary Potatoes & Roasted Broccoli! Jenn looked GORGEOUS! And so did her dinner - there was all kinds of fun in that kitchen today!

It’s time for another Mystery Taster! Rachael starts in the kitchen to make Abby’s Arancini and Tomato Dipping Sauce as a snack for the mystery taster who she knows loves Italian food. She assures us that making a Risoto is not hard - don’t be scared of it!

Then they reveal to us the Biggest Mystery Taster Ever - quite literally! The crowd goes wild, and Rachael knows it’s someone big. (haha!) (DUDE - his head almost touches the top of the elevator gate! hahah!) So - the questions!

1. So, on New Years Eve and watching the ball drop - is it live, a one hour delay or a three hour delay. Three hours - West Coast!

2. Bridal Shower or Bachelor Party? Definitely Bachelor party.

3. As a kid, record, cassette or CD? Record player… and an 8-track tape

4. Going to work - stage, stadium, tv, film set? An Arena…

Time to move along, and let Rachael think about it. In the meantime - Helio and Julianne join Rachael to talk about winning Dancing with the Stars! Rachael was able to surprise them with Kwait Diamonds! They couldn’t get them to them at the finale, so let Rachael do it - Julianne was SO surprised, she’s too adorable! Helio joked and said he’d never listened to a woman before, but he’s learned his lesson after being taught by Julianne! He swears it wasn’t really torture, but that if anyone wants to lose weight to call “1-800-Julianne” because “she is crazy and keeps going and going!”

And by the way, Julianne has 14 brothers and sisters! “They’re all talking about the Osmands, but they’re nothing compared to MY family!” The last two questions answered - Helio is going to continue dancing after taking a break, and Julianne does indeed eat! In fact they joked about her having a snake (I’m pretty sure she meant tapeworm) that Helio named ‘Frederica’ because Julianne eats all the time. A couple of dance moves taught to Rach later, and it’s on to the Mystery Taster once again!

5. So you’re a male athelete, from the west coast. What did you wear to play? When I played, I had hot pants!

6. Are you still playing? No..

7. Do you have a nickname? No one knows my real name… just my nick name…

This almost stumped Rachael, but she finally comes up by guessing Magic Johnson, and he’s like TWICE her size! She’s a bit star struck, as well as excited to see him and to see how much taller then she is. He tells her that the Arancini’s are his favorite dish, and he loves them and loves her version of it! That’s star studded approval, ya’ll!

Magic and his wife Cookie are working together to support Urban Neighborhoods through the Johnson Development Corp where they’ve helped bring 115 Starbucks and other businesses to underserved communities, bringing 30,000 jobs to minorities to help support their own community. They also have 200 kids on scholarship through the Foundation. All of that and he’s still raising awareness about HIV/AIDS with the I Stand With Magic campaign to educate the public. You can also bid on a basketball signed by Magic Johnson and help support the Yum-O! organization.

All of that and dinner too! Brasciole is what’s for dinner tonight!

Why yes, choosing that title amused me, why do you ask? (grin)

I love the What’s in the Celebrity Fridge feature in the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine. It’s like a peek into someone’s medicine cabinet when you visit - no one can resist, and of course you learn just as much about someone by what they have in their fridge. Mine? It desperately needs cleaning (Let’s cheat and buy a new fridge!), has lunchmeat and milk and diet coke and take out boxes. Which means I’m addicted to Diet Coke, Chinese food and have kids. Kaley Couco’s fridge has a lot of things for one ‘itty bitty’ girl. Yogurt covered pretzels? Yum! Of course, most of the food was for the dogs and horses - and leftovers from LAST thanksgiving. It’s nice to see an actress who’s a real people. (grin)

Kaley joins Rachael at the kitchen table, and admits that despite her last name, she is not a good cook. She has all Rachael’s cookbooks “they look fabulous - I haven’t actually OPENED them…” Of course they then bonded over the puppies, all rescue dogs and her new house - bought so her dogs would have room to run. Awwwwwwww..

Further dish on her career, especially her TV Dad John Ritter, and tells the tale of their first meeting and the first words he said to her. “I’ll be playing your dad, and I’m going to need you to put a sweater on.” From that moment on, he was her dad. Kaley says there are more people like John out there, who are happy and put positive energy out there, you just only hear about the bad ones. (I have to agree - the loss of John Ritter at such an early age was a tragedy. I always loved him!) She also loves working on The Big Bang Theory, where everyone is attached and it’s a giant family, where they have a game room and all the boyfriends and girlfriends and cast play games - which is why she is so good at her ‘crackberry’. Haha!

Gretta is back with the latest Human Lab experiment where she crashed a wedding to test out makeup. How brave are those girls for testing makeup products ON HER WEDDING DAY? The bride tested L’Oreal Endless Kissable lipcolour. The mother of the bride tested Maybeline Great Lash Mascara for it’s no smudge characteristics, and the bridesmaid tried the Max Factor Stay Put Foundation, to see if it will stay OFF his boyfriends collar.

The results? The mascara gets HUGE thumbs up from Mom, the lipstick made her lips a little dry but worked really well (try the kinds with special formula lip gloss included, don’t use your own, as it will run - follow the directions to put it on!) and the foundation stayed exactly where it was supposed too - no marks!

The products talked about: Clarins’ Fix Mascara, L’Oreal Endless Kissable Lipcolour, Makeup Forever, Max Factor Stay Put Foundation, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil.

What’s for dinner? Sliced Steak with Roasted Poblano Gravy, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Chipoltle & Green Onion Green Beans.

Monday
The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory takes you inside her fridge and shares memories of her TV dad, the late John Ritter. Then, our buddy Gretta is putting all the makeup claims you hear about to the ultimate test. Is there really such a thing as “no-smear” mascara and do those lipsticks that are supposed to last all day long really work? Find out which products survive our “human lab”.

Tuesday
Dancing with the Stars Winners

The elevator is coming down with a superstar, and he’s literally our biggest mystery taster ever! Plus, are you missing your fix of Dancing with the Stars? We’ve got you covered because the winners, Helio and Julianne, are dancing into Rachael’s studio… and even taking her for a spin!

Wednesday
Tim Gunn Makes Over Rachael’s Staff

Several Rachael Ray staffers have no idea they’re about to be ambushed… and then get a total transformation from Project Runway’s Tim Gunn! Plus, Kristan Cunningham brings together a couple torn apart for the holidays with a surprise they’ll never forget. Then, the winner of our “So You Think You Can Cook?!” challenge is back to claim her prize, which means she’ll be bossing Rach around in the kitchen and whipping up a tasty dinner!

Thursday
Can Tracy Morgan “Stump the Rach”?

30 Rock funnyman Tracy Morgan has Rachael in stitches with the most raucous round of “Stump the Rach” ever! Then, our body language expert goes undercover to reveal why you could be saying all the wrong things - especially during a job interview. And for dinner it’s a hearty soup full of stuff you’ve already got in the pantry.

Friday
Mario Lopez and Melissa Joan Hart

As Melissa Joan Hart prepares for the holidays, she’s also preparing for a new baby! She and Holiday in Handcuffs co-star Mario Lopez are talking about their new film and their own holiday traditions. Then, Lara Spencer’s got the latest “dish,” including online giveaways!

Today’s dish with Lara Spenser had a little bit of everything! First off, the hottest gift for the season is the PSP - which they gave one to the whole class! Man, my kids would have killed to be in that audience! It’s more then a video game, you can watch movies, download tv shows, music and music videos, and it has wi-fi too! We love Sony!

High marks for the newly released to DVD movie Waitress. Both Lara and Rachael love the movie. The Director was actually murdered before the film was shown and won it’s award, and never got to see her movie on the big screen. To learn more about Adrienne Shelly, and learn about her husband’s efforts to help support women directors, you can check out the Adrienne Shelly foundation.

The read of the season: Hero! It’s about the first gay superhero! Of course, there were many giggles because who didn’t think Robin was gay? But the author, Perry Moore, was recently sexiest guy of the week, and the message of the book is outstanding - everyone has something to offer, no matter how alienated you feel! Stan Lee has optioned Hero for a movie, as well!

Then - yuuuuuuuuummy! 2007 Nascar Nextel champion, Jimmie Johnson joined the Dish, and brought his trophy to show off and to chat a little bit about beating his mentor, Jeff Gordon, and to mention more then once they are working to get a track in New York.

Next - it’s true, Rachael tackles baking! Or at least pretends too with Inside Edition’s Deborah Norville. Author and busy mother of three, she confides that the holidays have to be handled in a Zen mode - whatever happens, happens, it’s OK. It’s all about the family and she goes into more detail about having a grateful attitude in her new book: Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You.

Next comes baking Gratitude Cakes for the holidays, to help you focus on the good things in your life. And there’s nothing wrong with cake in a box, either, it’s all about the easy! Next, after glazing, Deborah takes file folders and writes something on them, and stick them into the cake. Each person gets a card in their slice of cake, and talks about what it says. Some things like “When’s the last time you got a hug?” “What’s the last compliment you got?” “Say something nice about everyone here.” - what a sweet idea! For New Years, you can make a fortune cake, with things like “You’ll make a new friend this year” for the kids, and positive affirmations for the adults “That deal will go through!” Rachael laughs and tosses the “you will lose weight this year” with a laugh.

Rachael then surprised a 13 year old uber fan and aspiring chef who wanted to trade in the pearl earrings her grandmother gave her for her bat mitzvah so that she could buy a Rachael Ray knife! Rachael surprised her by being behind the counter at the jewelry store, and then Melanie joined her in the studio to ask a couple of questions - what to do when your kosher instead of using bacon and prociutto? Rachael’s solution was to use other things for smokey flavor, smoked paprika, or cumin for aromatic and taste does the trick! Melanie will get to try them out with the pots and pans Rachael gave her, and for those out there complaining - Rachael did make a note to say she’ll work on more kosher recipes for upcoming projects!

What’s for dinner? Sukiyaki Stir-Fry.

We jumped right into the kitchen today to help out a young viewer looking for a new dipping sauce for his chicken fingers. Enter the Tangy, Sweet BBQ Gravy to the rescue - then, for appetizers, where Rachael made bacon wrapped scallops! She even gave us some tips - which is good because I’ve never bought a sea scallop! Make sure they’re not separating and pulling apart, pat them dry and make sure the connective tissue has been trimmed. Then, quarter them - they’re gigantic - and it help stretches your budget.

Of course, you can’t have appetizers without a guest - so Mark Steines joined Rachael at the kitchen table to talk a bit about the red carpet and working for Entertainment tonight, but mostly to give us some tips for capturing the perfect images for your Christmas cards that reflect the spirit of your family!

You don’t need expensive software to start out with - not everyone loves pixel picking as much as I do, after all. Find something simple that helps edit the images and design your card.

Don’t feel like you have to take pictures inside by the tree with goofy sweaters either - pick a location that matches your family. For instance, Mark took his family to the beach, where they all have a good time.

Don’t be afraid to get down on the ground, or take photos from interesting angels - you get much better shots that way.

Be playful! This isn’t supposed to be awful with goofy smiles and forced attitudes that you get with professional photos. Laugh, and giggle and do what it takes to keep the kids engaged and at ease.

And my personal tip? Remember that it often takes 100 pictures to get that one perfect shot. Don’t force it, take a lot of photos, and you’ll be surprised and pleased with the end result, I promise! (And if not? Take 100 more!)

Afterwards, everyone’s favorite Survivor, Colby and our go-to girl, Gretta for a rousing He Said She Said when it comes to gift giving. Their tips and hints? When it comes to jewelry, make sure that the box is not the same size as THE box, else you have a disappointed girlfriend or a petrified boyfriend! Bracelets, necklaces and earrings get a total yes all the way around, but Colby confides that you have to be careful with giving jewelry to a man. There’s a certain level of commitment that inherently goes with jewelry and you might scare him off.

Tickets to an event are good, as long as you are clear with your intentions - is it for the two of you, for him and his friends? Make sure you know. And don’t scare your man off by giving him tickets to something 9 months from now as that involves a lot of assumptions!

Gretta hates gift certificates, and says it’s a lame gift for a girl. If you are determined to do it - then personalize it with something else, like a bottle of perfume or something unique. Colby however points out it’s a great gift for a guy - they’d much rather have that then a sweater they’ll never wear.

Don’t give clothing to your girlfriends unless you are CERTAIN it’s the right size, shape, style. Colby agreed and admitted they’ll never get the size right, so if they want to buy lingerie - make it a shopping trip for two!

Music is ALWAYS good - you can’t go wrong with music for an ipod. A gift for online music source somewhere, or download the songs and preload the mp3 player with things you’ve listened too since you met.

Experience gifts are also a great way to go - built in date night with a reservation for a cooking class, a night of dancing or some other activity you love. But most of all remember it really is the thought behind the gift that matters. Don’t stress, and smile. They did their best!

What’s for dinner? Grilled Chicken and Smashed Broccoli & Potatoes with Gouda Gravy.