Watching Rachael Ray

We start out in the kitchen again, with BOB - The Big Orange Book - and a quicky recipe for sweet baked brie.

Then, it’s time to bring out Anthony Edwards! YAY! When complimented on being a snappy dresser - he just laughs “I do what my wife tells me!” As beloved Dr. Mark Greene did 180 episodes of ER, before he he died on the show, and Rachael (along with me and the rest of the fans) Sobbed when it happened. He returned to ER, for the final season, in a flashback experience. Will George Clooney come back? Anthony says it’s a lot of fun and it was a show that changed their lives, and he’s sure whoever can will come back.

He admits to watching it, and then having the experience of moving to New York and having little old ladies yelling at him “GET BACK ON THE TV, why’d you die on that show!” Once when out with his little girl, she was all “he’s dying so he can be with us!” Awwww…

He’s loving having the time to spend with the kids, and walk them to the school, and his wife game him cooking lessons that Christmas - it took him a while, but he realized it was a gift for HER, she wanted him home cooking. He cooks at least 3 nights a week now. He laughs when he says what all guests say - he wants to do the RR show again, because at Letterman you get cold cuts, at RR you get 15 different kinds of shrimp…

Going back to ER, Anthony equates it to going back to high school as an adult and being in your favorite class again. For his comeback, he wouldn’t take any pay either. Instead, he asked the Warner Brothers give to his charity instead, Shoe 4 Africa, where they’re about to build the largest children’s hospital in Africa. He’s a runner, and raises money for the charity, and when they asked for help building the hospital, he instantly said yes. It’s 100% charity - no admin costs, so give a dollar, a dollar goes toward the hospital. Check it out.

They talk about Africa, and the people and the need there, and how life-changing visiting there can be, then they touched on the recent passing of Michael Crighton, who based Noah Wylie’s character on his own experiences. He was always proud to have created this, and giving it to the producers and let it grow. “He will be greatly missed.”

When asked what the best trick for remembering lines for ER? “Learn them before you go to work.” And it came back to him pretty easily when he stepped on set once again - he never left, the people just looked 6 years older. He still keeps in touch with some of the old crew - recently had lunch with Noah, and JulieAnna lives in NYC and he sees her once in a while as well.

Up next for Anthony? A film with Uma Therman last spring called Motherhood. He plays the forgetful husband which his wife called typecasting, though he doesn’t know what she meant by that. ha! When the movie comes out, he said he’ll come back and maybe they’ll get to cook together. Yay!

A quick pass through the prep kitchen for some tips for different Lasagnas, it’s time to hit the kitchen again, for Sloppy Joe Manicotti, that comes in as a dinner for 4 that costs under $10.

Next up, it’s Rach to the Rescue, as the team heads to help poor Jamie, a University of Tennessee fan who along with her friends take the devotion to the team seriously. Sunday is the high holy day! Jamie loves hosting game parties, but has a fear of frying food - she’s a southern girl who can’t cook southern! Jen, the winner of Hey Can You Cook is on hand to help, and teaching Jamie a dish sure to please any fan - Fried Chicken! Check out the Rach to the Rescue site to see if Jamie scores a touchdown with her friends, and watch webisodes from the road trip! Hint - total touchdown, and a (joking) marriage proposal. The fried chicken was THAT good.) And of course, it’s not a Rach to the Rescue segment, without Jamie being given a Kenmore Elite Double Oven Range!

And STILL - dinner time! Spinach and Artichoke Tortellini Bake, and Tomato and Sirloin Tortellini Bake is what’s on tap for fake out lasagna day!