Watching Rachael Ray

So, have you gone and wandered around the newly improved and chock fulla fun official Rachael Ray site yet? No? Whyever not? I mean, I KNOW I’m one of the best places to stop for Rachael Ray news, but the site has so much stuff it’ll take forever to explore it all!

Like - did you Rachael has a blog now? She does - and on it she recently announced her book tour and signing dates for the new cookbook, Just in Time. Click the ‘read more’ button below for a full list! Other great ideas on the blog? How to freeze foods, and the Family Good Food Fund!

There are a lot of other friend blogs on the site now too, a weekly recipe round-up of all the newly added recipes (Updated every Friday), tips from readers AND the new message boards where Rachael’s buddies often show up to answer your questions! How cool is that?

And the folks on MySpace - they can’t be left out of the fun! Here’s a recent video by Amber which pokes some good-natured fun at our favorite talk show host - it made me giggle, so I thought I’d share!

Rachael Ray Remix

Don’t forget - after the cut - book tour info!

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From EVOO to Pots and Pans, to cutlery - Rachael Ray has run the gamut of Kitchenware, and she’s not done yet! Town and Country announced recently that they’re preparing for a new Rachael Ray textile and table linen line.

The Food Network-TV chef recently paired up with Town and Country, a $163 million table linens and $65 million kitchen textiles supplier, to create for launch this market a collection of kitchen textiles donning the Rachael color palette. The table linens line is still in the works and is slated for unveiling at the February market.

Judi Alexander, Town and Country’s vp of licensing and marketing, told HTT the kitchen textiles were made to coordinate with Ray’s cookware, cutlery and dinnerware lines. There will be two design styles for the launch – a striped group and a contemporary floral collection. They come in four colorways – orange, blue, yellow, and green.

“It’s very fun and very fresh,” Alexander said.

Price points are still in development, but the line targets department and specialty stores.

“She has such a strong connection with the American consumer and our products help round out the total Rachael Ray lifestyle for her customers,” said David Beyda, Town and Country chairman.

At least they won’t be all orange!

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Dunkin Donuts isn’t the only thing that Rachael Ray is promoting this summer. Ray has joined with the Food Network, to promote the Great American Bake Sale, a national campaign to hold back sales this summer to help feed hungry children. Created by Share our Strength charity in partnership with PARADE Magazine, the event will run from May 19 to August 31.

‘I mean, it’s a very simple concept,’ Ray said. ‘When you go to greatamericanbakesale.org, you can read all about it and invite individuals of any age to throw a bake sale, starting this weekend and throughout the summer, to raise money to help feed hungry kids in their community.’

Say what you will - at least she’s putting her face on something to help the kids of the US, unlike some other celebrities!

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E! THS showcased Rachael Ray as promised on Saturday night. While E! THS is known for snarky and less the favorable portrayals of stars (and receiving criticism lately for going ’soft’), I felt the show was balanced and true to what we know of Rachael Ray.

They interviewed her teachers and councilors from High School, her mother and sister, as well as former employers, her crew and even l Roker - who got her the big break on the Today Show after seeing her on a spot during her local news.

From her start in her parents restaurants, to dishwasher at Howard Johnson’s to working (by choice!) from 5:45am-midnight at Agatha and Valentina.

Her first commercial for the restaurant featured Rachael behind the omlet station, and Joe Desantis says “She was great right off the bat. You could just see it, she had a presence.”

I loved what her teachers said of Rachael in High School. She was a cheerleader and they loved to “throw her around” as she was “game for anything.” And her French teacher proved that Rachael Ray and I have something in common: “I could always tell when she was participating. I could hear her voice… sometimes above all the others.” Ha! I gave my French teacher a set of chattering teeth the day I graduated. He said he’d never gotten a more appropriate reminder of a student before. Awesome.

Rachael worked her way up through the gormet food section of Macy’s after dropping out of Pace college, but parted ways when they wanted her to become a buyer for accessories - but she wanted to work in food, she loved the marketplace, and all the ins and outs of the service and food industry.

In 1993, she found herself at Agatha and Valentina, where she took her cues from her Mother’s strength for dealing with customers and the more old fashioned oldtimers who would be rough on a girl:

1. Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.
2. Understand you aren’t there to be buddies
3. Speak directly and look them in the eye
4. Tell them what you need and never insult them, and
5. Never accept an insult from anyone.

This is a tried and true method for earning respect with all those we work with and for.

After being held up by the same teenage boy twice in the same week, she left NYC and went home to regroup, before getting a job in Albany at Cowan & Lobel which was an hour away. She had to get her drivers license, and tells the story of her first test during which she killed a cat. She did get her license, though and that is where the 30-minute meal concept came to be after polling her customers on why certain things weren’t selling. Naturally, it was a huge success, and she garnered the attention of the local news crew.

It was the beginning of her success, of the Rachael Ray Empire.

Lest you think it was all sunshine and roses and biography background, they also went through her love life, her ex-boyfriends, and the times where she wasn’t sure where her next paycheck was coming from. And, of course, there was the interview with the owner of the Rachael Ray Sucks website community, Misty Ling who can’t handle Rachael’s cut sayings and perky personality.

“Her movements became more exaggerated, she became a cartoon of who she was…. the constant arm movements bother me. Evoo.. if your going to abriveate it, abbreviate it. It’s overkill, enough is enough. All thinks Rachael we make fun of.”

As Rachael herself says “They are perfectly entitled to think so! I don’t need to make the dumplings to feel fulfilled.” And about the tabloids “If that’s the price you have to pay, hey - it’s worth it.”

The show was well worth watching, so catch a replay if you get the chance on one of these dates: Monday, May 7, 11:00a - Wednesday, May 9, 10:00p - Saturday, May 12, 4:00p.

While it probably will be termed as overly positive - I think that is more indicative of the subject, then the spin of the show. Love her or hate her, Rachael Ray is a dynamic, energetic workaholic who gives her everything to each and every project. You can’t fault her for that - especially when we get the benefits of her down to earth, easy-going ways.

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Want to see a little preview of the E! True Hollywood Story: Rachael Ray? Click here! From how she got started, they follow the rise to stardom and the hotly debated term “America’s Sweetheart” - they’ll cover it all.

The part of the preview that amused me the most was the owner of the RRSux community. Now, I’m a fluffy and curvy girl myself, and my hourglass figure holds a hefty 3 and a half hours, but for a community that bags mostly on Rachael Ray’s appearance and weight….

Well. I’m just sayin’.

(As an Aside: why can’t we women quit that anyway? Thinner is not always better! Healthy is wear it’s at, and anyone can see that Rachael Ray is healthy and happy. Me, I’m just… built for comfort. Lots and lots of comfort. Ha!)

I’ll pop back in with a recap of the show this weekend! Have a good weekend and hey - eat something good, huh?

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I mentioned a few days ago one of the hater websites for Rachael Ray, right? Course I did! Well, I’m still eternally amused by some of the things they come up with. Neil Patrick Harris was on the show on April 9th, and one of the things he said was the title of this post. You can see the clip of it here.

What makes it funny? Well! To hear them talk, he snarled at her, more then once, to stop screaming at him because he was standing right there. I wonder if they were watching the same show I was? Seriously? What he said, and was referring too, was that she didn’t yell at him when he mutilated a meatball, as earlier in the show he made the comment about someone else yelling at him in the kitchen, if I remember right. I’ll be sure to catch a rerun of this episode at some point and hopefully be able to verify my take on it.

It just amuses me that some people will find any reason at all to talk bad about folks. It doesn’t stop there! There’s a whole post about washing mushrooms! Now most chefs will tell you not to soak them, because they get waterlogged and you lose flavor. Alton Brown, the science food geek of the Food Network, has proved that you don’t waterlog them unless you soak them for a long time. And agrees that if they don’t look dirty, they don’t even need a quick rinse - but either way, it’s all good - which means they’re BOTH right. (Don’t believe me? Here:

Comes up at about minute 3:30 to 4:30)

So who’s right and who’s wrong? My take is - does it really matter? The biggest question is why on earth these folks keep watching day after day after day? Do they really have nothing better to do then to pick on everything about her? Some people’s kids.

So - here at Watching Rachael Ray this week - I’m going to set up my RR inspired ‘pantry’ (which is really just a shelf) and also pick a couple recipe’s to try out with my kiddos. Be sure to tune in and catch the fun!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard about the Food Network awards. I figured they were giving awards to their stars or some such, until I actually looked at the nominee/winner list! It was the stars that were presenting, but the awards were for various foodie goodness across the nation, from best comfort food (voted on by viewers!) to the first Hall of Fame inductee, to Dream Scholarship and Humanitarian awards, and best shopping center and burger place. Awesome.

As award shows go - it was alright, but pretty boring. They haven’t quite hit their stride yet, but it’s the first one, so give’em time! The stars were looking fine though, from Bobby Flay, to the always gorgeous Nigella Lawson in a red dress that was just…. BAM!

And of course - Rachael Ray was there, handing out rewards and looking cute as a button in a black and white polkadot sundress. She looked comfortable and pretty all at the same time.

Yum-o!

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