Watching Rachael Ray

So - Rachael looked good the other day in the black? Today… not so much. That green shirt is draped COMPLETELY wrong for her figure. Sigh. One step forward, two steps back… Anyway, we start off in the kitchen to make a snack for today’s Mystery Taster - The Ultimate Ham & Cheese Sandwich.

The Mystery Taster comes down the elevator, and the crowd goes WILD - it’s a big one! A TV Legend with 5 Golden Globes, 5 Emmys, and a career that keeps all of us laughing. Here’s the questions:

At the prom - coursage or boutineer? Didn’t go to the prom.
Shopping - Rodeo drive or 5th Ave? Rodeo Drive
Comedy team when a kid - Abbot and Costello, Jerry Lewis or Cheech and Chong? Abbot and Costello
Extra activities in high school - choir, drama club, athletic department, debate team? All of them.

The Mystery taster retreats until later, and we move on to Green ideas to Clean. Evette is on hand with some eco-friendly cleaning tips, starting off with a viewer who wants better ways to clean her stovetop. Rachael admits that her husband does the cleaning, so she’ll learn something to. Baked on stove stains - use a paste of baking soda and water to rub into the stain. Baking soda provides the abrasiveness to get the stuck on stuff off - add vinegar and it cuts the grease too.

Cleaning silver without silver cleaner - fill large pan with hot water, line the bottom with aluminum foil. Add a squirt of dish soap and loads of salt. Soak the tarnished silver making sure the foil touches the tarnished area. Voila, shiny silver.

Cleaning the LCD-TV: Use a soft dry cotton cloth to remove fingerprints nd smudges — you can add a tiny bit if isopropyl alcohol on a damp cloth. Wipe the outside with used dryer sheets to dust after cleaning and help prevent future dust.

Tips not shown on the show: Microwaves - dampen a kitchen towel in water, set inside the microwave and run for 30 seconds - use the damp towel to just wipe the crusty food away. Revitalize CDs by dipping the end of a dishtowel in water, dab a bit of toothpaste on the tip. Rub the playing surface with the toothpaste in circles to work out the scratches, clean with damp towel and you’re good to go. Make your own furniture wipes by mixing equal parts water and lemon oil in a bowl and dip squares f cheesecloth into the mixture. Wring them out so they’re only slightly damp and store in air tight container - voila, eco-friendly wipes!

Rachael heads back to the kitchen to finish the snack for the Mystery Taster, who comes back down the elevator once again.

Back to the Prom - a dress, or a tux if you had gone? A dress. in drag. JUST kidding! A Dress.
Which EC activity in high school helped the most? Drama and Choir
Did you win any awards? Yes. Which ones? Emmys, golden globes,
When you won the award,, who’d you thank? That’s giving it away! My cast members Vicki, Harvey, Tim….

“No it is not, shut up, is it Carol Burnett?!” Of course it is, Rachael, and she pops around the corner to give her a hug and lead her to the table. Carol tells her she’s the cutest thing, all bubbly. And Rachael is, of course, a huge fan, and thanks her for all the years of laughter. The Carol Burnett Show was on for 11 years, and asks why there isn’t stuff like that today. Carol says it was like a broadway show on tv, and today the cost is just too much when you can gets Reality Shows for $1.98!

Bob Mackey designed every costume on the show - 50 of them a week, and they talk about the gut-busting spoof of Gone with the Wind, where Carol wore a gown made from the curtain. She declares Bob Mackey genius. She says she still goes to dinner with her castmates often, and when you do you have to know the Heimlich because of the laughter. She is also in with the new crop of comedians, working with Steve Carell and Jim Carrey in Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who. She’s thrilled to be part of the film, and she took her grandkids to the premiere last week, and the 11 year old was like “Oh grandma!” so now she’s cool.

She is also helping promote the arts to a new generation with a project at the Pasadena Playhouse, that is a tribute to her daughter, Carrie Hamilton. They’ve built it into a theater that works with kids at risk and encourages them to write, direct and act. An architect friend, Frank Gehry, is redesigning the theatre for free as a tribute to Carrie.

So - what’s for dinner? St. Patrick’s Day Reuben Hash which is shared by Stacey Antine - an Incredible Person (Sponsored by Eggs) who’s helping kids to eat healthier by getting to the root of the problem - showing them how to grow and cook their own food.