Watching Rachael Ray

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She truly is every where - and don’t we ALL fast forward to the food??

Can’t afford to run off and get everything on Rachael Ray’s must have pantry list? No worries - just add a little EVOO, Garlic and pasta to the three basics below and you’re all set for a myriad of recipe’s to sooth the cheapskates palette!

Anchovy paste and whole anchovies
“I always keep tons of them on hand because you can put them with some garlic — a lot of garlic — EVOO and then add pasta of any size or shape and that’s dinner. It’s called Aglio Olio pasta and it’s absolutely fabulous. Once you melt the anchovies down into the olive oil, they taste like salted nuts. And who doesn’t love salted nuts?”

Canned fish
“I love canned fish because you can make so many different meals with it and it’s so easy to keep on hand and stocked up.”

Boxed stock
“Love this stuff. Saute any vegetable you have in the house, stir in any kind of pasta, macaroni or rice, throw in some stock and you’ve got instant soup. It also gives an all-day, slow-cooked flavor to pasta sauces and pan gravies. The great thing is that they come in paper containers now, instead of the cans, so you can just pop the top, and pop it in your fridge.”

Straight-from-the-pantry recipes:
EVOO + garlic + anchovies + spaghetti = Aglio Olio
EVOO + garlic + anchovies + linguine + baby clams + white wine = linguine with white clam sauce
linguine with white clam sauce + canned tomatoes or tomato paste = linguine with red clam sauce
EVOO + garlic + canned tuna + canned tomatoes + olives = tuna puttanesca sauce
canned salmon or tuna + egg whites + breadcrumbs + parsley + seasoning = fish cakes

You know… some of those sound REALLY good. Good thing tomorrow’s payday!

You decide! It’s 60-second meals with Michael May and his friends. Join them as they teach us the ins and outs of cereal, as well as how teenage boys spend their boring summer days when they’re given a kitchen and video camera!

Color me amused!

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It’s a week of Mystery Taster Repeats!

Tim Allen

Rachael’s celebrity mystery taster has some playful suggestions for “fixing” her pizza. Then, Peggy’s creative home decorating tips, and Rach puts a French twist on an italian classic. Plus, are you a beauty junkie? Meet a woman so obsessed with beauty that she left her best friend’s funeral to get her lips done.

Brooke Shields

She’s the first mystery taster to stump Rachael! Brooke Shields joins Rach in the kitchen for a cooking confidence booster. Then, are you a mom who never makes time for yourself? Tune in for a crash course in time management! And find out how to make delicious soup in 15 minutes.

Brad Garrett

The mystery guests keep coming, and it’s a pretty tall order for Rachael to guess this “beloved brother” when Brad Garrett drops by. Then, Gretta’s busting beauty myths and sharing the affordable must-have eye cream that will help keep you wrinkle-free!

Julie Andrews

You’ve already seen some huge mystery tasters, but none of them has ever gotten a reaction quite like this! Julie Andrews stops by to talk about her latest book, co-written with her daughter. Then, identical twins who couldn’t be more different! It’s twin vs. twin as they try to put 28 years of friction behind them. And, it’s a family-friendly dinner: stuffed pork tenderloin and stuffed mini potatoes!
Be the first to enter for a chance to win a copy of Julie Andrews’ book.

Dustin Hoffman

Sanjaya stops by to give Rach a behind-the-scenes view of American Idol. Then, this mystery taster has it all: 2 Oscars®, 6 Golden Globes®, an Emmy® and a bit of a feminine side. Plus, it’s Rachael’s take on a Middle Eastern specialty.
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Hollywood Dads.
Enter for a chance to win a Lisa Hoffman skin care packet.

She’s said it a thousand times, sometimes in a single episode. Rachael Ray is simply an upstate NY waitress who got lucky. (And yes, many haters take that statement and run with it - we’ll just let it stand as is, here though.) Few can argue that she’s one of the hardest working women in Show Biz, though, as she seems to use that never-ending energy to work, work, work and show up absolutely everywhere. She’s back from her short summer vacation and hard at work filming her daytime talk show, after filming numerous episodes of her Food Network shows $40 a day and Tasty Travels.

Rachael was recently spotted in New York, donning her waitress apron once again, presumably for an upcoming segment on the show, possibly at Bubbys, in the Tribeca neighborhood of NYC.

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Personally, I never understood doing extravagant birthday parties for children who are too young to remember them - and if you believe that, I’ve a bridge to sell you, cheap! When my daughter - just turned 13 - was turning two, we invited everyone to a Princess Party, where my mom made costumes for the boys (Robin Hood-esque, completely with swords) and girls (Tiara’s, tu-tus, and princess wands), we rented the Fun Jump for several hours, and generally had a fantastic time. I’ve done similar with all my kids - but that one was priceless because my Princess pouted through the whole thing, having missed her nap.

What’s that got to do with Rachael Ray? Well, she’s been advertising on the website asking for stories of people who had “over the top” parties for their kids. A Hammonton, NJ woman, Kasi Anderson was intrigued and decided to present her party details.

Kasi Anderson knew her first child, Kiley Ann would only turn 1 once. So for her daughter’s first birthday party, she decided to go all out.

On a recent afternoon at Valenzano Winery in nearby Shamong Township, 150 guests enjoyed a festive afternoon featuring a petting zoo, a caricaturist, pony rides, plenty of food and even a motorcycle-riding parrot.

“It was like a carnival. It was my first kid so I just wanted to do it. It was crazy,” Anderson said.
A fan of television personality Rachael Ray, Anderson recently went on the cooking celebrity/talk show host’s Web site inquiring about tickets to the daytime talk show. While online, Anderson noticed the show’s producers were looking for people who presented “an over the top” party for their child.

Intrigued, Anderson typed in all the details on the upcoming celebration for her daughter and sent it in.

She didn’t think anything else of it, figuring there were more people with bigger parties then she had planned. However, a few days later, Rachael Ray Show producers called and said they were sending a film crew to document the party. Not only that, but they also covered the smaller, just family version at their home on Kiley’s actual birthday.

Kasi, Brian and Kiley are tentatively scheduled to appear on the show sometime in December. Big fans of Rachael Ray and the show, Kasi says the only question she doesn’t want to answer is “How much did you spend?”

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Rachael Ray has been promoting a 10 ingredient challenge for the past couple of months. One of the entrants posted her entry at youtube for us.

How cute is she? Click to see part 2, 3, 4, and 5.

(I’d post a link to the contest but Rachael’s site is malfunctioning at the moment - I’ll try to add it soon. Otherwise, check out rachaelray.com!)

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

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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Ali Larter - Repeat

Rachael kicks off her search for the Worst Kitchen in America! Tune in all week to see who the contenders are and what Rach has planned for them. Then, does your sex life need a jumpstart? Find out how to spice things up in the bedroom and keep your romance sizzling! Plus, Heroes star Ali Larter has a surprise for a real-life hero, and she’s testing her powers in the kitchen with Rach making meatball heroes.

Katherine McPhee - Repeat

American Idol’s Katharine McPhee performs her hot single and talks about her struggle with bulimia. Plus, how does Good Housekeeping decide which products are the best of the best? Take a behind-the-scenes tour of their labs to make sure you’re getting bang for your buck. Then check out day two of our search for the Worst Kitchen in America!

Law & Order: SVU’s Chris Meloni - Repeat

Rachael is putting Law & Order: SVU’s Chris Meloni under arrest for crimes in the kitchen as they make spicy Bloody Mary burgers! Plus, meet a 22-year-old who’s living at home, is $50,000 in debt, and her folks continue to bail her out! Is she a shopaholic, and can she break the addiction? Then, Evette’s got three quick ways to make over a room.

“My Kids Want Plastic Surgery!” - Repeat

Would you let your teenager get breast implants as a graduation gift? When it comes to teenage plastic surgery, how young is too young? It’s a heated debate with doctors, parents and teens weighing in. Then, gorgeous Mena Suvari dishes on the pressures of being beautiful in Hollywood and Rachael whips up a 15-minute meal.

Worst Kitchen in America - Repeat

Rachael reveals the absolute Worst Kitchen in America! You won’t believe how she transforms it and how you can give your kitchen a whole new look without busting your budget! Then, the doctor is in to talk about everyday human behavior - what’s normal and when your idiosyncrasies should be a cause for concern. Plus, Rachael spices up a traditional chicken dinner.

No, no no - not the turkey, the Magazine! Stuff Magazine has a list of the Hottest Women on the Food Network on their website. Unsurprisingly, since Rachael Ray practically IS the food network, she made the list. Surprisingly, they found 7 other women on the network!

Rachael comes in at a measly number seven on the list of ten. I agree with the ones she beat out - but some of the others? Oh my… Here, judge for yourself! I give you the list, and their reasons!

10. Ina Garten of he Barefoot Contessa. Mainly, because she’s rich and cooks.
9. Sara Moulton of Sara’s Secrets and Cooking Live. For culinary hotness. Ooooh…kay…
8. Cat Cora of Iron Chef America. She knows more about crawfish then Emeril.
7. Rachael Ray of every show on the network. From frumpy to white castle date worthy.
6. Ellie Kreiger of Healthy Appetite. For her nymph-like hair and huge smile.
5. Robin Miller of Quick Fix Meals. Huge eyes and smile that’s sweet yet sultry.
4. Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade Cooking. Eerily smooth skin and powdered sugar.
3. Nigella Lawson of Nigella Feasts. She fills out her sweater. That’s all it takes. ha.
2. Paula Deen of Home Cooking and Party. …..I.. I can’t even paraphrase without thinking.. WHAT? SERIOUSLY? because she smells like fried chicken and butter, apparently.

and at number 1 - Giada De Laurentis, or as I like to call her - the Bobblehead.

How is it that Rachael is only number 7 on that list? I mean seriously… Paula DEEN, people!

I’m.. speechless. Ok, not really, as this is clearly in jest, but.. Paula Deen?! Oy!

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If I had $300 dollars I would buy________.

What would you buy with $300? Or even $200 or $100? Now is your chance to find out! Comment on any 451 Press site (like THIS one, for example!) during the month of August and you could win! Three comments will be chosen at random to win a cash prize of $300, $200 or $100.

So don’t be shy! Say hello, and get a chance at some easy cash!

Here’s a clip of his visit to the Rachael Ray Show (shown again yesterday)

Don’t forget, you can visit the Yum-O organization at RachaelRay.com!

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And for those who have wondered why we had new shows while The Rachael Ray Show is said to be on hiatus - it is as we suspected. These are previously unseen episodes, not recently filmed. At You Tube - this is said to have filmed last September, though it was aired July 25th.

Rachael and John seem pretty cosy there - as they always do! More fuel for the no divorce fire?

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

..to the top… of the Hamptons, at least! The New York Post’s Page Six reported Sunday that Rachael Ray and husband John Cusimano are in contract to buy a place in Southampton fir just under $3 million.

Included in the 6.2-acre Tuckahoe Lane estate, bordering the Southampton and Shinnecock golf courses, are a three-bedroom main house, two-bedroom pool house with sauna, separate guest cottage, pond, heated pool and lush gardens.

Somewhat disappointing is the minuscule kitchen pictured in the Prudential Douglas Elliman listing.

If this is the kitchen they’re referring too? Um, sign me up! That’s bigger then my living room!

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

Firehouse Chili Cook-Off - New!

The top four chili cookin’ firefighters in the country are competing in Rach’s first four-alarm chili cook-off!

Then, three delish recipes that will use all those chili leftovers, and try a better-than-nothing workout.

Fashion Fake-Outs - New!

Got a problem area that you need help hiding? Get Gretta’s sneaky tips that’ll fake everyone out! Then, tricks for getting out the toughest stains, Rach heads back to high school and she’s got a south of the border burger!

President Bill Clinton - Repeat

It’s a huge day on the show when President Bill Clinton comes by and hits the kitchen with Rach! But first, they’re talking about his childhood struggles with weight — did you know he weighed 185 when he was only 13? — and their new partnership that will change the way kids eat.

Aaron Eckhart - Repeat

Hollywood hunk Aaron Eckhart is giving the goods on his leading ladies like Gwyneth, Julia and his latest co-star, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then, meet two moms with two different problems: One mom turns a real life nanny nightmare into a Hollywood-worthy story. The other mom refuses to even let her daughter out of her sight! Life Coach Harriette Cole has tips for parents who are with their kids 24/7, including how to let go without feeling separation anxiety.

How to Make Over Anything - Repeat

From how to make over your ugly bridesmaid dresses to Kristan’s simple improvements that can help you sell your house faster, you’ll get great ideas for how to make over practically anything! Plus, a lucky audience member gets a makeover from Gretta, and Rachael’s giving the classic Caesar salad a flavorful twist.