Watching Rachael Ray

Today we start with Rachael crawling in the back window of her set after a wave, and bumping her head. She laughs and says she didn’t think she had that much flexibility left, and then moves into talking about how easily someone can break into your house - even if you think you’ve taken enough precautions.

Former Jewel thief Walter Shaw is on the show to talk about home safety which he now teaches after 20 years of being on the wrong side of the efforts. A reader, Erica, allowed them to come in and set up cameras, and she swore there was no way someone could break into the master bedroom while she was downstairs with her family for dinner - 15 people were right under the room in question. The video, of course, shows that Shaw used Erica’s ladder to climb through a window and raid her bedroom, making off with jewelry, passports and social security cards. He made it inside and out in just 8 minutes, and called it “a piece of cake” and that there was “nothing to it”.

Erica was shocked, though relieved it wasn’t a real robbery, and glad she could help teach her family the lesson about safety. Through a very long segment where Rachael kept things light, there were some good tips to help protecting your family:

* Keep the window alarms on at all times - even when you are home.
* Choose clever hiding places for valuables. Five key areas are usually targeted - between the mattresses, the night stand, the bathroom, the vanity, the closet - so pick other places.
* Wire the floor of your bedroom closet with silent alarms
* Place heat sensors outside of the house to trigger lights.
* Consider smaller dogs as watch dogs - they’re yappers and hard to catch. They’re the most annoying.
* Lock the shed and the garage, and make sure your ladder is chained to stop a burgler from using it.
*The most important tip is to keep your mouth shut - don’t tell people of your new, expensive, possessions. There’s no reason to tell your stylist that your husband just bought you a diamond necklace. Don’t advertise.

You can hit the giveaway button down there, and win Walter’s book, where he talks about all this and more about his experiences. Even as light as the conversation was kept, remember that being burglarized is no joke, and very invasive as well as potentially dangerous.

Next up, Skeet Uprich is in the house, talking about being the town sheriff in Jericho (which we all know has recently been cancelled, though hadn’t been at time of taping, apparently.). They talk about the cultlike following of the show, and Skeet says it’s pretty humbling and great to be a part of something like that. It’s the first time in 26 years that a show has been brought back from the dead.

Skeet talks about being a dad to twins, and says it’s the best of life. He calls them an old married couple, very alike in ways, different in others. They have each other’s backs, but are the first to turn each other in. He loves the experience of being a dad, and he’s started taking cooking classes with his kids. They end the segment by doing some skeet shooting on a WII where they both did pretty awful, but Rachael came out on top by a score of 17-2.

To be honest, this is one of the shortest, and disappointing, TV star interviews ever - what’s with that?!

Next up, two moms who document their crusade to improve school lunches in a film called Two Angry Moms. Independent filmmaker Amy Kalafa teamed up with Susan Rubin to document how schools need to improve their lunches and how some have taken steps to offer healthier choices for kids. They’re even offering free teleclass, School Food 101. For more tips on what to be aware of and some tips - check out the Better School Food website.

So, what’s for dinner? Pork Chops in Tangy Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce with Bacon-Pea Polenta.

PS - sorry it’s been so long and slow in the recaps lately - between show repeats, and the business that comes with hamster watching over at Big Brother Craze, I’ve been swamped! I’m doing my best though!