Posted by Madeline | Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Holy cow. Martha Stewart will be appearing on Rachael Ray's talk show tomorrow, on November 12th. Check out the promo here. (Thanks, Everyday House Blend.)
And then Rachael will appear on Martha's show the next day to make a Thanksgiving dessert. What is the world coming to? I think I will consider this "must see tv."
Posted by Madeline | Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I hardly ever bake anything, so I was very proud of myself for trying Silvana Nardone and Christina Stanley-Salerno's recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Every Day with Rachael Ray. I brought these to a party and they were definitely a hit. I got asked for the recipe numerous times.
So how did these little guys taste? I have no previous experience with Whoopie Pies (I actually had never heard of them before). They certainly aren't a standard thing where I'm from (California). It was basically like two cake/cookie things with cream cheese filling in the middle. Pretty easy to make even for a baking rookie like me.
Rach's magazine says these can be frozen for up to three days. Here's the recipe with my comments in brackets:
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten [That whole room temperature eggs thing is really hard for me. I just don't plan that far ahead. So, I made my husband hold them for a few minutes.]
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree [Use the rest of the can to make Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage, which my husband contends is Rachael's best pasta recipe.]
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1-2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3.Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. [I found smaller was better when eating these. They are pretty rich.]
4.Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5.Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
Posted by Madeline | Monday, November 09, 2009
Rachael Ray's newest cookbook, Rachael Ray's Book of 10: More Than 300 Recipes to Cook Every Day, was published last week. This book is set up in ten chapters, with three lists of ten in each chapter. For example, the "Stretch-a-Buck Meals" chapter has lists of "Family Faves," "Most Requested," and "Great Rollovers." In addition to "Stretch-a-Buck Meals," you'll finds lists for entertaining, burgers, vegetarian, 30 days of pasta, seafood, one-pot meals, chicken, meat, and date nights.
I picked up my copy over the weekend (ah, how life has changed since I had a child) and tried one of the recipes over the weekend. I made the Cumin and Lime Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Creamed Corn (originally from 365: No Repeats) and it was seriously great. So good my husband even took the leftovers to work today, which hardly ever happens.
Overall, I'm impressed by this book. It does have recipes that I've seen before, but they are organized in a new way (which is great for obsessive RR recipe makers like me). I pretty much only make Rachael Ray's recipes (I know, I know), so it's nice to be able to flip to a list of what she considers to be her best budget recipes or one pot meals. Plus, there are a ton of new recipes to try out.
As I noted before, I'm not in love with the cover, but this cookbook has joined my other RR books on my kitchen counter for easy reference!
Posted by Madeline | Friday, November 06, 2009
If you haven't already, go out and pick up Rachael Ray's new cookbook: Rachael Ray's Book of 10: More Than 300 Recipes to Cook Every Day. I picked up my copy yesterday and will report back on Monday with my thoughts! You can read a bit about the book from my first post about it here.
Here are some Rachael Ray posts from around the blogosphere this week. If you see a post that you think would be good for the Roundup, or you write one yourself, e-mail me (everythingrachaelray at gmail dot com) so I can be sure to include it.
Posted by Madeline | Thursday, November 05, 2009
A cool contest appeared in my Weekly Bites newsletter from Every Day with Rachael Ray this week. You can enter your burger recipe here for a chance to "make your winning creation alongside Rachael at the 2010 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival," and you'll get your recipe featured in Every Day with Rachael Ray.
Let me know if you enter so that we can cheer you on!
Posted by Madeline | Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Rachael Ray recently talked to People Magazine about how she went down two sizes. You can see scans of the two page article here and here. Click on the image to make it larger if the type is too small when you first view it.
Apparently, when she couldn't talk for two weeks after her vocal chord surgery, Rach decided to take up jogging. The hobby has stuck and now Rachael has made exercise a part of her daily routine.
I'm glad to hear that she didn't have to give up any of her favorite foods!
Posted by Madeline | Tuesday, November 03, 2009
I had to try the recipe for Sunny-Side Sausage Fried Rice by Ashley Moore from the December-January 2009 issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray mostly because it just sounded odd. A fried egg on top of a bowl of fried rice? Every piece of egg I've ever seen in fried rice was scrambled, so I had to try it.
The results were generally good. The egg gave the rice a nice, creamy sort of coating that was very different from the usual. Plus, it was so darn fast and easy to make (with my husband being in charge of the eggs, of course). I can't be trusted with eggs. This recipe would also be good if you're watching your budget because the ingredients are pretty cheap and the meal is filling.
Here's the recipe with my comments in brackets:
SERVES 4
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 30 min
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup white rice [As usual, I used brown rice and though the taste is definitely different, I still like it!]
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes [You can even get a coupon for the tomatoes here.]
5 ounces cooked chorizo, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 large eggs
Chopped parsley, for sprinkling
1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, cover and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. [Since I used brown rice, this step took about an extra 10 minutes.] Stir in the chorizo and peas, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the eggs to desired doneness. Divide the rice among 4 bowls, top each with a fried egg and sprinkle with parsley.
