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Monday's Leftovers: No-Cook Ham Salad

YumSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:00:18 -0800

Despite all the holiday leftovers you still have in the fridge, make an effort to eat more healthfully. Turn leftover ham into a delicious, no-cook salad. Although ham is full-flavored, it's a surprisingly lean meat.

All too frequently pigeonholed as a sandwich filler, this protein plays the starring role beautifully in a satisfying salad alongside Swiss, asparagus, and tarragon vinaigrette. To make yourself this gratifying meal, read more.

No-Cook Ham Salad
Adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, grated
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs tarragon, leaves removed and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends discarded, thinly sliced on an angle
1 pound ham, cut into very thin strips
1/2 pound deli-sliced Swiss cheese, cut into very thin strips
A loaf of crusty bread

Directions

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together Dijon, vinegar and garlic. Add the olive oil in a steady stream while whisking then add tarragon, salt and pepper to make the dressing.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and toss well to coat.
Serve over lettuce with crackers or crusty bread alongside.

Serves 4.

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Yummy Links: From Dungeness Crab to Turkey Cookies

partysugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:50:32 -0800

San Franciscans get excited: it's dungeness crab season! - SFoodie
This holiday season, why not bake a beautifully festive cake or cupcakes? - Hostess With the Mostess
Eating dark chocolate may help you handle stress. - The Epi-Log
The FDA has withdrawn the ban on the sale of Gulf Coast raw oysters during warm months. - Eater
Introducing: people talking on bananas. - People Talking on Bananas
Could Jose Garces be the next Iron Chef? - Grub Street Philadelphia
Rachael Ray on the Martha Stewart Show makes for some uncomfortable television. - Eat Me Daily
Learn how to fight wine snobbery. - Chow
Turn Keebler Fudge striped cookies into Thanksgiving turkeys. - Serious Eats

McCain Shows Rachael Ray His Ribs

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:00:44 -0700

On Monday, John McCain took a detour from the typical campaign trail to make his special baby back ribs recipe on Rachael Ray's daytime show. Here are some interesting things I learned from watching him demonstrate his signature dish on TV:

Apparently, the potential president gets his ribs from Costco. Rachael Ray seemed surprised: "I've been to Costco, [but] I just didn't picture you two with a cart!"
To my surprise, McCain seemed very confident in his cooking skills. "Is he always this take-charge?" the host and chef asked Cindy McCain. Her answer was a definitive "yes."
The senator even had some good tips, such as always grilling bone side down, which helps to cook the meat from the inside out.

The segment was a fun way to get to know the candidate outside of his usual element. To check out the clip of McCain cooking with Ray, read more.

Do you feel like you learned anything different about him? If you tuned in to watch Michelle Obama cook with Paula Deen this past Saturday, whose cooking did you prefer?

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Who Performed the Best on the Rachael Ray Show?

partysugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:00:14 -0700

Last night on the Next Food Network Star the contestants had to perform a live demonstration with children on Rachael Ray's daytime television show. For the first time, I thought all of the contestants did surprisingly well. However, I thought Kelsey, whose interaction with the girl scout was wonderful, performed the best. The judges disagreed and she was in the bottom two. Did you watch?

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Rachael Ray, Ina Garten Nab Daytime Emmys

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:00:22 -0700

Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and Ina Garten took home top honors at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmys on Saturday night.

For the second year in a row, Rachael Ray won the outstanding talk-show prize for Rachael Ray, her daytime TV spot. Grill It! With Bobby Flay took home the award for best culinary program, beating out Barefoot Contessa, Giada at Home, Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie, and Simply Ming. But Ina Garten had her time to shine, too, prevailing with the award of outstanding lifestyle host for Barefoot, an honor bestowed on Giada De Laurentiis last year for her show, Everyday Italian.

But Giada De Laurentiis didn't go home empty-handed, either. Her newest project, Giada at Home, won for directing in a lifestyle program. Food Network's only Susan Lucci of the bunch? Sandra Lee, who lost both her nods - one in outstanding achievement in hairstyling and the other for makeup - to The View. Judging by her ultrapolished, Barbie-esque look at the awards, however, perhaps the Academy should reassess. Are you surprised to hear who the winners are?

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Rachael Ray Meet Rachael Ray

partysugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:15:54 -0700

What would you do if you had the exact same name as celebrity chef Rachael Ray? Well, cook of course! Last week the Oakland Tribune introduced the world to the other Rachael Ray, a 10-year-old Fremont resident, who enjoys spending her time in the kitchen:

Rachael was born years before the cooking show host hit the big time, she definitely wasn't named after Rachael Ray, and she's used to getting yak-back about her name. When she was 7, she had a Rachael Ray birthday party. Guests dressed as chefs and got little cookbooks filled with family recipes for things such as cheeseburger soup.

The newspaper asked the energetic youngster to test out recipes from the Food Network star's latest cookbook Rachael Ray Yum-O! The Family Cookbook. When celeb Rachael Ray heard about the story, she was absolutely charmed and sent the girl a complete set of her signature pots and pans.

I know that many of you find Rachael Ray annoying, but you have to admit this story is pretty cute!

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Biggest Headline of 2008: Rachael Ray's Year of Ups and Downs

partysugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:30:22 -0800

Whether you love her or hate her, Rachael Ray, the Food Network's biggest star, is here to stay. Although 2008 was filled with many ups and downs, it was a huge year for Ray. Things got off to a rocky start in January, when a secondhand story claimed that Ray, a Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman, refused to drink Dunkin's coffee, instead opting for Starbucks. A week later, Ray denied the claim as "absolutely ridiculous." In February, Ray happily hosted the wildly popular Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, but March brought worries that her daytime television talk show would not be renewed. However, these rumors were quickly squashed when reports showed that her viewership was growing. The weirdest bombshell came in May when Michelle Malkin, a conservative commentator, accused Ray of supporting terrorists in a Dunkin' Donuts ad. The donut chain pulled the ad and released a statement clarifying that Rachael was simply wearing a stylish scarf and not a traditional headdress sometimes associated with terrorists.

Ray rose above the controversy to win a daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show. In July she rolled out a line of pet food called Nutrish, and in early August Forbes named her the world's richest chef. The week before bringing the Burger Bash to New York City's first-ever Wine and Food festival, Ray revealed her plans to open a hamburger restaurant. Since then, Ray has laid low. She recently had throat surgery to get rid of her raspy voice and is currently taking some time off to recover.

What did you think about Ray's turbulent year? Will she continue to make headlines in 2009?

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Rachael Ray: Love Her or Leave Her?

partysugar — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:00:17 -0800

Earlier this week celebrity "cook" Rachael Ray appeared on ABC's Nightline. She spoke about how her $18 million empire makes her queasy, how she's not embarrassed to promote Dunkin Donuts, her love of Anthony Bourdain, and her pictures in FHM. With the recession, Ray - who's known for her fun affordable meals - is extremely accessible.

After the show aired, everyone from Epicurious to The New York Times wondered if the food world is finally starting to accept, and possibly adore, Ray for who she is. The Feedbag's Josh Ozersky even declared that "Rachael Ray is now officially cool."

I've been a fan of Ray's since day one and continue to enjoy 30 Minute Meals and her magazine on a regular basis. With so much industry talk about her lately, I want to know: How do you feel about her, readers?

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Paula Deen: Love Her or Leave Her?

partysugar — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:00:50 -0700

Earlier this week Paula Deen made an appearance on Rachael Ray's daytime talk show. When I was watching the segment where Deen discusses her wig, I couldn't help but cringe. Something about the Southern queen of butter rubs me the wrong way. Still, her shows on the Food Network are among the most popular. I'm wondering: how do you feel about her?

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Rachael Ray to Open Hamburger Restaurant

partysugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:15:00 -0700

While she's hosted multiple television shows and even coined culinary phrases, Rachael Ray has never owned a restaurant. Until now. The celebrity chef has announced her plans to open a burger joint in midtown New York sometime next year. The news is not surprising, since Ray's always been big on burgers: On the Food Network website she has 70 different burger recipes. According to Ray the eatery will be:

A '60s back-in-the-day Rat Pack-y kind of hangout, and I want the bar to be really central [and] the burgers to become a very social thing. I want people to come to the bar to see beautiful proper martinis being made and to enjoy some sliders while they're doing business or sit in the dining room and have fine dining in ground form.

There's no word on what burgers will make the menu, but one thing's for sure: You can bet they'll have interesting names. Some of Ray's burger recipes include the blue-rugula burger, the Kentucky burgoo burger, and the jerky turkey burger.

Are you surprised that Rachael Ray is finally opening a restaurant? Would you eat there? Have you ever made one of her burgers?

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