Rachael Ray to Start Food Truck Business?

This goes into the - "really, could that be true?" file.  According to The National Enquirer (hey, they get lots of political stories right, cough, John Edwards, cough), Rachael Ray is starting a gourmet food truck business in major cities like LA, Chicago, and New York.

What, no Sacramento, Rach?  I'll keep an eye out for any more on this rumor, just like I do for stories about the burger joint that Rachael Ray talked about opening awhile ago.

I think Rachael's food would be a great success in the food truck format - she could easily come up with recipes that are quick to make (duh) and eat on the go.

Rachael Ray Roundup

Oh my goodness, have I ever missed cooking.  Between the pregnancy-related modified bed rest and the complete bedrest I've been on for the last two months, I have not be able to cook at all!  We've been living on the generosity of family and friends who have brought meals by, food from the freezer, and things that my husband feels comfortable making (think tacos, things from boxes).  I hit 37 weeks today, which is 8.25 months, so the baby is now considered full term!  While I should be most happy about simply getting up and around, I think I am most excited about getting back in the kitchen.

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 at everythingrachaelray at gmail dot com.

• Cookin' Lean Like Paula Deen made some tweaks to Rachael's Vermont Chicken Pie.
• Taste and Tell's Saturdays with Rachael Ray features a review of Chicken and Nectarines and Sweet Onion Potatoes Au Gratin.
• According to USA Today's Entertainment blog, Rachael Ray was invited to be on Dancing with the Stars.
• Nachos Grande reviewed Rachael Ray's skillet.
• Sara of I Like to Cook is testing whether Rachael Ray's meals can be made in 30 minutes.  This week she tried the Ham Burger, Napa Noodles, and Roasted Corn Tostadas. 
• Rach told Us Weekly who she wanted to see as a judge on American Idol.  Check out the video.'
• The Boston Herald reports that Rachael Ray was spotted in town.

Rachael Ray on Good Morning America

Rachael Ray showed up on Good Morning America yesterday to start plugging her new cooking show on The Cooking Channel, called Week in a Day (which finally has a website!).  She shared a bunch of new recipes including Nacho Topped Chili Pot,  Creamy Chicken & Mushroom One Pot, Sausage, Pepper and Onion One-Pot, Cauliflower Mac N Cheese, and Minestra with Beef and Pork Polpette.  The idea of the show is to devote one afternoon to cook off all your meals for the week, then you reheat them throughout the week.  I'm thinking this might be a great idea when we have a new baby in the house in a few weeks.  The little sneak peek of the show revealed that it's filmed on the same set as 30 Minute Meals.

Check out the video of her appearance here:



Rachael seems to be on a nacho kick lately - in addition to the Nacho Topped Chili Pot, this month's issue of her magazine features a Burger of the Month called Nacho Slider-Sized Burgers that is topped with nachos. Don't get me wrong, there's no judgment here - my friends were going to get me a nacho cheese machine (like the ones at gas stations) as a wedding present....

She also shared that her iPhone app, called Tasty Bytes, is number one in sales.  I really need to get an iPhone.

It's a Keeper: Spicy Beef Pitzas

We have been doing some serious belt tightening around here, like everyone else these days, so I've been leaning heavily on the $10 Spot feature from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

That's where I found these Spicy Beef Pitzas.  This recipe was very filling and the accompanying yogurt sauce would make a great dip. I think it needs some sort of veggie side to qualify as a square meal, but if you use lean ground beef and whole wheat pita bread, it's relatively healthy.  Plus, it is very easy to make, so perfect for a weeknight meal (or a meal your husband can make when you are on bedrest, as the case may be....)

Here's the recipe with my comments in brackets:

By: Susan Gordon
From: $10 Spot

4 Servings
Prep 15 min
Cook 20 min

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped habanero chile [I just used jalapeno because habanero is too spicy even for this spicy food lover.  A serrano pepper would be good, too.]
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound ground beef
4 pitas

Preheat the oven to 500°. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and two-thirds of the garlic; season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic, the habanero chile and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

On a baking sheet, top each pita with a quarter of the beef mixture and bake until crisp, about 8 minutes. Serve with the garlic yogurt.

Rachael Ray Interviewed by USA Today

Rachael Ray was recently interviewed by USA Today and mentioned that she daydreams about sleep, the poor thing.  The real question that raises for me is when will she slow down?  She's now got the magazine, a new cookbook, her talk show, her Food Network show, and a new show, A Week in a Day, debuting on the Cooking Channel, plus all the products she promotes. I'm probably even missing something from that list!  As long as she keeps publishing cookbooks and the magazine, I think I'll be okay....

A few highlights from the article:

• "Right now, Rachael Ray's lucky number appears to be five. 'Five years for the daytime show, five years for the magazine and five years married!' she says."
• Upcoming guests on the new season of Rachael's talk show: Kim Karadashian, Will Arnett, Keri Russell, Ted Danson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julianne Moore, Jim Belushi, Whoopi Goldberg, Nancy Grace, Patricia Heaton, Dr. Travis Stork, Bethenny Frankel, Emma Stone, Selena Gomez, Ty Pennington, Julie Bowen and Steve Harvey.
• Rachael also said the new season would be having more single topic shows than past seasons.
• On what she'll make John for dinner on to celebrate her 5th wedding anniversary: "John is still thinking it over. His favorite dish is carbonara — bacon and eggs spaghetti. At our wedding we had filet with a Brunello sauce, because we got married at the Brunello di Montalcino castle, home of the Brunello wine. I might do some sort of riff on that. I don't know. I am Italian girl, I gotta keep him happy."

Rachael Ray Roundup

You guys, the drama around here has been insane, so thanks for your patience with me. I ended up in the hospital with pregnancy complications at 34 weeks (also known as 7.5 months pregnant) and things were so serious they even gave me a tour of the NICU! After a couple days in the hospital, I was sent home, but on complete bed rest. So, I am allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and I am allowed to shower every other day. Needless to say, I have been a little distracted! I'm now sooo close to being out of the danger zone, so think good thoughts for me.  Back to business....

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 at everythingrachaelray at gmail dot com.

• Marisa of Mia Cucina made Rachael Ray's Thai Chicken Pizza.
• Entertainment Tonight talked to Rachael Ray about the season premiere of her talk show.
• Deborah of Taste and Tell made Bowties with Smoked Almond Sauce, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomatoes for her Taste and Tell Saturdays event.  She also made Roasted Garlic Pesto Cream Pasta.
• Every Mom has Her Day made Rachael Ray's meatballs.
• Susan of Jersey Girl in the Kitchen made Lamb Chops with Mint and Mustard Dipping Sauce from my favorite Rachael Ray cookbook - 30 Minute Meals 2.
• Cookie of Workout then Cook tweaked Rachael's recipe for Posole Mexican Lasagna.
• Rachael Ray was honored as one of The Most Stylish New Yorkers.