Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati Launches Virtal Book Tour

June 4, 2007 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 12:00 pm | Comments »

Model turned celebrity chef Maria Liberati has announced that she will be launching a virtual book tour for her recent bestseller, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking.

The tour begins today & runs until June 28. The month-long tour will find its way along eight sites such as BlogTopix & NateBarlow. Liberati will be discussing her new book as well as tips on cooking Italian. Portions of the proceeds of the book sales are going to provide support for a nonprofit center for cancer victims.

Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay: Let Them Eat Horse

May 8, 2007 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs at 12:00 pm | (7) Comments »

The celebrity chef we all love to hate, Gordon Ramsay, is causing some waves. The chef is saying that the British should eat more horse, this on the tail-end of the Kentucky Derby.

Ramsay, who recently served up horse on his new TV show, said it was “slightly gamey” & “packed with protein.”

While it is not illegal to eat horse meat in the UK, it has not widely been eating since the 1930s.

I think I’ll have to stick with the new ways, then, petting the horses & going back to my tofu salad.

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Rachael Ray Gives Us the Recipe for a Happy Marriage

May 3, 2007 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 12:00 pm | (2) Comments »

With juggling four hit Food Network shows, her own Emmy-nominated talk show & a self-titled magazine, celebrity chef Rachael Ray is rather a busy woman, wouldn’t you agree? So just how does this wife make time for her entertainment lawyer husband John Cusimano?

38-year-old Ray reveals, “I can’t give a man an enormous amount of attention.”

“And John is totally down with that. When men I have dated over the years whined about, ‘Oh, you make no time for me’ – see ya! I just dumped them. I don’t need that pressure in my life.”

Wow, now that’s a woman with a career in mind!

Now, when it comes down to having children, Ray says that’s already been ruled out completely.

“I don’t have time,” Ray states

“I work too much to be an appropriate parent. I feel like a bad mom to my dog [pit bull, Isaboo] some days because I’m just not here enough. I just feel like I would do a bad job if I took the time to literally give birth to a kid right now and try and juggle everything I’m doing.”

It’s days like these that I’m glad I live in Nashville & am not a frantically busy celebrity chef!

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Rachael Ray Serves Up Alabama Prom

April 6, 2007 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 12:00 pm | (4) Comments »

Celebrity Chef Rachael Ray made certain that the Enterprise, Alabama students who lost eight classmates during the recent tornado that devastated the area got a senior prom.

Ray helped plan the menu & prepare the dinner at Enterprise High School’s prom night. Rachael paid for the dance, as the city has had to spend the majority of its monies on recovering from the devastation. The celebrity chef even filmed parts of the evening for a special episode that will air on “The Rachael Ray Show” later this month.

In a statement Ray revealed, “The students of Enterprise High are so courageous, given all that they’ve gone through. When I heard about what happened to their school and classmates, we wanted to help.

“The prom was all about celebrating their accomplishments and honoring the classmates who tragically lost their lives,” Ray finished.

Let’s take that to heart this weekend & give back somehow in your area of the world.

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General Mills Hires Celebrity Chef Mario Batali

April 5, 2007 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 12:00 pm | (5) Comments »

In a move to steer more excitement into their company, General Mills Inc. has hired on celebrity chef Mario Batali.

Batali will be working with General Mills to develop his own line of food, the Wall Stree Journal reported on Wednesday.

What’s in the works? Well, we’re more than likely going to see some frozen pasta dinners as well as some good on-the-go snacks.

With the success of Rachael Ray & Emeril Lagasse, it’s no wonder why celebrity chefs everywhere are literally trying to get a piece of the pie.

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Celebrity Chef Rachael Ray Bitten by Stray Dog

March 6, 2007 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 9:33 am | (7) Comments »

Well, folks I’m finally back. How you made it without me for a little over a week is beside me, ha! It’s good to be back in the land of the culinary, and although our February month of recipe quickies is over, I am sure we can come up with a March theme that is just as good.

For the month of March, I’m thinking celebrity chef news & dessert recipes. What do ya say? We’ll start the day off by reporting that celebrity chef Rachael Ray, despite being a little shy about animals on her show, has quite a love for her pit-bull mix pooch Isaboo.

While in Union Square Park Saturday Ray’s beloved dog was nearly attacked by stray. Here’s the scoop from the TV host’s rep.

“This dog came up - there was no owner in sight - and became aggressive. Rachael and some others shooed it away, but it came back and attacked Isaboo. Other dogs were involved, and Rachael jumped in and was bit by one of the dogs on the leg. A nurse was in the park and checked her out.

When asked about Rachael’s injury, he rep assured us that our dear Rachel is doing okay, saying, “She’s fine.”

It looks like we can all breathe once again! That Rachel, you never know what she’s going to get herself into next! Stay tuned for out upcoming desert recipe of the day!

Eat well & Laugh often!

Rachael Ray’s Hungarian Sausage & Lentil Soup Recipe

December 11, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Soup Recipe at 12:00 pm | (1) Comment »

OK, OK, OK. I know I have been on a celebrity chef Rachel Ray kick lately, but with EVOO actually being added to the dictionary, I couldn’t resist. This 30 Minute Meal Hungarian Sausage & Lentil Soup recipe will make your guests sit up & take notice! The delectable flavors in this recipe blend together marvelously & sit on your tongue with deliciousness. Made with that famous EVOO, you can’t go wrong! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs bulk hot Italian sausage
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 portabello mushrooms, gills scraped out, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup lentils
1 large starchy potato, peeled and chopped
S & P
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (or substitute a mix of 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika and 2 pinches cayenne pepper)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, intact on stems
1 (14 ounce) can chopped fire roasted tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock
1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed and drained

What’s Next:

In a medium sized pot, simmer lentils in chicken stock.

In a second pot, sautee sausage in olive oil.

Add garlic, onions and mushrooms to the sausage. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add carrots, lentils, potato, salt and pepper, bay leaf, paprika (or substitute mixture) and rosemary to sausage pot. Don’t worry about the woody rosemary stems - the leaves will fall off as it cooks.

Add tomatoes to sausage pot. Bring to a good rolling boil and boil for 15 minutes.

Combine the two pots.

Wilt the greens in and remove the rosemary stems. Let sit 5 minutes off the heat before serving.

Eat well & Laugh often!

Rachel Ray’s ‘EVOO’ to be Added to Dictionary

December 11, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 8:59 am | (2) Comments »

Well, it looks like celebrity chef Rachel Ray is not only changing the way we eat, but also the way we talk. Ray’s expression for extra virgin olive oil, “EVOO”, is being added to the Oxford American College Dictionary.

The entry is set to read, “EVOO: abbr. extra-virgin olive oil.” Wow, changing the vernacular & vegetables, what a Renaissance woman that Rachel Ray is! The news of the dictionary addition was revealed last week on Ray’s show.

Make sure to get your own “Got EVOO” t-shirt at Rachel Ray’s shop. Maybe I need to start coining some phrases. What about EWLO?

Eat well & Laugh often!

Q & A with Celebrity Chef Rachel Ray

December 8, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Tid Bits & News at 9:10 am | (23) Comments »

USA Today writer Laura Petrecca recently sat down with celebrity chef Rachel Ray & picked the 38-year-old chef’s brain. Here’s what we found out:

USA: With your syndicated talk show tapings, the Every Day With Rachael Ray monthly magazine and the upcoming book tour for your new cookbook, you have a lot on your plate. Is this your most hectic holiday season?

Rachel Ray: I always have a busy holiday season. I go for a book tour for most of December, and I’m in a different city every day. I put up the tree during Thanksgiving, and I do some shopping while I’m traveling. But I don’t have an enormous amount of time to shop; I sign about 2,000 books a day.

USA: When you’re not on the road, what’s your daily routine like?

Rachel Ray: I don’t have a typical day anymore. Taping the (daily talk) show is different from (Food Network’s) 30 Minute Meals. And if I’m writing for my magazine, then I spend all day at the computer with my dog at my feet. I work a long day because it feels good to me, and I do that no matter what my job is. I worked just as hard as a waitress and bartending.

USA: You’ve lent your name to lines of cookware, knives, furniture and olive oil. What’s next?

Rachel Ray: We’ve expanded the pots and pans line and worked on some utensils, but just a few. I don’t like a lot of junk in your drawer. We’re working on sheets and textiles also, with a country version and city version — because I live part time in the country and part time in the city. I’m very specific about what I want to put my name on and how I want it to look. I draw on a cocktail napkin or scrap paper and say things like, “How about an oval pot?”

USA: Now you’re thinking about opening a restaurant. What’s the concept and timing behind that?

Rachel Ray: I’m working on a healthy fast-food place (with an attached) nice kind of burger/supper club. The burgers could be made of anything — from swordfish or salmon to tuna or chicken. Ground anything. It could open late next year. Opening a restaurant can be difficult. You have to be very careful with who is watching the store because I have nine other jobs. We have a long way to go.

USA: You recently married. What’s your advice on fitting in both family and work time?

Rachel Ray: When you’re trying to balance everything, you just have to be flexible. So you can’t have dinner until around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. If that’s what it is, that’s what it is. You can’t have it all without sacrificing quite a bit. You can’t be too rigid with things like what time you’ll have dinner or when you’ll take vacation.

Whew! And I thought I was a busy woman! Make sure to stay tuned for an upcoming Rachel Ray recipe!

Eat well & Laugh often!

Gordon Ramsay Lightly Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

December 6, 2006 | Posted by Allison as Celebrity Chefs, Soup Recipe at 12:30 pm | (6) Comments »

butternu-squash-soup-recipe-gordon-ramsay-12-6-2006.jpg We all can’t make it to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, be it London, Tokyo or New York City. And that’s why we have to sometimes have to cook it up ourselves. Try on this celebrity chef Ramsay Lightly Spiced Butternut Squash Soup, it’s a great winter warmer-up!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
Few knobs of butter
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 1 litre hot chicken stock
1 heaped tsp mild curry powder
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 apples, cored and sliced with skin on
4-6 thin rashers of pancetta, halved
Small handful of coriander, leaves chopped

What’s Next:

Heat a heavy-based pan with the olive oil and butter, then add the onions, bay leaves and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well, then cover the pan with a lid and cook over a low heat for 5-7 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Meanwhile, bring the stock to a simmer in another saucepan. Add the curry powder to the onions and stir for another minute. Tip in the squash and add a little more oil to prevent the squash from scorching too quickly. (It will also give the finished soup a velvety texture.) Cook for about 10-12 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and lightly caramelized.

Pour in just enough hot stock to cover the vegetables and gently simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, lay the pancetta in a single layer in a hot nonstick frying pan. Fry over medium heat until golden-brown and crisp. Turn over to cook the other side. Drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool slightly.

Fish out and discard the bay leaves. In batches, purée the soup in a food processor or liquidiser until smooth. Return the soup to the pan to reheat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and garnish with some chopped coriander and a slice of crispy pancetta on top.

Now, that wasn’t too hard, was it?

Eat well & Ramsay often!

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