While most people enjoy reading novels, magazines, or newspapers; I, however, enjoy reading my cook books. I have been a foodie for as long as I can remember, so as you can imagine, I have a vast collection of cook books at my disposal. There is one cook book that is set apart from the rest from my collection and is prominently displayed in my cook book stand and it is my, “30 Minutes Meals Get Togethers,”cook book signed by Rachael Ray. This cook book is one of my very favorite things.
It was approximately 10 years ago that I met Rachael Ray at the Mall of America. She gave a cooking demonstration and made her “chili mac,” which is from page 125 from her book. Rachael stayed after the demonstration and signed autographs. So after several hours of waiting, my friend Kristine and I, were able to talk to her and get her autograph. At that time, Rachael Ray was not really well-known and had only 2 shows on Food Network, “30 Minutes Meals” and “$40 a Day.” I asked Rachael if she would consider coming back to the Twin Cities to shoot an episode of “$40 a Day,” and if so, I could give her some suggestions. She thanked me for my suggestions and signed my book and it reads, “Chow Time! Rachael Ray.”
This book has many interesting recipes, and I have tried many of them. I appreciate Rachael’s cooking philosophy of simple ingredients and simple recipes. I also like that this book gives an entire menu for a particular themed meal, and I am all about themes when it comes to cooking. For example, if you wanted to throw a, “Big Burger Lunch,” beefsteak tomatoes and Vidalia onion salad with steak sauce dressing, outside-in bacon burgers with green onion mayo, and Kahlua chocolate chunk cookies would be on the menu. Sometimes there is a “quick” dessert on the menu, but because Rachael doesn’t like to bake, they are extremely simple. I also don’t like to bake, and I often exclude dessert or just pick something up. Additionally, most meals can be made from start to finish in under 30 minutes.
I don’t believe Rachael Ray is a chef nor has had any “formal” culinary training, however, she has many years of experience working alongside her mother in her restaurant. Her recipes truly cater to both the experienced and inexperienced alike.
My cook book signed by Rachael Ray is one of my favorite things that I have because of my passion for food and that I was able to meet Rachael Ray in the process.
What more could a foodie ask for?
jsmmarketingmix 
Fantastic and very enjoyable blog post. I have all my mom’s cook books, so I’ve got quite a collection, too! My favorite is her 1961 edition of Julia Child’s first cookbook. I’ve only made 1 or 2 recipes from it because they take all day…
You have one writing error: punctuation goes inside of quotation marks.
“chili mac”,
“$40 a Day”,
“Chow Time”!, Rachael Ray.
“Big Burger Lunch” ,
PS I LOVE the closing question. Do you think it would be more powerful if you give it it’s own paragraph?
On Blogging – hyperlink key phrases. You might link to an online bookstore, for instance, so your readers could buy this book or to her mom’s restaurant.
Your photo is wonderful. If you want to make the text flow around it, go into the edit view of this post and click on the photo. You have the option to either edit or delete the photo. Click the edit icon. A screen will pop up. On it you have the option of “none,” “left,” etc. which refers to how the text wraps around your photo.
When you first upload a photo, it defaults to “none,” so no text wraps and your photo kind of floats on a page. It looks more professional if you make your text wrap.
Please revise by next class period (Feb 22nd). Thank you.
This blog reminds me of my father, who is also a foodie. He has many cookbooks and is always looking for new recipes to try. I love Rachel Ray’s recipes!
I am not a good cook, but if you say her recipes are good and simple, I think I will get one of her books!