Rachael Ray's Blog, page 40

Be “Unselfie” for #GivingTuesday

Rachael recently wrote “I am 45 years old and as long as I can remember, my mother, sister, brother and I have spent every holiday helping people in some way or another, whether that means working at community kitchens on Thanksgiving or donating to toy drives for children’s Christmas parties. This is the season of sharing, caring and celebrating the fact that the whole world is one very big family.”

That’s why today, we’re celebrating #GivingTuesday. It’s an amazing movement built to kickstart the giving season. Nonprofits, businesses, and people take part to raise awareness for their favorite causes, fundraise, and give back to their communities

Participating in #GivingTuesday is easy – it starts with you, a giving spirit, and an “unselfie.”

Here’s how to make an unselfie: Take a typical “selfie” photo of yourself, and then caption it by sharing how you’re giving back to your community or causes you care about (like the photo above!). Post it to your favorite social media network with the hashtags #givingtuesday and #unselfie, and you’re set!

We’ll be sharing our favorite #givingtuesday moments all day, so be sure to catch us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to join in.

And thanks for being a part of a community who truly cares. No matter who you’re helping this holiday season, every little bit counts!

Introducing: Team Rachael!

At RachaelRay.com, we’re all about community. We’re here to help each other, and together, make life just a little more delish each day!

That’s why we’re launching Team Rachael: a new way to stay connected to what’s going on in Rach’s world through social media.

We’ll keep you posted on everything from where you can find Rachael online (and in the real world!) to how you can help her favorite causes. We’ll dive into fresh ways to help our furry friends and make healthy food for your kiddos. We’ll chat with you, swap ideas, and share feedback.

Whether you’re a parent, a pet parent, a novice cook or a pro, we’ve got something for everyone.

You don’t need to sign up for anything – just join us on your favorite social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

We’ll see ya there, and welcome to the team!

Dinner Deal: Baked Tilapia with Orange-Tarragon Butter

Flavored butters are a sure-fire way to pack a big punch of flavor and value into a meal. Mixing a little bit of bold flavors like citrus and herbs into an inexpensive, creamy base (like butter, for instance) amplifies their impact and makes them incredibly versatile.

Since the butter helps to boost the flavors even farther than they’d go on their own, keep it on-hand as a quick, easy, and budget-friendly bit of mealtime magic. They can be slathered on sandwich bread, tossed with some cooked vegetables, or added to pasta or rice for a finishing touch.

Baked Tilapia with Orange-Tarragon Butter

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless tilapia filets

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

Salt and ground black pepper

4 tbsp. butter, softened

Zest of 1 orange

Few dashes hot sauce

1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

2 cups baby spinach

Instructions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 F.

2. Arrange the tilapia in a single layer in an oven-safe baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil over the fish. Season it with seafood seasoning and some salt and pepper.

3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

4. While the fish is baking, in a small bowl stir together the butter, orange zest, hot sauce and tarragon. Season the butter as needed with salt and pepper. Reserve.

5. Serve the warm fish alongside the spinach, along with a spoonful of the juices from the baking dish and a hearty dollop of the orange-tarragon butter.

Want more Dinner Deals? Check out:

- Moroccan Spiced Chicken Pie

- Rustic Beef and Tomato Stew

- Inside-Out Chicken Cordon Bleu

Very Fine (and Gluten-Free!) Viennese Crescent Cookies

This is a recipe that my Nana made for me every year around the holidays. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to find the recipe written out in her handwriting on an index card.

After doing a little digging, I discovered that this beloved recipe actually came from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, that treasure trove of classic American favorites. To adapt the recipe to my adult taste, I made it gluten free and added some spices, and thus a new classic was born.

These cookies are light and crumbly, and full of rich flavor from the butter, nuts, and spices. You make them just as you would the standard recipe, but the flour is replaced with chickpea flour.

The classic version of the recipe doesn’t call for any spices, but I’m a spice lover, so I added a teaspoon each of cardamom and cinnamon to this version, as well as half a teaspoon salt to bump up the intensity of the flavor.

Other spices that could work well in these cookies include cocoa powder, nutmeg, and allspice.

Easy to assemble, these cookies require some simple shaping before they go into the oven. Take a tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. You can stop here if you like, and you’ll have what’s called Mexican Wedding Cookies!

Or, keep going and roll the cookies out into a crescent. It’s up to you.

Once the cookies are assembled, I recommend chilling them in the refrigerator for about half an hour to prevent them from spreading when they bake.

The trick to giving the cookies an even coat of powdered sugar is to coat them in it twice.

The first time is after they come out of the oven: as soon as they are cool enough to handle, they should be rolled and coated in the sugar. Then, after the cookies are completely cool, they get a second, “sealer” coat. The extra work is worth it, because they’ll look really pretty.

Viennese Crescent Cookies

Makes about 32 cookies

Ingredients

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 cups chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour

1 cup ground almonds or nuts

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cardamom

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Grease a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Place the confectioner’s sugar in a large, shallow bowl. In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, spices, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in two or three batches and mix well.

3. Take a tablespoonful of the dough and shape it into a ball. Roll the ball out to a length of about two inches, then delicately bend it into a crescent. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.

4. Place the trays of cookies in the refrigerator, and chill the dough for 30 minutes. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the over to 300 F.

5. Bake the cookies for 25 to 35 minutes, or when they are golden on the bottom. As soon as they’re cool enough to handle, roll the cookies in the confectioner’s sugar.

6. Cool completely, then roll the cookies in the sugar a second time. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Want more gluten-free goodness?

- Perfect (and Gluten-Free!) Squash Muffins

- The Best Gluten-Free Apple Cake

- Gluten-Free Pancakes

Get Ahead: Your Week of Meals

Welcome to the Weekly Meal Planner! Whether you work all day and are out of steam when the dinner hour hits, or are fresh out of  ideas and in a cooking rut, we are here to make your life easier. Note: We’ll include tips for picky eaters and easy food swaps if you don’t have an ingredient on-hand.

Happy December!

Meatless Monday

Lunch: Autumn Apple Salad: Salad of Apple, Endive, Pomegranate, Walnut and Blue Cheese is a party on a plate.

Dinner: Penne and Green Beans with Burst Tomato-Tarragon Sauce is fresh, healthy and full of color – you will enjoy it all year ’round.

Snack: Customize Frothy-Chilly Fruit Smoothies with your favorite fruits.

Tuesday

Lunch: Rabe-and-White Bean Stoup is a versatile dish. Use any bean you’d like and swap out the broccoli rabe for broccoli, spinach, or kale to make the dish your own.

Dinner: Paprika Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is a great make-ahead dinner. Put it together earlier in the day or even on Sunday!

Dessert: Surprise your family on a Tuesday with Lemon Cheesecake Squares.

Wednesday

Lunch: Packed full of roasted veggies, Chunky Roasted Tomato, Potato and Garlic Soup is healthy and comforting for a chilly afternoon. Freeze leftovers in individual servings to enjoy later.

Dinner: Warm Greek Salad with Sliced Steak is a light and satisfying meal. This is a great one for picky eaters who will love separate components of the salad – steak, roasted potatoes, and cucumbers are usually hits with even the choosiest little ones.

Snack: Crunchy Monkey Peanut Butter-Banana Sticks are fun for kids to make – and eat.

Thursday

Lunch: Enjoy a deluxe grilled cheese for lunch with A Rachael Goes to Monte Cristo - grilled turkey, cheese and sauerkraut with Russian dressing.

Dinner: Chicken Francese is a restaurant-worthy meal but quick and easy enough for a weeknight. Enjoy with steamed broccoli and rice.

Snack: Skip the store-bought version and make your own Greek Hummus, so you can customize the flavors and texture to your liking.

Friday

Lunch: Arugula and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Pepitas is delicious on its own, but feel free to top it with leftover chicken or even sliced turkey from the deli.

Dinner: It’s Burger Night! The whole family will love Turkey Burgers with Horseradish and Cheddar. Feel free to use any cheese you have on-hand and omit the horseradish if you are worried about spice.

Dessert: Cap off the week by making bakery-style cupcakes at home with Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Entertaining Saturday

Brunch: French Toast Casserole has maple syrup and sausage baked right in the dish. Assemble it Friday night for an easy brunch the next morning.

Dinner: Garlic-Chili Shrimp and Greek Spaghetti is an impressive but affordable meal – perfect for entertaining.

Cocktail: Celebrate the weekend New Orleans-style with John Cusimano’s Hurricane.

Family Sunday

Brunch: Baked Birds in a Nest is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you don’t have any pancetta on hand, ham is a great substitute.

Dinner: Meatloaf with Mushrooms and Chestnuts, Gravy, and Celery Root Duchess Potatoes is a special comfort food Sunday supper.

Dessert: Thin Mint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are a great way to kick off the holiday season!

 

Thanksgiving Leftovers 101

Thanksgiving dinner is delicious, but to be honest, I am more about the leftovers than the main event. Even though I don’t historically host Thanksgiving, I always make a full Thanksgiving meal the next day, with all the trimmings, for my family. Just for the leftovers.

If you have ever stared at a refrigerator full of tupperware containers and shut the door because you didn’t know what to do with them, you’re not alone. I’ve got some suggestions for dishes that repurpose all the best foods that Thanksgiving has to offer into something maybe even better than the original.

Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about Thanksgiving leftovers but were afraid to ask:

Leftover Storage: Refrigerate all leftovers within two hours of cooking in airtight containers. Contrary to popular belief, hot foods can be transferred immediately to the refrigerator – no need to wait until they come to room temp. Enjoy leftovers within three to four days. When all else fails, resort to the “smell test” – if it smells bad, you don’t want to eat it.  And the old adage applies here: when in doubt, throw it out. Check out foodsafety.gov for additional tips about your favorite Thanksgiving foods.

Quick and Easy Leftover Dishes: Some of the tastiest ways to repurpose leftovers don’t even require a formal recipe. Here are some of my favorites:

Via Flickr / eraphernalia_vintage

- Easy Turkey Soup: Sautee chopped carrots, onion and celery, add turkey or chicken stock and simmer. Just before serving, add al dente cooked pasta, chopped turkey, some chopped greens like fresh spinach or kale, and season to taste. Sometimes, basic is best!

- Turkey Salad: Take your favorite chicken salad recipe and swap-in chopped turkey. I like to mix Greek yogurt with a little lemon juice and curry powder and combine with chopped celery and red onion, chopped turkey, and dried cherries or cranberries. Serve in a wrap, sandwich, or on a bed of lettuce. Healthy and delicious!

- Creative Turkey Sandwiches: Go beyond the traditional Thanksgiving-Dinner-in-a-Sandwich (ie: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry, and gravy packed between two slices of bread – which is delicious of course) for a more refined lunch using turkey and cranberry. Try a turkey, Monterey Jack or Brie, and cranberry sauce quesadilla or grilled sandwich for a new combination.

- Turkey Eggs Benedict: Treat your family to eggs benedict with turkey standing in for ham or Canadian bacon. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can swap out hollandaise with gravy and put a smear of cranberry on the English muffin prior to assembling.

- Potato Croquettes: “Croquette” is a fancy name for a savory cake, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Take your cold mashed potatoes, form them into uniform patties, roll in bread crumbs, and shallow-fry until they’re golden brown (Note: Technically, a croquette is a ball, but I like patties better as they are easier to fry with less oil). Serve with leftover gravy for dipping to really take it up a notch.

- No-Brainer Shepherd’s Pie: With Thanksgiving leftovers, all the work is already done to make a delicious shepherd’s pie. I like to combine chopped turkey with leftover stuffing and gravy, transfer to a baking dish, top with an even layer mashed potatoes, and bake at 425 F until hot and bubbling. It’s Thanksgiving in a casserole!

Want some more great recipes to use up your leftovers? Check these out:

Pilgrim Sandwiches

Five-Layer Turkey Dip

Mashed Potato Soup

Thanksgiving Stromboli

Turkey Corn Crisp

Leftover Lover’s Turkey Tetrazzini

[Lead image via Flickr / kthread]

10 Tips for Stuffing Thanksgiving Leftovers into Lunch Boxes

It’s the nature of Thanksgiving. You’re hardly finished with your first plate and already fantasizing about the many things to be done with all those delicious leftovers.

It’s part of what sets Thanksgiving apart from other meals, even celebratory ones.

Sure, most of us try to be good about using up our day-to-day leftovers. But Thanksgiving is that rare meal when we actually plan and calculate to make certain we have leftovers not just of the main attraction, but of all the side dishes, too.

And once the kids head back to school after the long holiday weekend, packed lunches are a fine place to make use of those leftovers.

Of course, the general rule is that anything you can do with chicken you can do with turkey. But here are some specific — and simple — ideas to get your lunch packing creativity cranking.

1. Turkey Pasta Salad: Want to keep it simple? All you need are three ingredients — chopped leftover turkey, leftover cooked pasta, and some bottled vinaigrette. Toss and pack. But if you have extra time, it’s easy to build off that, too. Add frozen peas (they’ll thaw by lunch), chunks of avocado (the vinaigrette will prevent browning), cherry tomatoes, leftover roasted sweet potatoes (or any leftover roasted veggies), canned artichoke hearts, or olives from the relish dish. All good!

2. Turkey Quesadillas: Slap some shredded or chopped turkey and Jack cheese between whole-wheat tortillas, then pop the whole thing in a skillet for a few minutes. To keep it warm, cut  it into wedges, wrap them in foil and pack them in a wide-mouthed thermos. Don’t forget to add cups of guacamole and salsa for dunking.

3. Turkey Mac and Cheese: Got leftover pasta? Toss it, some chopped turkey, and a spoonful (or two or three) of low-fat sour cream or creme fraîche in a saucepan. When it’s nice and hot, add shredded cheddar. Season with salt, pepper, maybe some garlic powder, and a splash of hot sauce (a tiny bit heightens flavors, but doesn’t add heat). Pack in a toasty warm thermos.

4. Thanksgiving Sushi: Coat one side of a large whole-wheat tortilla with a thin layer of cream cheese. Now, pile all those delicious leftovers on top. And I mean all of them — stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey, green beans… but maybe not the mashed potatoes. Roll it up into a tight log (use another dab of cream cheese if needed to hold it closed), then cut into rounds.

5. Thanksgiving Stir-fry: Toss chopped turkey and any lingering vegetables you’ve got in a skillet (use the same one you cooked your breakfast in, no need to clean it first) with a splash of oil. Once it’s hot, add a packet of heat-and-eat rice and a splash of soy sauce. You can pack it in a thermos just like that. Or to get fancy, crack an egg into the center of the skillet and stir like crazy until it’s cooked and delicious. Authentic stir-fry in less than five minutes.

6. BLT(and T): Under the adage that bacon makes everything better, cook up an extra couple slices at breakfast. Now assemble your basic BLT, but add a few slabs of leftover turkey to the fixings. That extra lean protein will help keep the kids full! And if sandwiches like this tend to get messy with little hands, build the whole thing in a whole-grain hot dog bun.

7. Thanksgiving Burgers: In a large bowl, combine chopped leftover turkey, stuffing, some grated Parmesan cheese and an egg. Mix well, then form into patties. Fry or bake the patties, and top with cheese right at the end. Can be packed cold (similar to a leftover meatloaf sandwich with ketchup) or warm in a thermos with ketchup or another sauce on the side for dipping.

8. Turkey Soup: Grab yourself a box of prepared creamy potato soup. Combine it, chopped turkey and leftover veggies (roasted sweet potatoes or corn would be good). Heat, then pack in a thermos. Pack hunks of stuffing on the side as “croutons” to plop onto the soup later. If you have extra time, you could also make your own potato soup base using leftover mashed potatoes and milk or chicken broth.

9. Turkey Fingers: This one is a dinner and a lunch. Cut strips of turkey meat (any length or thickness will work, but aim for a couple inches). Dunk them in whisked egg or egg whites, then in seasoned breadcrumbs (panko is particularly good). Arrange them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (and spritz the tops of the turkey fingers, too). Now bake at 400 F just until they’re heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve with a favorite dipping sauce for dinner. For lunch the next day, turn them into a sandwich wrap with greens and mayo on pita bread.

10. Sesame Noodle Turkey: Toss leftover pasta with chopped turkey and whatever cooked veggies you have (or open a can of roasted red peppers and cut them into strips). Toss together. For the dressing, whisk equal parts toasted sesame oil, rice or cider vinegar and soy sauce, then spike it with a a splash of hot sauce. Drizzle over the pasta and turkey, toss well, then sprinkle sesame seeds over everything.

5 Crave-Worthy Chanukah Desserts

RachaelRay.com readers, meet one of our newest contributors, Jamie Geller! 

Whether you celebrate the Festival of Lights or not, we can all agree that there’s something unbeatable about sweet, fried desserts.

While these are traditionally served during Chanukah, you can add them to the menu at any celebration for a show-stopping twist on traditional desserts.

1. Jelly Doughnuts (Sufganiot)

Uber-easy jelly-filled doughnuts are ideal for Chanukah or anytime you get a craving. This version is fried in the traditional style, or you can try a baked option for a lighter take!

2. Nutella-Banana Egg Rolls

The name says it all. These dessert egg rolls combine warm banana and creamy Nutella with a crunchy egg roll wrapper. Warning: You probably can’t have just one!

3. Cinnamon Sugar Churros

Light, crispy, and covered in sugar. These churros bring this fair-favorite straight to your kitchen in a recipe that’s a blast to make. For a fall twist, try Ginger Churros with Caramel Apples.

4. Apple Zeppole with Jelly Dipping Sauce

Zeppole are Italian pastries that consist of deep-fried dough balls. For the best results, make these right before serving so they’re hot and have the perfect texture!

5. Chocolate Raspberry Wontons

These bite-sized desserts are ideal for parties. Perfectly packaged in wonton wrappers, their crackling bite and burst of fruit are delightful and decadent.

Looking for more, amazing Chanukah recipes? Check out Jamie’s 8 Thanksgivukkah Latkes You’ll Love!

Help! 5 Last-Minute Thanksgiving Recipes

Did anyone else just realize that Thanksgiving is happening way too soon?!

You might be feeling some pre-Turkey Day anxiety. Let’s channel the stress into something productive and get cookin’!

Here are five fast Thanksgiving recipes that you can whip up in a jiffy. They’ll also impress your relatives!

Oven-Roasted Broccoli - This is a perfect side because it’s fast to make, doesn’t use a lot of ingredients, and you’ll probably have an easier time finding broccoli at your local grocery store over other, more traditional Thanksgiving veggies. When your friends are suddenly converted to broccoli lovers after tasting this dish, say something like “Sometimes, the best recipes have the fewest ingredients; the flavors really get to shine when you let them stand alone.” Nice one!

Easy Homemade Gravy – People say that gravy is tricky, but this one is a cinch. Make sure to get your ingredients ready beforehand (this is called “mise en place” if you want to keep the fanciness going) so that you can get your timing just right. Voila!

Basic Cranberry Sauce – This cranberry sauce cooks in 15 minutes and just needs time to cool afterward. Fail-safe!

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole – A little work on the stove, then you get to toss everything in a pot and let it simmer. Slow-cooker recipes are great because they fill your house with the smell of a home-cooked meal while requiring very little work.

Easy Pecan Pie – This is a perfect pie because you don’t have to pre-cook the filling. Just mix it in a bowl, pour into your crust, and bake! Note: You’ll need some advanced prep on this one, so don’t attempt it 30 minutes before you have to head out of the house.

Want more? Don’t miss our collection of 40+ no-fail Thanksgiving recipes!

[Photo via Flickr/vxla]

Ask a Vet: How Can I Make Thanksgiving Better for My Pet?

Welcome to our Ask the Vet series, where we get top advice from real pet experts! In this edition, meet our friend Dr. Charles Berk.

Team Rachael: Thanksgiving can be a tough time for pet parents. I often find that people love to give my dog treats (which I wouldn’t otherwise allow). What’s a good way to help set parameters with guests on feeding the dog?

Dr. Charlie Berk: The big thing about controlling what your dog gets is setting boundaries for your guests. They may think its fine to give your dog some turkey, potatoes or stuffing, but they are not going to be around to clean up the mess if your pet’s stomach gets upset. Even giving dog treats meant for dogs can be an issue, if it is a new treat they haven’t had before or if it is in large amounts. Ask your guests to respect your wishes, and if treats have to be given, make sure it is what you would normally use and potentially break them up into smaller pieces to have them last longer.

TR: Are there any holiday foods that are particularly bad for our pets that we should be aware of?

CB: Yes: chocolate, garlic, onions, avocado, grapes, and raisins are all harmful, and I would stay away from nuts as well. A few of them can be very dangerous. Any “people food” can cause diarrhea and vomiting, so it is important to be aware of what your pets are up to.

TR: If we were going to build a mini Thanksgiving meal for “Fido,” what would you include?

CB: As I have mentioned previously, dogs really don’t do well with foods they aren’t used to eating, and the seasoning that we put on our food can make it worse. If you really want to give your pet something special you could give them some a small amount of boiled chicken breast with their regular food.

TR: If my dog gets stressed out by the amount of people or commotion, do you have any suggestions for helping calm him down and making it a more pleasant evening for all?

CB: There are a number of natural supplements on the market that can be helpful for dogs that have anxiety with guests. A few oral ones are Anxitane and Rescue Remedy. There is also something called dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP), like Adaptil. These are collars that can be put on that continually release a hormone that people can’t smell that calms dogs. None of these are guaranteed to work but have no negative side-effects.

TR: Any other tips/insights you think our readers should know?

CB: Also, be careful about garbage and turkey carcasses. I have seen a lot of dogs and cats that have gotten into the garbage and have become really sick or, in the worst cases, need surgery for bones that get stuck. Even though the holiday season is very busy, just remember that it is our responsibility to take care of our pets, and just because they like eating something doesn’t mean it is a good idea.

Thanks for the advice, Dr. Berk!

[Top image via Flickr/HJ_West]