‘Every Day with Rachael Ray’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Marshmallow Frosting

July 7, 2011 · Narrative

When I was planning the desserts for our recent End-of-School Year Rainbow Cake party, I added cupcakes to the list because, truth be told, the rainbow cake is not the easiest thing to cut, and I would need at least two or three of them if everyone had a slice, so cupcakes are a perfect additional dessert. Last June, I made rainbow cupcakes, and loved them. The problem? They were just a little too labor intensive this go ’round since I had a long list of other things to make for the party as well.

What to do?

I remember seeing a picture somewhere of cupcakes that had a rainbow on top of them, using the Airheads candy as the rainbow. Brilliant! And super easy. Bonus? That I found packages of the Airheads in Target’s Dollar Spot the week before our party. Two packages were enough (with leftovers) for 36 cupcakes.

My cousin, Alexandra, was staying with us the party weekend, so I set her and Nick to work on making the frosting and putting together the cupcakes.

If you make these cupcakes, I have two notes for you. One, be careful if you’re using the frosting in warm weather because it gets real soft real quick. And two, the Airheads tend to be a little floppy. Originally we snipped the size we needed and inserted the ends into the frosting. Once I saw how floppy they were, for the remaining cupcakes, I made a small slit in the top of the cake and slid the end of the Airheads in for a little more stability. You may discover an even better way.

Beyond that, have at it! This frosting is super simple to make and perfect for fluffy white clouds on your rainbow cupcakes. Or any other cupcake or cake, for that matter. Enjoy!

July 7, 2011 – Bonus Photo

Spied a little glitter on my co-workers’ nails this morning – love this trend!

…

Pear-Granola Parfaits

November 16, 2010 · Narrative

True story.

I hate pears.

(And apples too. It’s irrelevant, but I felt the need to get that out there. Full disclosure and all.)

Beth hates Rachael Ray.

Imagine what would have happened if I hated pears *and* Rachael Ray?

I never would have found this recipe, let alone made it.

But I did. And I did.

And it was good. So.very.good.

I saw a picture in an issue of Rachael Ray’s magazine, and added it to the stack of to-try clippings.

Which, truth be told, is more than a stack.

It’s like many file drawers.

And stacks.

Clearly evidenced by the fact that this recipe is from a 2007 issue.

This weekend, when I was making plans for our Sunday dinner guests, I spied the recipe.

A guilt-free dessert.

Clean eating.

Quite possibly kid-approved.

Does it count as kid-approved if 3 out of 5 liked it?

I think so.

And then I made it again this morning for a mid-morning snack.

Because there were ingredients leftover.

And it was good. So.very.good.

Enough so that I like pears.

In this recipe only.

Oh wait, and in this recipe too.

But that’s it.

And if Beth ate this, she might like Rachael Ray.

If even for a moment.

Like pears? Hate pears? How do you feel about Rachael Ray? None of it matters. Just make this. It tastes so sinful you’ll swear you’re cheating. No matter what eating plan you follow.

Haters be darned.

Project 365
November 15, 2010, #216, 217, 218, 219, 220

The trees around our office parking lot are positively brimming with leaves. And full of Fall color. Just the thing to perk you up on a dreary wet afternoon.

F is for Fudge. Thank goodness next week Madeline’s class is on the letter G. For granola. Have an awesome granola bar recipe to share? Would love to find one that’s slightly sweet and slightly soft.

Can I just say how much I love the lighting in Nick’s school? I mean, for an area with no windows (this hallway), it’s gorgeous. Madeline and I spent our lunchtime there, helping the teachers with a project. She was desperate for a drink from the fountain. She needs about another inch and she can reach it herself.

Artwork in the hallway from one of the upper grades.

Butterflies in the hallway where the Kindergarten classes are.

…

Super Wedge Salad

March 8, 2010 · Narrative

I’ve been going to the gym 4-6 days a week regularly for the past 2+ months. The kids come with me a couple of the days that I go, and on those nights, dinner is either leftovers or something simple. We just walk in the door too late to be playing too much in the kitchen. Between homework, bath, storytime and bedtime, it’s a race to the finish line.

When I spied this recipe for a Super Wedge Salad in a recent issue of Rachael Ray magazine, it seemed perfect for one of our all-together-at-the-gym nights. What I love most about this salad? That I can mix and match the toppings based on whose plate it is. More hard-boiled egg? Less crispy bacon (as if!)? Extra tomatoes? It’s perfect to fix on the fly and cater to everyone’s tastebuds or cravings, without feeling like you’re becoming a short-order cook in your own kitchen. I ended up using bagged romaine because I had it on hand, and added a few slices of ham for extra protein. Oh yes, and I used the low-fat mayonnaise, instead of full-fat. We switched to that years ago, and you can’t even tell. Other than that, I made the recipe as is. Even with having to hard-boil eggs and cook up some bacon, dinner was done in 20 minutes. Crazy delicious, and the perfect thing to eat after an hour-long Power Dance class.

Oh and the best part? In seven-and-a-half years, Nick has wanted no part of hard-boiled eggs. Truth be told, he doesn’t like any eggs, though will occasionally eat a deviled egg. Last week when I made this salad? He ate three of them. Go figure. Maybe this year at Easter, the beautifully colored hard-boiled eggs will get eaten by someone besides me!

Project 365
March 8, 2010, Photo #59

Don’t you wish life was as easy to sort as laundry?

…

Linguine with Bacon and Onions

August 17, 2009 · Narrative

First off, thank you so much for your very kind comments the other day. I really appreciate it, more than you’ll ever know. The situation is not without its challenges, of course, but the kids and I are fine. As cliched as it might be, and sometimes it’s hard to see at the time, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and certain aspects of this particular situation have definitely proven that. Now we’re all about navigating our way through a new normal … onward and upward. And now enough of life for a bit … back to food!

Last week I was working terribly hard on using up as much of the refrigerator and freezer contents as I could. The last time we moved, the fresh/frozen food aspect of it was disasterous. The refrigerator was the first thing loaded on to the truck, so by the time it came off and got hooked up some 11 hours later, all the food that we had in the coolers had to be thrown away. You can imagine how much that pained me, especially replacing all the condiments, so I definitely learned my lesson this time and the refrigerator was the last thing loaded on the truck this weekend, and the first off.

I had a package of bacon in the freezer, and remembering that fact happened to coincide nicely with reading a letter to the editor in Rachael Ray’s magazine, exhalting the praises of her Linguine with Bacon and Onions recipe. Dinner it was. I have to say, it might have turned my stomach just a little bit, cooking the onions in the bacon grease, but I soldiered on. All in the name of emptying out the freezer, right? Right. This recipe is a very close cousin to Spaghetti Carbonara, which is a favorite of the kids, but different enough that it’s its own animal. The sauce is a little bit creamier than the more well-known recipe and hey, let’s be honest here – anything topped with crispy bacon is starting us off on the right foot. Know what I mean?

It comes together very quickly, dirties only two pots, is great for a weeknight and, perhaps most importantly, is kid-approved. Winner winner, spaghetti dinner. Go get ’em.

…