My Year in Meals

by Rachael Ray, John Cusimano

For the first time, #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachael Ray offers fans a glimpse into her own kitchen diary. From everyday meals to complicated culinary feats, Rachael reveals what she herself cooks for her family and friends for one whole year.

Ever wonder what Rachael Ray cooks when the cameras aren’t rolling? Here she gives you an inside look into her kitchen for one full year. My Year in Meals offers intimate access to tasty dishes that will take you from breakfast to dinner. From the meals she whips up at a moment’s notice to family feasts, and dishes inspired by her travels around the world, you can now enjoy twelve incredible months of Rachael’s homemade favorites.

Need something to get you out of bed in the morning? Try the Almond Custard Brioche Toast or Eastern Egg Sandwiches with Bacon. Looking to fire up that backyard barbecue? Try the Baby Back Ribs with Bourbon BBQ sauce. For something simple that will knock your guests’ socks off, try Rachael’s Egg Tagliatelle with Truffle Butter and Butternut Squash Risotto. Rachael even shares her husband John Cusimano’s amazing cocktail recipes, guaranteeing that you’ll never reach for store-bought Margarita mix again. To top it off, Rachael includes personal stories behind many of the dishes and her own never-before-seen photos of these culinary creations. In no time at all, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into her home for a change!

***

A year of delicious food is only enhanced by a selection of equally tasty cocktails, and Rachael’s husband, John Cusimano, is no stranger to the cocktail shaker. Now he’s sharing his secrets with you. Whether shaken or stirred, straight up or on the rocks, with a cherry or a twist, John’s creations—like his Strawberry Velvet featuring honey liqueur, strawberries, and lime—are always fresh, fun, and certain to make any gathering more memorable. With plenty of options for every occasion and season, such as the Pomegranate Margarita, the Halloween Fizz, and the Nod to Nog, these fabulous concoctions are the perfect complement to Rachael’s year of great eating.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference

384 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2012

About the author

Rachael Domenica Ray is an American cook, television personality, businesswoman, and author. She hosted the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray. Other programs to her credit include 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels, $40 a Day, Rachael Ray's Week in a Day, and the reality format shows Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off and Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off. Ray has written several cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006. Ray's television shows have won three Daytime Emmy Awards.

Reviews

[Amy Reade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting concept for a cookbook—it's billed as an entire year of meals that Rachael Ray and her family actually ate. I'm not going to argue about that because there's no way of knowing if it's true. I will say that I find it hard to believe that any family of three (the author, her husband, and her "mommy" ) can pack away that much food in just one year (not including the larger family gatherings).

The book contained a lot of recipes I would never make (but I enjoyed reading them!), though I did find quite a few recipes I'd like to try. I have never made a Rachael Ray meal that the entire family didn't LOVE, so I have high hopes for the recipes I plan to make. She has great intuition when it comes to pairing flavors and textures.

I prefer cookbooks formatted in a way that's straightforward and easy to read, and this one did not fit the bill. There are lots of sidebars and little notes scattered on almost every page that I found irritating. And the year in meals began in April and ended the following March, which I thought was odd.

I think superfans of Rachael Ray would love this book regardless of the downsides I've listed, simply because it's peppered with personal and family anecdotes that are interesting and fun.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

These recipes just seem way too involved for everyday cooking... I like some of her stuff, but I want simple recipes that don't require a lot of specialized ingredients. Not one of my faves.

[Paul Mashack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. God. I scanned through her years' worth of recipes, antidotes, cooking tips, etc. Some---ok, probably all-- of Rachael's recipes were well beyond my novelist culinary skills, but that doesn't matter. I jotted down notes, inspiring me to seek further resources to up my game. What more can you ask for? Great pictures, too.

Also, does she REALLY cook like this every day? Every. Single. Day?

Wow.

I'd love to be Rachael's friend or neighbor in real life, if for no other reason than the prospect of her occasionally stopping by with some leftovers.

Mmmmm.....

Now, if you excuse me, I've got a PB&J waiting for me.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my strategies for keeping my weight down is looking at recipe books like this one by Rachael Ray. The recipes are far too complicated and involved, and require too many obscure ingredients to actually make. Frankly it is hard to even get inspired to modify the recipe. However, it is nice to page through, look at the pictures, and mentally scan the recipes. That's the calorie free way to do it!
Check out the name of this dish on p. 253: Pissaladiere. Really? Not in my house!

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about bang for your buck! This book has a lot of recipes. For me, I just Don’t use the same products and have no desire to stock her common staples, ex. Sherry or vermouth. There a few recipes I have saved I will want to try. If you are a fan of RR this would be for you.

[Anne Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recipes and tips are too jammed into the book. Her husband has some interesting cocktails but how many homes have those ingredients on hand

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the format of this book as a BOOK - I'm not sure I'd like it so much as a cookbook. Nonetheless, I marked at least twenty recipes I'd like to come back to and try out. Many of them looked a little ambitious, but I figured they were mostly all weekend recipes (for your AVERAGE cook, anyways).

One thing that I would have edited about this book: there was a lot of repetition: three or four versions of coq au vin, pasta with one or two ingredients changed. Just tell us in one recipe the various options; no need to include every possible iteration of a recipe. This brought it down one star for me. I kept marking a recipe and then seeing a variation with *one* thing changed, then going back to the original marked recipe, and having to decide which one I'd rather mark... LOL what a problem to have, right?

The cocktails didn't do a lot for me; many of them were a bit too esoteric.

I am REALLY looking forward to making the recipes I marked, though. Thanks Rachael Ray!

[Hoyt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very interested in the concept for this book: learning what a TV chef actually eats at home. So what did I learn? Ms. Ray eats a LOT of Italian food, so nearly every recipe lists EVOO and Fresno chiles. This book is maybe 60-70% Italian recipes. She also uses a lot of ingredients that may be difficult to find in your regular non-New York supermarkets. Still, a lot of the recipes sound tasty, so I'll have to try them out over the next few months.

As a cook book, this is not as easy to follow as her other books. Lots of sidebars and graphical elements that make it visually interesting, but not as clear to read. It is also organized chronologically for when she ate the food during the year, rather than organized by food type (apps, entrees, etc.).

I probably won't try the cocktail recipes in the back of the book, mainly because we don't have room for a bar..

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun to read and nicely laid out cookbook - and though none of the recipes are particularly groundbreaking, I found many great suggestions for simple and easy to put together fare. A couple of examples: Green Pastitsio (with swiss chard, dill, mint and parsley) and a version of caponata featuring cubanelle peppers, golden raisins and pistachios. And then there's the flip book part - John Cuimano, Ray's husband, does cocktails in the back of the book (or is it the front? cocktails should go first, I suppose!).

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was fun to read, but the recipes are not really geared toward real life in terms of cost of ingredients and complicated recipes. I mean its obvious she does not have the need to stick to any type of food budget, but I cringe to think about her monthly food spending. Probably more than my mortgage, car, and school loans combined. And lots of hard to find ingredients. My local grocery store does not have ramps or zucchini flowers, which were prominent in several recipes. But the book isn't advertised as budget friendly or simple, so I'm not even mad.

[Ashley Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently bought this book! I mainly bought it because of the recipes featuring ramps. I can't wait for ramp season so I can try some of these recipes. They sound delicious! I live in an area where you can go and pick your own ramps so it's not so costly. Unfortunately the season on ramps is extremely short but it's good while it lasts. A lot of the ingredients are stuff that I can get here so I am so excited to try out the recipes!

I love looking through this book and planning out the meals I will have when spring comes!

[Michele J · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have most of Rachael Ray's other cookbooks and I love them all. I think ever since she married John her recipes have gotten more complicated. I miss the simple comfort food she used to make. Since when does she cook with ramps? Since now, I guess. If there are one or two recipes I would actually make out of this book that would be a lot. I'm glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.

[Anne-Marie]

This was a great cookbook as it is more personal than Rachael has ever been. I loved the recipes even if they did not always use common ingredients. I loved that I could get this from the library as I wanted to buy it, yet after reading it, there were not enough recipes that I would use, and since I don't drink alcohol as a change, the cocktails looked good yet I could not make them. If you love Racheal and want to know more about her than from her show, this is the cookbook for you.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have made quite a few recipes from this book and they have all tasted amazing! I really appreciate that she features seasonal ingredients, which helps me use up the vegetables I receive from a farm share. Last night, I even got my three-year-old to eat macaroni and cheese that had mushrooms and hot peppers in it. I haven't tried any of the cocktails yet, but they look good, too. This cookbook is one of the select few that get to live on my kitchen counter.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is Rachael's best cookbook ever. Lots of content: multiple recipes on every pages with side notes. Like if a recipe calls for poached chicken, she tells how she poached it. Or what she served before and with it. Organized chronologically: seasonal presentation works well too. Did not like the add-on, My Year in Cocktails by John Cusimano, at all. Everything was too complicated with weird ingredients for me to consider trying (or even tasting!) any of them.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun cookbook...Love the Italy vacation section. I also love the fact that she and her husband John took all the photos for the book. I can't wait to try some of the recipes, but it's the Cocktails section that looks the most fun. I love that they put it in the back of the book and have it so you FLIP it! So fun Rachel Ray. Thank you.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was enjoyable to read the recipes and look through the pictures. most of the recipes were too involved or required ingredients that would be hard to get in regular supermarkets. The cocktail recipes had too many obscure ingredients. it would have been expensive to buy so many different liquors. The book also didn't include details about the story behind recipes and cooking every day.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instead of being organized in catergories, it is organzied by days of the week of the month, meaning it is hard to find a recipe when you want it. I checked this out of the library and did not actualy find anything that I wanted to photocopy and make later....probably because I found it so disorganized

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciatd the photography of this book ij that they were all photos taken by them, no photo shoots of plates of food.

Most tecipes were doable however I have to wonder where all the leftovers are since there was a meal for almost EVERY day.

The back is a listing of cocktail recipes that John has made (which I didnt realize) so its like a two for one.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Rachael Ray is a great home chef. I became a fan of her 30-minute meals. This is more of a book then a cookbook and certainly not her regular thing. The stories, pictures and recipes are a treasure for her family and friends as the memories jump from the pages. I absolutely loved the cocktails offered by her husband, John Cusimano.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some other reviews identify that her ingredients "spare no expense," that's where imagination plays a role. You might say that I use her book more as inspiration rather than direction, since I have never followed a recipe to the "T", however the meals I have prepared from her ideas are incredible. My friends and roommates are always a fan when I say it's a Rachael Ray night!

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love you Rachael Ray, but I don't understand how you live the life you lead and then go home and cook these meals every single day.

There were some really good recipes in here but I don't know if I have the stamina to make them.


TWSS.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe she makes these kind of meals everyday. These are not that kind of recipes. Who is she kidding? And the drinks--you would need to own a liquor store to stock all the odd types of liquor. Although some of them looked tasty.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the Behind the Scenes idea here. I might not be able to find lots of the stuff in the recipes, but they were still fun for me to read as a RR fan and fun to take a little food adventure I otherwise might not have taken.

[Dppeedin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting to read, especially for each month as to what she eats. But as far as cooking the recipes, I would need to look up some of the ingredients and then go to a specialty store to buy them. But it is fun to read.

[Erin H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much a departure from her typical cookbooks. The story telling in the book is like going on the journey with the cute couple. More of a book with recipes than a traditional cookbook. Quite an enjoyable read either way.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Rachael since her debut on food network. I've been waiting a really long time for this book of her best recipes throughout the year plus bonus cocktail recipes from her husband. She also includes photos of her dishes which is always a plus.

[Mary Lynn Noonan-Toschi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought two copies of this book for gifts. One for my friend and the other for my son. Both have loved the book and enjoyed the recipes. My friend is an accomplished cook and my son is a novice. Both have successfully made several of the recipes.

[Beka · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting concept, but less interesting (for me) to read.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachael can't possibly cook like this everyday. Some good recipes nevertheless!