Rachael Ray's 365 recipes 30 min cookbook

[VickiQ]

My future daughter in law gave me this cookbook for Christmas and gave me a list of all the recipes that sounded good to her. I have made quite a few of them and many others - for the most part they are good and take 30 minutes to prepare but, the worst part is they take 45 minutes to clean up!!! My future D-I-L doesn't like to cook- my son does though- little do they both know when they get married- I'm giving them the cookbook with all my notes in it for them to make their- I'm sure they would rather I cook for them but, sometimes my kitchen is closed!!!! Love and energy, Vicki

 

[Erik]

I just picked up a copy for my wife. I see some cool ideas in there...it's not very hard to cook her recipes, and my wife, who barely cooks, enjoys it!!!

 

[GB]

My MIL gave me this book for the holidays and I love it! There is a recipe in there that we have made over and over. It has quickly become a favorite of ours. It is the Pumpkin Polenta with Chorizo and Black Beans. Clean up in not too bad with it. Give it a shot.

 

[Michelemarie]

I have been eyeballin' this book - glad to hear the good reviews - I guess I need to go get it! Thanks!

 

[GB]

I have made three things out of it so far and I have about 30 sticky notes marking other recipes to try as soon as possible. Each recipe so far has been a success.

 

[VickiQ]

Thought I would share with you the recipes I've tried from RR's365 No Repeats cookbook if that's ok-

Smoky Turkey Shepard's pie- Good

Mega Meatball Pizza Big hit

Turkey Noodle Casserole so-so

Turkey Saltimboca rolls excellent

Chicken with wild mushrooms
and balsamic cream very good

Balsamic glazed pork chops Very good

Spicy shrimp bok choy noodle
bowl good- alittle too strong on the ginger

Turkey croquettes good

Chicken francese excellent

Chicken tortilla soup very good

Grilled Chicken Paillard excellent-my favorite

Cacciatore Burgers excellent

Salsa Stoup and double
decker quesadillas very good

Mac and smoked gouda
w/cauliflower excellent

Pasta w/roasted eggplant
sauce and ricotta salata excellent

Tonight I'm making the Bel Aria Chicken and Pasta- I'll let you know how it turns out. I love having this cookbook- it's a no brainer on what's for dinner-just a few recipes before shopping day and get the ingriedients.
Hope this was helpful!!!
Love and energy, Vicki

 

[buckytom]

vicki, do you use her trick of a "garbage bowl" on the counter to help save time on clean up? it's one tip from her that i've adopted.

 

[Michelemarie]

Thanks for sharing Vicki! Now I know where to start.

 

[VickiQ]

No I don't use a garbage bowl but I do use double thickness paper towels for seeds, garlic and onion skins and the like.If I have something really messy there is usually a mushroom container to catch it or I just open up the kitchen can. BTW tonight's BEL ARIA CHICKEN and PASTA was Bellisima!!!!That means good

 

[VickiQ]

PS Buckytom - I LOVE your quote!!!

 

[VickiQ]

Update- I made Rosemary corncakes with Prosciutto and chicken sausages with Sweet and hot peppers last night-
The verdict- not so hot-no one cared for the corn cakes and they all preferred my usual sausage and peppers

 

[cats]

I like to watch Rachel Ray and do think some of her ideas are pretty clever. I also have one of her cookbooks. However, I do not think that her meals can really be prepared in 30 min. Sometimes just gathering all the ingredients she will use for a meal could take 15 minutes alone. Notice how she will carry like 15 items out of her fridge in preparation of her meal? Also, the peeling, chopping, and other preparations can take another 15 min. That's not even counting the cooking time! She has a professional staff to save her so much time that those of us ordinary folks don't. I like her personality tho' and I'm not knocking her clever style, just don't think it's actually very realistic in "true time".

 

[VickiQ]

Oh Cats tell me about it- I don't think I have made one of her meals in 30 minutes or less- but, I do tend to be on the slower side-I like doing cooking things leisurely-the clean up which I like to get down quickly takes me just as long as the cooking!!! BUT, I still love her recipes!!!!
Tonight I made Balsamic Glazed chicken with smoked mozzarella anad garlic rice pilaf from the book. It was very good - I used my own rice pilaf recipe though-doesn't take that much more time anyway.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I too received this cookbook as a gift, since I do like many of Rachel Ray's recipes (although I can't stand her in person on her TV show(s) - lol!!!!).

I will agree with what other posters have said that you can't take the "30 minute" thing to heart, because it just ain't so - & I do consider myself a good & efficient cook. One has to wonder what goes on behind on the scenes during the commercial breaks on her "30-Minute Meals" shows - lol!!!

For one thing, regardless of how good you are with a good chef's knife, why risk cutting your finger off playing beat the clock - lol!!! For another, many of her "time saver" ingredients are way more expensive because they're pre-prepared.

I have made & enjoyed several of her recipes from the "365" book, but have preferred to take my time & use better-quality ingredients that haven't been pre-chopped/ground/grated/whatever.

It's also interesting to note that in a recent interview (I think it was the New York Times), she did mention that that "365" book took a lot out of her & she really had to "reach" to find/make that many recipes that would "fit" the 30-minute rule. That comment alone says a lot about the ultimate quality of some of the recipes.

 

[Poppinfresh]

Honestly, I'm not a real big fan of her dishes. I've tried a number of em (2 from this book) and while they've, for the most part, been "alright" and suitable for days in which I just don't care what I'm gonna eat...I tend to be of the belief that any time you try to prepare something that's going to please the taste buds...rushing it is the most surefire way to see to it that it doesn't happen. Most of her recipes are very "basic" in that the end product is technically the dish you're preparing, but it's missing that extra "oomph" that puts it over the edge from being merely nourishment to feed one's breathing carcass to being something that you'll actually savor. I'd rather spend the extra 10 or 15 minutes making it as good as it can possibly be than to have it done quicker.

It's the "Sandra Lee effect" on Food Network. I'll happily watch Sandy roam around a kitchen/elsewhere for hours (insert random sexist followup regarding A) Bikinis, B) trampolines or C) bikinis and trampolines here...), and she's really quite good at presentation/plating...but I don't really find her food all that good, due in large part no doubt to the "shortcuts" that are taken. Same deal with Racheal.

 

[KathyJ]

I just got this book a couple of weeks ago and have yet to try any recipes... Thanks so much for posting which recipes you had tried and if they were good or not.

I don't have any of her other cookbooks, but will watch the show and then print off the ones I like. One my husband loves is Mexican Lasagna. You can change out the ingredients easily, depending what you have on hand.

 

[SizzlininIN]

vicki, do you use her trick of a "garbage bowl" on the counter to help save time on clean up? it's one tip from her that i've adopted.

same here bucky. I don't have her cookbooks but do enjoy watching her show. I've picked up quite a few other tips too......especially washing all my produce when I come home....it truely does save time. She's also taught me about ingredients I'd never before heard of or wasn't sure what to do with them. I think I'll have to grab the cook book next time I'm out shopping.

 

[RMS]

I think her recipes are great for every day cooking. They are fast, nutritious and taste good. I've not bought any of her cookbooks yet. I usually go to the website to get the recipes that I see her prepare. With all the good reviews of this one, I'm going to look for it now. Thanks.
I like the garbage bowl idea also. She also recommends preparing, or at least washing all veggies before putting them away when you buy them. This saves a bit of time but I have to admit, I haven't been able to prepare any of her dishes in less than 45 minutes.

 

[Gretchen]

Thanks for the polenta rec. I am really a big fan of RR. She has made REAL cooking with REAL ingredients very attractive. And her dishes are inventive.
My chopping block is right next to the sink so no need for a garbage bowl.

 

[BlueCat]

I was thinking of trying the garbage bowl idea too. I don't have a very handy kitchen layout, and the trash can is not close to the prep area. I also don't have a lot of counter space, so I make a million trips across the room to the trash when I'm preparing a meal. Not everything can go down the disposal.

BC