A Rachel Ray holiday meal isn’t just a great Thanksgiving, Easter or Christmas feast. It’s bound to be something almost anyone can do. Because Rachel Ray meals are easier than many other chefs’ ideas, even inexperienced cooks have great success with her recipes.
Holiday meals by Rachel Ray typically include all the standard things. There’s a potato of some kind, poultry or ham, vegetables, bread and a dessert. They’re not the standard dishes you might be used to on holidays. But if you want the same old thing you probably wouldn’t be looking for recipes in the first place.
One of her holiday meals includes whole Yukon gold potatoes. While mashed potatoes are the standard fare, her potatoes are cooked whole in chicken stock and then just slightly smashed to crack them open. The method of cooking and the spices she adds give the potatoes a unique flavor.
If you’re tired of having the exact same foods every holiday, Rachel Ray’s recipes like those potatoes can add some variety. A holiday variation of hers is also having Rock Cornish game hens instead of the traditional turkey. Cooking these smaller birds is much faster and easier than cooking a large turkey.
Speed and ease are what Rachel Ray recipes are all about, so it only makes sense that her holiday recipes would be simple, too. Her vegetable recipes use fresh veggies and some simple spice to make elegant but easy dishes. Braised carrots and fennel is a simple dish that has a very fall/winter flavor. It only takes a few ingredients, too.
And because Rachel Ray says herself that she’s not a baker, her pumpkin pie recipe involves a ready-made pie. The recipe is actually for the spiced whipped cream to put on top of it. You can buy a pie and dress it up with homemade whipped cream. Or you can add her tasty whipped cream recipe to your home-baked pie.
If you like Rachel’s folksy, friendly style, then there’s no reason not to try her holiday recipes. Especially when they are a bit different and more interesting that the standard, traditional holiday dishes.
She has some of her holiday dishes in her cookbooks, and of course there are her television shows. She also has a magazine called “Every Day with Rachel Ray” and her own talk show. Many of her holiday recipes are readily available online, also.
The Food Network website keeps good information about Rachel Ray’s meals and recipes. You can find all the recipes from her holiday cooking with Rachel Ray shows at that site or other recipe sites.
One good thing about her holiday recipes is that, aside from a pre-baked pie or purchased bread, the ingredients are all fresh. She doesn’t use mixes or boxed items, so you won’t get additives like fat, salt and MSG.
And to make Rachel Ray’s Holiday recipes even healthier, bake your own bread and your own pie, and use her spread and whipped cream recipes on your baked creations. Then your Rachel Ray holiday meal is as fresh and unique as possible.
