My Year in Meals and My Year in Cocktails

This item came really fast. This was an awesome Christmas present. it is two cook books in one. One side is Rachael Ray and the other is her husbands cook book. He even gives you recipes for you dog lovers :-)

I ocassionally watch Rachels show and the recipes always look so good, however I couldn't find one recipe I'd want to try and the same with the cocktails. Unless your a gin drinker there wasn't much that interested me there either.

I never heard any comments whatsoever on this gift so I am unaware of anything to share. I assume that this would be a good cookbook, as Rachael Ray is known as a great cook, but I really have not any experience with this book, personally. My daughter requested this on a gift list and I ordered it for her. I never even saw it. I believe I would have heard a negative voiced, if it wasn't what she hoped but I cannot give a first hand opinion.

This amazing cookbook is just what I expected, and it aims to please! I have been following Rachel Ray for a long time on her iconic TV Food Network show, and tried several recipes, prior to receiving this book. I have never been disappointed with any recipe I tried, including many from this new release. The Strawberry velvet cocktail is out of this world, and another favorite of mine is The Eastern Egg Sandwich, incredible is the best choice of word to describe the results as breakfast is my favorite meal. This book is a behind-the-scenes view of Rachel Ray's kitchen, without the cameras. However, her witty and pleasant personality follows her steps right into her kitchen. She offers mouth-watering dishes from breakfast to dinner, and much more. Her special dishes are inspiring for any occasion, and originate from her world-wide travels, and the recipes include dishes for any season. There are recipes for one full year, dinner-party recipes for social gatherings, and quick-and-easy recipes for the unexpected visits. The recipes are home-made favorites, which include uplifting and fun-filled personal stories. The barbecue recipes are fantastic, and there are several stunning photos of the homemade dishes. This book is 384 pages of pure delight. A perfect gift for all cooks. Highly Recommended!

I don't agree with the negative reviewers who claim RR didn't write this book. I'm not saying I believe she writes ALL the recipes under her brand -- in her magazines, on her shows, etc. Let's be serious, even Martha has help, but I do think this book is hers. It's very personal and she cooks one new thing a day, at best, some days nothing at all. That seems believable to me. I bought this book because of the personal aspect. I have wanted to read a biography or memoir on RR for ages, and after seeing her on a talk show, she made it sound like that is what this cookbook was -- but it isn't. She does talk about her day-to-day life, but only in passing. Still, it's about as personal as a cookbook can get. I misunderstand, not blaming the book for that.

so Why the 1-less start? I don't eat animal products, and one of the reasons I have liked RR is that she often does vegetarian dishes, or dishes that are easily vegetarian, that I can make with a few tweaks. There was a severe lack in this book, especially compared to other books and her work in general. As such, I had to return the book since there were only a handful of recipes I could make, excluding the cocktail section, which I wasn't really interested in anyway.

This amazing cookbook is just what I expected, and it aims to please! I have been following Rachel Ray for a long time on her iconic TV Food Network show, and tried several recipes, prior to receiving this book. I have never been disappointed with any recipe I tried, including many from this new release. The Strawberry velvet cocktail is out of this world, and another favorite of mine is The Eastern Egg Sandwich, incredible is the best choice of word to describe the results as breakfast is my favorite meal. This book is a behind-the-scenes view of Rachel Ray's kitchen, without the cameras. However, her witty and pleasant personality follows her steps right into her kitchen. She offers mouth-watering dishes from breakfast to dinner, and much more. Her special dishes are inspiring for any occasion, and originate from her world-wide travels, and the recipes include dishes for any season. There are recipes for one full year, dinner-party recipes for social gatherings, and quick-and-easy recipes for the unexpected visits. The recipes are home-made favorites, which include uplifting and fun-filled personal stories. The barbecue recipes are fantastic, and there are several stunning photos of the homemade dishes. This book is 384 pages of pure delight. A perfect gift for all cooks. Highly Recommended!

I don't agree with the negative reviewers who claim RR didn't write this book. I'm not saying I believe she writes ALL the recipes under her brand -- in her magazines, on her shows, etc. Let's be serious, even Martha has help, but I do think this book is hers. It's very personal and she cooks one new thing a day, at best, some days nothing at all. That seems believable to me. I bought this book because of the personal aspect. I have wanted to read a biography or memoir on RR for ages, and after seeing her on a talk show, she made it sound like that is what this cookbook was -- but it isn't. She does talk about her day-to-day life, but only in passing. Still, it's about as personal as a cookbook can get. I misunderstand, not blaming the book for that.

so Why the 1-less start? I don't eat animal products, and one of the reasons I have liked RR is that she often does vegetarian dishes, or dishes that are easily vegetarian, that I can make with a few tweaks. There was a severe lack in this book, especially compared to other books and her work in general. As such, I had to return the book since there were only a handful of recipes I could make, excluding the cocktail section, which I wasn't really interested in anyway.

I can honestly say this cookbook does not FEEL like Rachel Ray. This book was very disappointing, I am glad I got it from the library first. The print is waayyy too tiny and not all the recipes have a photo. Most of tjings needs for her recipes are difficult to pronounce and very har to find. Then, in my opinion, she did not give her husband enough pages in her book, the man ony had 59 pages worth of cocktails many of which most people can not afford the liquor to make them.

This is just too fancy for my taste, I prefer the Rachel that caters to the budget savvy followers she has, which at least 80% of viewers are. Overall, not happy and glad I did not pay for this.

I enjoy Rachael Ray's magazine, her show, and her other cookbooks. This one is no exception!! It is wonderful from cover to cover. There are tons of recipes, majority of which are pretty darn easy to make. There was the complaint of the recipes being redundant in using tomatoes and olive oil. I'm not sure how this conclusion was drawn. I personally did not notice that at all, I found there to be loads of variety in the recipes. I enjoy the concept of being able to experience a more personal side of Rachael. The snapshots of her & John's meals are just that casual snapshots. I like the layout of this book - you can tell alot of work went into creating it. I am looking forward to cooking alot of great dishes from this book, and sharing alot of inventive, creative cocktails with my friends. I really like this book and think just about everyone else will too.

I purchased this cookbook, actually two, from another source for myself & as a Christmas gift to my daughter, I was excited! If you are familiar with watching Rachel & know the terms she uses & the items she uses its a good book but for someone that knows how to cook but still needs a little help (my daughter) this is not a good buy. It doesnt explain what some of the ingredients are & alot of the items you are not going to find at your basic grocery store. This would frustrate a new cook. Example: EVOO (a new cook doesnt know thats the brand name of an olive oil & the book doesnt explain this)& RAMPS ( I have cooked for years & didnt know what these were)After reading further she says that you can use leeks instead? I was hoping this book was more detailed about the ingredients for a newer cook. Most of her recipes call for peppers & chiles. Even though I like Rachel I am probably going to send these back.