I know, I know, it seems like we have Rachael Ray news at least once a week here, but hey, the girl is popular and seems to be EVERYWHERE (your television, Dunkin' Donuts, boxes of Triscuits) so...

Ray has just signed a new two-year deal to continue cooking for Food Network. Besides her 30 Minute Meals show (she'll do 60 episodes under the deal), she'll also host a new program titled Rachael's Vacation, which sounds a lot like her $40 A Day show only in foreign countries. The new show starts on January 12.

She'll continue to do her daily syndicated show too, of course.

• During the crazy holiday season, everyone could use a holiday planner, with ideas for things to cook, cookie swap recipes, customized placecards, and more.
• A step-by-step video guide to making the perfect pie crust. More videos: the world's easiest mashed potatoes and how to carve a turkey.
• Some winter escapes(though not to warm weather).
• More recipes: Italian Pasta Bake, White Hot Chocolate, Infused Vodka, Turkey Gravy, and Orchard Fruit Pie.
• Also in the mag (not online yet): a Christmas gift guide, how to make your own gingerbread house, and a look inside Martina McBride's fridge.

In a special surprise election held yesterday, TV food icon Rachael Ray was named President of the United States.

Her challenger, Martha Stewart from the state of New York, put up quite a fight, but in the end, Ray squeaked out a win in electoral votes. Many people cite Ray's ability to seemingly be in every single state in the country at the same time, giving speeches and cooking demonsrations for crowds of supporters. Others cite Stewart's time in prison as working against her.

This is really the most logical next step for Ray, who has 27 shows on Food Network, her own monthly magazine, a daily syndicated TV show, her face on various products in the supermarket, DVDs, a Christmas CD, cookware, a new endorsement deal with Dunkin' Donuts, and her own planet named after her. Ray has said that the first thing she plans to do as President is to add the word "awesome" to the Pledge of Allegience.

After the jump, the complete statement from President-Elect Ray.

How can someone who puts out such a fun food mag put on such an unbearable TV show?

I want to like Rachael Ray, the TV show. I really, really do. Honest. But it's just an annoying hour to me. Maybe it's because I'm a guy. One minute Rachael will be teaching us how to make some cool quick meal with pasta and vegetables, and then five minutes later she'll be talking about women in abusive relationships or how someone can organize the shoes in their closets. It just doesn't work for me. (And there's also the whole thing with her voice and bubbly personality, which I can take on 30 Minute Meals but when it's an hour every day...). But it's really popular, so maybe I'm not the right audience.

But Every Day With Rachael Ray? That's a great little magazine. It has a bunch of recipes that you feel you can actually cook (unlike some mags), quick guides to eating in various cities, tips on shopping, tips on buying wine, interviews. It's well-done. If there's one quibble I have is the whole "celebrity fridge" feature in the back of every issue. It's kinda funny to see what celebs have in there, but do we have to have some quiz about what they have? On the same page where we can see the answers?!? It seems to be a quiz made for people who find the TV Guide crossword difficult.

• Add wine to your weeknight meals, including Glazed Carrots, Red Wine Chicken, and Fruit Soup with Port.
• Check out what Jewel keeps in her tour bus fridge.
• Even your pet wants a special meal on St. Patrick's Day.
• The decorator from Extreme Makeover shows you how to make an interesting centerpiece.
• The Burger of the Month: Cordon Croquettes.
• What does Muhammad Ali eat every day?
• Mmmm...Spaghetti Burgers!
• Hosting a poker game? Try out these cool drinks and finger foods.
• More recipes: Chocolate Pudding Parfaits, Pizza Pockets, and St. Paddy's Corned Beef and Cabbage Stoup.

• I love holiday issues of cooking magazines (I collect them), and Rachael Ray's is no exception. This is the Thanksgiving issue, and she covers everything from Herb-Roasted Turkey with Dried Plums and Stuffing to the best Pecan Pie.
• Speaking of turkey: have you tried making it on the grill?
• Holidays, of course, are made for booze! Check out these recipes for the Pumpkintini and Cranberry Punch.
• Check out what House star Lisa Edelstein eats all day.
• More recipes: Double Chocolate Scones with Cinnamon Butter, Crunchy Breadsticks, Shepherd's Pie, and Oatmeal-Raisin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting.
• In the print edition (should be on the site too, bu the link is wrong): You might be making candy this season (and you're certainly making some for our Candy Day tomorrow, right?), so check out which candy thermometers work best.

• It's the super summer issue: cookouts, bbq, road trips, beaches, you name it.
• Keeping with the season, it's the Burger of the Month: No-Joke Artichoke Spinach Burgers.
• Summer isn't exactly the time for stuffing, but Ray is holding a contest to find the best stuffing. Deadline is June 30.
• Diane Neal stars on Law and Order: SVU. She also loves pine nuts.
• 30 Minute Meals: Andouille Dawgs with Gumbo Sauce and Brutus Salad.

The full title of this new Rachael Ray book is Express Lane Meals: What To Keep on Hand, What To Buy Fresh for the Easiest-Ever 30-Minute Meals. Quite a mouthful, wouldn't you say? But in almost the time that it takes to say the name of the book, you can have a meal on the table because Rachael Ray is that fast.

This book has a great premise. At the beginning of the book, Rachael gives her readers a list of pantry ingredients that they should always keep in their home, including various spices, flour, milk, fresh fruits and vegetable, pasta and assorted canned goods. Once you've taken the list to the store and stocked up, you will have all you need (except the actual cooking equipment, which you might need to make another trip for) to fix every recipe in the book. All the recipes call for ten items or less - hence the name of the book - and there is a backup shopping list with each one, so you can be doubly sure that you have everything you need before you start. Sticking with her easy-to-read style, the recipes are not intimidating and should be a good start for a beginning cook or a good starting point for a more experienced cook who is short on time.

Time Magazine has named their Top 100 Most Influential People. There are scientists, academics, leaders, and revolutionaries like Steven Levitt (economist), Oprah Winfrey, and Bill & Melinda Gates. And there among the group of Artists & Entertainers, which also includes Ang Lee, Howard Stern and Meryl Streep is...

Rachael Ray.

Her feature story for Time is written by Mario Batali (whom I would have picked long before I'd ever pick Rachael Ray), who says that the 38-year-old Rachael Ray has "has radically changed the way America cooks dinner" in less than five years. Of course, this has also made her rich with millions of cookbooks sold, a magazine, and about a gazillion shows on the Food Network. Hey! Now we know how old she is.

So I would have chosen Mario Batali, but I guess the reason that she is chosen for this list is that she is influential. I mean, how many people out there call it "EVOO" now?

There are lots of packaged mixes at the store that can make cooking a meal for your family fast and easy after a long day at work. Generally speaking, these mixes are grains with spices and sometimes vegetables and include favorite brands include Rice-A-Roni and Zatarains. Hamburger Helper operates along similar lines, but calls for the addition of meat. These options are already a cut above precooked frozen foods, but there is still something commercial about them. Many new gourmet mixes, with fresher vegetables, original spice combinations and unusual grains are coming out, like the Trader Joe's Spelt with Red and Green Peppers mix pictured here, which make for a lovely change on the dinner table.

To add a touch of homemade flavor to what is essentially a meal from a box, without taking too many extra minutes out of an already busy evening, try sauteing some garlic in the bottom of the pan before adding the mix, or dicing an onion or a shallot and tossing it into the pot with the cooking liquid. Read the ingredients and see what might pair well. This spelt mix, for example, would be good with extra peppers or, since it was well spiced, a vegetable like sweet potatoes or squash to round it out. Or, for heartier fare, take an example from Hamburger Helper and heat up some sausages while the grains cook and toss them in before serving.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

• Isaac Mizrahi grabs Rachael's boob on the red carpet! Well, OK, I'm kidding, but you can read what the fabulous designer eats every single day.
• Spring in Kentucky: mint juleps, horse races, and sweet bourbon.
• What does Red Sox slugger David Ortiz keep in his fridge?
• Some featured recipes: Andouille Dawgs with Gumbo Sauce, Bacon-Bit Burgers with Smoked Gouda and Steak House-Smothered Onions, and Penny's PB&J Cookies.
• Did you know that you don't have to sit back and just read Rachael's mag or watch her TV shows, you can actually be in the magazine or guest star on her show?

This is a great recipe for Cooking Live because it is so quick. It's definitely the kind of meal that can go from nothing to the table in under 30 minutes - provided that you have the ingredients, of course. Fortunately, the ingredients are things that you are likely to have around the house, so if you pick up some pork chops on your way home from work, you will be good to go. First, we'll prepare the rice and as it cooks, we can cook up the pork chops. Serve the pork, with a bit of sauce, over the rice and add a small side salad and you have a delicious and simple meal.

If you have seen Rachael Ray on TV - and we know that you have seen at least an episode of one of her many shows - you have no doubt heard one of her many "Rachael-isms". A Rachael-ism is a term that refers to one of Rachael's favorite expressions and is, in fact, a Rachael-ism itself. The use of these words in everyday conversation has been termed Rachaelspeak by the editorial staff at Every Day with Rachael Ray. They have helpfully compiled a glossary of Rachael-isms that will help you to better understand Rachael and her shows. The list includes the definitions of Yum-O!, Good to go and EVOO, as well as pronunciation tips.

Their online store also stocks shirts emblazoned with Yum-O! and Got EVOO?, both of which would make great gifts for any Rachael fans in your life.

• This is one of my favorite food mags now. Each issue is jam-packed with recipes and info.
• On the cover: Rachael drinks another cup of coffee (tea?) She seems to have one in her hand a lot. She needs the caffeine, considering the 35 TV shows she currently does.
• A guide to romantic weekend getaways (yeah, Valentine's Day is coming up).
• One feature I don't like: a behind the scenes look at Ray's wedding. Yeah, she ties in the food to the story, but really...
• I don't understand the No Recipe Zone column. This one is for Cheddar and Apple Turnovers, and it's supposed to be done without directions. Then you turn to the column and there are directions. WTF?
• Spend a Stolen Weekend in Austin, Texas.
• Make yourself a healthy Tuna Burger.
• Cook some 30 Minute Meals, including Rachael's Giant Reuben Loaf.
• After you eat that, how about a Raspberry-Lemon Shortbread Tart?