"rachael ray" news and stories

You might not think of Steve Jobs as being a foodie, or, frankly, having anything to do with food. But, says the Daily Meal, in its America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food, Jobs and Apple's iPhone and iPad, have taken the exchange of recipes and news about food into warp speed.

Also on the list? Michelle Obama, for fighting the good fight against childhood obesity, and Rachael Ray for, well, being the Six-Million-(and many more)-Dollar Woman of Food. Check out all the players at The Daily Meal.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• The princess of E.V.O.O., Rachael Ray, as a gas-station attendant?
• Why do some sodas contain corn syrup?
• Make a sueño before summer's end.
• Sometimes a half-empty jar is a good thing, especially when making vinaigrette.
• It's tomato season, and time to make this oft-mispronounced appetizer.
• These tips will prevent you from over-cooking pasta ever again.
• Tiramisu need not be plain -- mix it up.

For those who like their kitsch with a bit of a crunch, we give you: Rachael Ray in Cheetos.

In case you missed it, Wednesday's episode of Ray's show marked the unveiling of a larger-than-life-size portrait of the Emmy-winning celebrity chef made entirely from the trademarked cheese puffs. The picture was the handiwork of Colorado Springs-based artist Jason Baalman, whose artistic oeuvre also includes velvet portraits of Elvis done in cheese-puff dust and the Mona Lisa entirely in ketchup.

This is not Baalman's first celebrity tribute in Cheetos. He made one of Conan O'Brien last year, but before he could hand it over to the late-night host on the air, O'Brien was booted off "The Tonight Show."

New York Times food writer Kim Severson recently published "Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life." In this touching and witty food memoir Severson serves up the lessons that an octet of female cooks and writers -- Marion Cunningham, Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl, Marcella Hazan, Rachael Ray, Edna Lewis, Leah Chase and her own mother, Ane Marie Zappa Severson -- taught her about sobriety, fulfillment and happiness.

Slashfood: How did you come up with the idea for the book?
Kim Severson: I was thinking about older women cooks who were really the home cooks of that generation who would research cookbooks and write them, like Marion Cunningham. An agent called me and we went out for lunch. I was telling her some funny stories and she said, "Why don't you write more about that?" So I looked at women I had written about for the San Francisco Chronicle or the New York Times and why I was attracted to them. And I realized I was interested in these women at different times because they taught me something or something was going on my life that I needed to figure out. So I decided to hang a structure on these women.

Yesterday, Mario Cantone made a hilarious guest appearance on the Racheal Ray Show, where he revealed that in the Sex and the City sequel hitting movie theaters next weekend, he'll be the one in the romantic spotlight - walking down the aisle.

Rather than waxing on about cosmos and Manolos, Mario surprised Rachael with his amazing impression of Julia Child. This isn't the first time Cantone has impersonated the cooking legend: The quick-tongued comedian claims to be a huge fan of the Food Network, and has involved Child in his routines in the past. Now if only he'd take on Paula Deen.

[Eater]