With a busy schedule of my own, I look at 30-minute-meal queen Rachael Ray and go “Why didn’t I think of that?” and admire her ability to seemingly do it all-Food Network star, talk show host, magazine editor, cookware designer and in her spare time, helm two charities.
All this while balancing her husband, dog and family.
Rachael never seems to stop, although she did sit for a little bit and chat exuberantly with her die-hard fans at her recent book signing for her new volume, “The Book of Burger,” at a Barnes & Noble in the Princeton area.
During this brief window, I got the chance to chat with her in between estatic fans about life, food and her Adirondack home.
She claims there is “no such thing” as balance in her life and she doesn’t try to find it.
“You love what you do and marry someone who doesn’t mind eating late at night,” she said, with a chuckle.
She married her husband, John, in September 2005.
Among all the things in her busy schedule, she manages to maintain her vision by staying true to who she is and the things that are important to her.
“You can’t be all things to all people, so you try and the best at what it is you are going to do,” she said. “For me it’s accessibility and to keep everything accessible. Can people do and touch and try anything I’m a part of and keep it affordable and value oriented. Those are easy things to do because the is the way I was raised.”
“I never tried to be anyone else because I like being who I am,” she added.
Rachael was born in the Adirondacks in upstate New York and grew up in Lake George. She worked at the Sagamore, an upscale hotel on the lake and was a buyer for a gourmet store in Albany, where her 30-minute meal idea was born.
“30 Minute Meals” will always be her favorite show because that is how she got her start to foodie stardom. She loves her daytime talk show, the “Rachael Ray Show,” because each day is different, “Rachael vs. Guy” is her most exciting show, but “Week in a Day” is her most challenging show. “(Week in a Day) is really challenging to write and to film and teach,” she explains. (Rachael vs. Guy) is the most exciting, heart-stopping, heart-pounding thing ever!”
Rachael is most inspired by her mom, who managed several restaurants in the Lake George area. “If you love food, everyone who loves food inspires you,” she said. The $24.95, 321-page burger tome features more than 200 recipes for burgers, sliders, sloppy joes, sides and sauces from Rachael and her celebrity friends.
The guest chef recipes were selected from Burger Bash winners. The Burger Bash, a celebrity chef burger competition, has taken place the past five years at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.
Rachael loves all kinds of food and can’t pick a favorite, but says her husband loves bacon and egg spaghetti, or pasta carbonara. “I’m an equal opportunity eater,” she said. “I will eat anything if hungry.” The strangest things Rachael has ever eaten were crispy fried bugs as a taco garnish in Mexico and chocolate covered bugs from her previous experience as a buyer for the gourmet market.
But, mayonnaise took her a while to like. “Mayonnaise was weird for me to like because I didn’t grow up with it,” said Rachael. “Now I make my own and I’ve made peace with the mayo.”
In her cooking, she does try to accommodate her fans dietary needs, both in print and on the show. In the book there are a few vegetarian and vegan recipes. The vegetarian sloppy joes, one of the recipes I tried, were delicious and the sauce was better than the canned version. The recipe was simple, easy to follow and came out perfectly, even thou I wasn’t paying total attention and screwed up a few steps. It calls for sherry vinegar and I didn’t have any, so I substituted balsamic vinegar instead and it was, as Rach says, delish! This particular recipe can easily be made vegan by eliminating the cheese and gluten free with special rolls or serving over polenta.
I also tried the Adirondacker burger and adapted it my own way. The recipe calls for slices of bacon on top of the burger, but I mixed real bacon bits from Rachael’s favorite smokehouse, Oscar’s Adirondack Smokehouse in Warrensburg, NY, into the ground meat for even bacon distribution. I also topped it with their smoked American cheese instead of cheddar and YUM-O it was one of the best burgers I have ever eaten!
Overall the book is a great collection of burgers and the burger’s friends for any chef and there are great tips and tricks sprinkled on the pages throughout the book.
Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Regional Editor Ocean County, is a true Jersey girl. Raised in Marlboro, Vikki has lived in the area her whole life. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and is happiest when feeding a houseful of friends and family. A journalist for 10 years, she now serves on the staff of the Princeton Packet. Vikki is happiest on the road, so it should be no Surprise she is a travel agent specializing in Disney destinations. Follow her on Twitter @vikkihs.
Taste of Rutherford, Thursday, June 28th from 6pm-8:30pm on Park Avenue. Join the evening block party as Park Avenue will be closed to traffic so the fine food establishments of Rutherford can display samples of their fine foods along with wine tastings, live entertainment and more.
Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4th, all day. Celebrate the history, government, and traditions of the United States. As a foodie, I encourage you to bask in the glory of ice cream trucks, funnel cakes, BBQ’s, watermelons and everything else we love to eat on days like the 4th of July.
Pour-a-Palooza, Saturday, July 14th from 12pm-4pm. Held at the Pour House in Westmont. An Outdoor Craft Beer Festival with 30-plus breweries and music. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. 
Ice Cream Festival, Saturday, July 21st from 11am-5pm. The 10th Annual New Jersey State Ice Cream Festival held in Downtown Toms River hosts ice cream eating contests, ice cream tasting and voting, games, rides, vendors, and food. For more information,
New Jersey Peach Festival, Thursday – Sunday, July 26th-29th. Mullica Hill, NJ. A peach bake-off, educational displays, the sale of fresh juicy peaches & peach products. It’s so peachy, you just have to be there! Also enjoy live music and carnival rides. Features the crowning of the New Jersey Peach Queen and the awarding of the New Jersey Governors Cup for the best box of peaches.
We also sampled the Pork Terrine ($11) a “loaf” of melt-in-your-mouth slow cooked pork slathered with tangy barbeque sauce and served with grilled toast and pickles. The last dish we tried was the Housemade Ricotta Gnocchi ($12) with sautéed mushrooms, basil and sheets of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. One dish was better than the next and has me looking forward to my next visit.
I’m reluctant to call this a recipe—it’s just too easy. But having made this gloriously simple “recipe” twice now and wowing guests both times, I’ve decided it is Jersey Bites worthy. If you’ve never cooked with tomatillos, there’s no need to be afraid. They may look strange in their paper husks, but they are easy as pie to peel. All they need is a rinse in some warm water to remove the sticky residue and you’re ready to roll.
After cleaning the tomatillos, cut them in half and brush with olive oil then salt and pepper them. I use no measurements and you won’t have to either. Shuck and clean the corn of all silk. Grill corn until charred and tomatillos until the skins begin to wrinkle. Remove from grill and allow to cool until they can be handled. Cut corn off of cob and dice each tomatillo half into quarters. Toss in a large bowl with the juice of one lime and a handful of chopped cilantro. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. You could add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, but quite frankly it doesn’t need it. We are lovers of hardwood charcoal, and we grill the corn and tomatillos over the coals for that added smoky flavor, which I highly recommend.
Wednesday, June 6th was the opening day of the Ventnor International Farmers Market in the City of Ventnor. The market is open from 3:00pm to 7:30pm to accomodate working people rather than the more typical early morning markets. The market is an event I am very proud to say was created by the committee in which I am very actively involved. As the Chairperson for the Ventnor City Beautification Committee, it was very satisifying to take an idea and help make it a reality. It was a very exciting process. But what made it all worthwhile was seeing all the people shopping and enjoying themselves. There was live music, Lite Rock 96.9 WFPG appearance, face painting, great fruit and produce from New Jersey farms, where else! The freshest seafood,scrumptious baked goods, gluten free baked goods, teas, honey, cut flowers and bedding plants and we also have arts and crafts people with original artwork , handmade jewelry and handcrafted soaps. Coming this Wednesday we will have Renault Winery featuring New Jersey wines as well. Plus, Fresh mozzerella cheese, infused oils and vinegars with wonderful teas and tea accessories, baked bread and foccacia. We will be adding delicious specialty items from our area restaurants and a few more wonderful vendors as the summer progresses! We will be having live demonstrations and informative guest speakers at coming market days ahead.
This is the first year for our Farmers Market which opened with throngs of people on a beautiful mostly sunny day, thank goodness! We hope to be around for a long time bringing Jersey Fresh to the people in our town and surrounding areas. Farmers Markets are a great way to bring our states heritage of farming to the people and in the process helping the farmers themselves. A perfect partnership!
Wildwood Restaurant Week, June 17th-22nd. Wine and dine in some of Wildwood’s finest restaurants. All participating restaurants will offer a complete four course meal, including appetizer, salad, entree and dessert for one low price, plus tax and gratuity. 
BrewFest at the Ballpark, Saturday, June 23rd. Two sessions: 12pm-4pm & 6pm-10pm. Held at the Lakewood BlueClaws Stadium. There will be over 100 styles of beers to taste. There will be local, regional, national, and international brews. There will also be giveaways and a live broad casting from the WRAT. For more information and tickets, 
Blueberry Festival, Saturday, June 23rd from 10am-4pm. Celebrate all things BLUEBERRY at the 29th Annual Whitesbog Blueberry Festival. Great family fun. Enjoy blueberry picking, live country music, exhibits & demonstrations, lectures & tours, great food and an array of children’s activities. Enjoy the famous pie eating contest. Whites Bogs Road, Browns Mills, NJ. 609-893-4646
Baymen’s Seafood Festival, Saturday & Sunday, June 23rd & 24th from 11am-5pm. Tuckerton Seaport. Enjoy delicious Jersey fresh clams, crabs, scallops and shrimp from the finest local seafood purveyors. Crafters, vendors, music, food, refreshments, family activities, demonstrations,boat rides, boat builders and decoy carvers. Speak with commercial fishermen to learn about occupations on the bay or take a clam shucking class.
When you think of New Jersey you think of great pizza. Yes the word Jersey may conjure up images of hair as tall as the empire state building and fake tans, but where I come from GTL stands for good, tasty, and lip smacking delicious. Being born and raised a costal Jersey dweller, I know my way around a pizza pie. I grew up on the thin crispy deliciousness of boardwalk pizza that is so big you could probably sail a boat with it. I still have joyful memories of eating my first slice of Three Brothers Pizza on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk, mainly because it was almost as big as me. Nowadays, people come from all over to get a piece of the oversized pie. After all, you don’t have to be a kid to get excited about a huge pizza.
The race for the 2012 Nature’s Plate Award in New Jersey is heating up. The Nature Conservancy has asked foodies in New Jersey to vote for their favorite green restaurants for Nature’s Plate, a contest to name the people’s choice for the state’s top green restaurant. The nominations are in, and five finalists have been selected. Now it’s your turn to cast your vote<http://www.nature.org/
Are you a Food blogger? Maybe you have dreams of starting your own food blog, or writing for JerseyBites or another food publication? Join us for a fun afternoon of cooking, chatting and learning all about the art of Food Writing and Food Photography. 
Rosie Saferstein is a food writer for 
Peter Conway, who works by day in the business technology field, began writing about food and wine in December 2005 as a learning venture into a new Internet publishing medium called “Blogs.” He is often found in the kitchen of his Montclair, NJ home creating some new internationally inspired dish or waiting by the oven for a delicious dessert to emerge. Over the years, living in New York City, with trips to Europe, Australia, South America, California and Canada has provided many opportunities to explore the vast world of fine wine. He is completely self-taught, but fueled by his love of writing and fervent pursuit of new viticulture and culinary experiences Peter’s food and wine blog, 
Dan Horan, Founder, President and CEO of Five Acre Farms is on a mission: “Bringing the Farmers Market to the Supermarket.” Horan’s career includes Papaya King, the NYC-based restaurant/hot dog haven, Gourmet Garage, upscale independent supermarket and 22 years in organics. In 1990, he founded Waldingfield Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Washington, Connecticut, which continues to operate. He knows people want what tastes good. Marry good taste with locally production and you understand what is driving Horan’s latest initiative: Five Acre Farms, a local, fresh brand of supermarket-ready products grown and prepared within 275 miles of where they are sold.
Horan’s goal is to stabilize our region’s farms and orchards, which are losing ground to shrinking farmland, low payments to farmers and high costs. Horan wants to keep farmers farming and reward growers who are using smart, earth-friendly practices, which is essential in the Northeast where humidity is a constant threat to crops.
Packaging seems equally important to the folks at Five Acre Farms. Simply designed labels are easy to read, explaining who farmers are and where they are located. Each plastic jug is stamped with a Sell By date and the words Positively Local underneath. Milk is sold in half gallon and one gallon jugs. Dan and a colleague from his 10 person team write the content for tags not only to highlight the brand but to speak to the authenticity of the product.
Consistency of the sauce and a secret blend of apples makes Five Acre Farms Apple Sauce a winner. A special strainer in the company’s processing plant yields a texture that lends itself to eating directly from the jar or serving alongside roasted or grilled meats like pork and chicken. Five Acre Farms Apple Sauce retails for $3.49.
