Rachael Ray is another of my favorite Food Network personalities and her new Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book doesn't disappoint. I've always laughed though at the concept of 30-minute meals because no matter how hard I try most things take me longer than that. However, I have gotten many great cooking ideas from Rachael over the years and have tried out many of the meal ideas I've gotten from her show and for the most part they are quite fast to prepare. I always marvel at how quickly things come together for her in the kitchen. I really like her bright personality and her quirky sayings like EVOO for extra virgin olive oil or sammies for a sandwich or better yet stoup for not quite a soup or stew-lol. She can always brighten my day with her big smile and laughter.

On to the cookbook-it is big and it is orange, reason being orange is Rachael's favorite color-it makes her feel inspired, curious and happy-the same words she uses to describe her love of food. The entire book is 360 pages and there are some great sections in this book including Burgers, Vegetarian, Meals for One, and the famous 30-Minute Meals to just name a few and this edition contains nearly 200 brand new 30-minute meals for us to try out. What I like about Rachael's recipes is that they are easy enough for the normal person to try and they don't take forever to put together. In addition, the recipes include ingredients I can buy at my local supermarket. The recipes are nicely laid out but I would have liked to see more pictures. For me, I always connect the pictures to the recipes and it makes them much more appealing.

I ventured to try more than a few recipes in this book but I'll only mention a few. One of my favorites is the Sweet 'n' "Sauer" Cabbage Soup. I love cabbage in anything. This recipe is an interesting combination of some of my favorite things like ham, cabbage, hash browns and beans to name a few of the ingredients. It was wonderful and the perfect meal to warm your belly on a cold day in Canada. I am not much of a beef eater but Rachael has a wonderful Salmon Burger in the Burger section that I love. Made with a salmon fillet and some yummy additions along with a great sauce to spread on I was in heaven. Salmon burgers are one of my favorite meals and I'm always looking for new ways to try them and I wasn't disappointed in this one.

There are many, many more recipes to try. I could on but this post would take forever then. You'll just have to get the book and try some out for yourself and come back and tell me if you liked any of them. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone who loves Rachael Ray and loves to cook. Hey you could even throw in something like her GB bowls or pots and pans. You can check out here website here. There is plenty to browse through and enjoy. This great cookbook was released by Random House on November 4, 2008.

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