HOW TO COOK (AND LOOK) LIKE RACHEL RAY

(sigh)
Rachel Ray has truly become a phenomenon...she is EVERYWHERE! She has three TV shows on the Food Network which run several times every day; she has several cookbooks out which are heavily advertised on her home channel, the internet and nation-wide in bookstores everywhere. She's been featured in many popular magazines in the past few months touting not only her innovative "30-Minute Meals" cooking show but also her "perky" personality. That "perkiness" is what has sold Rachel Ray. She is cute, bubbly, upbeat and has a million-dollar smile.
Initially people tuned in to her "30-Minute Meals" TV show because it offers real-time preparation of healthy fare. Rachel cooks the entire meal during the course of the half hour, and almost always the food is interesting yet simple, usually with an Italian flair -- and it's always balanced nutrition. But now people are tuning in to see RACHEL...her meal prep has become secondary to her personality. I know men who routinely watch her show just to see HER. And she IS adorable. She doesn't take herself seriously, has fun in the kitchen and is practical in her recipes. Rachel's dishes take advantage of a good amount of already-prepped foods so it may not be the least expensive menu; but this show is about TIME, not MONEY. She doesn't bake, she says, so most of her desserts are simple renderings of store-bought cake spruced up with a quickly-made fruit glaze or fresh fruit with an intriguing liqueur poured over top.
Her "look" has changed somewhat over the past couple of years. I've been watching her show since it first aired, and even though she was cute then, her style has become more sophisticated. She still dresses down to cook, but her hair is professionally coifed and highlighted and her makeup impeccable. But there's not much they can do to take away that perkiness....they can glamorize her all they want. I have a feeling that Rachel Ray is the real deal.