My Year in Meals and My Year in Cocktails

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I have a large collection of cookbooks (over 300) and I LOVE to cook. I was excited about Rachael's new cookbook and ordered it as soon as it was available. I was not thrilled with it at all. It is not like any of her previous books, which could have been a good thing. However, with this book find it difficult to find the recipes because of the format that was used. Everyday for one year Rachael noted what she made on a particular date. Before the recipes are listed there is a monthly calendar with the day and date listed. The meals are then listed under the date it was made. For instance, if you want to make Chiles Rellenos, you would A). Have to know it was made on Tuesday, September 20, OR B). You would have to know it was in the index and then go back in the book to the recipe. There are a lot of recipes but difficult to locate unless you find the calendars or browse through each page. The photos are OK, nothing to write home about, and not all recipes have a photo to go with it. I was not thrilled with John Cusimano's drink recipes either. I was expecting so much more as Rachael always promotes what a "great mixologist" her husband is. The recipes are geared for one drink and some of the ingredients aren't worth the expense for the "average" person. For example, St.-Germain Elderflower Liquor and Green Chartreuse. Overall I was not happy with this cookbook and I won't recommend this to my friends. Maybe next time Rach.

I am so disappointed in this cookbook. I was really looking forward to owning this book, I love Rachael Ray's show(s), I get her magazine, and own several of her previous cookbooks, so I am surprised and completely disappointed in how terrible this book is. There aren't very many pictures, and most of them aren't even appetizing and the recipes simply don't interest me at all. I thought Rachael Ray was known for making cooking great food accessible to everyone, but so many of the recipes call for things I have never heard of, cannot find, or are too expensive to bother. The recipes in general are not interesting to me either, making my own spinach pasta sounds great and all but that is not why I buy Rachael Ray's books. I guess it would have been nice to know that the recipes in this book were going to be different than everything she has done up to this point. This book showed me that the recipes and types of cuisine that Rachael Ray promotes on her tv shows, in her magazines and in her past books is not how she actually eats during her daily life, and up until this book, was just doing what sells.

I've read through most of the book, and after a while her recipes all sound alike - EVOO, San Marzano tomatoes, flat leaf parsley, unpronounceable cheeses, and assorted, obscure mushrooms. Not living in a major metropolitan area, it would be impossible for me to cook 80-90% of the dishes in this book because so many of the ingredients are not available in an grocery store in my entire county, and if they were, I probably couldn't afford them, anyway. I usually read through a new cookbook and am inspired. With this one, I'm a little sad that I wasted my money, and I am totally uninspired. I wasn't thrilled with her hubby's cocktail recipes, either.

I love Rachael Ray, I have 3 or 4 of her cookbooks, I get her magazine, and I have made a TON of her recipes. But this cookbook, I just hardly found anything I wanted to even try, the couple things I did try I probably won't make again. Oh well. And the layout of "This is what we cooked every day" is an interesting concept, but I think I prefer recipes being organized in a more logical way: Meat, veggies, desserts or breakfasts, lunches, dinners, etc...

I like the idea of this book. Basically, Rachael kept track of most of the meals she had for a whole year and wrote them down, with the recipe and some comments. It is an interesting concept - definitely not like any cookbook I've ever read before. The little notes around the pages make it read like a scrapbook at some points, which is nice. It does have a real personal touch from Rachael.

Most cookbooks read through organized by categories, or someway. This book is organized by the date that she had the meal. Of course there is an index so you should be able to find whatever you are looking for that way.

These meals do seem a bit more complicated than most of her "30 Minute Meals". There are also many different types of cuisine. That's something I really like about Rachael - she doesn't always cook the same type of food like many chefs. I like to try the occasional Middle Eastern or Asian dish, in addition to the Italian and American dishes. I haven't cooked anything from this book yet, but I've marked pages of some recipes that I'll try soon. I've cooked many of her recipes from other books and from her show and website. I would say the are a hit about 70% of the time, average tasting 20% of the time, and are duds about 10% of the time. That's great for me. She is my favorite chef for sure!

I'm only about 25% through this book at this point, and I didn't really look at the cocktail section yet (written by her husband John) but I'm looking forward to getting there.

My son, the Rachel Ray fan, requested this book. It's is a quality printing with a nice case bound cover and printed on heavy quality paper. The book is divided in months with the meal that she she prepared listed on a monthly calendar. The fun loving cook can make the same meals on the same day of the week/month, that Rachel did! Flip the book over to find a great source for cocktail recipes from Rachel's husband. The smile on my son's face when he opened this said it all. Here's to 365 smiles!

There is NO way the basis of this book is true. No one with RR career could cook like this every night.That misrepresentation alone annoys me. The graphics are dated looking and the photos from her own camera are dead looking. Plus my iphone cant download the app needed to intereact with the book!!! I dont even want to open the book up again.

I can honestly say this cookbook does not FEEL like Rachel Ray. This book was very disappointing, I am glad I got it from the library first. The print is waayyy too tiny and not all the recipes have a photo. Most of tjings needs for her recipes are difficult to pronounce and very har to find. Then, in my opinion, she did not give her husband enough pages in her book, the man ony had 59 pages worth of cocktails many of which most people can not afford the liquor to make them.

This is just too fancy for my taste, I prefer the Rachel that caters to the budget savvy followers she has, which at least 80% of viewers are. Overall, not happy and glad I did not pay for this.

I am a avid Food Network watcher. I do like Rachael Ray, I think her recipes are very doable - maybe too heavy on the "sammies" for me. But in general I like her stuff. Well, I did not like this cookbook. I always check stuff out form the library before purchasing since I have no bookstore near me anymore, and I would not buy this book. It does have a ton of recipes. But the photography is a real turn-off for me. The photos look like the ones from my 1980 edition of Betty Crocker - grainy and unappetizing. Rachael and her husband did all the photography - with her money she should have hired a photographer. Okay - that's one thing, the other is, she put dog food recipes along side people recipes - yuck-o! For the price, I'm not buying it for my shelf - sorry Rach!