As part of her Just in Time book tour, Rachael made a personal appearance at an NYC Barnes and Noble, which Barnes and Noble has kindly posted here.

So, I guess everyone got tired of all the Rachael Ray divorce rumors and decided to get a little creative. This time, the rumor is that Rachael Ray threw a fit on a commercial set, refused to drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee (for which she is a spokeswoman), and demanded Starbucks coffee.

The first stop on Rachael Ray's book tour for Just in Time appears to be a success. Rachael appeared at the Moorestown Mall to sign copies of her book and help kickoff the annual 6abc Holiday Food Drive.

Here we are at another Friday. But Thanksgiving is less than a week away! We still don't know we're doing this year, so I could or could not be making a big dinner. We'll just have to wait and see. I hope you can handle the suspense. What are your Thanksgiving plans? Any Rachael Ray dishes on the proposed menu? Check out my post from earlier this week if you're still looking for ideas.

The National Enquirer is at it again. I went back and looked and the rumor that Rachael Ray is getting a divorce have been going around since February 2007 (at least since I started tracking them). So, at what point do people think - "Hmmm - they were wrong for the entire last year so maybe they are wrong this time?" And how many times does Rachael have to deny it?

Although, I have to admit, every time these Rachael Ray divorce rumors come out, I always wonder if maybe this time its true. Maybe I think that because I give these tabloids too much credit because I just don't understand how they can keep publishing the same story over and over again.

MSNBC summarized the allegations of the newest story, with the headline "Rachael Ray’s marriage ‘broken beyond repair.’" It relied on "a source close to the couple" and here's the 411:

It's time for the book promotion to begin! Rachaels 14th cookbook, Just in Time, was released yesterday. Rachael kicked off the book tour with an appearance on Good Morning America.

I got a fun email this week from Tammy, who appeared on Rachael Ray's talk show last March with her dog, Spudgy. They were featured in a segment called "Famous YouTube Stars." Tammy said the experience was a great one, from the staff all the way to meeting Rachael.

According to Tammy: "Rachael is stunning in person and just as nice as she portrays on TV." She also said that being on Rachael's talk show was one "of the best experiences ever and she and her staff are the best!"

Here are some Rachael Ray posts from around the blogosphere this week. If you see a post that you think would be good for the Roundup, or you write one yourself, e-mail me so I can be sure to include it.

Could this be true? Man, writing this blog has turned me into such a skeptic. I defnitely don't believe any story about Rachael Ray's marriage, it took a lot to convince me she was throwing a SXSW party, and now I'm skeptical about this newest story. According to PopCrunch (via Slashfood), Rachael Ray is developing a cartoon. See - your reaction was skepticism too, right? Thanks, glad it's not just me. Here are the scant details:

Rachael is developing a cartoon, featuring herself as a young chief, for a January 2009 release throught Oprah’s Harpo Productions.

“It’s in the very early stages of production,” an insider says. “Rachael is working with illustrators, trying to get the right look for her character.”

How was your Thanksgiving! Mine turned out pretty well, although I had a couple mishaps. We started with a Rachael Ray recpe for kids from her Open House Cookbook. It's just one can of Hormel No Bean Chili with 8 oz of cream cheese melted in. Soooo good and easy for a day when you have a gazillion other things to make.

Guess who's going to Vegas again? That's right, it's me! I have tickets for "O" at the Bellagio, a massage appointment at a spa, and more restaurant picks than I have time for. We just wanted a little getaway and got an outstanding deal on room and airfare rates, so off we go. If there's some restaurant you know of that I have to go to when I'm there, let me know!

Here are some Rachael Ray posts from around the blogosphere this week. If you see a post that you think would be good for the Roundup, or you write one yourself, e-mail me so I can be sure to include it.

Okay, I'm starting to miss cooking. Think I can get my act together to cook a meal this week? Maybe I should make that my goal this week (in addition to the usual one of not dropping the baby). This week's Roundup has a bunch of my favorite posts - recipe reviews. They are the whole reason I started the Roundup in the first place.

Here are some Rachael Ray posts from around the blogosphere this week. If you see a post that you think would be good for the Roundup, or you write one yourself, e-mail me so I can be sure to include it.

A few weeks ago, I addressed the Great Garbage Bowl Debate, so when I ran across an article where yet another journalist decided to show us that Rachael's meals can't be made in 30 minutes, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the Great 30 Minute Debate.

I'm so glad I decided to share my pregnancy news with all of you and thanks so much for all the lovely comments. All those people who think this blog is written by Rachael Ray are going to be really confused by that post. Things are still going well!

The baby kicks me all day long, which can be distracting at work, but I'm getting used to it. I've been doing a ton of cooking, which I will really try to make a priority even after baby comes (stop snickering, you moms out there!).

Here are some Rachael Ray posts from around the blogosphere this week. If you see a post that you think would be good for the Roundup, or you write one yourself, e-mail me so I can be sure to include it.

Rachael Ray has been extolling the virtues of chicken stock in a box for as long as I have been watching her show. In the past, she has used the Kitchen Basics brand, which I use and love. It's actually the only stock they sell in my store, although you can find about 10 brands of chicken broth.

Well, there's big news in Rachael Ray's world today. Rachael's Ray's magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, has itself a new Executive Editor. Silvana Nardone, who is the magazine's Editor, said: “Theresa shares our sense of humor and our fun, flirty attitude. We can’t wait to have her join the party at Every Day with Rachael Ray,” said Ms. Nardone.

I have been trying hard to resist joining any new challenges. I have my work pretty much cut out for me for 2008. But when Michelle at 1morechapter.com announced her Pub'08 challenge to read at least 8 books published in 2008, I couldn't resist. Here is what I am planning to start with:

When she cooks on her daytime talk show or on 30 Minute Meals, Rachael often uses what she calls a Moppine. In my house, it was always a dishtowel, but I'm not Sicilian. They sell them for 9.99 each at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. According to the description, this is a 2-in-1 kitchen item, since it is both an oven mitt and kitchen towel. It has "heat resistant pockets for easy and safe handling of hot items. Simply hang it up to dry after using it on wet items." It's 100% cotton, measures 28" L x 18" W, and is machine washable.

TV Alert: Rachael Ray will be appearing on Extra tonight. Here are a few quotes from her talk with Extra, according to Us Weekly.

On having kids:

"I'm too tired. "I feel like I’m a bad mom to my dog... I have five jobs, and I just don’t think I could take on the biggest job of being a parent."

On tabloid reports that she had plastic surgery:

"I really laughed at the one that said I had a brow lift," she says. "Do you really think if somebody gave me a week off I would spend it under a knife and if I was going to cut something off, don't you think it'd be my butt and not my forehead?”

On how tabloid reports affect her:

"The first couple of times I got angry and then I got upset and now I just laugh," Ray says of rumors they're having marital trouble. "I mean, what else are you going to do?"

Alright people, I'm definitely in Babywatch 2008 mode. I'm at 8.5 months now, which means baby could arrive at anytime [insert dramatic music here]. My cooking has reduced even more than it was last week, mostly because of running around trying to tie up loose ends. If I could just find a lamp I like for baby's room, I think I would be golden.... Enough about me, on to what's up with Rachael Ray!

Here are some Rachael Ray posts from around the blogosphere this week. If you see a post that you think would be good for the Roundup, or you write one yourself, e-mail me so I can be sure to include it.

Why oh why do the tabloids have to make up stories? Well, I guess selling papers is their main motivation, but you'd think they could come up with something better than the latest story, which is that Oprah and Rachael Ray are feuding.

MSNBC debunked the rumor by citing an interview with Rachael and Oprah's best buddy, Gayle King, which aired yesterday. In the interview, Gayle says: “I read something that you two were fighting. I know that’s not true.” King told Ray.

Rachael commented that when the rumors stared back in January, she and Oprah "hadn’t even spoken in months." And when they did speak, it was all sunshine and happiness: "Ray told King that when the news broke, 'we had written each other sweet notes, it was her birthday and I sent her snack of the day and she sent me a note.'”

So, yet again, there's no truth to this rumor. Oprah and Rachael Ray are still buddies!

It has been a pretty good reading week at my house. Because the weather has been bitterly cold, we have limited our activities to only those that are absolutely necessary.

I was able to finish and review two books for challenges. I read People of the Book and The Septembers of Shiraz. Hopefully, this puts me in a pretty good spot for my January reading goals.

Today, everyone was feeling under the weather so we decided to stay home from church so as not to share our bug. That means it should be a pretty good day for reading for me.

People magazine recently featured a small piece about Rachael Ray. She discusses what it was like for her during lunchtime at school. Rachael was attending a benefit for Food For New York and the Lunchbox Fund. She told the crowd: "I had the lunchbox that cleared the cafeteria. I was very unpopular in the early grades."

It’s an old question, but a good one . . . What were your favorite books this year?

Rachael Ray's recipe for Ravioli Lasagna is a classic. It dates back to my favorite Rachael Ray cookbook, 30-Minute Meals 2.

I am so sad to admit that soup season is quickly dwindling away! February is usually pretty cold here in Northern California, but this year (after freezing cold weather and torrential downpours last month), it almost feels like Spring is just around the corner. So, I had to take advantage of what is left of Winter and to do so, I made Harvest Creamy Corn "Choup."

Rachael Ray talked about her marriage recently with In Touch magazine. Her husband, John Cusimano, joined Rachael for the interview, where she talked about "romance, cooking and kids."

Rachael mentioned her usual Valentine's Day plans: "We always just stay home and cook. We love our dog as much as we love each other, so we stay home and have a threesome. A three-date!"

Here are a few more tidbits from the article:

On how she and her huband met:

"We were at a party with a lot of really tall people and we're both so short that we saw each other right away!"

On having kids:

Probably not," admits Rachael. "That's why we do so much with kids with our Yum-o! charity. I mean, I've got five jobs. It's a little rough. I feel like I'm a bad mom to my dog!"

You know, I was really hoping the "journalists who have never cooked before testing Rachael Ray's recipes" trend was over, but no such luck. In a self-deprecating and humorous article, Tim Madigan of the Charlotte Observer decided to try out one of the 15-minute meals from Just In Time. Instead of being negative and telling him all the places he screwed up that caused him to take 103 minutes to make a 15 minute meal, I thought I would use his article to create a list of tips that Rachael Ray often mentions (or that common dense dictate) to make cooking faster.