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.

I'm so skeptical these days of any story about Rachael Ray written using any source other than Rachael herself, but I still had to share this, just in case it does turn out to be true. According to the New York Post's Page Six, Rachael's talk show contract will not be renewed when it runs out in 2010 and could even be pulled off the air before then.

Rachael's rep informed Page Six that the show is renewed through 2010, "so canceling is not an option." King World, who produces Rachael's show, has vehemently denied the story to the Huffington Post and corrected several inaccuracies.

The speculation is based on "an impeccable TV source" who told Page Six, "They are seriously talking about taking her off the air." Apparently, the issue is the show's ratings:

Why all the Rachael Ray divorce rumors again? I've started to assume that every time this rumor resurfaces, it's just because some tabloid needs a little extra cash, and they know it will sell papers. People magazine says that Rachael has decided to rebut the rumors one more time.

People informs us that "During a taping of her talk show Monday, the normally bubbly cook said that constant reports about the state of her marriage to John Cusimano are starting to upset her, an observer tells PEOPLE."

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!"

The Improper recently interviewed Rachael Ray and touched on some interesting topics, including Rachael's response to the constant tabloid stories alleging that she's getting a divorce. Here are a few excerpts:

On how she and John make their marriage work:

“I work hard---we both work hard, but John and I place no demands on each other,” explains Ray, from her cabin in upstate New York. “We just like hanging out as much as we can. Otherwise, it is live and let live.”

On why she ended up cooking:

“I started as a dishwasher and food runner for weekend buffets in restaurants then worked up to fountain girl, prep cook, line cook, caterer, waitress then hostess. My mom ran restaurants for 40 years, and she liked to keep her kids with her so all three of us know how to work a restaurant!”

I'll be recovering from my double cooking weekend (bday party for my best friend and Halloween), so I see a tremendous amount of television in my future. However, both parties went off without a hitch! The Turbo Classics menu for the birthday party was a hit, even with the picky eater in the bunch.

I have been such a lazy blogger lately! However, the last of our visitors (let's be honest, they are really Darcy's visitors) are leaving this weekend, so we'll be on our own! With all the help around the house, I was able to do some cooking this week, which was really nice. I made the old favorite Buffalo Chicken Chili and tried two new recipes - Hula Chicken and French Bread Pizzas. All of them were hits and I'll be posting reviews.

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.

I swear this isn't me. Slashfood's Kristyn Pomranz shared this photo from a booksigning in Syosset, New York for Yum-O: The Family Cookbook. Even I wouldn't go this far! Anyone that reads this blog want to fess up and take ownership of this tattoo? Any chance it was just temporary?

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?"

This story somehow got lost in my list of posts, but better late than never! InStyle magazine covered an event to benefit the New York City Food Bankthat Rachael Ray and her husband John Cusimano attended.

Rachael and John designed a lunchbox to be auctioned off at the event. Other stars participating included Beyonce, Reese Witherspoon, Mike Myers, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Billy Crudup and Zac Posen. There were a total of over 100 lunchboxes.

Rachael and her husband John also bought the lunchbox designed by Michael Stipe. You can check out a video of the bidding in the video below [via Snack], where John bid $35,000 for the prize:

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."

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.”

Time to clear your calendars, Philadelphia Rachael Ray fans! On November 7, Rachael Ray will participate in the 6abc Holiday Food Drive through an event called ‘Cooking for a Cause with Rachael Ray’. Rachael will make an in-store appearance at Boscov’s Moorestown Mall (I'm assuming you guys know where that is....). The appearance will include a cooking demonstration with kid-friendly, healthy meal ideas.

OK! magazine is taking a bunch of heat for putting a really old picture of Britney on its cover for a story about her current weight loss. Well, luckily they took some time away from that drama to check in with Rachael Ray and her husband John at a Food Bank fundraiser.

When discussing what Rachael does after a long day, John said this: “She cooks all the time! She’ll be at work and have to cook three or four meals. To unwind, believe it or not, she likes to cook.”

Rachael said the same thing: “We make dinner every night so that’s as varied as there are numbers of days in the year,” she says. “We make something every night.”

New York Public Radio's Leonard Lopate interviewed Rachael Ray way back when the new season of her talk show began and recently replayed the interview. Rachael talks about how she comes up with new recipes, growing up around great cooks (her mother and grandfather), her previous jobs, and how the 30-minute meal concept was developed.

You can listen to it here:

This week's issue of OK! magazine features Rachael Ray on it's cover. The issue goes on sale today and includes a story in which the "one-woman media conglomerate Rachael Ray sat down to chat about everything from her Christmas plans to what she enjoys eating at this festive time of year."

The short piece included on the mag's website is just an excerpt from the full story, but focuses on Rachael's thoughts on her waistline during the holidays:

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.

Thanks to ERR reader Cathy, I found out about Rachael's participation in the American Library Association's READ program by starring in a poster. The poster features Rachael and a book titled The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.

It can be purchased for a mere $16.00. I so remember seeing posters like this in my elementary school library, so it's fun to see Rachael on one!

Gene Simmons recently stopped by Rachael Ray's talk show. He issued a statement saying:

"Recently did the Rachel Ray Show, which will not air, I'm told until March 11th - (coincidentally the premier of our Season III of Gene Simmons Family Jewels). All I can tell you about the show is that it involves a "makeover" - but what kind, I'm not saying. It was interesting to see just how Rachel worked. Unlike other shows, she doesn't use cue cards (cards that have words on them for the host to say -- like a script). She just says it. What you see is what happens. There were no retakes. It was real. Everyone on the staff were terrific and I think you'll get a kick out of the subject matter (which I'm not free to talk about just yet)."

So, Gene Simmons seems to have some respect for Rachael's skills, huh? Sounds like it will be a fun episode.

Good Morning America is running a series where celebrity chefs share holiday recipes from their mothers. This week Rachael appeared on the show to share her mom Elsa's recipe for Cider Beef with Cheddar Mashed Potatoes. You have to go check out the recipe - it looks outstanding.

Details magazine's April issue (on newsstands now) includes a very interesting article about Rachael Ray's husband, John Cusimano. The article mostly focuses on John's membership in The Cringe, where he is the lead singer. He discusses how the rumors regarding their marriage have affected him: "My initial reaction was shock," he says. "But I guess it's an occupational hazard, you know? The more I get used to my position, I just kind of roll my eyes and say, ˜Whatever.' If this is the worst thing I need to contend with, I'll be okay." A short pause. "We'll be okay."

The article goes on to talk about what Rachael and John's home life is like:

If you've been watching Rachael Ray's talk show, then you probably saw the shoe at left being featured on the show. It's part of a new line from Rachael's buddy Gretta Monahan, called Gretta Style.

Gretta's selling her brand new footwear collection on QVC. The first shoe is called “The Rachael” and retails for $45.

As for the rest of the line, here's the summary:
"Inspired for stylish women with busy lives, this line of sandals, heels and ballet flats emphasizes on-trend styling like cone heels and peep toes, and comfort features such as soft, flexible materials and insole padding. Each shoe features signature elements, including a pink-painted bottom, made from a special component that prevents scuffing, and metallic hardware embossed with a G! The entire collection will be available to view on QVC.COM after the premiere."

Rachael Ray wrote on her blog about her participation in the 2007 DogCatemy Awards. This sounds like one heck on an event. It is hosted by North Shore Animal League America, "the world's largest no-kill animal shelter."

Holy cow, it's almost Christmas. How did this happen? I've got almost all my Christmas shopping done. Just one more gift to buy and I'm golden. Shockingly, I didn't give out even one Rachael Ray-themed present this year. I think I've pretty much given everyone I know at least one of her cookbooks, so that well may have run dry.

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.

The Houston Chronicle interviewed Rachael Ray about the lauch of Yum-o!, her "nonprofit organization encouraging children and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking."

Here are a few exerpts from the interview:

Q: What was your own nutritional upbringing like?

Rachael Ray recently profiled Barack and Michelle Obama for a segment on her talk show. The media is all worked up about the fact ath Barack said that his daughters think his candidacy is boring. Rachael and the Obamas discuss how they make time for their family during the campaign and how their two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, feel about the race.

Check out some video from the interview:

The kid reporters at the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette asked Rachael Ray five questions that I haven't heard a million times, so I thought they were worth sharing! Also, check out the article because it includes a recipe for Garlic and Herb Three Cheese Pizza.

Q. What is your favorite part of a meal?

A. The main course, baby! Absolutely!

Q. What is your favorite thing to cook or bake?

A. I don’t do a whole lot of baking because I’m not very good at it. My favorite thing to cook at this time of year is soup. I love minestrone soup with vegetables and pasta.

Q. What was your favorite meal when you were our age?

A. Anything my mother made because that’s all you were getting. We weren’t picky eaters in my house, and my mom’s a really good cook. And if we think we didn’t like it, we’d put a little cheese on it, and it was fine.

I was skeptical about a story I read at Pitchfork (NSFW) stating that Rachael Ray was hosting a party at SXSW. But, since reading that story, I've seen it mentioned by Rolling Stone and many other sources, including Rachael herself.
Rachael does tend to mention being a big music fan on many of her shows, not to mention her husband is in a band (the Cringe). But I was still surprised!