I stopped by Eco-Luxe the other day, the first media and press event to showcase only environmentally responsible luxury brands, and what I saw there would warm the heart of even the most demanding, white-gloved shopper. Eco truly can be luxury too, and I was thrilled to hear about so many environmentally responsible luxury brands and products. The event was produced by the Go Green Expo, which sponsors fantastic eco-friendly exhibitions all around the nation, showcasing the best interior design, home accessories, technology, fashion, jewelry, automobiles and travel. You should definitely plan on checking them out when they come...

Because of my super-sweet shelter dog Baloo, I was really excited to visit Animal Haven, a no kill shelter in the chic neighborhood of SoHo in my hometown NYC.  Tiffany Lacey, Animal haven’s director shared a few great tips with me on choosing the perfect pet for you and your family.  And you really can find the perfect pet at a shelter.  Baloo wasn’t just a needy pet with a heartwarming story (which I’ll tell you all sometime), she was really the absolute perfect dog for me.  And if I can find that, anyone can!  Tiffany also introduced me to...

A while back I headed in to see my amigo, Jorge Cazzorla at Celebrate Flowers to see some of his DIY, off the cuff ideas for creating a tabletop in a pinch. I met him at his studio in Manhattan and as soon as I got there, he pointed me to the fridge and asked me to raid his produce drawers. What he showed me were some cool ways to use fruits and veggies to create table décor. Take a look at some of Jorge’s ideas here: Fruit and Veggies from rachaelray.com on Vimeo. And here are our fruits and veggies incorporated...

If you are like me then you probably have a hard time figuring out just what to give a host or hostess when you are staying at their house for an extended stay. I have been planning FOREVER to stay with my friend Cat for a week and next month I hope to do just that, but before I do that I met up with my pal Danny Seo to get his favorite ideas for the host or hostess with the most-est. Check out a video of my visit with Danny here: Green Design with Danny Seo from rachaelray.com on Vimeo. Here...

Monday night was Animal Fair’s Magazines 9th annual Howloween Pet Costume Party, with proceeds benefiting the Humane Society of New York.  Apparently, I spent too much time barking at the big dogs and shivering pathetically last year, so I was not allowed to attend the event– but in spite of this setback, I am here to let you know it has my full support.  Rescue dogs like Isaboo and me have to pack together! And speaking of packs, Isaboo and I would love to hear how you and your pack are dressing for Howloween.  Pet packs and people packs both, send...

A few nights ago, I braved a freezing New York City rainstorm to see Ted Allen of TV’s Chopped in action, as he prepared gourmet hors d’oeuvres for StarKist’s “Think Tuna” campaign.  I’d wanted to see the location where Ted was hosting this event for sometime.  Called the Culinary Loft, it was supposed the perfect place for a chef to show-off to an audience, or a camera crew – a useful thing, perhaps, for my entertaining video blog.  But there was no good way for me to get there besides walking through disgusting weather, so I was feeling a bit...

You can check out what Evette is doing by joining her facebook page or following her on twitter! No one has to tell me: I believe in the power of cake. And so does the terrific company called Bake Me A Wish that makes and ships some of the most scrumdidliumptious cakes all around the world. Last week, I was invited to a Bake Me A Wish cake tasting.  Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away – I have an undeniable sweet tooth. And thank goodness I am immune to wild horses, because this tasting was all I could have dreamed it...

Last weekend I drove to the Hamptons from downtown NYC, which takes between two and 16 hours, depending on the day of the week you decide to get on the road. If you are not too familiar with the Hamptons, they are secretly a part of Long Island, which is itself secretly an extension of the borough of Queens, and they are where all the who’s who of NYC do what’s what. Unfortunately, a brake situation in my ’95 Chevy Lumina, caused me to leave on Saturday in the prime “lets head out the Hamptons” time of day. Poor planning? Perhaps...

For me, summertime is synonymous with Ceviche. Maybe it’s the delicious lime bite, or the freshness of the veggies, or that it’s served cool with an awakening burst of spice. Anyway you slice it (no pun intended), Ceviche is the perfect thing to combat August heat. Ceviche is a Latin American staple. Just about every Latino culture produces a version of this delicious dish. Basically, Ceviche is seafood marinated in a citrus-based mixture, usually made up of lemons and limes. In addition to adding flavor, the citric acid causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured, which pickles or “cooks”...