Comfort Food

In fewer than five years, Rachael Ray has radically changed the way America cooks dinner. Her perky-girl-next-door swagger, her catchphrases for techniques, and her dinner ideology of simpler, less expensive and just in time have sold billions of books and placed her at the top of the talent heap of food television personalities. When only that special soul-filling dish will do. Wintry nights call for hearty soups and satisfying pastas, not to overlook lighter seafood dishes or childhood favorites, such as Rachael's own Mac'n Cheese or Grampa's Ziti with Sausage and Beans.