Embed from Getty Images
Rachael Ray has been doing at home content with her husband, John Cusimano, for a couple of weeks now. I just saw a clip from her show on Jezebel and it occurred to me to check her channel. I kind of love how full of stuff her kitchen is. You can see a tour here, her pantry is full of stuff! This isn’t her main home, Rachel and her husband and mom are in their second home in the Adirondacks, which is presenting challenges because the Internet is not that great up there. I expected her to have a kind of industrial-looking huge celebrity kitchen, but it’s surprisingly homey and looks well used. Rachael said that her 85 year-old mom lives across the street from her and that they visit frequently on the porch from a safe distance. Rachael also makes her mom all her meals, which sounds really nice actually. I also enjoyed how her mom expresses appreciation for the food.
How is your mom doing?
Mom is great and she’s across the street, which makes me really happy. She’s 85 and she and the dog visit on our back porch in our backyard. We all go out there and share some time together at safe distances of course. We send mom all of her meals and we talk many times a day. She’s doing quite well. She’s extremely well fed and now getting a little cranky that she may be eating too much.What does your mom say when she really likes the food?
It’s disgusting. When my mother says ‘it’s disgusting’ that’s the highest compliment, that’s 5 stars.
That’s so cute that her mom calls food “disgusting” when it’s actually really good. I can see doing that with very rich or oily food that’s delicious and decadent, but it still sounds like a complaint. Still, she is old enough to say whatever TF she wants. I look forward to reaching that age.
I’m jealous of people who can be close to their families at this tough time. My mom moved to Florida and I miss her every day. We have the Echo Show devices and we use those to call each other, which is nice. If we lived next to each other I’m sure we would visit like that. Rachael said she’s passing the time listening to music and dancing with her husband, reading books, making her show, doing art, and trying to be present for her 15-year-old dog, Isaboo, and her mom.
Here’s the segment about Rachel’s mom and her daily activities. I watched a segment on making tomato salad and her husband’s camerawork is all over the place. It was hard to watch, but I learned a really great hack on how to cut tomatoes.
I love my mother, but I would go nuts if either my parents lived that close to me. I moved to another state to have the sufficient distance from both of my parents. Our relationship is much better this way. My in-laws, on the other hand, live about 2 miles away. My husband sees his parents every few days.
Now, MY kids are a different story! I would totally move across the street from them when I’m 85!
My parents live across the country from me, which is a necessity for me. I do wish my grandma could live with me (near me now instead, with social distancing), but she won’t move away from my mom or her other daughters though bc they depend on her so much still (which is a shame and a whole other story). She really deserves to enjoy what few years she has left bc she has always taken care of everyone else personally and professionally. On the other hand, my inlaws live next door, which works well for us all bc we always give each other enough space. They are fairly independent and work, even into their 70s now, but as things are slowing down it’s nice to be able to be there for them when they need us (which has been more with social distancing).
lol no offense but they’ll probably feel like you do now about your parents.
“I love you but please dont be that close to me”
My boyfriend’s family has a summer place in the Adirondacks. To make cell phone calls, we have to stand in one spot on the back deck. My phone rang once while I was in one of the bedrooms and suddenly four people were standing in the doorway exclaiming about how I had cell service in that room when nobody else did. Wifi is impossible.
to me I worry that you’d die on the way to get help if somebody got hurt.
I knew a guy whose father LOVED living out on a farm, but the nearest hospital was 40 minutes away. he would have probably lived if closer
I’d give anything for just a few more seconds anywhere, anytime lol.😭
{{{{{{BIG hugs Mabs}}}}}}
This Friday, my mom would’ve been 87. She died in ’82 at the age of 49. I miss her every day, and would give anything for “one more day”, too.
Yesterday, my 92 yr. old dad had to go into the hospital (congestive heart failure/possible pneumonia). Earlier that morning I thought I was going to lose him, and it scared me so. With Covid, him being IN a hospital also scares the hell out of me. They won’t allow *anyone* in, even immediate family that lives with him (me).
No matter HOW old you are, you are always your parents’ “child”, and will always miss them in that way.
Hope you dad is home soon TheOGJan!! My mom was almost 40 when she had me and now that I have babies I find myself jealous of people with closer generations… But it is a blessing to have her here at all. She hates to leave her quiet NY house and daffodils for our California chaos, but I try to get her here whenever I can.
I also grew up in a culture that reveres the elderly, so it really bugs me with this whole “but it’s only super dangerous if you’re old so who cares” thing. For us the elderly are the holders of all the memories, the language, the culture, those who remember your life, your first steps, when you were born.
I’m so sorry you can’t be with your dad, I hope he’s better soon!
Thank you so much, Lidia, you are so sweet. Your kind words mean the world to me. Hugs to you!
I hope you and your daughter get to FT/Skype/Zoom a lot. My sister is going to take an iPad over to the hospital today, and ask that perhaps his nurse can help him to do a vid call maybe twice a day until he can come home. I know it’ll lift his spirits 😊
ive always been afraid since I was little of losing my parents early. my mom and dad had me late so they’ve always been older than my peers parents’. when I was younger I would have nightmares about losing them. i still get them now and then, but not as much as pre-puberty.
I had so many mental health setbacks that it took me a looong time to become independent. as a result, its compounded my fears. the thought of my life getting together & finding success but then they leave this earth before being able to see that, when they were there only for really the awful times where they saw me suffer…honestly it makes me want to die. I really have seriously considered suicide thinking after they’re gone, so they wont hurt from me dying.
when they go, I dont think Ill be able to go on tbh. Im not strong enough & theyre the only ones who know my story. the only constant in my life. I was sick from 18 to 34. my life is starting so much later than most. my 20s & early 30s I had to teach myself again how to take shower, brush my hair, do work, anything was a huge mountain. just thinking about them not being here, I cant handle it. Im not religious, I dont believe in god/heaven/hell, so its hard bc I know once somebody’s gone, thats it. tho I do have some theories about us living in a multiverse….which honestly means ‘quantum immortality’ could be a thing…which means we’re never all dead and all alive at the same place.
look up ‘spooky action at a distance,’ ya’ll….
my only hope is the universe’s possible secrets.
I’m with you. My Mom has been gone 15 years, but when something special happens I sometimes start to call her, only to remember that she’s not there. I wish for one more day or one more hour with her.
Me too 🙏😭
Same. Same. Same. 4 years May 16. I love you, Mom.
I don’t watch Ray at all, but came to say I think she looks great in the stills. She’s 51, and doesn’t look her age-beautiful skin in the pic w/her husband.
I was going to say the same thing, she looks very cute!
Love that she’s not wearing makeup!
I live less than a half hour from my parents and I’ve appreciated it especially during this time. If one of us can’t get something on our Instacart order, we order for each other and drop stuff off in our garages. I’ve even been able to see them on some warmer days, from a safe distance in their yard lol.
Rachel has a very cute face! She looks very youthful.
I’m nearly 29 and my mom lives 2 blocks away from me. I wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂 I’ve been quarantining with her in her spare room and we’ve been getting along great. In normal times I usually pop round 2-3 a week but she doesn’t “require” me to do that. My sister moved to Spain in September so I’m glad I could be close when my sister is so far from us.
Oh and my grandma is a 15 minute walk from our apartments, and a 5 minute walk from my office so pre-pandemic I tried to bring her lunch/groceries 1-2 times a week.
I very much enjoy boundaries with my family (I normally don’t spend Thanksgiving or Easter with them for my own sanity/reasons) but I am glad we’re physically close for day to day things. I feel very fortunate in that regard.
I love Rachael Ray and have for years now. When I graduated college, my parents had just gotten custody of my nephew and I became his nanny, and it was a very….weird….point in my life, because I was coming from all this independence to being back in my parents house with a 4 year old boy who had some significant developmental issues. I watched her shows during naptime and that was how I started cooking(my mom is a really good cook but never really taught any of us). It was something that I could do “for me.” And after each of my boys were born, the first time I cooked a big meal was the moment when I felt like I was back to myself. I also love her early cookbooks. My cooking has evolved a great deal since then so how she writes recipes aren’t really my preferred style any more, but I’ll always have a huge soft spot for her.
all that to say – I would love to live closer to my mom and it sounds like they are doing the best they can with the quarantine.
I watched this segment last week. I love her homey kitchen. They have a commercial dishwasher that cleans the dishes in 90 sec! 😱 Goals!
OMG OMG I NEED THAT COMMERCIAL DISHWASHER IN MY LIFE (tho obv i knw she’s a cook lmaooo so she needs it)
No, not goals. I am currently living across the street from my mother. While I love her, she drives me nuts sometimes. She gets worried if she doesn’t see my car and will call me. Etc etc. I’m off on the weekends, and I will lying on the couch, trying to relax and she’ll pop in, talking really loudly. Several times I’ve heard a noise early in the morning and it’s her, out in the yard. Love her but it’s tough sometimes
Yeah, my mom lives 30 mins away, that’s close enough. During the pandemic I’ve been seeing her 2 or 3 times a week for walks and grocery drop offs, plus a weekly game night with my sister out of state. She makes some comments about me not staying long enough, etc. She lacks boundaries with me, for sure. If she lived across the street she would be ALL up in my business. What was that package that was delivered. I saw you on the phone, who were you talking to? I just popped over to borrow sugar, oh come over for lunch, can I come to dinner…on and on. No thank you.
I don’t mind living near my parents as they get older. But I prefer same neighbourhood rather than opposite house / opposite unit same floor building.
Oh hell no. But that’s because I’ve got a narcissistic parent with no boundaries. She’d be in my house all the time, at all hours because it’s her right as my mother. She would rearrange everything, cook food I don’t like (because of course a narc parent doesn’t know her kids even if she thinks she does) and stink up the whole house, yell at me for being fat and badly dressed, and when not at home call at least 10 times a day, at all hours.
OMG just thinking about it gives me anxiety. I need to find the cookies
ugh I am so sorry. I dont know if its possible for you, but toxic parents like that really deserve to be cut off from communication etc they are health hazards that need to ‘sit with themselves’ bc that might be the only way they learn how awful they are. tho they 98% of the time arent capable of self-awareness lmao
I love this story. I took a look at her video and got carried away with her making chicken pot pie. Chicken pie is an all-time family favourite. My friends often tell me that if I’m in the mood for giving them a gift, they want one of my chicken pies, so I do often give them as Christmas gifts. Looking at Rachel’s video, mine is pretty much the same as hers, except I do a pastry bottom. She cuts onions and prepares garlic like I do, too. Must be an Italian thing… 😋
I used to hate chicken pot pie and my older daughter said she did too and we wondered, “We should love this stuff. Why don’t we love it?” In hindsight, I think it’s because we never had it home made.
So, we got together and made it and it’s delicious.
We prefer white meat, so, slow cooked chicken breasts, bone-in and skin on (it makes a difference) with chicken broth, chopped onions, diced carrots, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, parsley, splash of white wine, mushrooms…
NO PEAS. Peas are vile and should be illegal.
Lots of people use cream or just the broth and thicken it w flour or something but we added a can of cream of chicken soup to get the thicker broth.
Then, cool and remove the bones and skin and keep cooking on low for a bit.
Make your pie crusts, top and bottom. Good frozen crusts are fine. Bake.
I live two miles down the road from my mom. I go to see her most days and drop off food on her doorstep because I’m home-cooking like crazy during quarantine. I love getting reviews from a retired culinary teacher. Plus she’s in her 70s, and I’d rather she not go out food shopping (she’s not tech savvy and won’t let her kids order Instacart for her). I love being able to talk to her through the door. She shows me whatever project she’s been working on at home – she’s a quilter. The first thing I’m going to do once it’s deemed safe is give her a hug!
Mom also just learned how to use Zoom so we can have family video chats all together now.
My mom lives about an hour away from us, but usually comes to visit and stay for a few days at least once a month. I miss her a lot right now. Calling is not the same. I’d love it if she were just across the street!
I hope my kids live across from me when I‘m 85.
My parents are far away, and it‘s for the best. Bad relationship, very dysfuntional upbringing. After many years apart, I believe that they did their best (which wasn‘t good!) considering they also came from trauma. I call regularly to listen and check up. I‘m doing life better than they did and stopping the sins of the father/mother for the next generation. That feels good. Also, I‘m 50, and it took a looong time to get here.
Loved hearing about Rachel and her mom.
I hope my kids live across from me when I‘m 85.
My parents are far away, and it‘s for the best. Bad relationship, very dysfuntional upbringing. After many years apart, I believe that they did their best (which wasn‘t good!) considering they also came from trauma. I call regularly to listen and check up. I‘m doing life better than they did and stopping the sins of the father/mother for the next generation. That feels good. Also, I‘m 50, and it took a looong time to get here.
Loved hearing about Rachel and her mom.