Maybe you guys got some really sweet tasting ass. 
Seriously, a dish with walnuts and gorgonzola has a chance to be bitter as well as … asshish. If the walnuts are old or not properly shelled they can be quite bitter. Also, Gorgonzola is in the category me and my friends call “ass cheese.” Too heavy a hand can be overwhelming.
Actually, my wife left out the walnuts. The sage seemed not to have an iota of sage flavoring, and it may have been bitter. I don’t know anything about arugula. But I’m pretty sure I could go another couple of lifetimes without needing to eat any more Gorgonzola cheese.
Arugula can be noticeably bitter, especially the larger, older leaves. If you didn’t put the walnuts in (I never use walnuts, because it’s a particular astringent/bitter taste I don’t like, I use pecans instead), it was probably the arugula. Sage can give a funky taste if it’s overdone, and the line between just right and too much is pretty fine. Sounds like a rather ambitious dish designed for a very broad palate - and that’s the kind of dish NOT well suited for a broad-appeal cooking show.
Just chiming in to agree on a couple of points.
Chopping, it’s not just that I’m not as fast as she it, it’s also that my knife isn’t as sharp as hers so everything takes a little more time and effort.
Garbage bowl - I usually realize this after I’ve made several trips over to the closet where the garbage is, open door, lift lid, deposit garbage, close door (have to keep it closed because of the inquisitive kitties)…it all takes time and the garbage bowl is just such a time and step saver.
Preparation and organization - It’s kind of a joke the way she loads up on everything she needs looking like she’s going to drop the whole mess any minute but that’s what you have to do. Get all the ingredients out and right there on the counter where you need them. That way you don’t have to refer back to the recipe so much.
I don’t think I’ve made any of her recipes in 30 minutes but I’ve come close. 45 minutes is more the norm for me for the above reasons. So far they’ve all been very good (but then I really like Gorgonzola)
I have to agree that she can be annoying, that stupid little laugh she does and all of the little sayings. EVOO, Yummo!, Eye-ball it the only way to truly get through the 30 minute show is to play the Rachel Ray Drinking game. 
This is awesome, but if you really played this you would be beyond trashed in a half hour.
I like her recipes more for how simple they are to follow than for the time it takes, but yea, I’ve done a few of her dishes in half an hour or less. I tried her tagine-style chicken (yummy!), and (I think) her pasta pesto salad. Both were done pretty quick, and are yummy.
Hey! You’re talking about my goddess here!
Thanks, velvet --I now have Stoup all over my screen!
drinks