grisgris

I am not a big de Kooning fan but was more commenting on the flimsy quality of the piece when Bill took if off the wall. I actually, kind of liked it when it was re-homed in Wyatt's office. I would be reluctant to hang a painting worth several million dollars in a beach house. Even though the house is on a cliff, I'd be afraid that all of the exposure to moisture and sand would damage it. What do I know? I am sure that celebrity homes in Malibu are like mini art museums! I think that Liam's daftness is beginning to wear off on me. I guess I don't understand. Say that Wyatt does tell Liam the truth. Then what? Is Liam going to run back home, break the engagement off with Hope, then re-propose to Steffy? In the overall scheme, what difference does it make? Steffy is still engaging Bill. I know that Bill barged into the beach house, as he has a key and all (I guess?) He hung around long enough in Steffy's presence to remove the painting. I'm sure that in L.A. there are specially trained people who are able to transport priceless artwork. Bill could have easily hired one of them.

Oh, squee! Thanks for the info about High Society. I need some new guilty pleasure comedy and this sounds PERFECT! I went to the link on the first page (BTW, thank you OldButHappy!) It looks bad/hilarious in the same vein as "Fashion House."

Florence Foster Jenkins was a better singer than LuAnn.

When Bill took the "de Kooning" (/hard eyeroll -- that looked like a cheap framed print from Hobby Lobby), he mentioned something along the lines of "not being hurt twice." I didn't get who/what he was talking about. If he was referring to himself being hurt by Steffy, I don't follow. How has she even hurt him once? He's the one who put the brakes on original recipe Swill because Katie has a heart attack. I know that Liam has pissed him off royally, but I don't think Bill felt actual hurt. Extreme anger and even hatred, yes. I don't believe Bill is capable of feeling genuine hurt. Anybody else follow? Or is my hearing getting that bad? LOL! I replayed it about three times and I swear that's what he said. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and turn on closed captioning!

Here's a new recipe that's right up Ree's alley. http://12tomatoes.com/cattle-drive-casserole/?utm_source=glp-12t&utm_medium=social-fb&utm_content=video&utm_term=&utm_campaign=cattle-drive-casserole All it really needs is jalapenos and a healthy dose (or 10) of hot sauce and good to go!

I loved the rhetorical questions posed to Liam: "Who has consistently lied to you over and over, Steffy or Dad?" There should be a third choice: Both. I think that Bill has completely lost his mind. That plastic trollop isn't worth grovelling over. Yes. I agree. The issue here is Steffy's infidelity, period. That is what is so staggeringly frustrating. Just divorce the bitch and move on. At this point, Liam and Steffy should be working with a family law attorney (NOT Carter or Justin) to hammer out custody, visitation, child support, etc.) and be moving forward. Liam's befuddled expression, gaping mouth and darting eyes are working my last nerve. Seriously. Does he have a working brain cell in his head?

I'm really not warming up to Scott Conant as a host. I guess I am one of the rare few who doesn't find him that attractive or interesting. He used to be such a dick judge on "Chopped." I think being on the other side of the judging table (and losing) more than once have taken him down a peg or two. As far as this particular show goes, at least last year, I don't remember Adam R. wandering around and asking the bakers questions about what they were doing. Scott moseys over to each table and tries to add some "helpful advice," which really isn't helpful at all, especially as he isn't a baker. How can that French pastry chef keep a straight face having his work critiqued by Jason Smith? Nothing personal against Jason, but c'mon? I noticed that Marcella also looked humbed in his presence and very respectfully referred to him as "chef," and not by his first name like they do to the other contestants. At least, it's not Nancy Fuller. I wish that contestant Adam were doing better. I like his work and that one guy who keeps winning, Alex?, has an attitude that rubs me the wrong way. I also like the lady who made the concrete/flower cake last week. She's pretty good.

I've always read and heard to put a generous amount of salt on the sliced/diced eggplant and leave it alone for about 20 minutes then rinse it thoroughly. That's supposed to draw out a lot of the bitterness. I think Ree made some "new-fangled" Middle Eastern dip, baba gnanoush? Baba O'Riley? (LOL! For us old Who fans out there!) I am sure that she added her cowboy touch to it with healthy additions of jalapenos and Tabasco. /eye roll

I guess that if anybody could write the book on how marital insecurity can mess with your head, it's Katie. While I think a lot of her advice to Wyatt was very clouded by family ties, it still all boils down to ... Steffy fucked her father-in-law ... knowingly and willingly. Plain and simple. Why it warrant the ongoing regurgitation and contemplation is boring and pointless. Not only did Steffy do the deed, but she had full intentions of NEVER revealing it to Liam, she got too cocky (pun intended), was careless and got caught. I also liked that Bill told that heifer some hard truths about herself and her manipulation of Hope and Liam's relationship and how she is second choice not Hope. I don't care what anybody says, I believe that Hope and Liam are true love. If Liam is so self-righteous about truth and morals and honesty, why did he ever get involved with that slattern in the first place? The fact that he wanted and she offered, easy sex, doesn't say much about his character. If he was so immature and horny, he had no business being engaged to Hope in the first place. I wish that Sludge would fall off the cliff outside of Steffy's house. His constant stalking, lecturing and guilting of Liam is starting to make him look deranged. He can take his ex-Frakenwife with him. I vote for Wyatt to keep his mouth shut.

No. I never had eggplant growing up and am not sure why, as my mom was a pretty adventurous cook. I am sure that my dad and brothers wouldn't touch it and I was kind of finicky eater when I was a kid. So, I don't remember at all when/where I first tried it. I like eggplant parm and ratatouille. These is this Spanish tapas place that used to have this fabulous dish that was kind of like a cheesy puffy souffle with eggplant and had aromatic grilled shrimp on top. It was so yummy! I found a similar recipe in at Mediterranean cookbook but it didn't have the shrimp. I tried to duplicate it and added shrimp and of course, the shrimp was rubbery and dried out. Oops! There are some things you just don't try at home!

OK. Taylor did look somewhat better today when she was up and moving around at different camera angles. The new haircut also looks better than I thought but I still don't like the color. And I have to agree that she was speaking some logic to Brooke. She didn't say that Hope and Liam should break their engagement, all she said was that maybe the couple, especially Liam, need some time. Indeed, if the union is meant to be, it will stand the test of time. I was also very proud of her for managing to mainly hold her temper and not shriek or flap her arms or pull out a gun. (BTW, if that old revolver of Stephanie's is still around the house, Brooke would be well-advised to hide it. BTW, where is that thing, anyway?) Hope and Liam look like a couple of grinning idiots. I am so embarrassed for Hope in showing off that cast-off engagement ring. I guess Lame really doesn't have the bucks to spring for a new one. I think it's OK to wear your mom's wedding gown, but that's assumed under "normal/traditional" circumstances (e.g. your mom only has ONE wedding gown, not 25.) I sign everything everybody else has said about Liam. He is no prize. I think that most times, he's a whiny passive-aggressive milk toast wimp. You would think that being raised by a single mother that he'd have more insight into women and treat them better. At least Ridge (RM Ridge, that is) had some charisma and freely spent money on the women he was with. He also was a talented designer in his own right, even though he worked along with Eric. I still fail to understand how Liam went from computer geek to editor-in-chief overnight. (Well, I do, but writing and editing, art direction, advertising management, etc., take talent and experience, neither of which he possesses.) Brooke has suddenly become a raging banshee. I was all OK with it when she was up in Hauxdi's face force-feeding her some hard and long overdue truths, but not this. I half expected Brooke to come out and say that the baby would live under her roof with Hope and Liam and Steffy would have visitation privileges. Don't give her any ideas. Wow ... I was just kidding when I thought that Bill would buy off Wyatt with that Ferrari. I don't know much about antique cars, but that ride didn't look all that impressive to me. It reminded me of one of those Datsuns from the 1970s. I just want that damned kid to be born, the earlier the better. And I want for it to turn out just like Rosie's "surprise WTD" birth and the baby will have tons of thick black hair, so there is no question that Bill is the father. BTW, if I were Liam, I don't think a second opinion paternity test is a bad idea. This time, they would do it correctly and draw blood and not have to rely on half-ass samples gathered on the sly. (I understand that even if Liam is the father, the baby could still have black hair, but the TIIC aren't that smart about dominant and recessive genes and how they transmit through generations.)

I like to eat cottage cheese but have never had luck cooking with it. It's too liquidy. I don't make lasagna very often, but I always use ricotta. I am finishing off a yummy dish that i make every now and then. It's a casserole with roasted eggplant, tomato sauce, ricotta, eggs and lots and lots of Parmesan cheese. You can season it however you like. I did the called-for Italian flavor profile, but I could see this easily going Greek with oregano and lemon and feta. To make it a complete meal, I add cooked orzo. Even with lower fat ricotta, it's still a very rich dish.

I thought both Taylor and Brooke looked frumpy. Brooke's blouse would have looked much better un-tucked because that would balance out those hideous black bell sleeves. I didn't get the pairing with the powder blue bell bottoms at all. It looked sloppy and made KKL look dumpy and heavier that I am sure she really is. Taylor's outfit was not only ugly, but the whole package looked sad and slovenly. What shocked me more than the clothes is how skinny HTy is. She looks like she's lost a lot of weight, when she wasn't big to begin with and it looks like she had her implants removed or downsized. (Good!) Otherwise, they would have been busting through (pun intended) that sweater with HORIZONTAL STRIPES. She looks very pale, delicate and frail. But, the whole lower half of her face looks swollen and misshapen and the new highlights shade in her hair really wash her out. The yellow blonde was bad, but I couldn't imagine worse until I saw it with my own eyes. I have no right to say this, but it's like the outside of her matches what I perceive the inside of her must feel like. It makes me sad, actually. KKL has certainly earned her right to dress for comfort but that was a fashion miss. She could pull off a simple sheath dress in one of the popular floral patterns or even pants and tops with silhouettes that go together and are more figure-friendly than these trendy billowy numbers that are OVER-blouses and should not be shoved into pants with a belt. Hell, wear a nice high-end t-shirt. I know the show is bad when all I have to remark on are the clothes.

THIS is what we have to look forward to tomorrow!

Was Oscar throwing some subtle shade when he left about, "taking cooking lessons" beforehand? I more or less am resigned that LaToya will win. I hope that the finale goes back to being a blind cook-off. If not, Ian is doomed. He's a pretty polarizing character and LaToya could cook a can of dog food and nobody is going to vote against a "Jackson." I really don't care who wins. I like LaToya just fine but the Tyler-love was getting old pretty fast. I also think that she, as well as EYE-an, knew a lot more about cooking than they pretended to.

Boring as hell show (again) today. Why on earth would Brooke sit with her iPad and work on wedding plans in front of Sludge, then carry on about how soon she can schedule the actual event? I hate Sludge but, dang, talk about being insensitive to your "destiny." WTF was Thorne wearing today? It was nice to see him and it's too bad that the big-name, big-dollar actor is relegated to group scenes with one or two lines to utter. His greige turtleneck and plaid jacket looked straight off the back of a 1970s late-night talk show host. All he needed was to light up a cigarette. If I were Justin, Bill could have shut me right up with the keys and paid-for-title to that vintage '71 Ferrari Bill was boasting about! Steffy who?

I've been in Dorinda's shoes in the past. I have been "Clip, clip, clip" Dorinda, stabbing myself in the hand Dorinda, Halloween party Dorinda and drunken fool at a business dinner Dorinda. I hit rock bottom when my arthritic hip went out and I was physically unable to go out and buy alcohol and nobody would do it for me. I got sober and have stayed that way for four years now. (Since then, I have a new hip and am doing well and kick myself for not getting sober sooner because I feel so great.) Anyway, this isn't about me, but just saying that I can relate. Dorinda is on the short road to full-blown alcoholism -- is she isn't there already. I am relatively new to this show (second season viewing) so while I thought "Clip! Clip! Clip!" was kind of funny and at the time, I thought it was an isolated incident. Now, we are maybe 1/4 into the new season and practically every episode, Dorinda has gotten shit-faced and blown up at people or made an ass of herself. Girlfriend definitely knows she has a problem but isn't willing/ready to seriously face it head-on just yet. I agree with the poster who said she has a long way to go to hit rock bottom because she has the financial resources to bail herself out. I honestly don't even think her going to rehab right now would do one bit of good. She does have a lot going on emotionally and it probably would do her good to sort it out with a therapist before she does anything drastic like ending things with John, because "losing" him right now, I believe, would just be too much. She is in denial and making excuses. She is probably embarrassed and feels helpless because she knows something is very wrong but either will not or cannot stop, so that (along with more drinking) prompted the nasty tweets. Focusing on what was said about Richard deflects from the real issue going on with her. While it was rude what Bethenney said about Dorinda's husband, I don't think Beth was stone-cold sober at that dinner, either. Whether the remark was intended to sting or just a poor choice or words, there was no need to bring up Richard. I have no doubt that Dorinda was hitting the mini-bar big time from the moment she got to her hotel room as well as in-between drinks with Bethenney and more drinks in the hotel bar. She should have excused herself from attending the dinner or Bethenney should have intervened and told her to go back to her room and get some sleep. Bethenney did indeed, call Dorinda "a drunk," but she also started to say something that I paid close attention to. In floundering for words, it sounded like Bethenney started to say, "Maybe you're aller ..." I think that what she was trying to explain/figure out is that Dorinda is the type of person who can't stop at a drink or two. She just keeps drinking and drinking and drinking to reach and maintain the same level of "buzz" that a normal person feels after one or two drinks and they are done. It is a chemical reaction of the brain/body and affects certain people. That's what my problem was. Alcoholism is a sneaky condition and Dorinda has clearly moved from social drinking to I am sure, drinking at home all day long. I know I did. It is a terrible cycle to be caught in, but you can't get out of it unless you are really ready. I am not making excuses for her. I feel very sorry for her and hope she gets help before something terrible happens; either she has some kind of accident alone at home (which she fears) or gets sick or ruins some kind of relationship beyond repair. While her drunken antics make for entertaining T.V., she has demonstrated that she can bring the drama when she's sober just as hard and heavy. On to Carole. She is starting to become the "Dorit" of this franchise with the crazy clothes and arrogance. I thought her scathing remarks about the marathon party's short-falls were jokes but I now believe they weren't. She really has put herself on a pedestal. I personally think that she is devastated about what is going on with Adam and is coping by morphing from "cool chic" (yeah, right) to diva alert. I can't add anything more to what's already been said about the rest of the gang.

If I were Todd's friend's mother, I would have been much happier with one of Gesine's beautiful cookie flower bouquets.

Yesterday's new episode was underwhelming and always such a letdown after watching "Baked in Vermont," (because I record the shows.) The only interesting thing I learned is that Ree's mother is an oncology social worker and that she made the career decisions later in life. Good for her! However, her gift of the blood orange pound cake with rosemary might not be such a noble gesture. Ever since trying Giada's recipe for lemon thyme bars, I have been very leery of citrus baked goods laced with strong herbs. Also, the hue of that glaze was pukey looking. It resembled canned salmon. Hyacinth always looks slightly annoyed when Ree shows up bearing treats. It always leaves me feeling that Ree doesn't really spend much time with Hy unless it's a command performance for the show or to do some uncompensated work for "The Merc." Hy's disheveled appearance yesterday made her look like she'd been either doing some serious day drinking or Ree interrupted a tryst with one of the cowboys. Those teenaged boys couldn't have been any less interested (or embarrassed) to make those stupid edible arrangements for that kid's mother's birthday. I thought that apple slices dipped in chocolate seemed strange. Couldn't Ree have done the traditional strawberries instead? Also, nice story to share about how Todd's conception was a complete surprise and thus, Ree looks out of sorts in all of the wedding photos of her father and stepmother.

I saw Melissa take the internal temperature of LaToya's chicken and we even saw the thermometer register to 181. Melissa said that it seemed overdone and I agree, although LaToya insisted that it wasn't dry. She always cooks meat dishes then says she can't try anything because she doesn't eat meat. Huh? Then, why not make something vegetarian? I thought that the plate she presented to Tyler looked meh, but as always, he proclaimed it was "delicious." Nothing personal against her because she seems very sweet, but everything she makes looks kinda blah, but she gets rave reviews and moves on. I also question why Oscar is hanging on. His stuff always looks like a disaster and his sad-sack loser demeanor doesn't help. (Unless that is his schtick, because I have never seen him on any other shows before.) I am pretty sure LaToya is going to win the whole shebang, which is OK with me, especially if she takes down EYE-an. However, my favorite is Catherine. I think she (and LaToya) are two others, besides Ian, who know more about cooking than they are letting on. It seemed like Catherine's main problem has been using too many ingredients but she seems to be reining that in.

No. I will join you. I liked Kyle Lowder, much more so than JY. I think that KL and TK would really generate some fireworks on-screen. JY seems like a nice guy and all but I can't picture him with Phoebe or Steffy or even worse ... Taylor. KL was just the right kind of gritty, arrogant, surly and sexy to be convincing. @Anna Yolei: Good catch! Yes. I meant baby Bridget.

OMG! OMG! OMG! I cheered and clapped so loudly today that my frightened cat jumped off my lap then looked at me like I was a crazy person. Brooke turning on Steffy like that was EPIC! I must have watched it four times. Yes, I know that it was fueled by years of pent-up wrath towards Taylor, but she spoke the truth. Brooke: "No. What is a disgrace is a wife who sleeps with her father-in-law." She hit all the notes, including Hope being trapped in the gondola. After Puff made some weak-sauce arguments in her defense, all she did was stand there and blink in disbelief. But ... Hope stood there shrinking behind Brooke and looked like a terrified 5-year-old. (I found that disappointing, because she came across as frightened, tentative and completely lacking in confidence. Where was the girl who's been up in Steff's face all this time?) I wish that Brooke would have ordered Steffy to leave her house immediately with strict order to never return and to stay away from Hope. BTW, was the the GarBridge wedding dress or the Brill wedding dress? In either case, it is jinxed but that was some nerve to suggest that Sludge design a brand new dress for Hope. I thought for sure that Brooke was going to suggest going to Eric instead, but recycling one her old gowns made more sense, especially in this case. Why, Why and WHY, is that nutfuck Liam still mooning over photos of Steffy and him on his cell phone? I have bad thoughts about this upcoming marriage. Even if Justin and Bill hadn't set up the situation, I can't believe that he was even remotely considering going back to her. Justin puzzles me. He has no problem dumping Sludge out of a helicopter or burning down SF, but balks at lighting a few candles and smudging lipstick on a pillow ... WTF?

Just because we have been comparing KM to AN during present shows, I will mention this. I just heard a news item about three comedies that FOX pulled the plug on. As I held my breath ... "L.A. to Vegas," was NOT mentioned. However, while I don't know if the show is out of the woods yet, those "renewal/cancellation" prediction sites have now shifted their stance and think the show will get picked up for at least one more season!

I forgot to mention also how lame, desperate and pathetic Liam sounded today when he explained to Ridge why he HAD to be married again and the sooner, the better. Won't this be his 5th or 6th marriage to the same two women? (I'm not counting the overnight green card marriage to Ivy.) From what Liam was describing, my first thought was that he sounds like a good candidate for a live-in housekeeper or butler or even a dog. Or ... why not move into an apartment complex or condo and meet some neighbors? Hell, even a cleaning person who dropped by a few times a week could develop a friendship with him and meet his needs for loyalty and trust. A wife is not necessarily the best decision right now. Is Liam really a man under the age of 30, living in Los Angeles in 2018? SMH ... I'd say more along the lines of a 40-ish man back in the 1800s who needed a woman to tend the home fires, warm the bed and bear/rear the kids/farmhands.

This show is giving me whiplash. Even though it was biased, I thought that Ridge actually gave Liam some sound advice today. There. I hate to even admit it. Liam really does need time and lots of it. I am glad that Liam threw back in Ridge's face that his view is very clouded when it comes to his precious princess. I couldn't tell from TK's reaction if he was offended or more like, "Yeah. Tell me something I don't know already." I really wish that he had said something instead of just flapping the remark off. I wish that Sludge and daughter would stop using that innocent baby as bait. Ridge didn't have any problem walking away from baby Hope when he thought he was her father, to be with Taylor. He needs to STFU. Liam needs to stay far, far away from him. I wish that Liam had closed by stating that his mind was made up and he'd appreciate it if Ridge would just leave. him. alone. The scenes between Steffy and Hope continued to disappoint. I really expected so much more when Hope threw the "husband stealing" line back in Steffy's face. But the tepid delivery didn't register much and it went nowhere. Hope looked terrified and confused during the entire encounter and let that bully run right over her. Even more puzzling was Brooke's insistence that the wedding take place immediately. Just yesterday, she seemed very skeptical and almost like the sudden engagement was a terrible idea. I was so looking forward to Haudxi walking into a room full of wilted roses. God, that living room must reek. Is Steffy even pregnant? I swear her belly looks like it's getting smaller. She should really be showing by now.