Lura

I couldn't help rolling my eyes the other day. Ree was making one of her strange concoctions, looked at the camera with a giggle, and said, "I like doing crazy things like this." I thought, "No kidding, Ree! And what happens if we don't like it, despite your constant raves about it being divine, miraculous and heavenly? You can write the whole thing off, but for us, it's money down the drain!" As P.T. Barnum said, "There's a fool born every minute." Have you heard that one, Ree?

Oh, Westiepeach, that must have been so hard on you and your mother. I'm sorry you all had to go through that. It's no wonder you left out your grandmother's name. I used to write for and edit a newspaper, and you'd be surprised how many people came in to ask for an obit, and then couldn't remember names. It happened frequently. Nobody is in a calm state of mind when tragedy strikes, no matter how calm we think we are. That's a mistake easily forgiven.

I did the obits for both parents and my in-laws. We plan to have our obits already written so that all we have to do when the time comes is contact the newspaper. I agree with you, Charlize. It's harder to write them when you're so busy with other details and sometimes not in the best frame of mind.

I am still trying to recover from the salad Ree fixed on an episode that loaded on my DVR. It was what we might call a tossed salad, filled with lettuce and loaded with cherry tomatoes. All of that was fine. Then, though, Ree added BLUEBERRIES and a blueberry vinaigrette. I cannot grasp the idea of oil and vinegar, all those tomatoes and sweet blueberries. It seems like such a clash of flavors. That's one I'll skip. It seems like she puts that family through a lot of trials ... and errors.

You got it, Charlize. Edna Mae's maiden name was Olsen. That much I'm sure of. So, now I'm a wee bit confused. Is Edna Mae no longer living? Same as Nan? And where is Nan's obit? I've been to legacy and other places, including newspapers, and haven't found a thing. That seems odd, especially with Chuck being such a prominent landowner in OK. Even as Ree's mother-in-law, millions of people know who Nan is, so why is there no announcement to be found of her death?

I love the above imaginary conversations! LOL Wish we had more of that in here! Great fun! What about beans coated in caramel since Ree has six recipes for them? This would give her a 7th, and her followers would adore them.

No, I don't think so. She would be listed as Edna Mae, I believe, and the date isn't right according to Ree's programs. As I said on another thread, I'm pretty sure that Ree's show taped Edna Mae's 89th birthday, which would make this woman someone else. Also, I don't believe that this obit lists Chuck (Charles) or Ladd or Tim, does it?

I believe that the last birthday Ree taped of Edna Mae's was her 89th, which would make this obituary someone else's. If I have the family straight, there is even an obit for an Edna Drummond who is not Edna Mae. I could be wrong, but this is what I think.

LOLOL I haven't seen this episode yet. Did Ree add a little mustard so she could enjoy the gross sound from the bottle? She's the only woman I know who gets a thrill out of that sound. We should send her a whoopee cushion for her sofa. She could sit on it while she plays with her hand puppets.

Edna Mae is Chuck's mother, Charlize. When I went searching for Nan's obit, I didn't find it, but I did see a notice about an Edna Drummond dying a few years ago. I think it might not have been our Edna Mae, however, because it didn't list Chuck as a survivor. I'm wondering where the poster learned about Nan. The only mention in Ree's "Confessions" had to do with hospice care for "a family member" (no name). Interesting, Charlize, about hospice. I had thought that it was available only for the dying.

BBQ sauce in potato salad???! She also uses BBQ sauce in one of her many baked bean recipes. She must like the stuff. It makes me ill thinking about it. I notice that anything that seems unnatural is frequently explained away by saying that it's popular in "these parts," whether it truly is or not. I'm thinking that BBQ sauce added to potato salad is almost as bad as adding it to her egg yolks for deviled eggs on one occasion. She goes for color, you know -- not taste -- the brighter, the better. Barf.

I am sorry to read this. My heart goes out to Chuck, Ladd, Tim, and all of the Drummond family. For some time, in noticing how thin Nan was, I have wondered whether she was ill. I hoped that it was only my imagination. This will be a sad time for all of them. I will miss Nan's quiet smile.

CHARLIZE!!! I know a lady in here who loves cats! I'll bet that's who you are! I like the name Charlize. It sounds French. Are you a slinky, sophisticated cat with a French accent? Or are you an alley cat who exists on the remains of old tuna cans and old bean cans? Whatever. It's great to see you. *stroke, stroke* I think I hear you purring. :) Welcome, Charlize. BTW, in an episode that loaded in my DVR today, Ree took two of the most beautiful rib-eye steaks I've ever seen, grilled them, and then cut them into slices for quesadillas, I think. That last part seemed like a shame to me because I can't seem to get excited about her Tex Mex recipes. I kept thinking how delicious those steaks would be without all those spices on them. She served them, naturally, with yet another pot of beans ("cowboy food"}. With six recipes for beans in Google, she must go through bags and bags of them per week. Yuck! (No offense to those who love Tex Mex).

So do I, Peaches! My hubby goes wild if I add a few snips of bacon to the beans. If it's Winter, and I'm using canned green beans, they're generally salty enough without the bacon, but I always think that fresh green beans need an extra bit of seasoning. The toasted almonds add a special crunchiness on the top. Yummmm. Now I'm hungry for beans!

LOL I didn't know there was a second verse. Glad you included it! Maybe that should be Ree's theme song at the top of the show.

Ree put something I thought was a bit unusual in a baked bean recipe the other day, so I went to Google to find out what it was. WHOA! Ree has SIX --count 'em, six -- recipes for baked beans listed on Google!!! They include: Perfectly Baked Beans Quick and Easy Baked Beans Slow Cooker Baked Beans Ree's Quick-n-Easy Baked Beans The Best Baked Beans Ever Quick Southern-Style Baked Beans On the episode I was watching, Ree called beans "cowboy food" about six times. I guess she must think so if she makes six different recipes for them! I never did find out what ingredient I thought was unusual. Incidentally, as Ree was adding her yellow mustard to the pot, the squeeze bottle gave forth its usual gross sound, the one that she and her boys love, the sound of passing gas. Ree chuckled and had to repeat her oft told story of how much her boys love that sound. I guess she was hoping there was one soul left in America who hadn't heard that story. Apparently, if you live out in the middle of nowhere, a story is good for the telling any number of times, but I think Ree can give it up any time now, including the squeeze bottle and any further bean recipes.

I'm totally fascinated by Ree's Honeydew Melon Spritzer, which she made on the episode "Party in the Fridge." I have to try it sometime when summer gets here. I never ate honeydew as a child. My mother never bought one. But I like it now for a change, and something tells me that I'd like this drink. Has anyone tried it?

I've never seen a two-layer Key Lime Pie. I'll google this recipe. I'm totally in love with the original Joe's recipe, but it might be fun to try a different one. Thank you!

This first episode of the new Iron Chef America was such a disappointment for me that I barely know where to begin. As one who has watched and loved the old Iron Chef for years, there were so many changes that publicizing the show as "the original format" was misleading advertising, IMHO. Alton Brown, with whom I've had a love-hate relationship for years, has sealed his fate into the hate column by dragging his ex-mother-in-law into his intro with a nasty barb about something insignificant. Leave it to Alton to seize every opportunity to get a dig in, even involving his personal life. Later in the show, he berated Jet Tila for forgetting to mention the challenger's potato dish, a minor overlook in an otherwise good start for Tila. Now, TPTB have the chefs and each of their sous chefs giving commentary about the dishes they are helping to create. In addition, the chefs now exchange friendly banter, a departure from the former chefs who were supposedly "in battle." Why have the chairman send the chefs into battle when the chefs are soon exchanging food supplies and asking each other what they're preparing? As for the judges, instead of four, there are two. Two judges means that if one doesn't care for a given chef, that chef is toast. For me, most of the judges were interesting people, and I enjoyed hearing what four of them thought. The judges have been reduced to bare bones commentary about each dish -- over and done with. The final blow was yet to come. Alex Guarnaschelli gave an ad, right there on the set (paraphrased): "Stay tuned for next week's Battle Gruyere. See who wins!" It's a new show, however you cut it, and the FN showed us yet again that they cannot leave well enough alone. They had the best show on the network (IMHO), and they've revised it badly. I want to cry.

I didn't see Chef Michael Symon. Is he still on the show? He added so much fun for me.

I thought we saw both houses. We don't?

I didn't even read the ingredients. I saw cheese on the top of it and knew right away that it was meant for Ree.

When you think about what they track into the house, straight into the kitchen, I hope they have an entire cleaning crew on 24-hour stand by.

OMG! LOL I didn't check to see whether the recipe called for chili powder, paprika, adobo sauce and cumin, but if it didn't, I guess we're free to add our own.

Netflix managed to load an episode I hadn't seen before -- a joint birthday party for Caleb and Todd, held at Missy's house. Borrrring except for one scene. Ree, looking at all the decorations and balloons hanging everywhere, volunteered to come back over to Missy's the next day, and while Missy took her nap, Ree promised to clean her house. In fact, Ree made the offer twice in case any viewer happened to miss her generous nature. It just goes to show that Ree isn't so busy after all if she has time to offer housecleaning services to her SIL I wonder whether Ree would do my house next week. What do you want to bet that Ree gets 10,000 letters from adoring fans, saying, "Ree, you are the sweetest thang!"