anneofcleves October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 I suggest the FN combine Farmhouse Rules and Guy's Triple D shows and drive the audience stark, raving mad! Only if they pull a Thelma and Louise in one of Guy's vintage cars. 5 Link to comment
Evanscody October 17, 2015 Share October 17, 2015 After seeing Nancy on QVC I am positive she is not made for TV. Love her recipes, hate her personality. 1 Link to comment
Fostersmom October 17, 2015 Share October 17, 2015 Just when I thought she couldn't get more annoying, I saw the Halloween episode and she proved me wrong. 2 Link to comment
HyeChaps October 18, 2015 Share October 18, 2015 Yes, but I learned to refrigerate breaded chicken before frying. Link to comment
pandora spocks October 19, 2015 Share October 19, 2015 Just when I thought she couldn't get more annoying, I saw the Halloween episode and she proved me wrong. I caught the last five minutes. Was she dressed as Martha Washington? Link to comment
Aquarius October 19, 2015 Share October 19, 2015 I caught the last five minutes. Was she dressed as Martha Washington? If it's the episode I remember, she's Marie Antoinette. She kept saying, "Let them eat cake!" in that annoying way of hers. 1 Link to comment
langway October 19, 2015 Share October 19, 2015 I've been on a Food Network kick lately, and I'm watching this lady's Halloween episode. She reminds me of my MIL and I hate it. "I'm making an armadillo cake cause they scare the crap out of *some dude*" no girl, you watched Steel Magnolias. Unless armadillo cakes are actually a thing and I'm just behind, but I've only ever seen one in that movie. 3 Link to comment
pandora spocks October 19, 2015 Share October 19, 2015 I suggest the FN combine Farmhouse Rules and Guy's Triple D shows and drive the audience stark, raving mad! Only if they pull a Thelma and Louise in one of Guy's vintage cars. I'd love to see Giada and Alton Brown be passengers in that ill-fated car. 1 Link to comment
Lura October 23, 2015 Share October 23, 2015 Lura I agree she's terrible on screen. Speaking of that, she's even worse live! I have never seen Nancy live, but I've watched her judge the holiday baking contests (new one coming up), and she is very different from her farmhouse personality. She can be highly critical, bossy, and rather unpleasant. She can be quite the tough taskmaster, and not in a friendly way. That's one more reason why I feel that her antics on the show are fake. IMO, she tries to laugh it up when she's not a laugh it up person. I watch her for the recipes, and I barely put up with the rest, especially the shows with the grandchildren or David. *moan* Link to comment
grisgris October 24, 2015 Author Share October 24, 2015 I have to give Nancy a nod for creativity today with her Halloween spread, especially that intestines-pizza roll. The only thing I raised an eyebrow at were the licorice ice cubes. There she goes with "those kids" again. (I wish she's say "the grandkids" or something...) That looked like a lot more than 36 guests... Link to comment
Lura October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 (edited) After reading so many comments about Nancy being on QVC, I had to interrupt my visit here and dash on over to see what the video looked like. I'm a little bit confused, though, because I felt that Nancy did a great job and that David Venable was enough to raise alarm with his antics, dancing, nicknames, etc. I was amazed that Nancy remained gracious and pleasant because I would have expected her to pick up the nearest rolling pin and aim for his skull! There's only one thing worse than Nancy shouting with her grandchildren, and that's David's giggle. AWK! He hasn't changed in the ten years since I last saw him except for maybe becoming more so. I don't give him credit for selling even one of those cookbooks. I think the reason they flew out of there was because QVC showed us all the way through the cookbook, not once but twice, and because of that enormous food spread Nancy had out on the table. Of course, David's eating could have sold a few cookbooks. After every bite, he rolled his eyes, groaned wildly as he chewed, began stomping his feet, dancing in circles, doing the Hoochy-Coochie and looking wild-eyed toward heaven. I couldn't help it -- he reminded me of some sex-starved African elephant kept in solitary confinement in the Beijing Zoo, then suddenly being released to play with the other boys. Euphoria! Venable mentioned having seen Nancy's husband in the studio, and soon after, said he wanted to go live with Nancy. I hope he was referring to the good food and not the good husband. No offense intended. My reaction is due to surprise, not prejudice. Edited October 25, 2015 by Lura Link to comment
CMH1981 October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 Those licorice ice cubes just sounded vile....I wouldn't want that flavor in my drink... When she was referring to "those kids" I figured she just meant the neighborhood kids, i'm pretty sure she makes all kids refer to her Gigi, family or not...hell i've heard adults call her that as well. Link to comment
anneofcleves October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 After reading so many comments about Nancy being on QVC, I had to interrupt my visit here and dash on over to see what the video looked like. I'm a little bit confused, though, because I felt that Nancy did a great job and that David Venable was enough to raise alarm with his antics, dancing, nicknames, etc. I was amazed that Nancy remained gracious and pleasant because I would have expected her to pick up the nearest rolling pin and aim for his skull! There's only one thing worse than Nancy shouting with her grandchildren, and that's David's giggle. I think I said pretty much the same thing in my post about this, Lura. He was the annoying one, not her. And trust me, I think we all understand how annoying she can be. Link to comment
Evanscody October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 I appreciate all the opinions. The In the Kitchen with David show is the same every week. Admittedly he is cray. Let me just say I get her cookbook this week. It's beautiful. Never in the online presentation did they go over the premise of the book. It's broken down by season, spring, summer, fall, winter. It has gorgeous pics of the farm , home, and food. Dagummit I did not get any of that in the QVC presentation. Neither Nancy or David gave the book justice. YMMV. And I appreciate all opinions. Link to comment
peacheslatour October 27, 2015 Share October 27, 2015 I thought the Haunted Hayride was really cool. I would have loved that as a child- they even had a headless horseman. Very Hudson Valley! 1 Link to comment
Lura October 28, 2015 Share October 28, 2015 The Headless Horseman must appear in the other of Nancy's two Halloween shows waiting to be seen. I saw last year's show tonight -- the one in which Marie Antoinette stars. The broccoli-cheddar soup looked delicious, and it's one of my all-time favorite soups. The Parmesan Chicken looked good, too. She did a great job with the armadillo cake, but no one will ever catch me eating all of that food coloring. Poor Nancy -- her crazy personality came out for this show, so she was alternately goofy, wired and dramatic, but not especially funny to me. 1 Link to comment
Aquarius October 28, 2015 Share October 28, 2015 I made the broccoli-cheddar soup from the Halloween murder mystery episode. It was quite good. In fact now that it's soup season I think I'll make it again. 1 Link to comment
HyeChaps October 29, 2015 Share October 29, 2015 I made the parmesan chicken. Was delicious. I've never flavored the eggwash before. Link to comment
anneofcleves November 1, 2015 Share November 1, 2015 When I saw that it was another show to celebrate her love for David, I almost skipped watching it, but they kept the make out session to a minimum (thank you!) and recipes in the Al Fresco show looked quite good. Nancy's a good cook. I adore tomato and green bean salad, but I don't think I'd use her dressing recipe (too thick and mayonnaise-y) and would stick to a basic sherry vinaigrette. If you emulsify it properly, the vinaigrette develops a creamy enough consistency without needing any mayo. The shrimp scampi on bucatini looked fresh and delicious with enough wine and lemon to cut the richness of the butter and oil. Bread pudding I can live without, especially after a pasta meal. Her lamb chops with mint jelly looked infinitely better than Ree Drummond's from the episode before. I usually don't bread lamb chops, but I'd certainly give Nancy's simple version a try. My only comment with most of Nancy's "menus" is that I would be too full by the time I had my two-lamb chop appetizer to enjoy a pasta dinner. Forget about the bread pudding. 2 Link to comment
grisgris November 1, 2015 Author Share November 1, 2015 I love it when FN does that. I wonder if they intentionally scheduled back-to-back episodes featuring lamb chops. I'm not much of a fan of bread pudding, but adding tart cherries and bourbon as an interesting twist. I liked Nancy's makeover. Her hair looked great with some soft curl, as well as the makeup. Nicely fitted colorful dress, too. I thought she looked great! 1 Link to comment
CMH1981 November 1, 2015 Share November 1, 2015 (edited) I too saw the "i'm a woman and i will celebrate my husband by cooking a meal from the first time we held hands" promo and thought, why can't she just cook to cook. Just a regular dinner for her and David, no friends, family, or special event or made up holiday. That shrimp scampi looked amazing, as did the green bean salad. Edited November 1, 2015 by CMH1981 Link to comment
grisgris November 1, 2015 Author Share November 1, 2015 (edited) Yeah. I sort of agree. I got tired of every other word out of Nancy's mouth was "David loves this. This is David's favorite." It's like Gordon Elliott has been studying Ina's show and getting pointers to try to build a likability quotient* for Nancy. I hold with ALL of the hosts, that if the food is good, there doesn't have to be a story to go with it. (Holidays or extremely special occasions being the exceptions.) I got all squicky during the end of the show when Nancy started tearing up at the dinner table. At the very end when David asked, "May I have this dance?" I cringed, especially when he handed Nancy a rose and she stuck it between her teeth. Fortunately, the credits started rolling and my DVR cut off before we got into any serious "tango in the night" business. Of course, anything is better than TFK. *I know that Nancy isn't everybody's cup of tea, especially when she judges the holiday baking shows, but I like her. She definitely knows her way around a kitchen. ETA: Don't know WTH that auto-correct mess was, but Nancy didn't stick a rose stem BENEATH her teeth. LOL! Edited November 2, 2015 by grisgris 2 Link to comment
ShellSeeker November 2, 2015 Share November 2, 2015 *I know that Nancy isn't everybody's cup of tea, especially when she judges the holiday baking shows, but I like her. She definitely knows her way around a kitchen. I really like her too. She can be a bit much to take sometimes, but there's no denying that she knows how to cook. I've only ever made one of her dishes, which was delicious (the brownies with mint frosting). I don't think I've ever seen her use a can of cream-of-something soup, and she makes everything from scratch. Plus I really like that her thing is using fresh, local ingredients for most or all of her dishes. 2 Link to comment
HyeChaps November 2, 2015 Share November 2, 2015 "Fresh is best, unless you're stressed." Link to comment
Timetoread November 2, 2015 Share November 2, 2015 "Fresh is best, unless you're stressed." I love the realness of this phrase. I mean yeah, it's great if you live on a farm - and all your friends are farmers - and you've got all day - and unlimited funds because you and your husband are rich - and you only see the grandkids every once in a while. But lets face it, sometimes you cook for fun and sometimes to make a point, but the rest of the time you just need to get something on the table so that people can eat. And stress will kill you faster than storebought food. 3 Link to comment
Lura November 3, 2015 Share November 3, 2015 I LOVED the Nancy and David "anniversary of their first date" show! Even David seemed relaxed and seemed to be enjoying the whole thing. No grandchildren around to bug us, no crazy antics from Nancy, nothing but straight cooking of some good dishes! Nancy really pulled it off, I thought, and she looked beautiful. This was the kind of show I've missed on the FN for a long time. Let's have more, Nancy, just like it! Link to comment
Maizie November 3, 2015 Share November 3, 2015 Did anyone else see her take a taste from her wooden spoon & then put it back i the pot? Link to comment
anneofcleves November 4, 2015 Share November 4, 2015 Did anyone else see her take a taste from her wooden spoon & then put it back i the pot? I didn't notice, but I admit to doing that if I'm cooking for my immediate family. Cooking for guests, I'm careful not to. Link to comment
Lura November 8, 2015 Share November 8, 2015 (edited) Well, I tried to dislike today's show, but I couldn't. The grandchildren were in it, and that generally means a lot of noise, but not this time. I did notice that Nancy did everything she could to excite them, so maybe that's one reason they're always fired up. Anyway, Nancy's daughter Nita was visiting from Maryland with her kids, and son Johnny's kids joined the fray. (Boy, is Nita ever pretty!) Nancy (minus David) took the kids on the sightseeing train, a very pretty train that looked clean and nice. Nancy bought all the kids engineer's hats. She brought along the food she'd cooked, and somehow a table materialized where they all sat and ate lunch. Nancy's fried Honey Chicken looked good. I would have liked it, but the honey was drizzled all over the chicken, and I imagine it was a sticky mess. Fresh vegetable salad and a chocolate chip cookie cake completed the meal and also looked good. For the cake, Nancy baked chocolate chip cookies, and she made the cake by adding whipped cream between the layers of cookies. Since we were eating while we watched, my husband was in on the action, and he was disappointed that Nancy didn't put ice cream between the layers -- a great idea, I thought. I was very touched by the last thing that Nancy did for Nita. What a thoughtful mother she is! In case somebody hasn't seen it, I don't want to ruin it, but I thought it was super sweet. Edited November 8, 2015 by Lura 1 Link to comment
anneofcleves November 8, 2015 Share November 8, 2015 I adore Cobb salad and would happily gobble Nancy's version up - no fried chicken necessary. It's so simple, but so good. Incorporating the bacon into the dressing is an interesting idea. Nancy's fried Honey Chicken looked good. I would have liked it, but the honey was drizzled all over the chicken, and I imagine it was a sticky mess. I agree, Lura, that the chicken looked very good. I'd have to leave the honey off, though, just for the sticky factor. Her icebox cake is reminiscent of the one Ina Garten made a few year ago. Nancy's version was much more rustic, and I liked how it used homemade cookies. Ina's utilized Tate's Bake Shop cookies, which are very thin, and resulted in a tighter, more compact cake. I'm sure they're both amazing - how could they not be? Basil lemonade sounds GOOD. The armchair nutritionist in me always tsk tsk's Nancy's meal planning, especially when feeding those grandkids. That lunch was a heck of a lot of unnecessary fat and calories. The heavy Cobb salad would have been enough. But it's a tv show... 1 Link to comment
grisgris November 9, 2015 Author Share November 9, 2015 Holy cow! Did ALL of those kids belong to Nita? How many were there -- six or seven? All of the food looked good, but I also didn't like the idea of honey drizzled over the fried chicken. Before I saw everybody sit down at the table, I assumed that Nancy was preparing a picnic lunch and shuddered at the idea of tons of sticky little fingers. I love icebox cakes and would like to try Nancy's version. Link to comment
Lura November 13, 2015 Share November 13, 2015 (edited) According to what Nancy said on the show, some of the kids were her son Johnny's and some belonged to Nita. This is only my opinion, but based on her children and grandchildren, I think that Nancy must have been quite a good-looking girl when she was younger. Her children all have nice features, and most of the grandchildren really are cute. The youngest girl has my heart, and I think she may be the one that has Nancy's heart as well. She mentioned on one show about having a favorite grandchild, and I thought it was one of the youngest girls. Good genes in that family! Nancy spoils those kids, and so would I. It's nice that she feels so strongly about spending time and creating memories with them. I enjoy them, but a little bit goes a long way with me. I'm more interested in the cooking. Edited November 17, 2015 by Lura 1 Link to comment
grisgris November 14, 2015 Author Share November 14, 2015 I think that Nancy's had a makeover. She looks really attractive on "Holiday Baking Championship." 1 Link to comment
anneofcleves November 14, 2015 Share November 14, 2015 I agree that she's looking great in more recent shows I've seen her in, and whoever is helping style her on air is doing a nice job. She is pretty. It seems like all of these FN stars go through an awkward stage on air. Remember the early Giada shows? Part of it with her was simply loosening up on air, but she eventually started softening her look (hair not pulled back so much), smiling more, and showing her tatas. Link to comment
grisgris November 14, 2015 Author Share November 14, 2015 I was meh on Nancy's Thanksgiving show today. It looked OK. I'm not a fan of pumpkin or apple pie, so that concoction was lost on me. The potato casserole rivaled Ree's with the endless additions of dairy products. The succotash and stuffing looked interesting. Not sure if I'd try them, but at least off the beaten-to-death path of green bean casserole and some type of cranberry relish. I'll bet David was thrilled to be stuck entertaining TFKs. He probably wished he could have been hiding in his study watching football and throwing back bourbon and cherry cocktails. 1 Link to comment
anneofcleves November 15, 2015 Share November 15, 2015 Nancy also lost me with her Thanksgiving recipes. About the only thing that appealed to me was the succotash. Her stuffing for the turkey honestly looked awful to me. A cup of dates and a cup of dried apricots is so, so sweet - too much for me. I also agree with gris gris on Nancy's potatoes veering into Ree territory. And the pie, with a combination of apple chunks and pumpkin pie filling, seemed like a textural disaster that I'll pass on. Sorry, Nancy. This one was a real dud, imo. 1 Link to comment
CMH1981 November 15, 2015 Share November 15, 2015 I disagree...outside of that stuffing, not a fan of fruit in my stuffing, I would have loved to have been at her Thanksgiving feast. I thought the "papple" pie looked good. I mean they have pumpkin apple butter and whatnot, so I would have tried this pie out. The succotash, which i've never had before ever, looked really good, and i'm not a fan of lima beans....well any bean outside of green beans that is. Nancy's dairy explosion mashed potatoes looked awesome....i love loaded mashed potatoes, and these had me drooling. The horseradish has me intrigued, but that's b/c i've just recently become a fan of the taste of horseradish. Turkey looked good as well, and the brine has me really wanting to taste that. I have some hard apple cider and i'm thinking of brining a ham or chicken w/ it. I'm shocked anneofcleves and grisgris b/c we are usually on the same page w/ our critiques and loves of Nancy and Ree. 1 Link to comment
anneofcleves November 15, 2015 Share November 15, 2015 I'm shocked anneofcleves and grisgris b/c we are usually on the same page w/ our critiques and loves of Nancy and Ree. I know, CMH1981. I was hoping to like her menu more than I did. Nancy's a great cook, all in all. She just hit on a few things that I don't care for (in particular too much fruit in a savory entree). But...no waffle irons were used in the production of the meal, nor were any hot dogs eviscerated and stuffed with string cheese. That keeps her in good standing with me. 4 Link to comment
grisgris November 15, 2015 Author Share November 15, 2015 Hi CMH1981.Aw, it's fun to agree to disagree every once in a while and we're all still friends! From my POV, I am just not a huge fan of Thanksgiving food, so the episode (and all other themed FN shows this week) already had a strike against it. When it comes to poultry, I prefer the dark meat, so turkey breast isn't high on my list of must-haves either. Sorry! That also extends to pumpkin pie and I just don't care much for apple pie either. That said, I thought the potatoes looked good. I was just commenting on how Nancy used a ton of dairy products in her mashed potatoes just like Ree does. I'd totally each Nancy's, but I think I'd prefer them with a simpler meal, like a roast chicken or something and a salad or plain green vegetable. I've never tried a stuffing with fruit, so I don't know how it would taste, but I sure like dried apricots. Link to comment
HyeChaps November 15, 2015 Share November 15, 2015 I am definitely going to try making that pie. Link to comment
CMH1981 November 15, 2015 Share November 15, 2015 I was curious as to why she layered the pie that way. I know the apples are heavier than the pumpkin custard, but it looked odd w/ like a inch of pumpkin pie onto of apples. I would try and fold them in together then put it in the pie crust, but that's me. It was kind of like she was saying if you like pumpkin pie eat the top and if you like apple pie just eat the bottom of the filling. Link to comment
ShellSeeker November 17, 2015 Share November 17, 2015 That said, I thought the potatoes looked good. I was just commenting on how Nancy used a ton of dairy products in her mashed potatoes just like Ree does. I'd totally each Nancy's, but I think I'd prefer them with a simpler meal, like a roast chicken or something and a salad or plain green vegetable. Yeah, those potatoes were completely loaded, but in the context of Thanksgiving, it didn't bother me...everything is supposed to be decadent and over the top. I'm not a huge fan of white meat either, usually, but I soak my turkeys in Martha Stewart's brine, and my husband cooks them in the smoker. Absolutely fantastic. I also also don't like a sweet stuffing...I put sausage in mine. But no matter what Nancy makes, I always enjoy watching her cook. She really does know what she's doing in the kitchen and it's always interesting even if it's not something that I would make for myself. 2 Link to comment
peacheslatour November 18, 2015 Share November 18, 2015 I think that Nancy must have been quite a good-looking girl when she was younger. There is a picture of her (I think) during the intro where she is looking out at the camera from behind the wheel of a truck and she (if it's her) was one hot mama! 2 Link to comment
Lura November 19, 2015 Share November 19, 2015 (edited) I'm not a big fan of fruit in savory dishes, but I'm trying to get with it. The dried apricots would be fine with me because they're tart, not sweet. But the dates are another story. I don't especially care for dates because they're so sweet. I'd have substituted apples or dried cherries in their place. I also had some reservations about combining apple pie and pumpkin pie. I'm sure it was edible, but I'd have to try it before I'd make it. It wasn't a very pretty pie. I imagine it tasted OK, as apples go with almost everything. All in all, though, I thought her meal looked good. I agree that Nancy's looking spiffy these days -- her hair, her face and her wardrobe. She's been making appearances on "The Kitchen" lately, and she looks wonderful. Peaches, what are the TFKs? Edited November 19, 2015 by Lura Link to comment
Aquarius November 19, 2015 Share November 19, 2015 There is a picture of her (I think) during the intro where she is looking out at the camera from behind the wheel of a truck and she (if it's her) was one hot mama! I've always wondered who that was! If that was Nancy, I agree, she was one hot mama. I can see it. About the Thanksgiving dinner episode. Was it just me, or did she not do too much the day ahead? Baked a pie, brined a turkey, and then "Yay! All done!" Except the vast majority of the heavy lifting was done the next day - the stuffing, the turkey, the potatoes, the succotash. It was weird. I am low carb, so potatoes are out. But good news, cream and cheese are okay, and I think I'm going to try that soft-whipped cream topping with horseradish on some whipped turnips. I've never seen that before and it looked really good. 1 Link to comment
ShellSeeker November 19, 2015 Share November 19, 2015 I don't especially care for dates because they're so sweet. I make an appetizer for Thanksgiving with dates -- stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, dusted with brown sugar, and then popped under the broiler. Soooo yummy! 1 Link to comment
grisgris November 19, 2015 Author Share November 19, 2015 Do they taste like barbecue potato chips? LOL Aunt Sandy 1 Link to comment
CMH1981 November 28, 2015 Share November 28, 2015 I don't know why but on this show I hate it when Nancy leads us to believe what she makes feeds a whole crowd of 20+ people. When she was making the punch, I kept thinking let's be honest, you are going to have to double everything for that crowd. I wish when she serves a whole crowd she just says something to the effect of i'm going to be making double to feed the crowd, but here is the regular recipe for a family or something. It just grates on me...stupid I know. At least everything she made looked incredible. 1 Link to comment
ShellSeeker November 29, 2015 Share November 29, 2015 I might have to try those short ribs. They looked amazing. But did I miss something, or did they not show how she made the horseradish sauce? I love horseradish and I'm sure it was a fantastic addition to that dish. The hasty pudding also looked yummy. I'd heard of it before, but I had no idea what it was or what the ingredients are, so that was really interesting. Link to comment
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