Test Kitchen

[Lura]

Come to think of it, Ina uses frozen berries in baked goods sometimes.  Ree must have picked up a thing or two from Ina since I notice she's cautioning everyone to sprinkle flour over the berries so they don't stick together or sink.

Trivia question for those who like to count:  How many times did Ree mention her mother on the latest show (on which she made S'mores and Real Yellow Chicken and Turmeric)?  I'm thinking that maybe she should just invite her mother to come out and tape a few shows so we could get instructions straight from the horse's mouth.

[Qoass]

To give credit where credit is due, I have baked Ree's Spreads which were featured on one of her reruns this weekend but I did NOT top them with granola or sprinkles or M&Ms and marshmallows like she did. They're fine plain with just the chocolate on top. As she said they're simple and easy. Also quick and fast (eyeroll).

[grisgris]

What are Ree's Spreads?

[Qoass]

Boy, now there's a gimme to say something rude but I'll keep it classy: here.

[Kohola3]

That is quite an, um, unfortunate title. 

[grisgris]

So, it's just some kind of cookie with melted chocolate chips, etc., on the top. They don't spread out during baking as far as I can tell.

Yeah ... why give it name that just begs for innuendos?

Never mind. Because she CAN.

[Qoass]

Thanks a lot, @grisgris. She introduced the segment by telling us that this is her brother's favorite cookie and how he would frequently catch her eye, lift an eyebrow and say, "Spreads?". Now I need counseling.

[Lura]

On ‎2‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 11:58 AM, Qoass said:

She introduced the segment by telling us that this is her brother's favorite cookie and how he would frequently catch her eye, lift an eyebrow and say, "Spreads?".

Weird.  I just saw an episode with Mike, her brother, and she made those Rice Crispy/Marshmallow bars, which she claimed were Mike's favorite cookie.  She said if she doesn't bake them right away, Mike will just eat them before they're baked.  Ree had better get her stories straight.

[film noire]

On 2/5/2018 at 2:58 PM, Qoass said:

 and how he would frequently catch her eye, lift an eyebrow and say, "Spreads?". Now I need counseling.

LOL

Welcome to her frontier, Qoass -- it's what's happening at her "ranch" ; )

[Kohola3]

Quote

Rice Crispy/Marshmallow bars

Well, I don't know about her recipe but these are not baked at all.  Can you imagine the gooey mess that would make?

[Qoass]

They're her other brother Doug's favorite.

[Hildegard802]

Think it was the 70s when my mom was making what we called "bars," doing the same damn thing.  Chocolate chip cookie dough, spread in a pan instead of individual cookies.  Ree's a genius.  

[lookeyloo]

Late to the party. Just watched the chocolate show. We can get reaames frozen noodles. Have made that recipe that calls for them and enjoyed. Also,have made her crash potatoes which are wonderful. Does daughter go to high school? Chocolate treats were for her to take to her class. 

[tabloidlover]

I’ve made her crash potatoes and her chicken pot pie (version from cookbook is better than version on her show).  Have to admit that her recipe for chicken fried steak is a huge hit with my husband.

funny that as I list these, they were all recipes prior to her tv show....

[Qoass]

@lookeyloo, one daughter is away at college and the other is still in high school.

[Lura]

I made two loaves of banana strawberry bread today, and it seemed to have turned out well.  My hubby isn't the biggest fan of banana bread, so I added the strawberries on a whim just to divert his taste buds away from the straight banana flavor.  I also sprinkled finely chopped honey roasted peanuts over the top just for fun.   They gave the loaves a salty-sweet flavor that we enjoyed and were something different from the usual pecans or almonds.  I'd like to try the same idea with a coffee cake.

[grisgris]

That sounds yummy, Lura!

[Lura]

You never know, grisgris.  Sometimes, the best laid plans of mice and men turn out to be otherwise, you know?

Which reminds me, if I may: a question about your username.  Is it pronounced gree-gree or griss-griss. and what is its meaning?  A long time ago, I read about an island group called gris gris.  Any relation?  Just wondering.  Also, just wandering --way off topic.  Sorry!

Edited March 13, 2018 by Lura
wondering, wandering mind

[grisgris]

Gree-Gree. It's a dumb story. A long time ago, there was a French movie out called, "While the Cat's Away." It was a story of this woman in Paris who lived a boring, sheltered life and decided to go on holiday. A bunch of us who love cats and took enough high school/college French to know how to read a menu (and that's it) went (fortunately,  the movie was subtitled in English.) Her cat was black, but it's name was Gris-Gris (gris is French for gray.) She left Gris-Gris in the care of an elderly woman pet sitter who lived in a tiny 3-story Parisian apartment that was overrun with other cats she was caring for.

FF ... Gris-Gris was "lost," so the whole movie was about this Paris-wide network of people looking for this cat. The joke was "Why is it called Gris-Gris when it is black?" Ha. Ha. Anyway, throughout all of this, the heroine of the story, came out of her shell, discovered life, and Paris and made all kinds of friends and I think she also met a man. Meanwhile, Gris-Gris had gotten scared and decided to take up residency behind the refrigerator (or cupboard or something) in the elderly pet sitter's house and she was oblivious to it. The cat emerged. All was well and the woman, Gris-Gris and the new boyfriend all lived happily ever after.

After that movie, I adopted a gray and white cat and I had to name her Gris-Gris. She was a horrible cat and she died after 10 miserable years.

Gris-Gris is also a name for a voodoo curse.

I just use it as a screen name and password because it's unique and easy to remember.

Aren't you glad you asked? :-) <3

[peacheslatour]

Quote

After that movie, I adopted a gray and white cat and I had to name her Gris-Gris. She was a horrible cat and she died after 10 miserable years.

I too am named after a movie character and a cat. Peaches La Tour was the name of the cop's mother in Arsenic ans Old Lace and is also the name of my little tortie. She is a horrible little monster and my bunny wunny.

[grisgris]

My current cat is a tortie.  Her name is Charlize. She was found in a drainage ditch with 9 kittens in a gated wooded community about 9 years ago.  The family that found her happen to go to the same vet that I do.  I was cat-less at the time since both Gris-Gris and my black cat, Tyler, had died. One day I was going to CVS to get a flu shot and I stopped by the vet clinic to say hello. The vet's wife, who is also a tech, asked me if I wanted a new cat. I wasn't sure.  Anyway, the people who found Charlize (who are huge in the local ASPCA as donors and volunteers) took her and her kittens to our vet and paid for all of them to be checked, shots, wormed, ear mites, etc., etc. and they were going to have Charlize spayed. I saw Charlize right after they'd given her the drugs to put her out for the surgery.

All of the kittens had been adopted and only Charlize needed a new home.

I saw this poor black and gold speckled kitty with green eyes and said, "I'll think about," then went on the CVS. The nurse practitioner wasn't back yet from lunch, so I wandered around the store and thought about the cat and decided to adopt her.

The day I went to pick her up, I went to this giant house and Charlize (named Sophie) at the time was hiding because the family owned several large, loud dogs. The lady, who was from the Philippines said, "She's a super model cat so must always keep her very thin." We got to talking and I had to go through the "interview," and as it turned out, the woman's parents lived in the same apartment complex that I do. In fact, literally next door. I used to ride the same bus with the elderly man when I worked downtown and took the bus to work. I knew that they were Asian but didn't know they were Filipino. Small world.

So, when I got home, the first task was to rename the cat as I didn't care for Sophie. I was flipping through a magazine looking for a "super model" and found a Dior ad with Charlize Theron and that's how the name got selected. (For the record, I am not a huge CT fan. She is beautiful and a good actress but something about her personality in interviews, etc., turns me off.) Different strokes, I guess.

My Charlize definitely has "tortitude" and is a little diva. She's quite spoiled but also very loving. She's definitely a lap kitty and she must like my night face cream because she licks it off while I am trying to go to sleep.

P.S.: Despite her love for treats, she has maintained her adoption weight after all these years! The people who found her have long since moved to Vegas.

[Lura]

Yes, I am glad I asked!  I got two interesting stories out of it!  :)  Three, actually, if you count Charlize.  I'm a cat lover, and we had two of them, an all-black male named Sammy (with the longest tail in history that had a little crook near the end of it), and Annie (a very ladylike little tiger-striped miss with a white bib), who came begging on our doorstep in the middle of a blizzard, thus the name "Little Orphan Annie."  She was shaking from the cold, and the snow was so deep that all we could see was her face.  As it turned out, she was not only homeless but was pregnant with five kittens, which were quickly adopted.  

Sammy and Annie were like brother and sister until they fell in love, and they both lived long lives of spoiled bliss. They did us the greatest favor by choosing us and showing us the meaning of true devotion.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Lura
typo after typo

[ShoePrincess]

I love all the cat name stories. We have a snowshoe Siamese cat named Prudence. I chose the name because Dear Prudence is one of my favorite Beatles songs.

Now I have to see While the Cat's Away. 

[maggiemae]

My little torbie rescue is renamed Maggie. From  Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. She grew up in a trailer park but not with a family - rather under a trailer. And had two litters until one of her ears was snipped when spayed and then thrown back in to fend for herself. Later rescued at 2ish. Had her for 11 years, it took forever to gain her trust. She is the sweetest most affectionate kitty I've ever had and I've had several. LOL - if I tell her NO! (like if she scratches a piece of furniture) she comes running to me! 

[peacheslatour]

14 hours ago, maggiemae said:

My little torbie rescue is renamed Maggie. From  Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. She grew up in a trailer park but not with a family - rather under a trailer. And had two litters until one of her ears was snipped when spayed and then thrown back in to fend for herself. Later rescued at 2ish. Had her for 11 years, it took forever to gain her trust. She is the sweetest most affectionate kitty I've ever had and I've had several. LOL - if I tell her NO! (like if she scratches a piece of furniture) she comes running to me! 

We posit that Peaches was raised by her feral mother under a Dumpster behind a McDonalds because she goes crazy for hamburger buns. Whenever we have burgers we have to share part of our buns with her. >^..^<

[roughing it]

I made Blistered Beans yesterday.  While the green beans were not really "blistered", but rather a bit charred, they were very good.  There were very few green beans left, whereas I usually have lots left (meaning no one really eats them).  Although Ree has made Blistered Beans with lemon, these green beans were the ones drizzled with soy sauce.

[Lura]

Did Ree make Blistered Beans?  I don't remember those.  Maybe I missed a show.  Do you happen to remember the name of the episode?  The name intrigues me.  It sounds like something served on a ranch.  I love green beans if you need help eating them up, roughing it!

[roughing it]

Lura, with a quick trip to foodnetwork.com because I can't remember shit, the episode was "Well Done, Dad", Season 13, Episode 11, which also featured slow-cooked Burgundy Beef Stew and Creamy Cheese Grits Casserole.

[peacheslatour]

On 4/15/2018 at 5:18 PM, Lura said:

Did Ree make Blistered Beans?  I don't remember those.  Maybe I missed a show.  Do you happen to remember the name of the episode?  The name intrigues me.  It sounds like something served on a ranch.  I love green beans if you need help eating them up, roughing it!

I love green beans with sliced almonds and lots of butter. Mmmmm...beans.

[Lura]

57 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I love green beans with sliced almonds and lots of butter. Mmmmm...beans.

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! 

[Pickles]

Ladd's mother just passed away. She seems too young. Had she been ill?

Sorry, I didn't know where to post that. 

[CharlizeCat]

Wasn't that Nan? Chuck's wife? I am sorry to hear that. Second-hand smoke certainly doesn't help if you become ill or have any type of chronic health issue.

Kinda creepy when we're discussing this and Led Zep's  "Your Time Is Gonna Come," pops up on Pandora.

Edited May 25, 2018 by CharlizeCat

[peacheslatour]

Quote

40 minutes ago, CharlizeCat said:

Wasn't that Nan? Chuck's wife? I am sorry to hear that. Second-hand smoke certainly doesn't help if you become ill or have any type of chronic health issue.

Kinda creepy when we're discussing this and Led Zep's  "Your Time Is Gonna Come," pops up on Pandora.

 

I love your avatar! She looks just like my kitty. RIP Ladd's mom.

[Lura]

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.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Lura
had to omit a word used twice

[peacheslatour]

I always though Nan was a lovely, classy lady who didn't deserve that shrieking moron for a daughter in law. Poor Chuck. Well, at least he has Ree to make him delicious, healthful food. RME

[CharlizeCat]

I have some experience with hospice and surprisingly, cancer isn't one of the primary reasons why people go on hospice care. It's up there on the list but with a person of Nan's age, which I am guessing to be was in her 70s, really, it could have been anything. While hospice care is typically associated with dying, people can go on and off it for years, if their condition improves. It is a service that provides comfort and care and support to the patient and their family in chronic disease management or yes, towards the end of life.  (OK. Sorry for the PSA!) 

I just hope that whatever took Nan's life, it wasn't anything lengthy or painful in manifestation or treatment. My condolences to the family. 

Now Ree can it up to 200+ with the dropping-by every other day to check on "poor lonely widower Chuck" and she will be bearing all of his heavy fat- and sugar-laden meals.  I predict a whole new series of freezer meals that she can continue to foist on Edna Mae and now, Chuck.

Question: Is Edna Mae Chuck's mother or Nan's mother? 

[Lura]

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.

[CharlizeCat]

Lura, that's what I thought, too.  Typically, hospice is mainly used for people as they are heading towards the end of life but some people start on it, then perhaps their condition improves (or for whatever reason) and they go off. They can go back on at any time.  Hospice care is actually like an extra set of ears and eyes for a nursing home, private residence under a physician's care, etc. The hospice and facility (or whomever) work as team to make sure the patient is comfortable as possible and feels supported as they make their transition or deal with a chronic debilitating illness. 

Typically, when a patient goes on hospice, it is at the recommendation of the patient's nursing home medical staff or physician. The hospice gets a copy of the patient's medical records and then a nurse comes in to meet the patient and assess their condition. After that, a social worker will drop by and meet with the patient (if the patient is able to) as well as the family to determine what type of support is needed. The nurse will go in to visit the patient as often as needed. Spiritual support is also available by a chaplain who will come by to see the patient, if that is desired. The social worker drops by about once a month. The hospice team will also determine if the patient needs anything like a special mattress or equipment, they bring it in.  They also are very very good about keeping lines of communication open with the patient's family.

Also, the social worker and hospice team will work with the patient and their family to see if the patient would like to have a hospice volunteer drop by to visit them on a regular basis. Hospices have all types of wonderful volunteers who go in to visit people and take pets, play music, sing, etc.  The volunteers go through rigorous training and background checks and there is in-service training on a regular basis. 

The last thing I will also clarify in case people have questions, is that hospice care is covered 100% by Medicare. There is no out of pocket expense to the patient's family, no co-pays, nothing.  Nobody is denied due to income, social class, age, etc.  The hospice contracts directly with the nursing home and all the family members have to do is sign the paperwork to initiate the service. Also, in both cases when my parents passed away, the hospice extended the support of their social worker and chaplain to our family for an entire year after the deaths. They also called periodically to see how we were doing and to invited us to grief support groups.

Sorry to give an infomercial about hospice care, but there are a lot of misnomers about it.  And I am not saying this as a lecture,  just so people know what it can provide and that they don't have to pay for it.  Our family used hospice care when both of our parents died and it was a wonderful service. So, if you hear that "somebody is on hospice," it doesn't always mean that they are going to die right away. 

Back on topic ... If Nan did indeed die, and used hospice care, I am glad that the family had that as a resource as a source of comfort and support.

[Westiepeach]

7 hours ago, CharlizeCat said:

Now Ree can it up to 200+ with the dropping-by every other day to check on "poor lonely widower Chuck" and she will be bearing all of his heavy fat- and sugar-laden meals.  I predict a whole new series of freezer meals that she can continue to foist on Edna Mae and now, Chuck.

Question: Is Edna Mae Chuck's mother or Nan's mother? 

I am not sure where to put this, but I found this:

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/ruth-drummond-obituary?pid=16053792&view=guestbook

Is this Edna Mae?

[Kohola3]

49 minutes ago, CharlizeCat said:

Sorry to give an infomercial about hospice care, but there are a lot of misnomers about it. 

I am a hospice volunteer and you did a great job explaining.  One thing that hospice services really need are volunteers.  Five percent of their patient care hours must come from volunteer services to meet Medicare guidelines.  It does not have to be in direct patient care as that is not something with which everyone is comfortable. 

Hospice was involved in the passing of both my parents and my best friend's parents.  I volunteer to honor the help we got during and after the deaths.  I hope that Nan had an easy time of it.

[CharlizeCat]

Kudos to you, Kohola3. Well, I am a volunteer, too, and for the same reasons that you are. However, I work in the office and my job is recording the volunteer hours.  With my schedule, I just can't commit to regular patient visits right now and honestly, I am just not quite ready yet to go back into a nursing home environment for any reason. I spent so much time there when my dad was a resident and also when my mother was in a nursing home. Maybe down the road. 

1 hour ago, Westiepeach said:

I am not sure where to put this, but I found this:

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/ruth-drummond-obituary?pid=16053792&view=guestbook

Is this Edna Mae?

That is weird because the descendants definitely sound like the Drummonds we know.  But the obituary is dated 2005.  I know it seems like Ree has been darkening our TV screen for eons, but I swear her show started later than 2005, didn't it? Haven't we seen Edna Mae within the past year or so? I don't know. With all of the repeats and cobbled-together clip shows, it's hard to tell. 

[Lura]

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.

[Westiepeach]

Sorry, I did not even look at the date. I just saw the name and the descendants. This obit that I posted is definitely Chuck's mother. Could Edna Mae be Nan's mother?

Edited May 27, 2018 by Westiepeach

[Westiepeach]

Moving this convo to Snark Talk.

[Cupid Stunt]

Ree reinventing the wheel with 33 of The Pioneer Woman’s best cooking tips

[peacheslatour]

28 minutes ago, Cupid Stunt said:

Ree reinventing the wheel with 33 of The Pioneer Woman’s best cooking tips

While there is nothing inherently wrong with the list, these are tips that any normal cook has known for decades if not centuries.

[maggiemae]

Why not braise the potatoes with pot roast?

"Pimp up"....oh my, lol.

Sugared cereal for chicken strips?

[CharlizeCat]

I have the same question about the potatoes.  I think it just an excuse to make those mashed potatoes that include every type of dairy product under the sun and nudge fettuccine Alfredo aside for the "heart attack on a plate" title.

I believe the "baked omelet" is technically a strata. 

ITA. Most of those tips was stuff you'd already know or think to do as common sense. 

[maggiemae]

Really Charlize - since the photo was open faced.

Not sure why she can't call a strata a strata or a casserole. Probably has never been to a french restaurant in NYC or Aspen or to France. Or studied how to make an omelet. Guess she doesn't watch Ina.

[Lura]

Oh, Ree could learn so much if she watched Ina!  I guess Ree thinks that she knows everything she needs to know about cooking for her family and for cowboys, so why broaden her knowledge?  What a pity!