Valerie's Home Cooking - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

I can see an advantage to French door ovens in making it easier to get items in or out without leaning over a hot oven door.

[marmalade]

Valerie is on tour with Wolfie !  Of course she is ! She’s talking about how tired she is compared to when she toured in her 20’s.  Wow! No wonder Wolfie is 30  and acts like a 16 year old snotty kid !  She treats him like a child .

[cynicat]

6 hours ago, marmalade said:

Valerie is on tour with Wolfie !  Of course she is ! She’s talking about how tired she is compared to when she toured in her 20’s.  Wow! No wonder Wolfie is 30  and acts like a 16 year old snotty kid !  She treats him like a child .

I like Valerie and try to give her the benefit of the doubt as often as I can, but this is weird.  Makes me wonder if Steven Tyler brought his Mom along with him on tour.

[orangekit]

I totally get wanting to support her son and even going to a couple of his concerts , but. she already went to three and talked about how being on tour is so much harder now than when she was in her 20’s!

I want some therapist to tell her she is not in her 20’s and married to Eddie and her son needs to grow up ! I understand feeling nostalgic, sad and mourning his death , but her constant need to talk about a dead man she divorced over 20 years ago , when she’s supposedly  married again seems weird .  She also is way too much of a smother to her son !

I wonder if she’ll have time to do FN shows once she starts her sitcom with wacko Demo Lovato ! I can’t believe the producers thought having  Demi , who is really mentally unstable and has major addictions she won’t address sign on to do a sitcom !   And the last thing Valerie needs is some addict who is crazy working with her! Valerie seems like a sweet person who will try to help anyway possible, but she’s had enough of her own problems lately without having kooky Demi to deal with !

Edited August 6, 2021 by orangekit

[Rightside]

On 8/4/2021 at 11:38 PM, marmalade said:

Valerie is on tour with Wolfie !  Of course she is ! She’s talking about how tired she is compared to when she toured in her 20’s.  Wow! No wonder Wolfie is 30  and acts like a 16 year old snotty kid !  She treats him like a child .

Wolfie seems better in interviews than he does her show.

[orangekit]

2 hours ago, Rightside said:

Wolfie seems better in interviews than he does her show.

Gee , I wonder how he got in that band ! I also saw his girlfriend, I doubt she would have given him a second look if he wasn’t connected to VanHalen and Valerie .  He’s unkept and pretty gross .

[Gam2]

Where is her husband, Tom? I always liked him and she seemed to really love him. Valerie, honey? You need some serious psychiatric help. Please get it!!

[cameron]

Another lets talk about Ed and how they met episode.  Really.  If my husband ever brought up his past girlfriends constantly like she does about Ed, I would show him the door.  Sorry to watch.  

[buttersister]

Every time. I think of his widow and cringe.

[orangekit]

2 hours ago, cameron said:

Another lets talk about Ed and how they met episode.  Really.  If my husband ever brought up his past girlfriends constantly like she does about Ed, I would show him the door.  Sorry to watch.  

OMG! I actually thought she would get through one freaking show without talking about Eddie or his family !  She is wacko ! Sorry , but she is obsessed with him like a teenager talking about her teen idol ! 

12 minutes ago, buttersister said:

Every time. I think of his widow and cringe.

Every time I think about her husband or Eddie’s widow I cringe ! She is a mess ! 

[ByaNose]

Haven’t watched an episode of this show. I don’t even know what channel it’s on. Now, that I know she is talking about Eddie Van Halen I think I’ll pass. I mean how long ago were they divorced? I guess she wants to stay relevant in some way. I also didn’t take the bait of her crying about her weight gain. You were all thrilled to be on the cover of People in the blue bikini when you lost all the weight and loved the adulation but you can’t complain about the mean people who comment on the weight gain. Well, you can (complain) but you can’t have it both ways. I had a huge crush on her in the 70’s but like everything with fame and money it seems to make you whacko. I have no idea if that’s true but…… Also, I had no idea she was married to her current husband since 2011. Time flies. 

[Fostersmom]

Did she really bring up her mother was pregnant before her parents got married? Did I Imagine that part? 

Two segment mentions of her dead ex, but no food memories of her current husband. I honestly kept waiting for a Mrs. Van Halen mention. LOL! And for the love of god, stop saying sammies! 

 

[Gramto6]

I must have been out of the room during the mentions of Eddie... I was happily thinking she had finally stopped it. Le sigh...

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Fostersmom said:

Did she really bring up her mother was pregnant before her parents got married? Did I Imagine that part? 

No, unfortunately you didn't imagine it.  I almost thought I heard it wrong myself.  Who does that??  Her mother may be dead but that doesn't mean broadcasting that to the world won't mortify the rest of her family!!

1 hour ago, Fostersmom said:

Two segment mentions of her dead ex, but no food memories of her current husband. I honestly kept waiting for a Mrs. Van Halen mention. LOL! And for the love of god, stop saying sammies! 

She managed to share memories about her entire family including her grandma and sister in law but zero mention of her present husband!  This is really getting ridiculous now!!!

[Fostersmom]

35 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

No, unfortunately you didn't imagine it.  I almost thought I heard it wrong myself.  Who does that??  Her mother may be dead but that doesn't mean broadcasting that to the world won't mortify the rest of her family!!

She managed to share memories about her entire family including her grandma and sister in law but zero mention of her present husband!  This is really getting ridiculous now!!!

I took a nap right after the show, I woke up really early this morning and was crazy tired, and honestly the nap was some of the best sleep I've gotten in like 2 weeks, so I wasn't even sure I was remembering the right show! LOL! But, yeah, that little tidbit didn't need broadcasted to the world. Somehow I doubt that would have been something her mom would have been bringing up in a cooking segment. Did she run this past her brother? He might have feelings on this being told to the world. Not to mention the catty way she brought it up. Oh, Eddie and I got married x months after we met and I wasn't even pregnant like my mom. Damn, that was just mean. 

[orangekit]

8 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

I took a nap right after the show, I woke up really early this morning and was crazy tired, and honestly the nap was some of the best sleep I've gotten in like 2 weeks, so I wasn't even sure I was remembering the right show! LOL! But, yeah, that little tidbit didn't need broadcasted to the world. Somehow I doubt that would have been something her mom would have been bringing up in a cooking segment. Did she run this past her brother? He might have feelings on this being told to the world. Not to mention the catty way she brought it up. Oh, Eddie and I got married x months after we met and I wasn't even pregnant like my mom. Damn, that was just mean. 

She’s now ridiculous and has no boundaries at all !  I wonder how long before FN cancels her . They like their hosts to not be controversial . She fights on Twitter with strangers all the  time .

Today her show was just weird ! She was talking so much about things she barely could fit in her recipes ! I know sharing the background of a recipes is interesting, but she just kept babbling to the point she had to rush in the recipe,  that along with Eddie talk, mom being pregnant and other oversharing made the show not flow well.  She obviously has a lot of issues from her past and needs to work through those things with a good therapist .  Right now it’s like she’s just not in control of herself and it’s hard to watch .

[chick binewski]

The early Sunday repeat (with Jane Leeves as a guest) featured Valerie zooming with her mom about having a tea - it was probably the year before she passed so a little sad but her mom also seemed t have some humor; I'm thinking (hoping) the baby timeline was an open secret. 

45 minutes ago, orangekit said:

Today her show was just weird ! She was talking so much about things she barely could fit in her recipes ! I know sharing the background of a recipes is interesting, but she just kept babbling to the point she had to rush in the recipe,  that along with Eddie talk, mom being pregnant and other oversharing made the show not flow well. 

I thought she seemed...brighter? this episode, but yes - the monologuing whilst providing directions was odd and distracting. 

I'm interested in trying the type of white grapefruit Val was using. However I found the declaration of love for the crab before killing it quite traumatizing. 

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, chick binewski said:

The early Sunday repeat (with Jane Leeves as a guest) featured Valerie zooming with her mom about having a tea - it was probably the year before she passed so a little sad but her mom also seemed t have some humor; I'm thinking (hoping) the baby timeline was an open secret. 

The way she told the story made me think otherwise because she grinned sheepishly and said "Sorry Mom" after blurting it out.

It really rubbed my Italian American side the wrong way.  There is a strong cultural value not to air one's family "dirty laundry" in public so as not to embarrass or disrespect anyone.  Her mother wasn't Italian but Valerie is enough Italian herself.....

Edited August 9, 2021 by Yeah No

[buttersister]

Food Network, you have a train wreck on your hands. Not entirely sure how this made air. Somebody needs an intervention, a better therapist and some rest. Gee, I wonder where all those good friends she cooked for are. 🥴

ETA OMG, that crab!!!🥵

Edited August 9, 2021 by buttersister

[cynicat]

9 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I thought she seemed...brighter? this episode, but yes - the monologuing whilst providing directions was odd and distracting. 

I guess mine is an UO, because I enjoy hearing stories about her childhood and she did seem brighter when she was talking about her Mom.  

I'll agree that the Eddie stories are getting out of hand, particularly without the balance of knowing she's in a happy marriage now.  That made it more palatable.  

[Yeah No]

On 8/8/2021 at 9:25 PM, chick binewski said:

The early Sunday repeat (with Jane Leeves as a guest) featured Valerie zooming with her mom about having a tea - it was probably the year before she passed so a little sad but her mom also seemed t have some humor; I'm thinking (hoping) the baby timeline was an open secret. 

I thought of this later so I figured I'd post it - I don't think it's any coincidence that Valerie blurted out that bit about her mother being pregnant before she got married after her mother's death.  I really doubt she would have embarrassed her like that to the world while she was alive.  Even if it was an "open secret" in the family it was not to the public, and that's the point.

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I thought of this later so I figured I'd post it - I don't think it's any coincidence that Valerie blurted out that bit about her mother being pregnant before she got married after her mother's death.  I really doubt she would have embarrassed her like that to the world while she was alive.  Even if it was an "open secret" in the family it was not to the public, and that's the point.

Family "stuff" needs to remain *family stuff*. VB should not have revealed this info'. I wish there were a way to contact Food Network (along with other networks!) to let them know how bad some of these shows have become.

[chessiegal]

56 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Family "stuff" needs to remain *family stuff*. VB should not have revealed this info'. I wish there were a way to contact Food Network (along with other networks!) to let them know how bad some of these shows have become.

Contact Food Network

You're welcome.

[HyeChaps]

The first ten minutes were very good.

[Rightside]

Why does Valerie wear tops with giant sleeves at the wrists that get into the food she is making?

I swear the sleeve got into the sauce that she was spreading on the tortillas!

 

[Rightside]

On 8/8/2021 at 5:28 PM, Fostersmom said:

Did she really bring up her mother was pregnant before her parents got married? Did I Imagine that part? 

 I missed that one. 

What episode was it on?

[Irlandesa]

On 8/8/2021 at 6:31 PM, Yeah No said:

No, unfortunately you didn't imagine it.  I almost thought I heard it wrong myself.  Who does that??  Her mother may be dead but that doesn't mean broadcasting that to the world won't mortify the rest of her family!!

That kind of thing happened a lot back then. While it wasn't talked about openly then, it happened a lot and people could do math.  It was "shameful" because it usually reflected poorly on the woman for giving up her "virtue" before marriage. But these days?  It's rarely a source of shame.  I'd imagine it's an open secret considering she even found out.  Her brother was dead by the time she was born. I think the way it's looked at is less that her mom should be ashamed she wasn't a virgin but rather it's funny that her parents were lusty.

The smoked caprese salad looked really good.  I might want to try it.  I liked the corn and avocado salad too but I'm not a fan of shrimp.

[Fostersmom]

32 minutes ago, Rightside said:

 I missed that one. 

What episode was it on?

It was last week's episode. 

4 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

That kind of thing happened a lot back then. While it wasn't talked about openly then, it happened a lot and people could do math.  It was "shameful" because it usually reflected poorly on the woman for giving up her "virtue" before marriage. But these days?  It's rarely a source of shame.  I'd imagine it's an open secret considering she even found out. 

Open secret or not back in the day, it wasn't her secret to broadcast on TV. Especially since both of her parents have passed away and the snotty way she passed it along. Oh, Eddie and I got married 15 months after we met and I wasn't even pregnant like my mom was. Right there, Valerie was basically judging her parents. 

My mom had me when she was 17, that's never been a secret from anyone, but I certainly wouldn't go on TV and proclaim I managed to turn 18 without getting pregnant unlike my mom. And while things might have been an open secret back in the day, it was also a lot easier to keep things secret if you really wanted. My great grandparents were apparently married when she got pregnant back in like 1920. They claimed to have been married a year earlier than they were. The truth only came out years and years later when my great Aunt got really interested in the family genealogy and becoming a member of the DAR and she unearthed their marriage records. From what I was told, my grandmother who was in her 40's at the time, was devastated to learn the truth. 

[Irlandesa]

I just don't think she messed up. Her parents are dead.  It wasn't a crime.  It clearly was known.  And Valerie could have edited it out. 

Anyway, I think it's a funny anecdote. 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Irlandesa

[chick binewski]

I can't co-sign nut salsa on Caprese sandwiches.

Nothing seemed bad on today's show (I wouldn't have a cream-based dressing to the corn dip but it looked good), but it was an odd menu all together.

[Rightside]

I just watched the episode where she says her mother was pregnant when she got married. I had started to watch it before but stopped when she was cooking the live crabs.

Just when I thought she was talking as much about Eddie or all things Van Halen, this episode had their wedding picture included in the album of Eddie's pictures.

[Yeah No]

On 8/15/2021 at 2:06 PM, Fostersmom said:

Open secret or not back in the day, it wasn't her secret to broadcast on TV. Especially since both of her parents have passed away and the snotty way she passed it along. Oh, Eddie and I got married 15 months after we met and I wasn't even pregnant like my mom was. Right there, Valerie was basically judging her parents. 

I agree, the way she did it made it look like she was judging her parents.  Plus why would she put a guilty look on her face and say "sorry mom" if she didn't know her mom would not appreciate her blurting that out to millions of strangers whose business this is most definitely NOT?  Do people today think that everything is everyone's business and that everyone is fine with their business being known, so why not tell the world about someone else's business?  Because I would never assume that.  If I had a daughter and she went on TV and said something like that about me I'd be mortified even if everyone in the family was OK with it and knew about it.  I don't necessarily want everyone ELSE knowing about it.  Even if everyone in my sphere was all OK with it there are millions of people out there that would judge me for it, or at least snicker and make jokes about it, even in today's world.  So Valerie had no business doing that even if her parents are dead.

[Rightside]

On 8/15/2021 at 2:06 PM, Fostersmom said:

Open secret or not back in the day, it wasn't her secret to broadcast on TV. Especially since both of her parents have passed away and the snotty way she passed it along. Oh, Eddie and I got married 15 months after we met and I wasn't even pregnant like my mom was. Right there, Valerie was basically judging her parents. 

Well, she and Eddie got married 8 months after they met!

Her mother had another son who died from accidental poisoning before Valerie was born.

She has three other brothers but if the baby was the one who died, that alone is enough reason not to say anything about her mother being pregnant.

[cameron]

Good show - no mention of Eddie or Wolfie.😁

[Fostersmom]

She did however, repeatedly basically suggest sticking your fingers into a food processor to feel the texture of foods to a visually impaired viewer with no mention of being aware of the blades! LOL! 

[Yeah No]

50 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

She did however, repeatedly basically suggest sticking your fingers into a food processor to feel the texture of foods to a visually impaired viewer with no mention of being aware of the blades! LOL! 

Yeah, and after thanking Christine for helping her to find ways to tell if the food is done without looking at it, she took a look at the food in the food processor and said, "Oh, just LOOK at that, doesn't it look just beautiful?"  LOL!

[buttersister]

Quote

Yeah, and after thanking Christine for helping her to find ways to tell if the food is done without looking at it, she took a look at the food in the food processor and said, "Oh, just LOOK at that, doesn't it look just beautiful?"

She repeatedly said just LOOK at that, albeit, there was a lot of forced, just SMELL that's. The processor blades! A nice idea, somebody had, but she's in over her head.

[Gam2]

Valerie has had a very interesting, informative show in the past. Now she’s just reaching too hard for “themes” and this one was just sad. Time to let this go, Val. Go home to your sweet husband, Tom.

[chick binewski]

5 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

She did however, repeatedly basically suggest sticking your fingers into a food processor to feel the texture of foods to a visually impaired viewer with no mention of being aware of the blades! LOL! 

It was a little weird! I was looking forward to the episode bc I thought Ha was going to demonstrate with Valerie in person. Again. I think they may be airing these shows out of sequence bc they're showing more zoom guests now.

I'm not a fan of spaghetti squash but pairing it with the veggie Bolognese looked pretty good.

Also - my preferred ice cream truck choice was the chocolate version - the Good Humor éclair - so I'd like to try that interpretation of the cake.

Edited August 23, 2021 by chick binewski
ice cream cake!

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I'm not a fan of spaghetti squash but pairing it with the veggie Bolognese looked pretty good.

Also - my preferred ice cream truck choice was the chocolate version - the Good Humor éclair - so I'd like to try that interpretation of the cake.

I hate to say that this wasn't one of my favorites of her recipes.  The veggie Bolognese didn't look appetizing to me at all.  I make it with meat so I just can't warm up to it with only veggies and no pasta.  At least she didn't put anything non-classic in it.  No zucchini or eggplant, etc.

My preferred Good Humor was always the Toasted Almond.  Hard to find anymore.  But her strawberry ice cream shortcake looked great as did the garlic bread.

[annzeepark914]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

My preferred Good Humor was always the Toasted Almond.  Hard to find anymore.  But her strawberry ice cream shortcake looked great as did the garlic bread.

Back in the day, my whole family (parents, sis & I) loved toasted almond. But I also loved vanilla covered with regular coconut. I just bought a box of toasted almond two weeks ago at Harris Teeter. I think Good Humor has changed the recipe because the almond flavor is now a bit OTT.

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, annzeepark914 said:

Back in the day, my whole family (parents, sis & I) loved toasted almond. But I also loved vanilla covered with regular coconut. I just bought a box of toasted almond two weeks ago at Harris Teeter. I think Good Humor has changed the recipe because the almond flavor is now a bit OTT.

Interesting.  I felt that the Good Humor strawberry shortcake tasted OTT too.  My supermarket store brand tastes more authentic, believe it or not.  Unfortunately they don't make the Toasted Almond.  The closest store near me that carries the Good Humor Toasted Almond is in NYC, LOL.

[chick binewski]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I hate to say that this wasn't one of my favorites of her recipes.  The veggie Bolognese didn't look appetizing to me at all.  I make it with meat so I just can't warm up to it with only veggies and no pasta.  At least she didn't put anything non-classic in it.  No zucchini or eggplant, etc.

My preferred Good Humor was always the Toasted Almond.  Hard to find anymore.  But her strawberry ice cream shortcake looked great as did the garlic bread.

Ooh I totally forgot about the toasted almond flavor!

Michael Symon (I love his show so much) did a few different versions of Bolognese including mushroom so I've been warming up to trying a vegetable version.

[Yeah No]

39 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

Ooh I totally forgot about the toasted almond flavor!

Michael Symon (I love his show so much) did a few different versions of Bolognese including mushroom so I've been warming up to trying a vegetable version.

I did once and that's why I know I don't like it.  I'm so used to the meat that I find the veggie version lacking.

[Rightside]

Good show with the tomato soup and grilled cheese. 

Why on earth is she making soup with coconut oil? It has more saturated fat than anyone ever needs.  She should have made that with olive oil.

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, Rightside said:

Good show with the tomato soup and grilled cheese. 

Why on earth is she making soup with coconut oil? It has more saturated fat than anyone ever needs.  She should have made that with olive oil.

I agree with you - she said she was using it for the taste since it was a coconut tomato soup.  But I've used coconut oil in the past and I've never noticed any taste.

[buttersister]

Unfiltered coconut oil has a coconut taste, filtered, not so much. The sat fat content is too high for me. 

What I observed yesterday--both Valerie and Kardea Brown (show follows) invoked their moms this week. But only one seemed genuine. I recommend Delicious, Miss Brown. It took her two minutes, while putting a dish together, to connect it to and educate about her Gullah heritage and their history. Some of her food is healthier than other dishes, but it always looks delicious and her instruction is clear and no-fuss.

 

[orangekit]

Valerie’s food looked pretty good except for the coconut milk in the tomato soup.

No mention of Wolfie or Eddie , or Mrs. VanHalen.  She also didn’t mention Tom when talking about cooking ahead meals .   It was all “I” talk . I know they are saying all is ok in the tabloids , but it sure seems like they are not together .  She mentioned her dead  ex-hubby and his mom all season and no mention of the man who is supposedly her current husband ! 

After next week Valerie’s Home Cooking is not on the schedule except for the early morning repeat hour . A repeat of Girl Meets Farm is in it’s place .

I wonder how long FN will keep swearing , vulgar Valerie who attacks anyone who is mean to her big baby 30 year old son, and is very  political and angry on Twitter .  She tweeted something about ejaculating  when someone posted something anti abortion, and uses the “F” word all the time .   Too bad she can’t control herself and not engage with Twitter posters; her cooking show is not bad and she’s a good judge on Kid’s Baking Championship.  

[Rightside]

Just saw an older episode where she cooked "Ohio food" with chili for Tom, her husband. It was a really cute show and one of Tom's daughters showed up.  Guess it was the show for this week??

Valerie talked about liking Tom's family and embraced his daughter. 

Now she only seems to talk about Wolfie's girlfriend, who may not like the spot light, but never seems excited to be on the show.

[Gam2]

I’ve always enjoyed Valerie’s show above most of the others on FN. I’m not sure what’s happened to her, other than her exhusband dying, but I really don’t like watching her latest shows in her new dark kitchen. I like Valerie and sincerely hope that she can get herself back together and live happily with her husband, Tom.