Valerie's Home Cooking - General Discussion

[Yeah No]

27 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

I was a bit disappointed they kept the kitchen. And we know Valerie doesn't actually live there or shop for the show; they could have had a better premise, but for whatever reason they're usually a bit clunky with the guests on this show.

Yeah, I agree on all counts, but I like Kelsey and she did make me decide to look into a fridge lazy Susan.  I was LOL because my fridge is full of organized bins just like that.  Makes it real easy to clean and find stuff.

29 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

That being said the marinade/sauce for the chicken is definitely something I would make. 

Yep, I didn't delete the show to remind myself to look into the recipe.

I hate to bring this up but she looks heavier than last season even with black on.  I feel her pain being over 60 and going through that myself.  Thankfully she appears to be beyond mentioning Eddie and Wolfie every 5 minutes.  I hope that lasts.

[cynicat]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:30 PM, Yeah No said:

Yeah, I agree on all counts, but I like Kelsey and she did make me decide to look into a fridge lazy Susan. 

This may be an UO because I couldn't stand Kelsey.  I found her to be so over-the-top perky that I had to stop watching before they even cut the cake (which looked yummy).  No, an organized refrigerator doesn't bring me joy.  Or maybe I had a bad day and her Suzy Sunshine hit me wrong.

[chediavolo]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:30 PM, Yeah No said:

Yeah, I agree on all counts, but I like Kelsey and she did make me decide to look into a fridge lazy Susan.  I was LOL because my fridge is full of organized bins just like that.  Makes it real easy to clean and find stuff.

Yep, I didn't delete the show to remind myself to look into the recipe.

I hate to bring this up but she looks heavier than last season even with black on.  I feel her pain being over 60 and going through that myself.  Thankfully she appears to be beyond mentioning Eddie and Wolfie every 5 minutes.  I hope that lasts.

I wish she would look into flavorful healthy meals & desserts. Then I would watch regularly. Because most of the recipes listed on food network are killers. She really needs to cut back on all the fats & sugars. Yes she is gaining even more. Menopause is a f***ing bitch. 

Edited April 28, 2022 by chediavolo

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

I wish she would look into flavorful healthy meals & desserts. Then I would watch regularly. Because most of the recipes listed on food network are killers. She really needs to cut back on all the fats & sugars. Yes she is gaining even more. Menopause is a f***ing bitch. 

Yep, I agree, although I wasn't too happy when she started the episode with a fattening dessert, that chicken recipe seemed pretty diet friendly with few if any modifications.  The Food Network is notoriously averse to anything labeled "healthy" as they consider it the death to ratings, but I think they just haven't hit on the right formula to make it interesting and are too lazy and uncreative to achieve that.  With all the diet crazes out there these days I find it hard to believe there isn't an audience for a show centered around reduced fat, low sugar, healthy AND tasty meals.

[chediavolo]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Yep, I agree, although I wasn't too happy when she started the episode with a fattening dessert, that chicken recipe seemed pretty diet friendly with few if any modifications.  The Food Network is notoriously averse to anything labeled "healthy" as they consider it the death to ratings, but I think they just haven't hit on the right formula to make it interesting and are too lazy and uncreative to achieve that.  With all the diet crazes out there these days I find it hard to believe there isn't an audience for a show centered around reduced fat, low sugar, healthy AND tasty meals.

Exactly! I would certainly be interested 

[buttersister]

I tuned in. After she referred to her book and Wolfie repeatedly, I tuned out. So less than five minutes.l

[chick binewski]

I found it odd that Valerie said 1.she's never written a book like this before and 2.this is a self-help book. When you release every book with proclamations that you've found the Answer it gets hard to believe after a while.

As for this week's recipes- I appreciate a meatless entree but I don't think sausage & peppers is the way to go. All the fat is what flavors the dish and I just haven't found a plant sausage that would work. 

One of my favorite sandwiches has tuna and egg (pan bagnat) but I'm not sold on mixing the combo for a melt. I felt similarly about the cookie but when Valerie started talking about how well the lemon & lime work with the white chocolate I was curious.

[chediavolo]

4 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I found it odd that Valerie said 1.she's never written a book like this before and 2.this is a self-help book. When you release every book with proclamations that you've found the Answer it gets hard to believe after a while.

As for this week's recipes- I appreciate a meatless entree but I don't think sausage & peppers is the way to go. All the fat is what flavors the dish and I just haven't found a plant sausage that would work. 

One of my favorite sandwiches has tuna and egg (pan bagnat) but I'm not sold on mixing the combo for a melt. I felt similarly about the cookie but when Valerie started talking about how well the lemon & lime work with the white chocolate I was curious.

This is nowhere near a self-help book. It is mostly all about Eddie and Wolfie and the unhealthy food she served them😆

[Cozytea]

5 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I found it odd that Valerie said 1.she's never written a book like this before and 2.this is a self-help book. When you release every book with proclamations that you've found the Answer it gets hard to believe after a while.

As for this week's recipes- I appreciate a meatless entree but I don't think sausage & peppers is the way to go. All the fat is what flavors the dish and I just haven't found a plant sausage that would work. 

One of my favorite sandwiches has tuna and egg (pan bagnat) but I'm not sold on mixing the combo for a melt. I felt similarly about the cookie but when Valerie started talking about how well the lemon & lime work with the white chocolate I was curious.

I haven't watched the episode about plant based sausage and peppers.  I will say eating plant based sausage like a real sausage on a bun is my least favorite thing.  It is just a big no to me. I have ground up plant based Italian sausag and added it to white bean and kale soup and it was wonderful.  Plant based chorizo is also amazing. In a burtito with potatoes yum.

Edited May 2, 2022 by Cozytea

[Yeah No]

The real tragedy of this episode was that ginormous oversized billowy top she was wearing that made her look 15 pounds heavier at least.  Whoever is dressing her should lose their job and if it's her she needs some style advice STAT.  I am built like her and have a weight issue too and know better than to wear tops like that.  Ughhh.....She cries on national TV about her weight gain but then goes out of her way to make herself look WORSE, uggghhhhhhh.  

Re: plant based meats, I can't get past the fact that any of them I've looked at have even more saturated fat and calories in them than real meat, so for my purposes they are probably worse than eating the real thing.  I use Italian style chicken sausages for my sausage and pepper dishes.  At least the fat and cholesterol amounts are lower than pork.

[chediavolo]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

The real tragedy of this episode was that ginormous oversized billowy top she was wearing that made her look 15 pounds heavier at least.  Whoever is dressing her should lose their job and if it's her she needs some style advice STAT.  I am built like her and have a weight issue too and know better than to wear tops like that.  Ughhh.....She cries on national TV about her weight gain but then goes out of her way to make herself look WORSE, uggghhhhhhh.  

Re: plant based meats, I can't get past the fact that any of them I've looked at have even more saturated fat and calories in them than real meat, so for my purposes they are probably worse than eating the real thing.  I use Italian style chicken sausages for my sausage and pepper dishes.  At least the fat and cholesterol amounts are lower than pork.

It’s like she doesn’t care anymore. She does need a stylist.
Agreed. Also those plant-based meats are not healthier for you. They’re only out there as an alternative to eating animals. I even read this somewhere they’re not a healthy alternative that there are alternative for vegetarians

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, chediavolo said:

It’s like she doesn’t care anymore. She does need a stylist.
Agreed. Also those plant-based meats are not healthier for you. They’re only out there as an alternative to eating animals. I even read this somewhere they’re not a healthy alternative that there are alternative for vegetarians

Dr. Ian Smith who writes best selling books on healthy eating has cautioned against plant based meats and encourages people to read the labels first before buying them.  They are often packed with ingredients to make them taste more like meat but aren't particularly healthy. They first became popular among vegans, who are ideologically opposed to eating meat more than they are concerned about fat, cholesterol and calories, and for them that works.  Of course all the trendy food-fad people latched onto it as if it's the next diet craze.  I would have hoped that Valerie wouldn't be taken in by that sort of thing but I guess she did say that she was using it for her non-meat eating friends.  At least it's easy to substitute the real thing in a recipe.

[chediavolo]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Dr. Ian Smith who writes best selling books on healthy eating has cautioned against plant based meats and encourages people to read the labels first before buying them.  They are often packed with ingredients to make them taste more like meat but aren't particularly healthy. They first became popular among vegans, who are ideologically opposed to eating meat more than they are concerned about fat, cholesterol and calories, and for them that works.  Of course all the trendy food-fad people latched onto it as if it's the next diet craze.  I would have hoped that Valerie wouldn't be taken in by that sort of thing but I guess she did say that she was using it for her non-meat eating friends.  At least it's easy to substitute the real thing in a recipe.

Yes that plant based stuff is not healthy. It’s too bad. I was looking forward to the switch but we haven’t gotten there yet. Maybe what they are doing now with cloned lab , I don’t know what they call it, meats will be the answer to not eating animals. 
I would say, If anyone likes one of her recipes go ahead & make it. But don’t for one minute think this woman knows what she’s doing as far as health & nutrition. She has a recipe for “Sicilian love cake” that uses boxed caked mixed 😳. Italians everywhere are giving her the evil eye. 

[opus]

Emmy nominated again 

 

 

 

 

[Fostersmom]

On 5/3/2022 at 9:50 AM, Yeah No said:

The real tragedy of this episode was that ginormous oversized billowy top she was wearing that made her look 15 pounds heavier at least.  Whoever is dressing her should lose their job and if it's her she needs some style advice STAT.  I am built like her and have a weight issue too and know better than to wear tops like that.  Ughhh.....She cries on national TV about her weight gain but then goes out of her way to make herself look WORSE, uggghhhhhhh.  

Re: plant based meats, I can't get past the fact that any of them I've looked at have even more saturated fat and calories in them than real meat, so for my purposes they are probably worse than eating the real thing.  I use Italian style chicken sausages for my sausage and pepper dishes.  At least the fat and cholesterol amounts are lower than pork.

She needs a good stylist. I do get the impression they are responsible for their own looks on these shows, and I could see her refusing to believe she's not the right size or shape for everything. The monstrosity she wore today  in her ode to her Irish mother was just horrible. Although, I found today's top so ugly I can't really picture it looking good on anyone. 

I was curious about the health benefits of the meat substitutes when they first came out. So since it would be an easy comparison, I looked up the nutritional info on a regular Whopper versus their Impossible Whopper, or what ever it's called. While a lot was basically little differences here and there, I was surprised at how much fats were still in the plant based version. And the sodium was much higher. So yeah, unless your end result is literally no meats, the health benefits don't seem to quite be there. 

[chick binewski]

I didn't love today's menu or the substitutions. If you want to use cheese & chives, why not make Irish biscuits instead of soda bread? And I would associate stuffed cabbage with Polish cooking, and idk that I want it with riced cauliflower. 

[cynicat]

7 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I didn't love today's menu or the substitutions. If you want to use cheese & chives, why not make Irish biscuits instead of soda bread? And I would associate stuffed cabbage with Polish cooking, and idk that I want it with riced cauliflower. 

Yes, this.  Is stuffed cabbage a 'thing' in Ireland?  My ancestors all came from eastern Europe and stuffed cabbage was a staple.  

On the plus side, there was minimal mention of Wolfie or her book, and the show focused on her own Mom, not her MIL which I was afraid could happen.

[chediavolo]

8 hours ago, chick binewski said:

I didn't love today's menu or the substitutions. If you want to use cheese & chives, why not make Irish biscuits instead of soda bread? And I would associate stuffed cabbage with Polish cooking, and idk that I want it with riced cauliflower. 

That “Irish soda bread” was an abomination 🤮Also, Valerie, it’s riced  cauliflower not cauliflower rice. I thought they’d was a new product out there till I searched. I don’t think her substitutions or gross additions to the “soda bread” are going to taste very good. Yuk on most of her recipes I’ve seen so far. And yes. Get a stylist. You are obviously paying someone to do your hair & makeup. 
Val: Stuffed cabbage is a traditional polish recipe you dolt. Sure any nationality can adapt it but it’s not Irish 😳And didn’t she say her mother never made it?! This woman gets on my nerves for some reason. 

Edited May 9, 2022 by chediavolo

[chick binewski]

14 hours ago, cynicat said:

Yes, this.  Is stuffed cabbage a 'thing' in Ireland?  My ancestors all came from eastern Europe and stuffed cabbage was a staple.  

 

13 hours ago, chediavolo said:

That “Irish soda bread” was an abomination 🤮Also, Valerie, it’s riced  cauliflower not cauliflower rice. I thought they’d was a new product out there till I searched. I don’t think her substitutions or gross additions to the “soda bread” are going to taste very good. Yuk on most of her recipes I’ve seen so far. And yes. Get a stylist. You are obviously paying someone to do your hair & makeup. 
Val: Stuffed cabbage is a traditional polish recipe you dolt. Sure any nationality can adapt it but it’s not Irish 😳And didn’t she say her mother never made it?! This woman gets on my nerves for some reason. 

I've been thinking about this far too much since my last post bc it made no sense! These were not family recipes AND they didn't seem traditionally Irish so couldn't the producers make a little more effort to tie things together? 

I'm fairly certain corned beef & cabbage is an Irish-American thing, but (UNSTUFFED) cabbage is a staple in Ireland so why not do a spin on that veg itself? Or a cabbage-potato mix with ham or sausage?

The soda bread is still unforgivable. I want that hint of sweetness when I take a bite.

Slightly off-topic: not a huge fan of the stuffed cabbage but I'm obsessed with trying the recipe from a Diners Drive-Ins and Dives episode - they use three meats & a tomato cream and it looked freaking amazing.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, chick binewski said:

 

I've been thinking about this far too much since my last post bc it made no sense! These were not family recipes AND they didn't seem traditionally Irish so couldn't the producers make a little more effort to tie things together? 

I'm fairly certain corned beef & cabbage is an Irish-American thing, but (UNSTUFFED) cabbage is a staple in Ireland so why not do a spin on that veg itself? Or a cabbage-potato mix with ham or sausage?

The soda bread is still unforgivable. I want that hint of sweetness when I take a bite.

Slightly off-topic: not a huge fan of the stuffed cabbage but I'm obsessed with trying the recipe from a Diners Drive-Ins and Dives episode - they use three meats & a tomato cream and it looked freaking amazing.

Haha, I've been thinking about this all day myself.  I had a busy day and this is the first time I've had to post.  I made my Irish American husband watch this episode (his father was born there) and we discussed it.  We have both been to Ireland twice for extended visits all over the isle to visit his cousins who are great cooks.  At no time ever did we see stuffed cabbage or corned beef and cabbage (we did see a lot of pork and lamb, though, and cabbage as a side dish). 

It's obvious neither Valerie nor her mother were very close to their Irish food roots because cabbage rolls are not a thing there nor is corned beef and cabbage.  While the latter dish is an Irish American invention the cabbage rolls aren't even a thing in America.  The only recipes you see online for Irish cabbage rolls are a few American "creative takes" on corned beef and cabbage by stuffing cabbage leaves with a mixture of rice and corned beef.  

If she wanted to do a traditional Irish cabbage dish she could have done colcannon, which is a potato dish with cabbage in it.  The one dish she did that I actually saw in Ireland was sticky toffee pudding, and she made the point that it isn't really an Irish dish.  Well, maybe not technically, but they certainly serve it a lot there!

She did mention that she's never been to Ireland.  Well, it shows.

BTW that green top was fugly.

[Rightside]

On 5/9/2022 at 6:44 AM, chediavolo said:

Also, Valerie, it’s riced  cauliflower not cauliflower rice. I thought they’d was a new product out there till I searched.

Oh, good catch!

This was the first episode I've watch for the new season. I thought she was much calmer than last season with all the Wolfie and Eddie talk.

Why does she wear tops sleeves that get in the food? Can't she get some 3/4 length sleeves?

 

[chick binewski]

If you don't want the ice to water down the bloody, why are you insisting people use a shaker? Does Valerie not watch the West Wing? 'Bond orders weak martinis and he's snooty about it!'.

I could eat creamy scrambled eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the bacon jam looked good. I just didnt care for the whole flavor combination. I would rather a tomato jam, or dice the shrooms and mix them with the eggs. And maybe a different drink with prosecco to cut through the richness of the eggs. 

Also, I say this as someone who could butter everything - buy a toaster! You don't need to fry both sides of the bread in butter!  

 

[chick binewski]

OK I'm not done bc I watched the repeats early today and this one thing bothered me the first time it aired: Valerie cooked for Tom (she looked happy back then) a few recipes for "cheat day". Val made chicken with prunes and olives. Which is usually referred to as Chicken Marbella, because that's what the Silver Palate Cookbook authors named it when they created the recipe. Ina even made it on one of her shows, properly credited it and gave a little background on the gourmet shop and how the dish was an 80s dinner staple.

Using most of the garlic to stuff the olives doesnt make it a new recipe!

[Yogisbooboo64]

Drink aside, I was down with the elegant breakfast meal….obsessed with mushrooms, I'll have to try that recipe and I’d like to try making bacon jam but not a fan of balsamic vinegar.

[marmalade]

Valerie seems to be melting down and over sharing on social media again . She’s posting cringeworthy videos .

This time it’s about how divorce sucks . . Then she posted a video giving the finger and looking like she was going to cry.

She is over 60 years old and feels a need to post nevery emotion and issue in her life on media as is she is a teenager ?

Is Tom now the villain even though she spent the last year  talking endlessly about her dead ex in every talk show, her cooking show and in her book?  Besides that she follows her son on tour on his bus like she’s reliving her days with Eddie.  Somehow she’s now a victim in her divorce she acted like she wasn’t married.  

I like Valerie , but she’s has the ability to get real help and she seems to have good friends and family . The need for so much attention and over sharing is sad .  Scary that women seem to look up to her as some kind of role model for self acceptance and coping when she clearly is a mess .

[andidante]

5 hours ago, marmalade said:

Valerie seems to be melting down and over sharing on social media again . She’s posting cringeworthy videos .

This time it’s about how divorce sucks . . Then she posted a video giving the finger and looking like she was going to cry.

She is over 60 years old and feels a need to post nevery emotion and issue in her life on media as is she is a teenager ?

Is Tom now the villain even though she spent the last year  talking endlessly about her dead ex in every talk show, her cooking show and in her book?  Besides that she follows her son on tour on his bus like she’s reliving her days with Eddie.  Somehow she’s now a victim in her divorce she acted like she wasn’t married.  

I like Valerie , but she’s has the ability to get real help and she seems to have good friends and family . The need for so much attention and over sharing is sad .  Scary that women seem to look up to her as some kind of role model for self acceptance and coping when she clearly is a mess .

I totally agree! I think she is the one who filed so not sure what she thought would happen. Maybe Tom is just over it and doesn't want to speak to her anymore. She does need to get some kind of help. Her son should talk to her about that, but I think he encourages it.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, andidante said:

I totally agree! I think she is the one who filed so not sure what she thought would happen. Maybe Tom is just over it and doesn't want to speak to her anymore. She does need to get some kind of help. Her son should talk to her about that, but I think he encourages it.

It's been all over the news today that she filed but she is definitely acting like the one that was "done wrong" in her marriage.  I'm wondering what precipitated it.  From her behavior online and elsewhere it's hard to picture her as the one done wrong but who knows what was going on between them?  Not to start rumors but he may have done something bad to set her off like that.  Or perhaps they came to irreconcilable differences over current events or politics.  You never know these days.

[andidante]

I Think he was just tired of her obsession with Eddie and how it was affecting their marriage. Just my take on it. We will see if he writes his own book, LOL

[Yeah No]

19 hours ago, marmalade said:

Valerie seems to be melting down and over sharing on social media again . She’s posting cringeworthy videos .

This time it’s about how divorce sucks . . Then she posted a video giving the finger and looking like she was going to cry.

She is over 60 years old and feels a need to post nevery emotion and issue in her life on media as is she is a teenager ?

Is Tom now the villain even though she spent the last year  talking endlessly about her dead ex in every talk show, her cooking show and in her book?  Besides that she follows her son on tour on his bus like she’s reliving her days with Eddie.  Somehow she’s now a victim in her divorce she acted like she wasn’t married.  

I like Valerie , but she’s has the ability to get real help and she seems to have good friends and family . The need for so much attention and over sharing is sad .  Scary that women seem to look up to her as some kind of role model for self acceptance and coping when she clearly is a mess .

I have a lot of sympathy for her.  First she lost her mom, then we have a pandemic, then she lost her ex, all while her marriage was falling apart.  That's a lot to deal with for anyone.  I have had a shitty time of the pandemic too, losing my dad to Covid and then a snowball of other things one after the other.  I'm close in age to her and gained weight and that really sucks in addition to being over 60.  So I get it.  But seriously, in my worst moments I would never act as immature as she does over what I've been going through.  She said in one of her interviews that she was "young and immature" when she married Eddie.  Well, now she's just old and immature.

I wince when she tells the world that she's never going to get married again or never going to step on a scale again and how she accepts her weight.  She is full of shit.  She talks before she thinks things through.  She is very knee-jerk in her reactions to everything.  As soon as the doctor tells her she needs to lose weight for medical reasons suddenly she'll be all about dedicating herself to a diet and exercise program.  Digging her heels in trying to convince the world she has it all together and loves herself as she is and doesn't need to be married to anyone is not convincing anyone at this point.

World to Valerie:  "Enough Already"!

[chediavolo]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I have a lot of sympathy for her.  First she lost her mom, then we have a pandemic, then she lost her ex, all while her marriage was falling apart.  That's a lot to deal with for anyone.  I have had a shitty time of the pandemic too, losing my dad to Covid and then a snowball of other things one after the other.  I'm close in age to her and gained weight and that really sucks in addition to being over 60.  So I get it.  But seriously, in my worst moments I would never act as immature as she does over what I've been going through.  She said in one of her interviews that she was "young and immature" when she married Eddie.  Well, now she's just old and immature.

I wince when she tells the world that she's never going to get married again or never going to step on a scale again and how she accepts her weight.  She is full of shit.  She talks before she thinks things through.  She is very knee-jerk in her reactions to everything.  As soon as the doctor tells her she needs to lose weight for medical reasons suddenly she'll be all about dedicating herself to a diet and exercise program.  Digging her heels in trying to convince the world she has it all together and loves herself as she is and doesn't need to be married to anyone is not convincing anyone at this point.

World to Valerie:  "Enough Already"!

Great post. Age & eating habits are very important at this stage. I agree, why obsess over being slim & trim if your metabolism makes this impossible, but she is heading towards obese territory, if she isn’t already there clinically.  She needs to get counseling. She obviously was obsessed with her ex. With her $$ she should have a nutritionist on hand. Should have had one one when Wolfie ( horrible nick name) was growing up. I feel for anyone with depression but she needs to seek out help. 

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Great post. Age & eating habits are very important at this stage. I agree, why obsess over being slim & trim if your metabolism makes this impossible, but she is heading towards obese territory, if she isn’t already there clinically.  She needs to get counseling. She obviously was obsessed with her ex. With her $$ she should have a nutritionist on hand. Should have had one one when Wolfie ( horrible nick name) was growing up. I feel for anyone with depression but she needs to seek out help. 

Thank you, that one was percolating in me all day!  I think she has continued to gain recently, which is concerning for her health.  I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until the last couple of episodes.  The tops are doing her no favors but there were a couple of shots of her from the side that were a little shocking.

You know, I also get it that being in the public eye she is reacting defensively to criticism about her weight gain, but she's been in that public eye for a long time now, she should know how to handle that.  And if not, she needs therapy to get past it.  What she's doing (or not doing) now is only going to hurt her in the end.  Like you I can only feel so sorry for her because with her money she has better access than I do to the best medical and nutritional help, plus money and space to buy the best exercise equipment, personal trainers, etc.  She is acting like a big baby.  She is an actress and had us all fooled into thinking she had it all together as a person but sadly, that isn't the case.

[chick binewski]

On 5/17/2022 at 2:18 AM, marmalade said:

Valerie seems to be melting down and over sharing on social media again . She’s posting cringeworthy videos .

This time it’s about how divorce sucks . . Then she posted a video giving the finger and looking like she was going to cry.

I stumbled upon one today and found it odd that these emotional disclosures are happening the week of the divorce filing announcement. I get there will be ups & downs, but it feels performative.

This week's menu was pretty underwhelming. But I'm also super picky about chili in general and vegetarian chili in particular.

[buttersister]

I’ve seen those no-churn ice cream, pimento spread and corn bread recipes around for years. Acting like affogato is new or unknown to the Tilas was embarrassing. So, on brand for Valerie.

Hint: File with Get a Stylist, You’re on TV—“these are relatively easy recipes that taste good, here they are, you should try them!”

[Gramto6]

26 minutes ago, buttersister said:

I’ve seen those no-churn ice cream, pimento spread and corn bread recipes around for years. Acting like affogato is new or unknown to the Tilas was embarrassing. So, on brand for Valerie.

Yeah I was embarrassed for her and the recipes she thought would be so great for the Tilas. I could make them just as well and maybe the chili better???

[chick binewski]

7 hours ago, buttersister said:

I’ve seen those no-churn ice cream, pimento spread and corn bread recipes around for years. Acting like affogato is new or unknown to the Tilas was embarrassing. So, on brand for Valerie.

Yeah, I get the interactions are probably overly scripted but it was odd that Val thought she was going to introduce a trained pastry chef to a new process. The guests were very gracious and Ali started to make a couple of observations about the recipes but Valerie just talked over them.

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Yeah I was embarrassed for her and the recipes she thought would be so great for the Tilas. I could make them just as well and maybe the chili better???

Same here all around.  I can't get over how she picked this specific set of recipes for them. She's made better stuff when no one was invited.  In the past when she has had people over she would often make dishes she knew they would like but this just seemed to come out of left field.  

Also, I haven't really wanted to make any recipes this season so far other than a couple from the first two episodes.  Everything in this episode was way too fattening and unhealthy except the chili, which didn't really impress me as a vegetarian chili.  When she added the cheese to the cornbread I thought it was obvious that she doesn't give a crap about her weight or her health anymore.

[marmalade]

I really like Valerie on her cooking show and on the Kids Baking Championship. Hopefully we get more of her on those shows and we don’t have annoying Molly Yeh so more baking shows .  If that happens I won’t watch .

Having said that ,  Valerie really is annoying me about her divorce and  playing victim while she cries about it on social media to strangers.

Sorry, but she acted like she was still married to Eddie last year. She talked about him on every talk show , in her book and cried like she just lost her husband . Then she followed her adult son all over on tour like she was reliving her Van Halen touring days. Did she really think this was normal any man would put up with that ?

Edited May 24, 2022 by marmalade

[Westiepeach]

18 hours ago, buttersister said:

Acting like affogato is new or unknown to the Tilas was embarrassing. So, on brand for Valerie.

Awww, Valerie. Even I know what affogato is.

[andidante]

5 hours ago, marmalade said:

Sorry, but she acted like she was still married to Eddie last year. She talked about him on every talk show , in her book and cried like she just lost her husband . Then she followed her adult son all over on tour like she was reliving her Van Halen touring days. Did she really think this was normal any man would put up with that ?

She totally did! Not sure why/how she expected Tom to be ok with that? 

Edited May 25, 2022 by andidante

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, andidante said:

She totally did! Not sure why/how she expected Tom to be ok with that? 

I think by the time she was going on about Eddie and Wolfie she was already separated from Tom.  I read they separated in 2019.  I've said before that I think she was clinging to the Eddie relationship and fantasizing that it was better than it was to help her handle her breakup from Tom.

Valerie isn't very deep and I think her lack of self-awareness is obvious to everyone but her.

[goldenpuppy]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I think by the time she was going on about Eddie and Wolfie she was already separated from Tom.  I read they separated in 2019.  I've said before that I think she was clinging to the Eddie relationship and fantasizing that it was better than it was to help her handle her breakup from Tom.

Valerie isn't very deep and I think her lack of self-awareness is obvious to everyone but her.

She was taping shows with Tom in 2019, I didn’t realize they were separated .

Also, she acts like they just broke up last week and is definitely playing victim .  It’s been at least over a year since she was  doing her “therapy” On the Today show while she cried about Eddie .  Then she was with Wolfie on tour .   Whatever happened , she definitely has no filter and has to get her fans into feeling sorry for her .  What guy would want to be with someone like that ?

[chediavolo]

3 hours ago, goldenpuppy said:

She was taping shows with Tom in 2019, I didn’t realize they were separated .

Also, she acts like they just broke up last week and is definitely playing victim .  It’s been at least over a year since she was  doing her “therapy” On the Today show while she cried about Eddie .  Then she was with Wolfie on tour .   Whatever happened , she definitely has no filter and has to get her fans into feeling sorry for her .  What guy would want to be with someone like that ?

She is obsessed with her long divorced husband. Living in the past. Sign of depression, and I know this first hand.
It’s sad that she follows her grown son around on tours. He must LOVE that! 😆 Never mind all the terrible food she cooks for him. Especially since he is already quite overweight.  They should have gotten that child on a healthy eating & exercising program when he was young. You have no excuse when you can right well afford it. Food is not love. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, goldenpuppy said:

She was taping shows with Tom in 2019, I didn’t realize they were separated .

Perhaps those episodes were filmed before they separated?  I remember that she didn't start going on about Eddie on her show and elsewhere until after he died and that was in the Fall of 2020.  I can only imagine that she was separated by that time.  I'm sure, though, that it was obvious to Tom long before she started wearing it on her sleeve that she never got over Eddie and it had to have been a contributing factor in their breakup.  

[goldenpuppy]

3 hours ago, chediavolo said:

She is obsessed with her long divorced husband. Living in the past. Sign of depression, and I know this first hand.
It’s sad that she follows her grown son around on tours. He must LOVE that! 😆 Never mind all the terrible food she cooks for him. Especially since he is already quite overweight.  They should have gotten that child on a healthy eating & exercising program when he was young. You have no excuse when you can right well afford it. Food is not love. 

I agree , and  the  sad part is she has the access and resources to get real help for her depression , but instead she uses her personal life as part of her celebrity.  Having some goofy coach that Maria Schriver  found  do pretend counseling in her at the Today show was  cringeworthy, along with using a cooking segment to cry about Eddie , while she was married to someone else !

She seems addicted  to the spotlight and being a celebrity.  She has horrible boundaries for someone who is 60 who has been in the business her whole life ! She truly seems to be having a mental breakdown.

Her son seems like a mama’s boy. He and Valerie both attack posters in Twitter like a tag team!  Most grown men wouldn’t want mommy defending them in social media ! The meals and snacks she cooks for him are so unhealthy. He is obese and she is making it worse . It’s not about looks , it’s about his health .

Her weight obsession when she repeatedly says she doesn’t care and  encourages people to throw away their scales is sad. She can choose to lose weight or not,  but she acts like a teenager who cries if someone mentions her weight , but then saying she accepts herself, shows she also has issues with dealing with her feelings about weight .

 Why do I have a feeling the next book and interviews will be about Valerie the victim in her latest marriage?  She just can’t keep anything private . 

[Rightside]

On the show with George Lopez, those salmon kabobs looked amazing!!

Her bracelet with the strings hanging on it was driving me crazy. It must have been covered in olive oil. It was getting the bowl with the cauliflower.

Just when I thought she wasn't talking Eddie on this season.......

Edited May 31, 2022 by Rightside

[chick binewski]

40 minutes ago, Rightside said:

On the show with George Lopez, those salmon kabobs looked amazing!!

Her bracelet with the strings hanging on it was driving me crazy. It must have been covered it olive oil. It was getting the bowl with the cauliflower.

Just when I thought she wasn't talking Eddie on this season.......

I like cilantro, but idk that I want to make pesto with it. And I definitely don't want cashews as the nut.

An herb brush isn't that unusual, so basically Valerie grilled salmon & steak. And then made George Lopez feel bad about an Elton John concert and Eddie's death.

This show is getting weirder but I did like Valerie's hair, so there's that I guess?

ETA: Those bracelets! I have a feeling most are supposed to represent one thing or another but they are so bloody distracting and seem like food-catchers.

Edited May 31, 2022 by chick binewski

[Yogisbooboo64]

Hoo boy....so much for an amicable divorce.

https://people.com/food/valerie-bertinelli-estranged-husband-tom-vitale-asks-spousal-support-after-divorce-filing/

[chediavolo]

1 hour ago, Yogisbooboo64 said:

Hoo boy....so much for an amicable divorce.

https://people.com/food/valerie-bertinelli-estranged-husband-tom-vitale-asks-spousal-support-after-divorce-filing/

Interesting. She may have to literally pay for her ongoing public ex husband devotions. 

1 hour ago, Yogisbooboo64 said:

Hoo boy....so much for an amicable divorce.

https://people.com/food/valerie-bertinelli-estranged-husband-tom-vitale-asks-spousal-support-after-divorce-filing/

[Aspenglow]

I’m not really surprised by Tom’s actions. I never felt comfortable about him although I hoped I was wrong. He signed a pre-nup. He is a gold digger and should be ashamed. 

[chick binewski]

6 hours ago, Yogisbooboo64 said:

Hoo boy....so much for an amicable divorce.

Ew. I hope this is something the lawyers had him do as a negotiation. Maybe he blew a lot of dough relocating to CA and/or gave up his business and feels the marriage actually left him with less?

But frankly he does not sound great here.

That being said, I hated this week's episode. I love orzo, but I want my veggies chopped small to go with the pasta. I like a Greek-style sandwich/pita. but I don't want big lamb chunks stewed in tomatoes (clearly, proportion is important to me). If you're going to make peanut butter cups, a) don't put jelly in them and b) give me more than one!

And how good a spy was that CIA lady if she's not sure what information she's allowed to disclose?