Past Episodes: Chicken 100 Ways, Jeffrey, and Hampton Elite

[annzeepark914]

I heard the theme music (put the TV on FN so I wouldn't forget while doing other stuff), heard Ina's voice, and then the phone rang.  When do they repeat the Sunday morning show...will it be tomorrow afternoon at 4 PM?

[vera charles]

Today's episode repeats tomorrow at 4:00 and next Monday at 12:30. I see that last week's will be on again tomorrow at 12:30. I still haven't gotten around to watching it or this morning's that I recorded. Sunday at 10:00 am isn't a good time for me. :(

[smiley13]

Saw just a few minutes of today's cheese show.  She showed her "recipe" for parmesan crisps.  You grate the parmesan cheese then put it on a cookie sheet in piles and bake it.  Not much of a recipe.

[maggiemae]

But oh so delicious, and different. Love the parm crisps!

[larapu2000]

It bugged that a lot of the recipes in this cheese episode were kind of rehashed ideas from previous shows.  You're doing an entire show about one of the greatest ingredients ever created by man, and you can't come up with all new content?  COME ON, INA, we expect better because you've given us better!

 

I am interested in trying the bleu cheese souffle, though.

[annzeepark914]

I saw the "new" episode re: cheeses.  Everything looked familiar.  Ina has made just about everything in previous episodes. Parmesan crisps/fricos? Done!  Cheese souffle? Done! OTT cheese/heavy cream sauce on pasta? Done!  Shards of cheese in a silver bowl that she considers "enough" as an appetizer with cocktails? Done! This episode said "dialed in"...very disappointing.  I decided to stick around for the next episode and thank God it was an oldie with sweet Michael as they prepared Frank & Stephen's home with wonderful foods and lovely flowers + a fireplace ready to ignite once the friends returned from England.  I do believe Miss Ina has run out of ideas/recipes ;>(

[anneofcleves]

After the 800th fruit crumble I figured she'd pretty much run out of ideas.  But since she's the only remaining chef on this stupid network who makes food I would want to eat I stick with her.

[chessiegal]

I could watch Ina read the phonebook. And yeah, she cooks, a novelty these days on FN. And not crap from a church cookbook. If she's a snob or snooty, then I am too. I could see sharing a meal or cocktail with her. I met her at a book signing at Williams-Sonoma, and she could not have been friendlier or warmer. So since I shop at William-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Whole Foods, and make dinner from scratch almost every day, I'm sitting on the couch next to her, even if it's the snooty couch.

[LazyToaster]

I'm so glad to hear she really is friendly and warm since that's how I imagine her to be. I bet Jeffrey is nice too.

[jcbrown]

 

So since I shop at William-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Whole Foods, and make dinner from scratch almost every day, I'm sitting on the couch next to her, even if it's the snooty couch.

chessiegal, please save me a seat!

[larapu2000]

I don't mind so much that she phones it in for things like crisps, but I take personal offense to anyone phoning it in on the subject of cheese.  CHEESE!  Cheese!  Cheese.  I need more Ina cheese-related recipes, please.  

[maggiemae]

I can watch Ina over and over, even repeats. Like this the fricos.....I think thanks for reminding me! I've made them (but sadly not with the "good" parm) and they were delicious.

 

And I love her philosophy about learning 10 recipes and expanding on them. Also her theory on making one or two things and assembling another and buying another (like dessert) to complete a menu.

[annzeepark914]

I have a question about the cheese melted in the cast iron skillet under a broiler.  Ina showed this very hot skillet being placed on a table near slices of bread that can be dipped into the melted cheese.  Makes me hungry but...God forbid anyone's hand, arm brushes against that oven-hot skillet. I remember when she went to a restaurant in Manhattan and had this wonderful cheese dish...but I can't remember what the cast iron skillet looked like (or whether it had a handle). Even if you use an oven-proof baking dish...how do you protect hands and arms while providing this appetizer/meal on a table?

[ariel]

You need the heavy duty oven mittens that go up to your elbows. I learned this the hard way.

[motorcitymom65]

I cannot believe I just discovered there is a thread for this show. Ina is my all time favorite. I fell in love the first time I watched her, as she instructed me to use "good mayonnaise". Like someone up thread mentioned, I can watch her shows over and over again especially around the holidays. I work in the food business, but find myself watching FN less and less because no one seems to be actually cooking outside of all the competition shows, which I am pretty much burned out on. For the love of God, give me the old days when Alton, Wolfgang and Ina were inspiring me to ditch work to stay home and make something amazing. I loved feeling that I could do anything because they gave me confidence. Now I feel like a failure because I cannot figure out a way to make an appetizer out of spam, kiwi and jolly ranchers like the folks on Chopped can.

[larapu2000]

I wonder if I would like the smoked salmon deviled eggs.  I'm always looking for new ways to do eggs for parties (I literally serve them all the damn time, such an easy, low carb hors d'oeuvre!), and I'm not a fan of salmon most of the time, but especially raw/smoked/cured.  I think it's the texture?  Not sure.  Has anyone tried them that isn't a huge salmon fan?  Although I don't suppose one would try a recipe if you didn't like one of the major ingredients...

 

That mocha icebox cake always makes me drool.  Any suggestions for a good cookie to use in it?

 

Motorcitymom65, can I ask what you do in the food business?  I'm in sales for a food manufacturer and I totally agree with what you said about Food Network.  The Cooking Channel and PBS are my saving grace in this regard.

[vera charles]

 

That mocha icebox cake always makes me drool.  Any suggestions for a good cookie to use in it?

I made it for my son's birthday a couple of years ago and I couldn't find any super-thin chocolate chip cookies anywhere. I used the classic Nabisco Famous Wafers - the plain chocolate ones - and the cake was fantastic.

[3pwood]

 

I couldn't find any super-thin chocolate chip cookies anywhere.

 

Several months ago, I saw the Tate's Bake Shop thin chocolate chips named in the recipe at Cost Plus/World Market.

[annzeepark914]

If you have a Fresh Market in your area, they sell packages of thin, crispy, very chocolate-y chocolate cookies that would be wonderful in this recipe.  I find the Tate's chocolate chip cookies to be extremely salty tasting.

[vera charles]

I haven't made the cake again - it is huge, so you need a large group to eat it all up - but I have since seen the Tate's cookies in Wegman's. I haven't tried them but have heard from various sources that they are very salty.

[anneofcleves]

Vera, thanks for the recommendation on classic Nabisco Famous Wafers.  I've never seen them but will be on the lookout.  The only thing that has prevented me from trying that icebox cake is that I know it feeds a crowd.  I keep waiting for the right setting to serve it.

[LazyToaster]

I had those cookies growing up, seems like I remember they are not super sweet. Should be great in a recipe like that.

[motorcitymom65]

 

Motorcitymom65, can I ask what you do in the food business?  I'm in sales for a food manufacturer and I totally agree with what you said about Food Network.  The Cooking Channel and PBS are my saving grace in this regard.

I am also in sales for a food manufacturer, and also work on product development. I have been fortunate enough to work with a few chefs (celebrity and otherwise) to help them translate their recipes and visions from their kitchens to the grocery store shelves. Everyone seems to want to be mass-marketed now, but few succeed. The Cooking Channel is my savior as well.

Sorry, never tried the salmon deviled eggs. Not a fan of salmon in general - which sucks since about every other recipe out there seems to involve salmon.

[motorcitymom65]

I am excited to see that Ina is making one of my favorite recipes this week (Thursday at 4:00), which is Nick & Toni's Penne alla Vecchia Bettola (penne with vodka sauce to me). I have made it countless times for numerous guests and the reviews are always generous. I add sliced rotisserie chicken, which I understand is a no-no with vodka sauce, but it is so good that I don't care.

[vera charles]

anneofcleves, look for the Nabisco Famous Wafers in the area of the grocery story where they sell the baking items like flour and sugar. They aren't usually with the other cookies. They come in a cardboard box that is covered in a plastic sleeve - I think the box is yellow. They are not very sweet and also make a great chocolate pie crust, if you crush them up and use them as you would graham cracker crumbs in a graham cracker crust. No, I don't work for Nabisco. It just took my mother, my sister and me a long time to figure out where those cookies were in the store!

 

I did get to watch today's show this afternoon and I was disappointed that it was basically a clip show with recycled recipes. Ina has made the tomato soup with the grilled cheese croutons, the wheatberry salad and the broccoli with bowties before. Geez, I've made all of them myself, more than once. Is she really completely out of ideas? The cheese show a week or two ago was also a clip show. I haven't watched the one with Toni and the flower arranging, but I guess I can prepare myself for more of the same.

Edited August 24, 2014 by vera charles

[annzeepark914]

So, this morning's show was supposed to be new?  I missed it again, looked it up online and when I saw chicken w/ bowtie pasta, I figured it was an old episode.  I'll try to catch it tomorrow at 4 PM.  Ina needs us & our suggestions - in a big way!

[maggiemae]

Really, I would love to see an Ina recipe for stroganoff......

[Daisychain]

That is a great idea, maggiemae.  I basically learned to cook from watching this show and for a long time, the repetitiveness (repetition?) helped me internalize the basic principles and get to the point that I could do things without staring at the recipe.  Now I would love Ina to cook something completely new.

[Tahitigirl]

Ina has repeatedly said she doesn't use (or grow) fresh oregano...it's too strong and she prefers dried. But today on the repeat of Barefoot with Friends with Michael Simon, they're gathering herbs in her walled garden when Michael requests oregano. "I have oregano," says Ina as she directs him to a clay pot (not a bed). Whatcha bet they brought that in just for him.

[anneofcleves]

I don't know why the episode where Ina helps the young intern, Lidie (sp?), throw a housewarming party bothers me so much.  Ina is/was an experienced caterer, yet she feeds these poor people whole chicken breasts and corn on the cob for them to eat while standing.  Even some of the shots of the people trying to push the chicken around seemed awkward.  What, do they ask someone else to hold the plate for them while they cut their chicken?  lol.

 

I get that it's "just for tv", but a little common sense would be nice here.  You don't serve knife-and-fork or two-handed food for people who will be standing to eat.

Edited September 7, 2014 by anneofcleves

[Iguessnot]

Was that the episode where she put out 2 foot long baguettes expecting her guests to tear off a chunk although it would be physically impossible in a buffet line with one hand holding your plate? Makes one think that Ina is senile and/or her staff is falling under the emperor has no clothes scenario.

Edited September 7, 2014 by Iguessnot

[Diane]

I agree with the baguettes, but the corn she cut off the cob and made the avocado, corn and tomato salad. Plus do you really want everyone grabbing the bread with their hands. yuck.

[Lura]

I was excited to see that Ina's friend Tony (Toni?) would be her guest on a new show, but I was disappointed by the end of the show over Ina's treatment of her friend.  Maybe I'm entirely wrong, but it seemed to me that Ina was bored stiff with Toni's flower arranging lesson.  After all, when the great Marianne of Paris has taught you the same lesson, what can Toni possibly add to the exercise? *sarcasm* 

[anneofcleves]

 

I agree with the baguettes, but the corn she cut off the cob and made the avocado, corn and tomato salad. Plus do you really want everyone grabbing the bread with their hands.

 

I swear I saw half-ears of corn on their plates.

[Aquarius]

I swear I saw half-ears of corn on their plates.

Nope, she cut the corn off the cob then broke it up with her fingers as she put it in the bowl. Maybe what looked like half ears of corn were huge hunks of baguette? What a stupid way to serve it that was.

[Lura]

I guess I'm probably the last person to discover that many of the Tate Bake Shop cookies are sold in stores.  We discovered this recently on a trip to New England.  If you go to the Tate Bake Shop site, you can find out where they're sold in your area of the country. Some are even made gluten free.  My own favorite is Macadamia Nut Chocolate Chip.

 

Has anyone made Ina's recipe for these cookies?  I made them once from the Tate Bake Shop cookbook, and I was so disappointed.  Sold in the stores, the cookies are thin and crisp, but the ones I made came out hard and thicker.  Can anyone shed some light on this?  I'd sure like to know why the recipe doesn't turn out cookies that taste like hers.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Lura

[MissT]

Is so wierd -- I was just at Costco yesterday and purchased a box of Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They are absolutely delicious.   I never heard of them before. 

[MargeGunderson]

Is so wierd -- I was just at Costco yesterday and purchased a box of Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They are absolutely delicious.   I never heard of them before. 

 

I generally prefer my cookies softer rather than crisp, but bought the Tate's cookies just to make the Mocha Icebox Cake. I used the chocolate chocolate chip cookies and the result was magnificent. I hadn't made a icebox cake before but it totally made me (and my very skeptical husband) a believer.

[Lura]

Oh, boy!  I am so excited!  I found Tate Bake Shop cookies at Safeway.  They were out of my favorites (Chocolate Chip with Macadamia Nuts), but they had regular Chocolate Chips.  They seem to be selling like hot cakes, so I think it won't be long before they'll be in every store.

[LuciaMia]

 

I am interested in trying the bleu cheese souffle, though.

Gonna have to look up The Cheese Show over at Food Network. Sounds so good.

 

The bleu cheese souffle reminded me of an old food piece from the New York Times. The writer relates his travails in trying to replicate Alice Water's classic goat cheese souffle. His dinner guests keep complaining "Not goatie enough."  He finally wonders if he should throw some hay around on the floor.

[chessiegal]

I watched part of Ina's trip to Brooklyn this morning. I can't say how refreshing it is to hear someone who knows the proper use of the objective case of the personal pronoun.

[Jo Cooker]

Exactly. Chessigal. She mentioned Jeffrey and me a few times.

[anneofcleves]

One of my favorite shows for entertaining absurdity aired - Baby's First Bash!  Eating late, outside on a cold, dark, windy Hamptons night with nothing but scary lighting, a roaring fire pit, and a spectacularly messy plate of spaghetti to amuse the tykes.  Have some more wine, Mom, you'll get through it.  And here kids, have some truffle-flavored choking hazard, er, popcorn.  It's fabulous!

 

On a less snarky note, her turkey meatballs are great.  I normally abhor ground turkey, but Ina manages to make it delicious.

[WhitneyWhit]

That has to be one of, if not the most, WTF episode she's ever done. Such an odd meal; popcorn and a big bowl of spaghetti. She could have at least served a salad and some bread.

[Viqutorious]

She really does not seem to get kids at all. I am not implying she should because she is a woman, but her level of ignorance surprises me.

[Bastet]

I wouldn't have any idea how to cook for or entertain a child, nor do I have the slightest interest in learning how to do so.  So I understand the lack of inclination; I'd rather cut off half my toe and soak my foot in alcohol than be around children.  But if I had a cooking show, it would behoove me to either not feature children or figure out how to integrate them naturally into the storyline.

 

But the oddest part of the episode for me is making a storyline out of the "lighting design."  Other than the infant, anyone present could have done just as good a job.

[Diane]

One of my favorite shows for entertaining absurdity aired - Baby's First Bash!  Eating late, outside on a cold, dark, windy Hamptons night with nothing but scary lighting, a roaring fire pit, and a spectacularly messy plate of spaghetti to amuse the tykes.  Have some more wine, Mom, you'll get through it.  And here kids, have some truffle-flavored choking hazard, er, popcorn.  It's fabulous!

 

On a less snarky note, her turkey meatballs are great.  I normally abhor ground turkey, but Ina manages to make it delicious.

Oh good lord, I love to laugh all the way through that episode.  They all were really good sports about it.

[jcbrown]

 

I wouldn't have any idea how to cook for or entertain a child, nor do I have the slightest interest in learning how to do so.  So I understand the lack of inclination; I'd rather cut off half my toe and soak my foot in alcohol than be around children.  But if I had a cooking show, it would behoove me to either not feature children or figure out how to integrate them naturally into the storyline.

I'm with you on having zero inclination to spend time around kids, Bastet. In fact, I once started to invite my in-laws for Christmas before realizing that would put several small children in my house. It baffles me, as well, why Ina features children in her show when she shows so little interest in or understanding of them. I wonder if it is because FN has those asinine weekends on cooking with kids and they force her into the format? Just makes no sense to me.

[annzeepark914]

The last time I invited a young family over (for a small dinner party), after dinner, while the adults were sitting around the table with our coffee, the two year old, wearing her cute Mary Jane's, climbed up on her mommy's lap and mommy breastfed her. 

[anneofcleves]

 

After dinner, while the adults were sitting around the table with our coffee, the two year old, wearing her cute Mary Jane's, climbed up on her mommy's lap and mommy breastfed her.

Oh, can you imagine if that happened at Ina's?  She be all a-titter, laughing, jumping up proclaiming she just has to get back to the kitchen for one last special surprise - don't have fun without me!  And then she'd quietly pound 4 pomegranate cosmos.