All Episodes Talk

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Who has space in their fridge for all these cookie sheets loaded with ingredients? You'd need one whole fridge just for them! 

Pfft, do you mean to tell us that you don't have a "lodge" (read spare house) on your ranch? How un-boot strappy of you

On 5/24/2016 at 6:18 PM, MissT said:

Does anyone know how the show is doing in the ratings?    I don't watch her show anymore because it so bad.  Like everyone stared, she doesn't even cook.   I haven't watched in months.  I watch Create.  

Hubby and I hate-watch every now and then. FN is such a mess right now, I have no idea how any of this crap is doing in the ratings.

[autumnh]

17 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Pfft, do you mean to tell us that you don't have a "lodge" (read spare house) on your ranch? How un-boot strappy of you

Hubby and I hate-watch every now and then. FN is such a mess right now, I have no idea how any of this crap is doing in the ratings.

 

I agree...i've been watching less...too much competition and well why is Valerie Bertinelli all over these shows? I didn't know she was an expert.

Maybe she'll end up at the lodge one day to cook some cowboy food.

[Kohola3]

Quote

Maybe she'll end up at the lodge one day to cook some cowboy food.

Italian cowboy food.

[tenativelyyours]

On 5/23/2016 at 3:48 PM, sabretooth said:

This! Of all the times to use frozen pizza dough, whack-a-dough or the old "get it from your local pizzeria" tip, this recipe would have been it. Then again, the pre-acquired dough would not have had the extra touch of the grated garlic and the cayenne added in.

I get that meal prep is a big thing right now. My FB newsfeed has a small population who think they are abject failures at life if they do not make an entire week's worth of lunches, snacks and side dishes on Sunday afternoons. But PW takes a left turn at Albuquerque with her style. Who has space in their fridge for all these cookie sheets loaded with ingredients? You'd need one whole fridge just for them! 

And is it really that hard to mix ricotta, salt, lemon zest and parsley right before you add it to the oily pasta, wilted spinach and slimy mushrooms? I kept thinking that the premixed cheese goo would end up sitting in a watery mess and the parsley would have turned brown (depending on how long you left it in the fridge).

I also got a chuckle out of her talking heads in front of the wire storage racks of PW WalMart gear. Subtle, this show is not. 

 

I get prepping certain things that can take time.  I have blanched veggies for stir fries and pasta dishes to make later in the week when I know I will get home late and still want a real meal.  I have gotten really good locally sourced ground beef and gone to town with it making up patties and then browning the rest with garlic because I can then make some kind of taco/burrito/loaded nacho thing or put it on fresh made pizza or in some kind of sauce for pasta as the mood strikes me.  But the balance it to do things that truly take away time but not flavor.  Mixing the cheese like that seemed asinine and needless.  Food preparation involved chemistry.  Maybe it would be fine.  But an acid in with a culture?  It definitely would react in some way.  I can see maybe making a sort of parsley, lemon zest gremolata/pesto mix that would keep in the fridge that you could then tap into for the ricotta and also use for salad dressings and simple seasoning for pasta on its own or on fish or meat. 

And I definitely don't see how that is saving time.  What exactly are you doing while the pasta water boils?  And the pasta cooks?  More and more I think this woman doesn't actually know how to really cook in the real world.   Take away the episode premise and simply turn her loose into the kitchen and have her cook a real meal and I would be fascinated to see the process and the results. 

[Westiepeach]

I always cook all my meals for the week on Sundays. Lunches and dinners. Best habit I ever adopted. I have my own graphic design business and some days I am working late on deadlines. Or I come home the regular time but my brain is too full to think about meal prep. Or I have a taste for chicken and Husband has a taste for meatloaf. Whatever the reason, killing it for 2-3 hours on a Sunday afternoon has saved my sanity. And kept all of us well-fed. Plus a lot of meals taste better the next day ... or 2.

[SanLynn]

The best thing about todays "Burning 101" show (didn't she already do an episode with that title?) was all the "men-folk" trying to tell us where to find her recipes. It's a sad state of affairs over there on ye ole ranch.

[autumnh]

On 11/18/2014 at 10:10 PM, tabloidlover said:

I always thought the same thing - how gross!  But, a couple of years ago my brother in law (Mr Bigshot Businessman) brought it to Thanksgiving.  So, I had a piece to be polite and LOVED it! I cannot explain it, other than the combination of sweet and salty that was fantastic! 

 

I love it too! I am ALL about the sweet and salty!

Ok...I was raised where my mom made one dinner....you either ate it, or you went hungry lol. I adopted that same policy with my son...I am not a short order cook. There is no boy/girl food...it is just food so eat up! lol

[grisgris]

Has anybody else noticed how we're seeing more and more of Ladd each episode? I wonder if that's to detract from the retread recipes? I laughed myself silly at the scene with him walking along through the barren smoldering pasture, like he was the last man living after the apocalypse or something.

Glad they finally explained about kicking cow patties. I actually thought it was some type of snarky joke or euphemism about more or less sitting on your fat ass and doing nothing. I guess not.

There wasn't the slightest thing new or interesting about today's recipes. Jalapenos, green onions, lime juice. Lather, rinse repeat. I wish some flunky on the FN set would get adventurous and slip Ree a scotch bonnet sometime. That was some really potent jerk chicken there with a few measly hala-pee-nose and a buttload of allspice!

[anneofcleves]

I found the pasture burning episode to be fascinating, because it totally explained why Ladd's dad sounds like he's smoked a pack of Marlboro reds every day since weaned from his mother's breast.  I can't imagine why they don't wear any sort of protective gear to protect their airways while burning pastureland. That's not a one-day event, and they're breathing in a lot of smoke.

At any rate, I actually thought what she made today looked pretty good.  The chicken and the corn salad in particular.  I decided to give her jerk chicken a try on Monday and will report back on how it is.

[jcbrown]

Quote

I can't imagine why they don't wear any sort of protective gear to protect their airways while burning pastureland. That's not a one-day event, and they're breathing in a lot of smoke.

I wondered the same thing, especially after FN aired two episodes about burning one right after the other. I have allergic asthma so I may be more careful about protecting my breathing than some but I thought stomping around in all that smoke without even a mask looked dumb beyond belief.

And WHY does she wear her hair long and scraggly all. the. time? She would look better with 6 to 8 inches lopped off but I suppose there is nothing to do about the rodenty face.

At least the girls were outside ruining their lungs this episode, too, instead of the usual crapfest of dividing food based on your chromosomes. Gak.

[grisgris]

Ugh. I think now that Ina's (and now Ree's) "taste-test" shows must be producer-driven. They are contrived and awkward no matter whose recipes are in the line of fire. I actually enjoyed Ree's approach better as there were several victims, as opposed to Ina foisting food on either Jeffrey or her "hostage" employees, who'd better pick Ina's new and improved choice.

That said, the favorable comparison ends there for Ree. For the chicken salads, that dressing base looked like it was sponsored by the American Dairy Council with milk, cream, (sour cream?) in addition to the heavy dose of mayo. (I guess buttermilk got the day off.)  I think I would have swapped out the grapes for pieces of mango or something for the curry chicken salad. (Or left them out altogether.) Otherwise, they were really too similar.

Whenever I've tried to cook or bake a recipe with Brie, I find that unless I cut it up into small even pieces, you're going to end up with big lumps of semi-melted cheese (which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) I also don't mind the rind, if I know it's there. I'm not sure how the unsuspecting customer would feel about the surprise of biting into a piece of rind that didn't melt completely. (I don't see how it could given the way everything was piled into the quiche crust.)

Corned beef and cabbage quiche sounds like an overall bad idea, even for St. Patrick's Day!  Dijon mustard really adds that authentic Irish touch.

I don't care for bread pudding, plain or fancy, so neither recipe appealed to me. Was drowning both samples in whiskey cream sauce supposed to level the playing field?

Ree stood there and proudly defended her stance about serving simple folksy food, but then went ahead with the straw poll results to offer something different. I'm not saying that curry powder, brie and challah bread are exotic ingredients, but in Ree's world, they apparently are. The menfolk who pony up to the lunch counter are going to be none too happy to fill up on girly quiche with green vegetables and fancy French cheese or "spicy" chicken salad.

I'm also curious as to who is going to patronize the "merc."  Ree doesn't plan to do all of the cooking for the restaurant does she? I heard her say they are going to sell carry-out meals. Was perhaps the episode the other week about meal packets to portend "Drummond's Doorbell Dinners?"

[maggiemae]

LOL - What I have noticed is Ree goes to the grocery store and Ladd takes the kids to get cowboy boots. They can never support the town merchants by buying an ince cream cone for their kids, or taking them to a restaurant. Instead Ree drives miles and miles to go make a snack and bring it back to the parade or whatever.

And now she is going to tear into the merchants customers with her Merc. When is enough, enough for her?

[anneofcleves]

14 hours ago, grisgris said:

Whenever I've tried to cook or bake a recipe with Brie, I find that unless I cut it up into small even pieces, you're going to end up with big lumps of semi-melted cheese (which isn't necessarily a bad thing.) I also don't mind the rind, if I know it's there. I'm not sure how the unsuspecting customer would feel about the surprise of biting into a piece of rind that didn't melt completely. (I don't see how it could given the way everything was piled into the quiche crust.)

I agree with you grisgris about the size of those chunks of cheese.  They were enormous.  As she was making it I kept thinking that she needed about twice the broccoli (cut up a little more finely) and about 1/2 of the cheese (with much smaller dice).  

And I will dye my hair neon orange if that broccoli and Brie quiche shows up on the menu of that mercantile.  Her customers are barely going to be able to handle the flavor of feta or blue cheese, let alone Brie.  

Speaking of neon orange hair...Did anyone else notice the condition of her hair in the shots of her driving the truck to "the merc"?  When the sunlight hit it you could really see how straw-like the texture is. I'm sure some of that is the fact that her hair is really thin and too long to wear in whatever style it is she calls that mess of a hairdo, but she really, really needs to lay off that red color.  I wonder if Missy has to bite her tongue around Ree about it?  Missy's hair is so natural and flattering, by comparison.  Stick a fork in it, Ree.  Your hair is fried.

Edited June 5, 2016 by anneofcleves

[Kohola3]

Quote

And I will dye my hair neon orange if that broccoli and Brie quiche shows up on the menu of that mercantile.  Her customers are barely going to be able to handle the flavor of feta or blue cheese, let alone Brie.  

Will her down home customers even be able to pronounce quiche?  Maybe she will have to rename it egg pie.

[grisgris]

I used to have my hair colored red for years and years. (My natural hair color is/was light-medium brown with just enough red undertones to qualify as being slightly "auburn.") Anyway, yes, dyed red hair is a PITA to deal with.  You have to be meticulous with the color-preserving shampoos and KEEPING IT PROTECTED FROM THE SUN! Otherwise, the hue fades in less than two weeks and there goes your expensive color job. (Don't even think about trying red color at home unless you're a professional.) Also, the chemicals used in red hair dye are very harsh and can dry out your hair (especially if you're trying to cover gray), so frequent cuts/trims and deep conditioning treatments are a must.

I finally quit abusing my hair and went back to brown with blonde/caramel highlights (That only need attention about every couple of months, as opposed to every four weeks.) I hate the look of dyed red hair on older women, especially when paired with heavy-handed eye makeup. The look is so harsh and unflattering.

Yes. Ree needs a good age-appropriate haircut/style and at the very least, tone the color W-A-A-Y down to maybe a dark auburn-brown.

[Diane]

11 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

I agree with you grisgris about the size of those chunks of cheese.  They were enormous.  As she was making it I kept thinking that she needed about twice the broccoli (cut up a little more finely) and about 1/2 of the cheese (with much smaller dice).  

And I will dye my hair neon orange if that broccoli and Brie quiche shows up on the menu of that mercantile.  Her customers are barely going to be able to handle the flavor of feta or blue cheese, let alone Brie.  

Speaking of neon orange hair...Did anyone else notice the condition of her hair in the shots of her driving the truck to "the merc"?  When the sunlight hit it you could really see how straw-like the texture is. I'm sure some of that is the fact that her hair is really thin and too long to wear in whatever style it is she calls that mess of a hairdo, but she really, really needs to lay off that red color.  I wonder if Missy has to bite her tongue around Ree about it?  Missy's hair is so natural and flattering, by comparison.  Stick a fork in it, Ree.  Your hair is fried.

Ok that's just a bit offensive, I live in Oklahoma and love feta, blue cheese and Brie. Don't make assumptions, it's just rude.  I also have been eating quiche for many years.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Diane

[anneofcleves]

Diane, I am sorry that I offended you.  That was certainly not my intent.  I was attempting to poke at Ree's stereotyping of the people she tends to feed (people who shy away from vegetables, can't stand a little wine in a sauce, cringe at the thought of a cheese rind, etc.)

[Diane]

29 minutes ago, anneofcleves said:

Diane, I am sorry that I offended you.  That was certainly not my intent.  I was attempting to poke at Ree's stereotyping of the people she tends to feed (people who shy away from vegetables, can't stand a little wine in a sauce, cringe at the thought of a cheese rind, etc.)

Anneofcleves thank you. Not a fan of her cooking show, but we do have some amazing food in Tulsa.  Wonderful farmers markets and some amazing farm to table restaurants. She is way over the top, but we have a pretty great foodie culture here. By the way I love Ina and can't for the life of me understand how they can be produced by the same people.

[Albino]

At the risk of being chased off the board with pitchforks and torches, I have to say that I like Pioneer Woman. 

I've made her salisbury steak and baked ziti and both are fantastic.  Of course, my mom was from Missouri and made very simple mid-western food so that's what I'm used to, and what I turn to over and over again. I will admit that Ree's desserts make me queasy.  Let a brownie be a brownie...no need to dump gummi bears and whipped cream and crushed Oreos on them.  The 6-ft long sundae she made for her son's "surprise" birthday party was just horrifying.

Yeah she uses a lot of unhealthy, fattening ingredients and her recipes aren't original but honestly, the same can be said for Ina and Trisha and Giada and that shriek-y farmhouse lady.  

Am I broken?  

[savingsanta]

20 minutes ago, Albino said:

At the risk of being chased off the board with pitchforks and torches, I have to say that I like Pioneer Woman. 

[...]

Yeah she uses a lot of unhealthy, fattening ingredients and her recipes aren't original but honestly, the same can be said for Ina and Trisha and Giada and that shriek-y farmhouse lady.  

Am I broken?  

I should think that we've moved beyond the use of pitchforks in our society. Everyone has their own tastes.

After all, there's a reason people like recipes that are laden with fat, calories, sodium, and sugar: they taste good. I'm a self-described "food snob" but even I'll admit that a grilled cheese sandwich made with white bread and American cheese is the gold standard. I mean, I eat one perhaps once a year, but dang, it's tasty! Same with green bean casserole with the canned soup, prepackaged onions, and frozen beans. I get it! And when Ree doesn't gild the lily, her recipes are serviceable comfort food basics. Of course people like them. We've liked baked ziti since time immemorial. What's not to like?

However, her show has become a parody of "middle America" with increasingly outlandish portions of cheese, meat, cream, butter, and canned goods that's both nauseating and irresponsible. There's little to no indication that it might be ill-advised to consume half-pound burgers topped with pepperoni and three kinds of cheese or dump seven cans plus Velveeta of all things into a pot and call it a day. And I don't buy the argument that she doesn't have any responsibility in this area. I also don't buy the argument regarding the amount of physical labor her family does, like that makes consuming an entire week's worth of saturated fat in one sitting acceptable.

I don't think it's fair to compare Ree to Giada and Ina, who have a lot more experience in food preparation. Giada's show also took a definite turn towards the healthy spectrum as her career progressed. Additionally, Ina delighted in preparing more decadent French dishes but never pretended that they were something she ate every day. All my own opinion, of course, but I got the impression that she found the techniques more exciting than the ingredients.

I feel like the "I can find that in my church cookbook" criticism finally penetrated Ree's bubble, and ever since she's been determined to show people how "original" she is by dumping every ingredient under the sun into her recipes. "That will show them!" I imagine her saying, glowing with satisfaction while her family stares in mute fascination at their cheeseburger-Cajun-fajita-Chinese-takeout-inspired "cowboy" casserole.

TL;DR: she's unoriginal, self-satisfied, and her more recent recipes are horrific.

[ariel]

5 hours ago, Albino said:

 

Yeah she uses a lot of unhealthy, fattening ingredients and her recipes aren't original but honestly, the same can be said for Ina and Trisha and Giada and that shriek-y farmhouse lady.  

I'd rather eat a homemade recipe from the "farmhouse lady" than Ree.  The FH lady has gotten much less shrieky over the years & has improved her presentation. I can't say the same for Ree.

eta - the "Farm House Lady's" name is Nancy Fuller. 

Edited June 7, 2016 by ariel

[chakajo]

Ree is so lame. I see another show coming here. This is the second time that she mentioned Hy's soon to be daughter in law. I think she will cook the food for the wedding shower. That show was gagtastic. Who the hell puts chunks of cheese in a quiche.  I say bs when her friends said that crap tasted good. I am also noticing that she has Walmart goods all over her kitchen and she is using them as if she does. By the way, I can't stand Hy, I think she is so pretentious. She probably have her friends there to make her the center of attention.

[peacheslatour]

I think the thing that irks me the most about Ree is her "I'm just a simple country girl" act. She could buy and sell any of us here. She can afford to feed her family healthy food and I bet they'd eat it. But, she insists on making unimaginative garbage that most ghetto dwellers would be ashamed to put on their tables. And that name! Calling herself Pioneer Woman leads one to imagine a woman of hearty stock, out working in her garden, harvesting eggs and milking cows. With a baby on one hip and a rifle on the other. Baking her own bread and sewing the family's clothes. Instead we get a social butterfly who swans around her rural sycophants like the Queen of the fucking May. Ma Ingalls would be appalled!

[ariel]

Ree has very few ingredients in her "recipe's" that doesn't include lots of pre- processed crap.  Nothing "pioneer" about that.

Edited June 7, 2016 by ariel

[Lura]

I watched an old show last night on which Ree made lasagna for the everyone who ride the range.  The show itself was pretty gag-worthy IMHO.  For instance, if you're cooking a meal, including a baked dessert for a family of six, plus 1,001 cowpokes, how is it that your fridge is totally empty, devoid of everything including a catsup bottle?

Anyway, I have a question about Ree's lasagna.  Ree credits her mom for the recipe. She makes it with cottage cheese, like they did back in my high school days.  She says that Ladd would kill himself before he'd eat cottage cheese, so she uses it anyway!   I'm in his camp. I thought the "newer" recipes called for ricotta.  How do you make your lasagna?  With cottage cheese or with something else?  Thanks for weighing in on this.

[anneofcleves]

My preferred lasagna is made with a besciamella and either Parmesan or Romano for cheese.  Layer with a good, homemade Bolognese for a red lasagna, or layer with grilled or roasted vegetables for a vegetarian lasagna.  I like the American-style lasagna made with ricotta and grated melting cheeses, but I think the ones made with the white sauce a lighter.

As for Ree, I grew up eating lasagna made with cottage cheese because that is what we could get.  Her recipe looks just like the basic stuff my mom would have made.  Good, but nothing fantastic.  If I'm going to bother to make lasagna, it's going to be a little more special.  I think whole milk ricotta, especially if you can find a local place that makes it, is better and creamier than cottage cheese.  If you have to use cottage cheese, I think pureeing the curds and mixing in some beaten egg helps with the texture that sleeves some people out.

[Kohola3]

When I was young we couldn't afford ricotta so my mom used cottage cheese mixed with beaten egg.

[jcbrown]

I always thought ricotta was disgusting when I was a kid until I learned it was actually cottage cheese in my mom's lasagna. I don't know that she could get ricotta. Cottage cheese, IMHO, is gross. Ricotta is not.

Edited June 10, 2016 by jcbrown

[peacheslatour]

My mom always used ricotta. My aunt made lasagna once and she used cottage, but then my aunt was a notoriously bad cook. As I say she only made it once. It was pretty watery, but no one said anything. I think the cottage cheese thing comes from women's magazines from the '50's because unless you lived in an area with a large Italian population, it was hard to find ricotta.

When I make it I used whole milk ricotta, fresh mozerella, romano and parmesan.

[Fostersmom]

I grew up with lasagna having ricotta and diced hard boiled eggs… not mixed together. A beaten egg would get mixed into the ricotta and that would be spread on a couple of the layers of noodles, the middle layer of the ricotta mix would get sprinkled with the hard boiled eggs too. That's how my Italian grandma taught my non Italian mom how to make it for my dad. 

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

I grew up with lasagna having ricotta and diced hard boiled eggs… not mixed together. A beaten egg would get mixed into the ricotta and that would be spread on a couple of the layers of noodles, the middle layer of the ricotta mix would get sprinkled with the hard boiled eggs too. That's how my Italian grandma taught my non Italian mom how to make it for my dad. 

That's interesting. I've never had it that way, but maybe like all peasant dishes (which lasagne certainly is) people just used up what they had. I do mix a beaten egg into my ricotta, though.

[grisgris]

Hey, did anybody happen to catch the name of the guy who was helping Ladd fix fences today? Ree and Ladd mentioned "Tim Kill (sp?)" so many times that I thought the guy was running for office or something.  Seriously. Is he somebody of significance that we should know about?

I think that the marinade that Ree drowned those poor rib eyes in finally surpasses any crimes Aunt Sandy committed against meat with her seasoning packet/booze concoctions. Let's see, there was olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, cumin, chipotle pepper, soy sauce and I am sure I must be leaving something out. Then to waste such a scrumptious (well, not any more) cut of meat in a QUESADILLA, well, I can not speak. All the while Ree was mixing up that vat of heinousness, she kept stating that rib eye steak didn't need any extra kind of flavoring, so you point is?

We've seen the vat o'beans and skillet apple pie before. I was happy to be spared having to watch Ladd and TIM KILL squee over having pie with vanilla ice cream and probably a drizzle of caramel ice cream syrup over the top and a handful of Swedish fish or something.

That "taco salad" had to be about the most uninspired, laziest dish ever.

Ree was really phoning it in for this episode. Even the segments with Ladd and TIM KILL were boring. I think I'll replace "watching paint dry" with "wrapping barbed wire." /eyeroll. Speaking of, Ree's lame barbs about helping out with the fence-mending were getting on my last nerve, probably Ladd's as well. It's abundantly clear that Ree doesn't get her hands dirty around the ranch.

Edited June 12, 2016 by grisgris

[autumnh]

43 minutes ago, grisgris said:

Hey, did anybody happen to catch the name of the guy who was helping Ladd fix fences today? Ree and Ladd mentioned "Tim Kill (sp?)" so many times that I thought the guy was running for office or something.  Seriously. I he somebody of significance that we should know about?

I think that the marinade that Ree drowned those poor rib eyes in finally surpass any crimes Aunt Sandy committed against meat with her seasoning packet/booze concoctions. Let's see, there was olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, cumin, chipotle pepper, soy sauce and I am sure I must be leaving something out. Then to waste such a scrumptious (well, not any more) cut of meat in a QUESADILLA, well, I can not speak. All the while Ree was mixing up that vat of heinousness, she kept stating that rib eye steak didn't need any extra kind of flavoring, so you point is?

We've seen the vat o'beans and skillet apple pie before. I was happy to be spared having to watch Ladd and TIM KILL squee over having pie with vanilla ice cream and probably a drizzle of caramel ice cream syrup over the top and a handful of Swedish fish or something.

That "taco salad" had to be about the most uninspired, laziest dish ever.

Ree was really phoning it in for this episode. Even the segments with Ladd and TIM KILL were boring. I think I'll replace "watching paint dry" with "wrapping barbed wire." /eyeroll. Speaking of, Ree's lame barbs about helping out with the fence-mending were getting on my last nerve, probably Ladd's as well. It's abundantly clear that Ree doesn't get her hands dirty around the ranch.

 

Yep...Tim Kill.

I also agree with you about her phoning it in...it is the same type of recipe every week with a new added ingredient or cooked in a different pot. I was like oh lookie...more Quesadillas, Beans, salad (I was shocked she didn't make her usual gloppy mayo, sour cream ranch dressing) and apple crisp! ugh..Ladd is becoming more prominent....maybe they are sticking him in the show more while Ree steals recipes off of Pinterest lol

[chakajo]

Is Ree's mom still alive, she always refer to her in the past tense. Don't know

[Viqutorious]

Quesadilla recipe number?  The ribeyes were huge, they had to be 2.5 inches thick. Her instructions were to cook it 4 minutes a side! That would be below rare on that thick of a steak.

I agree on the salad, bottled ranch dressing with taco seasoning on iceberg lettuce and top with taco Doritos.. Seriously how is this on a show?

[txvoodoo]

On 6/9/2016 at 11:21 PM, Lura said:

I watched an old show last night on which Ree made lasagna for the everyone who ride the range.  The show itself was pretty gag-worthy IMHO.  For instance, if you're cooking a meal, including a baked dessert for a family of six, plus 1,001 cowpokes, how is it that your fridge is totally empty, devoid of everything including a catsup bottle?

Anyway, I have a question about Ree's lasagna.  Ree credits her mom for the recipe. She makes it with cottage cheese, like they did back in my high school days.  She says that Ladd would kill himself before he'd eat cottage cheese, so she uses it anyway!   I'm in his camp. I thought the "newer" recipes called for ricotta.  How do you make your lasagna?  With cottage cheese or with something else?  Thanks for weighing in on this.

 

12 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

I grew up with lasagna having ricotta and diced hard boiled eggs… not mixed together. A beaten egg would get mixed into the ricotta and that would be spread on a couple of the layers of noodles, the middle layer of the ricotta mix would get sprinkled with the hard boiled eggs too. That's how my Italian grandma taught my non Italian mom how to make it for my dad. 

My Sicilian grandmother's recipe uses ricotta, not a bechamel. Also, a marinara sauce, crumbled sausage, and mozzarella. 

The hardboiled eggs thing was pretty common in Sicilian dishes. My grandmother told me it was because meat (beef) wasn't common there, but everyone could have a chicken and eggs, so it was a good way of adding protein. She'd put them in stuffed peppers, or in spinach rollup things (involtini?), and other dishes. She'd use egg in soups, too - we have one recipe for "squash soup" (zuchinni, onion & potato in a tomato base) where the last step is some egg whisked with grated cheese & poured over the soup, where it turns into a sponge which soaks up the flavors. Great way of adding in protein for a hungry family.

 

5 hours ago, grisgris said:

Hey, did anybody happen to catch the name of the guy who was helping Ladd fix fences today? Ree and Ladd mentioned "Tim Kill (sp?)" so many times that I thought the guy was running for office or something.  Seriously. Is he somebody of significance that we should know about?

I think that the marinade that Ree drowned those poor rib eyes in finally surpasses any crimes Aunt Sandy committed against meat with her seasoning packet/booze concoctions. Let's see, there was olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, cumin, chipotle pepper, soy sauce and I am sure I must be leaving something out. Then to waste such a scrumptious (well, not any more) cut of meat in a QUESADILLA, well, I can not speak. All the while Ree was mixing up that vat of heinousness, she kept stating that rib eye steak didn't need any extra kind of flavoring, so you point is?

We've seen the vat o'beans and skillet apple pie before. I was happy to be spared having to watch Ladd and TIM KILL squee over having pie with vanilla ice cream and probably a drizzle of caramel ice cream syrup over the top and a handful of Swedish fish or something.

That "taco salad" had to be about the most uninspired, laziest dish ever.

Ree was really phoning it in for this episode. Even the segments with Ladd and TIM KILL were boring. I think I'll replace "watching paint dry" with "wrapping barbed wire." /eyeroll. Speaking of, Ree's lame barbs about helping out with the fence-mending were getting on my last nerve, probably Ladd's as well. It's abundantly clear that Ree doesn't get her hands dirty around the ranch.

Yet. Another. Fence. Episode. If this really is their life, it is the most boring one ever. 

It's such a freaking waste of money to use that steak in a quesadilla. GAH.

[anneofcleves]

Boy howdy, do I agree with everyone about the steak quesadilla episode.  I mean, another quesadilla show - that requires no explanation.  But those steaks?  2-3 inch rib eyes would involve an entire week's grocery budget for many, and she blows it on a lunch.  Buried in a quesadilla under a pile of jack cheese, poblanos, and raw onion.  And who in the world marinates a steak like that (said in my best Nancy Kerrigan style "why, why, why..." tone of voice)?   And how dumb does she think we are to think a steak like that would be properly cooked on a grill pan in a non-commercial kitchen without a little time in the oven to finish?  

My beloved father, God rest his soul, would weep if he saw what she did to that steak. The only thing a steak like that needs is to be cooked rare (by someone who knows what they're doing).  Served with a couple of Manhattans.

Then the dunderhead manages to make the entire meal taste like Taco Bell by serving it with a salad covered with gelatinous, bottled ranch dressing (gag) mixed with taco seasoning and crushed Doritos.  I'm pretty sure Sandra Lee had that recipe trademarked.

Good Lord.

[autumnh]

8 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

 

My Sicilian grandmother's recipe uses ricotta, not a bechamel. Also, a marinara sauce, crumbled sausage, and mozzarella. 

The hardboiled eggs thing was pretty common in Sicilian dishes. My grandmother told me it was because meat (beef) wasn't common there, but everyone could have a chicken and eggs, so it was a good way of adding protein. She'd put them in stuffed peppers, or in spinach rollup things (involtini?), and other dishes. She'd use egg in soups, too - we have one recipe for "squash soup" (zuchinni, onion & potato in a tomato base) where the last step is some egg whisked with grated cheese & poured over the soup, where it turns into a sponge which soaks up the flavors. Great way of adding in protein for a hungry family.

 

Yet. Another. Fence. Episode. If this really is their life, it is the most boring one ever. 

It's such a freaking waste of money to use that steak in a quesadilla. GAH.

 

Naples here!

 

Always ricotta....no bechamel...I think it is more of an americanized thing but I have seen Giada use it...it piques my interest sometimes and well, looks delicious lol

Sunday here so sauce has been on since 8am with Braciole and sausage and meatballs! smells delicious!

[SanLynn]

Don't know why I'm surprised but I can't believe she used a rib-eye steak in her Quesadilla. I'm pretty sure that is a crime against nature. Especially drowned in that God-Awful "Marinade". 

Edited June 12, 2016 by SanLynn

[anneofcleves]

5 hours ago, autumnh said:

 

Naples here!

 

Always ricotta....no bechamel...I think it is more of an americanized thing but I have seen Giada use it...it piques my interest sometimes and well, looks delicious lol

Sunday here so sauce has been on since 8am with Braciole and sausage and meatballs! smells delicious!

Nope, it's a classic Italian method to make a lasagna with besciamella (pretend Gee-ya-DAH is saying that).  I do think it's more common in the northern regions, though I had it that way made with wild mushrooms when in Naples. To.Die.For.  But I'll let the Italian grandmas duke it out for what's the best version, while I sample and love them all.

The Americanized version is what Ree makes:  Layer cooked pasta with Ragu that's been doctored up with hamburger and Italian seasoning blend, cottage cheese, 10 pounds of shredded mozzarella, and a can of "cheez" from the green can.   Take 10,000 photos, upload to your blog, and wait for the adoring comments!

Edited June 12, 2016 by anneofcleves
Possessives matter!

[HyeChaps]

I think she emphasized his name was Tim Kill to differentiate from Ladd's brother, Tim Drummond.

[peacheslatour]

23 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

I think she emphasized his name was Tim Kill to differentiate from Ladd's brother, Tim Drummond.

Maybe he's the hit man that Ladd finally hired. Tim Kill isn't his name, it's an order!

[grisgris]

Hee! Hee!

[Aquarius]

All I will say is that Ree's cottage cheese lasagne is why traditionally no one in the Northeast believes that anyone in the South can cook Italian.  Or really, anyone outside of the Northeast.

To quote Henry Hill at the end of Goodfellas - "I ordered spaghetti and marinara, and I got egg noodles and ketchup." 

[txvoodoo]

On 6/12/2016 at 11:08 AM, autumnh said:

 

Naples here!

 

Always ricotta....no bechamel...I think it is more of an americanized thing but I have seen Giada use it...it piques my interest sometimes and well, looks delicious lol

Sunday here so sauce has been on since 8am with Braciole and sausage and meatballs! smells delicious!

Ohh braciole. I haven't made that in a while, but I should. SO good. I also haven't made sauce in a while but my San Marzano tomato plants are ripening, so soon! (Though I did have to elevate the containers because my dachshund was stealing ripe tomatoes!)

4 hours ago, Aquarius said:

All I will say is that Ree's cottage cheese lasagne is why traditionally no one in the Northeast believes that anyone in the South can cook Italian.  Or really, anyone outside of the Northeast.

To quote Henry Hill at the end of Goodfellas - "I ordered spaghetti and marinara, and I got egg noodles and ketchup." 

Laughing SO hard! I don't eat out Italian down here. 17 years in Texas, but still "nope." I make my own Italian. 

[Lisin]

I know this is completely and totally off topic, but I figured since we're all refugees of the fact that there's no more Aunt Sandy to watch that y'all might want to go vote for today's King of Disparate TV Things Mountain over on the main page. It's "Get Out" from Seinfeld vs. The Kwanzaa Cake! Linky link. 

[autumnh]

13 hours ago, Aquarius said:

All I will say is that Ree's cottage cheese lasagne is why traditionally no one in the Northeast believes that anyone in the South can cook Italian.  Or really, anyone outside of the Northeast.

To quote Henry Hill at the end of Goodfellas - "I ordered spaghetti and marinara, and I got egg noodles and ketchup." 

Brooklyn girl here.....the only people I knew who ate cottage cheese werre the older women at diners who would get the fruit plate with half the cantaloupe cut with tuna salad and cottage cheese...we just could never eat it lol

9 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

Ohh braciole. I haven't made that in a while, but I should. SO good. I also haven't made sauce in a while but my San Marzano tomato plants are ripening, so soon! (Though I did have to elevate the containers because my dachshund was stealing ripe tomatoes!)

Laughing SO hard! I don't eat out Italian down here. 17 years in Texas, but still "nope." I make my own Italian. 

We do have a local place that makes amazing italian....my husband doesn't understand why I am so "picky" though....but he does love my braciole! Also? I miss the Italian street feasts with good sausage and peppers.....and zeppoles!

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Lisin said:

I know this is completely and totally off topic, but I figured since we're all refugees of the fact that there's no more Aunt Sandy to watch that y'all might want to go vote for today's King of Disparate TV Things Mountain over on the main page. It's "Get Out" from Seinfeld vs. The Kwanzaa Cake! Linky link. 

I voted, Kwanzza Cake-no contest!

[ariel]

Another vote for Aunt Sandy.

[anneofcleves]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I voted, Kwanzza Cake-no contest!

Totally, no contest!!