All Episodes Talk

[Newberry]

On 11/5/2017 at 10:55 AM, grisgris said:

If Alex shows up for Thanksgiving in a few weeks, home from college with a new "Asian friend" in tow to experience a down-home American Thanksgiving, I will throw something at my TV!  It would be a great opportunity for Ree to haul-out the requisite "Asian flavor profile" ingredients to doctors up the dinner. I can just see her adding a huge glob of wasabi to the heavy cheesy mashed potatoes and soy sauce to the turkey brine. Chinese five-spice Brussels sprouts, anybody?

 

While I got a chuckle out of this post, I actually saw a video on FB yesterday, where the turkey brine included a cup of soy sauce! I was shocked and bewildered all at the same time. I mean, since when???

[jumper sage]

On 10/15/2017 at 10:20 AM, grisgris said:

I have a niece who is Alex's age and a junior in college in California. I know that if she received a package like that, she would be absolutely mortified. (To clarify, there is no way my dear SIL would ever send something like that ... ) Anyway, you couldn't even open it in private.  Whether you share a house (like my niece does with her cross-country teammates), dorm room or sorority suite, a huge parcel like that would not slip by unnoticed. Everybody is going to be dying to see what's in it!

This is the one of the reasons why I did not live in a dorm or house.  I had my own apartment.  What's the point of leaving home if you still have to share space and other stuff?

On 10/29/2017 at 0:12 AM, grisgris said:

I thew up in my mouth a little bit over the fried chicken skin. Where would you even obtain that? I'm guessing that you get it at the supermarket meat department that is leftover from prepping boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs?

Me thinks somebody has a carb addiction.

What would that family do if one of them became diabetic?

So much word!  She uses way to much sugar and if I spent one day there I would be in a sugar coma.

[Lura]

I caught up on a prerecorded episode of Ree's "party" for the people who had worked so hard on the Merc.  These were the people who had spearheaded the improvements.  If ever a party required a little extra effort on Ree's part, I'd think it would have been this one.  Instead, it was deli ham salad (sandwich spread) dolloped by mini teaspoon into endive cups, rounds of salami folded into quarters (???), long skewers of two 1" bites of fried sirloin (no decoration whatsoever), and brownies, cut in half, for dessert.  Oh yes, the "cocktail" was bourbon and Coke (mostly Coke).  Talk about cheap!  Yet, she and Pipsqueak (her bff) raved about the selection, which was a replica of one served by her mother on silver trays at her "elegant" society dinners in days gone by.  (You're kidding, Gerri -- cold cuts for the rich crowd?)!

Ree, you pulled nothing over on us in this episode.  The food was cheap, looked terrible, and was a mighty slap in the face to people who deserved much better.  Toss this episode into your next Spring Burning bonfire.  And, since your theme was "retro," try to remember this old retro saying:  "Shame, shame -- everybody knows your name."

Edited November 9, 2017 by Lura

[anneofcleves]

On 11/8/2017 at 6:26 PM, Lura said:

I caught up on a prerecorded episode of Ree's "party" for the people who had worked so hard on the Merc.  These were the people who had spearheaded the improvements.  If ever a party required a little extra effort on Ree's part, I'd think it would have been this one.  Instead, it was deli ham salad (sandwich spread) dolloped by mini teaspoon into endive cups, rounds of salami folded into quarters (???), long skewers of two 1" bites of fried sirloin (no decoration whatsoever), and brownies, cut in half, for dessert.  Oh yes, the "cocktail" was bourbon and Coke (mostly Coke).  Talk about cheap!  Yet, she and Pipsqueak (her bff) raved about the selection, which was a replica of one served by her mother on silver trays at her "elegant" society dinners in days gone by.  (You're kidding, Gerri -- cold cuts for the rich crowd?)!

Ree, you pulled nothing over on us in this episode.  The food was cheap, looked terrible, and was a mighty slap in the face to people who deserved much better.  Toss this episode into your next Spring Burning bonfire.  And, since your theme was "retro," try to remember this old retro saying:  "Shame, shame -- everybody knows your name."

That was one of the worst cocktail party menus I’ve seen, and I remember thinking how much she must not really appreciate her friends like I do.  She might as well have gone to Costco and loaded up on a bunch of prepared platters, swapped serving dishes, and called it homemade.  It would have tasted better, too.  

That deviled ham salad recipe of her mom’s where she uses Hormel deli ham is one that really should not be resurrected.  And I practically weep for the Food Network reviewers who give it five stars and assume they never had their grandmother’s, or great grandmother’s, deviled ham that was made from leftover bits of good ham and put through a food grinder.  What she made is like calling a saltine topped with spray cheese a canapé.  Oh, wait, she probably does that, too, especially if she can cut a deal with the manufacturer.

Edited November 10, 2017 by anneofcleves

[Lura]

9 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

What she made is like calling a saltine topped with spray cheese a canapé.  

How true, how true, AnneofCleves.  I just came from Google where I looked up canapé recipes from the 1950s (assuming that Ree's mother was about that vintage).  The recipes feature mostly two things: cubed cheese and deli cold cuts.  Ree must have hundreds of those recipes, judging from her "party." 

It's too bad that Ree is so self-absorbed.  Maybe that's how you get ahead in life, but it seems insulting and unfortunate to me.  She seems so focused and single-minded on getting ahead that she doesn't stop long enough to consider the feelings of others sometimes.  While I realize that her life is her business, it just seems to me that with her millions, it wouldn't have hurt her to give those people who have helped her a real party with some real rewards for all of their hard work.  Instead, she said, "This is all I have time for," and shrugged it off.  If their attitude had been similar, the Merc would still be a decaying shell.

[Mnemosyne]

I'm certainly guilty of doctoring store-bought gravy for Thanksgiving, so no room to talk there, but hard-boiled eggs? Eww.

I cackled rather loudly when, while making the stuffing, Ree said "I didn't want to over-do things..."

What, no lemon pepper on the turkey?

[patty1h]

Ree did her Thanksgiving show today, and it was all about using shortcuts to make thing easier.  It has half reasonable tips and half 'why?".   Exhibit #1:  Pumpkin pie coated with a layer of chocolate ganache, covered with a meringue made with marshmallow fluff, butter, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and topped with lollipops.  How do you not keel over into a calorie coma after one bite of that?  Madness!

Then bragging how she usually makes cranberry sauce from scratch, but is using the canned because it's all about shortcuts. Who gives a shit.  Has anyone else ever hear of putting chopped up hard-boiled eggs in gravy?  Not in MY gravy, sis.

Edited November 11, 2017 by patty1h
to clarify that monster pie

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, patty1h said:

Has anyone else ever hear of putting chopped up hard-boiled eggs in gravy?

I don't do it, but I've heard of it.

[maggiemae]

OMG - that was awful........color me flabbergasted.

[LillyB]

How many pounds of butter did Ree put on her cut up turkey before roasting it?

[ariel]

With all the butter Ree uses, they should invest in some dairy cows.

[peacheslatour]

19 minutes ago, LillyB said:

How many pounds of butter did Ree put on her cut up turkey before roasting it?

All of them. ;-p

[grisgris]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Has anyone else ever hear of putting chopped up hard-boiled eggs in gravy?

I think it's a southern thing. I've seen Paula Deen do it and once Sunny Anderson did on "The Kitchen." I don't think Sunny is southern but I think since she's an Air Force brat, she's lived at a little bit everywhere.

The explanation is that it's a "poor man's" substitute for giblets.

Personally ... I would rather go without anything in the gravy the swap hard-boiled eggs.

[peacheslatour]

16 minutes ago, grisgris said:

I think it's a southern thing. I've seen Paula Deen do it and once Sunny Anderson did on "The Kitchen." I don't think Sunny is southern but I think since she's an Air Force brat, she's lived at a little bit everywhere.

The explanation is that it's a "poor man's" substitute for giblets.

Personally ... I would rather go without anything in the gravy the swap hard-boiled eggs.

Me too. Giblets- bleh. My cats won't even eat 'em.

Edited November 11, 2017 by peacheslatour

[Lura]

If anyone fed me hardboiled eggs in my gravy, I seriously think that I would be heaving it within 20 seconds.  It sounds that repulsive to me.  My mother wasn't a gourmet cook, but she had a deft hand at making beautiful, smooth, flavorful gravy.  She never put vegetables in it, and neither do I, so I imagine Ree's gravy would taste strange to me.  I know that canned cranberry jelly would surprise me if it had booze added to it.

If a cook isn't feeling well or has some other reason, I see nothing wrong with a shortcut version of Thanksgiving dinner.  At least the cook made the effort to please her family with a traditional Thanksgiving.  But Ree's obvious pride in inventing new shortcuts and raving about their incredible flavor (including the assertion that the meal would fool her family) was just plain silly IMHO.

[grisgris]

I just watched today's episode. My initial thoughts were that advertising/sponsorship had something to do with it. It was glaringly obvious that Ree was using products by Swanson's, Bird's Eye and Heinz. The set designers didn't even bother to try very hard to disguise the distinctive packaging. Usually, I can tell that Ree is using Best Choice products, which is a "store label" brand for many of the grocery chains here in the Midwest.

The words of my mother (R.I.P.) came to mind while Ree was doctoring up that jarred gravy. My mother would have pointed out that in the same amount of time (or less) that Ree took adding stuff to make that nasty gravy edible, that she could have made giblet gravy from scratch.  I don't know if anybody on here has ever tried any of those Heinz jarred gravies, but that are absolutely vile-tasting. Slimy consistency and heady chemical taste. I've bought both the beef and turkey versions before. I was sick and wanted mashed potatoes (instant) and gravy and was unable to make it from scratch. Speaking of ... Trader Joe's turkey gravy is actually very good.

The cranberry jelly mold had too much going on. Some orange zest/juice and the splash or port would have been leaving well enough alone. She didn't need thyme AND maple syrup.

Ree had to drag out those heavy-dairy potatoes and crow about them at every holiday. This would have been the time to buy pre-made mashed potatoes from the deli section and showed up how to add in the cream cheese and other creamy white crap.

I have few words for that pie.  I can't being to wrap my head around the flavor combination of spiced pumpkin, semi-sweet chocolate and sickeningly sweet whipped cream.

I also noticed that those cut-in shots of Chuck and Ladd and the kids eating were from old episodes. I'll bet the family wasn't even around when this episode was shot. There is no way in hell that Ree would serve her beloved Chuck jarred gravy with hard boiled eggs or turkey parts soaked in chicken broth.

Epic,, Fail.

[Cornflake Queen]

Just registered to finally comment.  I could not sit on the sidelines any longer. Watching the shortcut episode and it is infuriating how she is so condescending. She is continually reminding us that she has NEVER taken a shortcut but is lowering her standards for her stans.  Which by the way, these so-called shortcuts are disgusting!  There, I feel better now lol

[Cornflake Queen]

13 minutes ago, grisgris said:

I just watched today's episode. My initial thoughts were that advertising/sponsorship had something to do with it. It was glaringly obvious that Ree was using products by Swanson's, Bird's Eye and Heinz. The set designers didn't even bother to try very hard to disguise the distinctive packaging. Usually, I can tell that Ree is using Best Choice products, which is a "store label" brand for many of the grocery chains here in the Midwest.

The words of my mother (R.I.P.) came to mind while Ree was doctoring up that jarred gravy. My mother would have pointed out that in the same amount of time (or less) that Ree took adding stuff to make that nasty gravy edible, that she could have made giblet gravy from scratch.  I don't know if anybody on here has ever tried any of those Heinz jarred gravies, but that are absolutely vile-tasting. Slimy consistency and heady chemical taste. I've bought both the beef and turkey versions before. I was sick and wanted mashed potatoes (instant) and gravy and was unable to make it from scratch. Speaking of ... Trader Joe's turkey gravy is actually very good.

The cranberry jelly mold had too much going on. Some orange zest/juice and the splash or port would have been leaving well enough alone. She didn't need thyme AND maple syrup.

Ree had to drag out those heavy-dairy potatoes and crow about them at every holiday. This would have been the time to buy pre-made mashed potatoes from the deli section and showed up how to add in the cream cheese and other creamy white crap.

I have few words for that pie.  I can't being to wrap my head around the flavor combination of spiced pumpkin, semi-sweet chocolate and sickeningly sweet whipped cream.

I also noticed that those cut-in shots of Chuck and Ladd and the kids eating were from old episodes. I'll bet the family wasn't even around when this episode was shot. There is no way in hell that Ree would serve her beloved Chuck jarred gravy with hard boiled eggs or turkey parts soaked in chicken broth.

Epic,, Fail.

Good eye on the product placement.  I noticed there wasn't too much of an effort to hide packaging. And you are also spot-on ole Chuck not eating any of that meal. If he was there,  she probably made a special plate of traditional Thanksgiving food just so he would sit at the table lol. 

[MrsClaus]

I stumbled across her Thanksgiving shortcut show.  I about gagged.  I'm all about saving time, but that was horrible.

[maggiemae]

Good grief.....cooking some cranberries for 5 minutes in water until they pop and then adding regular things is too much trouble? 

[Jaded]

4 hours ago, grisgris said:

I think it's a southern thing. I've seen Paula Deen do it and once Sunny Anderson did on "The Kitchen." I don't think Sunny is southern but I think since she's an Air Force brat, she's lived at a little bit everywhere.

The explanation is that it's a "poor man's" substitute for giblets.

Personally ... I would rather go without anything in the gravy the swap hard-boiled eggs.

I'm from the south and have never heard of eggs in gravy. Of course I don't really act or think like most southern people which is one of the reasons I've probably always felt out of place. The episodes of Ree's show I always seem to catch have her doing things in an easier way by using pre packaged and etc. stuff. Which always makes me wonder why she's so popular when it seems like she doesn't come up with anything new or cooks anything that seems like it would have been made in the "Pioneer" days.

[ariel]

1 hour ago, MrsClaus said:

I stumbled across her Thanksgiving shortcut show.  I about gagged.  I'm all about saving time, but that was horrible.

She's making Sanda Lee look chefy.

[MrsClaus]

Do people cook turkey beforehand?  I mean, it doesn't take a lot of babysitting to cook one.  Prep the night before and then throw it in the oven or a roaster.

I admit I came into the show when she was putting those leaf things on the pie and I was trying to figure the purpose of them.

[anneofcleves]

55 minutes ago, MrsClaus said:

Do people cook turkey beforehand?  I mean, it doesn't take a lot of babysitting to cook one.  Prep the night before and then throw it in the oven or a roaster.

I admit I came into the show when she was putting those leaf things on the pie and I was trying to figure the purpose of them.

Yes, some people do, especially if they’ve got one of those Thanksgivings where they’re feeding very large groups.  I don’t, because I don’t feed that many, but I can tell you that if I did make it ahead of time I would spoon homemade turkey stock over the meat to keep it moist.  Refrigerated turkey, especially white meat, always dries out some.

This is my favorite holiday, and I think I couldn’t hate more how the reigning Queen of Food Network sticks up a big middle finger to the tradition by semi-ho’ing it like that. Really folks, if you hate cooking and don’t want to bother, just go out.  Or order it in from your local grocery store.  It will be about the same quality as Ree made, maybe better, and you won’t have the mess.

There were so many things wrong with the meal.  Her gravy, OMG.  She doctors up nasty, vile jarred gravy with some turkey stock and chicken stock.  Why use any chicken stock?  Why not just use all turkey drippings?  Oh right, she’s gaming for a deal with Swanson or someone.  Then she adds chopped up, nasty store bought hard boiled eggs (that are brined or preserved in nasty, vile stuff). Gag. All the while giggling and hoping her long lost relative doesn’t think too poorly of her - she’s doing her best.  No, she’s phoning it in and monitoring her stocks and Walmart inventories.

She had to be punking us wIth that pie.  Pumpkin pie is my husband’s favorite and he looks forward to it all year.  I can just see him sitting there at her table, removing the lollipop, chocolate, and marshmallow fluff layer with surgical precision so he could enjoy the basic pumpkin pie.

I really hate how she sucks every ounce of joy out of cooking a wonderful meal for your friends and family on an American holiday.  F-you Ree.  

ETA:  This holiday cooking post brought to you by the words “nasty” and  “vile.”

Edited November 12, 2017 by anneofcleves

[anneofcleves]

I followed this show by watching Trisha Yearwood, who started off her cooking show with mostly semi-ho recipes and has transformed into making some really delicious looking things.  I haven’t tried it, but here is Trisha’s turkey with simple gravy.  Why Ree wouldn’t make a quick gravy like that and would rely on jarred stuff perplexes me.  Oh right, potential endorsements!  As a bonus, Trisha’s episode included people who looked like they actually wanted to be there.

Here is her quick sauce for the turkey.  

Thyme and Shallot Gravy:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 shallots, thinly sliced 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

4 cups turkey drippings or chicken stock (or a combination)

Heat the olive oil and butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and thyme, and cook until brown. Add the flour; cook for 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly add the turkey drippings. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking, until thickened, 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/orange-and-maple-glazed-turkey-with-thyme-shallot-gravy-4498483

Edited November 12, 2017 by anneofcleves

[Lura]

Think of how Ree could have enhanced her meal with sweet potatoes done her way.  A couple of cans, whipped together with horseradish and brown sugar or something even more revolting, could have given us so much more to talk about. 

[peacheslatour]

I actually do use brown sugar on sweet potatoes. And pecans. And lots of butter.

[captain1]

Good God she has out semi-hoed Aunt Sandy.  And I live in the South and I have never known or heard of anyone putting hard boiled eggs in gravy!  Going from Ina to Ree is sublime to ridiculous.  And I agree with Anneofcleves - I enjoy Trisha.  She make food that looks tasty and she seems so genuine and down to earth.  The kind of person who, after you have just met them, you feel like you’ve known for years.

[Lura]

Funny.  I just watched an old Ina Thanksgiving show, and she cut up her turkey and browned it in the skillet.  Then I watched an old Nancy Fuller Thanksgiving show, and she did the same thing.  I guess Ree is just copying the real cooks on the network and calling it her own "short cut idea."  Ree is so full of herself that she doesn't realize we watch other shows, too!  :D

[HyeChaps]

I saw three different programs yesterday where they made turkey roulade.  This time of year it's a thing. 

[J-Man]

The way she's veering into Semi-Ho territory -- can we expect Trayvon to return to help her with her Kwanzaa Kake?

[film noire]

On 11/11/2017 at 10:34 AM, patty1h said:

Not in MY gravy, sis.

I hear you deep in my soul, Patty1H. Gravy is the work of the goddess, and must be treated with reverence. (My T-giving plate as a tween/teen/college student  - even today,  if nobody's looking, after I've picked a bit of cripsy skin from the bird - bread & gravy, mashed potatoes & gravy,  stuffing & gravy -- everything else = fodder for leftovers. Especially the turkey for hot turkey sandwiches. Cuz gravy. Throwing good drippings after bad jarred slime is disgraceful.)

[Lura]

High five, J-Man!  Now that I've seen what she did with her pumpkin pie, I'm hoping Ree has something special in store for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. 

Double high five, Patty1H and film noire!  Gravy makes the Thanksgiving meal a royal feast for me.  Without it, I can't imagine turkey and the trimmings.  It spills over my white meat.  I create a crater in my mashed potatoes to hold all of its mighty flavor.  The stuffing isn't stuffing without the gravy, and if a little spills into my sweet potatoes or my green bean casserole, that's OK, too.  I don't have much of a taste for gravy and cranberries, but other than that, gravy is the star of my meal.  The best gravy is homemade, so Ree really struck out by using the jarred stuff.  She could have used chicken stock thickened with a roux, and that would have taken "no time at all," as she is fond of saying.

[captain1]

Haha Lura I love it when a little bit of gravy finds its way onto my cranberry sauce!

[sigmaforce86]

On 11/11/2017 at 10:34 AM, patty1h said:

Ree did her Thanksgiving show today, and it was all about using shortcuts to make thing easier.  It has half reasonable tips and half 'why?".   Exhibit #1:  Pumpkin pie coated with a layer of chocolate ganache, covered with a meringue made with marshmallow fluff, butter, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and topped with lollipops.  How do you not keel over into a calorie coma after one bite of that?  Madness!

 

On 11/11/2017 at 8:31 PM, grisgris said:

I have few words for that pie.  I can't being to wrap my head around the flavor combination of spiced pumpkin, semi-sweet chocolate and sickeningly sweet whipped cream.

I also noticed that those cut-in shots of Chuck and Ladd and the kids eating were from old episodes. I'll bet the family wasn't even around when this episode was shot. There is no way in hell that Ree would serve her beloved Chuck jarred gravy with hard boiled eggs or turkey parts soaked in chicken broth.

Epic,, Fail.

I would have rolled my eyes at the pie but I had already seen it;  Sunday afternoon David Venable made it on QVC.  Here's the link, he basically made the same thing, chocolate ganache and a ton of marshmallow topping and called it a pumpkin smores pie.  (http://www.qvc.com/PumpkinSmoresPie.content.html).  So by the time we watched Ree (DVR's as usual) it didn't seem as weird but I did turn to Mr. Sigma and say that this must be some sort of new fad this year because I guess plain pumpkin with whipped cream isn't enough.  To be fair to Dave though (who I love I can't help it) his recipe is definitely lower in sugar and can't be fully compared to Ree's - the topping alone, his is the marshmallow cream just with egg whites and cream of tarter.  Ree just had to do her add this and add that so she also used butter AND heavy cream AND confectioners sugar to achieve the same result (oh my aching cavities!).

And agree with gris gris - what we saw of the family was edited from other episodes.  It was pretty obvious when they showed only hands passing her dishes around during the "dinner eating" and then they blurred everyone into the background when she walked the pie over.  Not only was this filmed way in advance but definitely none of the kids or Ladd were really there for it.

[Lura]

Captain1, don't let Ree hear you, or she might come up with a cranberry/gravy pie for next year's Thanksgiving!

Sigmaforce86, I haven't seen Dave Venable in years.  The last time I saw him, he was a pretty good cook, so he must be even better all these years later.

Ree swore that nobody would know that her pie crust wasn't homemade.  Sure, Ree.  It was in a tinfoil pan -- the kind that supermarket crusts come in -- and it was perfectly crimped like a machine had done it.  Even Martha Stewart would have been hard pressed to have turned out a pie shell that beautifully.  Who does Ree think she's fooling?

No one has mentioned seeing Ree grace the cover of any rag this week.  Is the media blitz over?

[Hildegard802]

Quote

If anyone fed me hardboiled eggs in my gravy, I seriously think that I would be heaving it within 20 seconds. 

I came across this while living on the OK-TX border.  Two things terrified me: hard-boileded eggs in gravy and potato salad with mashed potatoes. Eggs in gravy was nightmare-inducing.

[roughing it]

I, too, cringed at the quick and easy shortcuts to Thanksgiving episode.  However, there are many, many people to whom Ree is targeting this episode.  Case in point, my son-in-law's mother cannot cook but God love her, she tries.  Her Thanksgiving spread includes a turkey that's either under- or over-done, Stovetop Stuffing, gravy from a jar, instant mashed potatoes, and canned green beans.  She has no idea how to make gravy from turkey drippings. 

My daughter and son-in-law usually have to split Thanksgiving Day between us and his family.  We've tried to encourage visiting families every other year, but they dread the year they would have to eat at his mother's, and his mother would have an absolute fit if they didn't come over every year.  So they come to our house first and pig out, so that they don't have to eat much over there.  (My daughter and son-in-law have learned a lot from us on how to cook Thanksgiving dinner, and they have offered his family to go to their house instead, so that may be an option.)

[Lura]

It was bound to happen sometime:

Today, I watched Trisha and her sister cook an early Thanksgiving feast for a few friends.  As Trisha was stirring her gravy (which looked good), she stopped and cut two hardboiled eggs into slices and added them to the gravy.  She mentioned that she doesn't usually add them but that her late mother always did, and she felt like making it her mom's way today.  Since Ree and Trisha are both from southern states, I wondered again whether this addition of eggs began in the South.  The idea of it still doesn't appeal to me.

[peacheslatour]

I heard it was a Texas thing.

[chessiegal]

My husband is from Alabama and hard boiled eggs in gravy are a thing there.

[Spunkygal]

11 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I heard it was a Texas thing.

Yes, my precious mother and her mother put sliced eggs in the gravy. It has grossed me out from day one and I picked them out or deftly spooned around them. Well, both of those darling ladies are gone now so my sister and I do not put the egg in! I can't imagine where the original idea came from and why!

[anneofcleves]

I’d rather have eggs in gravy than giblets.  Well, technically I’d rather have neither, but if it’s a choice, eggs would win.  I think it’s like a lot of these old recipes.  People raised chickens and had lots of eggs to use up.  Hard boiled eggs in cream gravy or leftover gravy, served over toast or potatoes, fed a family on the cheap.  So some families grew to love eggs in the gravy.  That’s my assumption, at least.

Sliced hard boiled eggs are also often paired with Welsh Rarebit, which we’ve discussed and which our dear Queen of Food Network has developed her own recipe for that will now show on the top of any Google search.

My gripe with Ree is to boil her own darned eggs and not use store bought ones that are preserved with God knows what chemicals.  Since she loves her friends and family soooo much and lives to feed them good stuff.  Yeah, right...

Edited November 16, 2017 by anneofcleves

[Lura]

Quote

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 3:12 AM, anneofcleves said:

People raised chickens and had lots of eggs to use up.  Hard boiled eggs in cream gravy or leftover gravy, served over toast or potatoes, fed a family on the cheap.  So some families grew to love eggs in the gravy.  That’s my assumption, at least.

Well, Anne, aren't you smart!  I'll betcha anything you're right about the origins of the egg in gravy custom.

Ree is fond of saying that she keeps a bowl of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge because Ladd and the kids love them for snacks.  Besides, she has to give them their daily fix of cholesterol, just in case her meals don't clog the arteries sufficiently.  I can't be too hard on Ree, though, because I think an egg is a much better snack than a big chunk of cake or a handful of cookies.

[ariel]

If they love eggs so much, why don't they have chickens?  They have plenty of land for them.   Maybe they don't because the government won't pay them to have chickens on their land.

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, ariel said:

If they love eggs so much, why don't they have chickens?  They have plenty of land for them.   Maybe they don't because the government won't pay them to have chickens on their land.

Maybe we should tell her Martha Stewart has chickens (and goats and other critters on her farm in NY). Martha is more of a pioneer woman, or just woman, than Ree could ever hope to be.

[grisgris]

I think Ree would find raising chickens to be too much dirty work. She nearly had a fit when an orphaned baby calf slobbered "meringue" on her expensive jacket during a bottle-feeding session.

[ariel]

The thing is they could probably hire a local to tend to the chickens for pennies on the dollar.  Ree could pretend she does all the chicken keeping herself.  Her rube fans wouldn't know the difference & praise her for her pioneer ways.

[anneofcleves]

On 11/17/2017 at 4:20 PM, ariel said:

If they love eggs so much, why don't they have chickens?  They have plenty of land for them.   Maybe they don't because the government won't pay them to have chickens on their land.

You’ve hit the nail on the head, I think.  The more I watch them, and see their empire expand from ranching, to keeping mustangs, to blogging, to tv, to selective ad placement (Ford truck), to mass merchandising, to restaurants, to retail store fronts, to hotels, to God knows whatever is next, it really smacks of greed.  Outside of Donald Trump and possibly Paula Deen, I’m having trouble thinking of a “celebrity” putting her name on everything in site that seems like it would generate income.  Martha Stewart built an empire, but it always had its focus on cooking and homekeeping.  Ree’s Focus seems to be all over the place.  My joke a few months back about a Dollywood-type amusement park, Pioneer Woman World, is seeming like more and more of a reality.  

 

I appreciate capitalism as much as the next American, but her oversaturation maybe her downfall.  Of course, my ability to understand the tastes and good judgment of Americans in recent years is questionable.

Edited November 19, 2017 by anneofcleves

[peacheslatour]

Rachel Ray comes to mind. She's got branded EVOO and pet foods but at least she doesn't slap her name on everything.