All Episodes Talk

[Viqutorious]

I apologize, I watched the program again and did a freeze frame, and noticed her guard was a different shape. It appears she has this one.

It is very pricey, but might be worth it if you can afford it.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/michel-bras-mandoline/?pkey=cmandolines-slicers&cm_src=mandolines-slicers||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

Edited April 19, 2014 by CheeseBurgh

[Viqutorious]

I used to live in a rural area, we bought 1/4 or 1/2 cows from farmers. I imagine they do too, but she is semi-frequently filmed buying beef at a grocery store.

Reality TV works that way.

Eta They raise their cattle to be slaughtered by others.

Edited April 19, 2014 by CheeseBurgh

[Lisin]

That's exactly what I thought CheeseBurgh. I'm guessing FN wanted to show more of what a "normal" person would buy sometimes, but then they show her cook two gigantic beef tenderloins for a birthday party which is crazy over the top. 

[chessiegal]

I love my Oxo Good Grips purchased at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. It has a guard I rarely use, and adjustable slicing widths that have the thickness of the slice on the dial.

[ShellSeeker]

I know, Lisin, that drives me nuts about this show too. It's presented as some sort of simple, down-home kind of show, but then features a meal where you would have to spend at least $100, just on the meat. I also love pork tenderloins, and I cook with them all the time. 

[Lillybee]

I have decided that there is not too much variety in her food. Today had two episodes, both may have been repeats. In the first one, she marinates chicken breasts to be grilled later and makes refried black beans. In the second one, she marinates chicken drumsticks with basically the same marinate and makes refried pinto beans. When she fries both beans, she uses butter and only semi mashes them because that is the way she likes them. Who fries the Mexican beans in butter? Since she doesn't seem to care about fat, why not use the traditional lard. Even oil might be better.

[Nilo]

She mentioned that she was using butter rather than lard because it's a healthier choice.  I lol-ed

[Lisin]

HA! Especially since it isn't true! Lard has 40 percent saturated fat butter is at 60 and lard has 45% monounsaturated fat (the "good" fat) whereas butter has 23%. Clearly less fat in general is better but lard is technically better for you than butter. 

[ShellSeeker]

HA! Especially since it isn't true! Lard has 40 percent saturated fat butter is at 60 and lard has 45% monounsaturated fat (the "good" fat) whereas butter has 23%. Clearly less fat in general is better but lard is technically better for you than butter. 

 

Now that's interesting. I didn't know that. 

 

The fact that I was impressed to see her actually make refried beans (even fried in butter), rather than opening a can and glooping them into a saucepan, just shows how low my standards for this show are.

[Lisin]

Ree tours a local kitchen store gathering some favorite tools for a wedding gift. As she gathers the goodies, she shares the great dishes she makes with each, like Italian Meatball Soup, Potato-Leek Pizza, Skillet Cookie Sunday and Orange Brulee.

[Diane]

Love the store she is visiting, I can go and spend hours looking around.

[tabloidlover]

That was quite a bit of money she spent on Halle's gift, no? 

[Lisin]

I'd guess at a couple hundred bucks right? Which is a lot, but also kind of a standard amount for an established well off family to spend on a duvet cover for a wedding present. Those sheet pans are pretty inexpensive and at a supply store like that most of the stuff she got wouldn't be more than $5 or $10, I mean the cast iron would be the most expensive items, but even online that large Lodge cast iron is only $35, so I'm thinking about $200 total. 

[Fostersmom]

Haley must be a very good family friend, she blogged today that she and Missy (her sister in law) threw an engagement dinner for Haley on Saturday and it will be an episode in the future. 

[cam3150]

So I can't believe my first post on this site is on the PW forum.

 

Hi all! I'm a transplant from the TWOP forums and look forward to keeping my TV addiction alive on this site!

 

Didn't Ree say that Haley used to babysit the kids?

 

I loved that store too but I am big sucker for any kitchen supply store like that.  I have done "party in a bag" type gifts before and they do tend to get away from you pretty quickly, price-wise. But, in this case I was thinking it was probably around $200 too.  I thought that was totally appropriate for someone who was a close family friend. 

 

Those large sheet pans are just $5 at my local kitchen supply and are so much better than pans that are 5 times that price.

[Lisin]

It's a big day of unveiling down at the building Ree's been renovating. She's making a Tex-Mex themed celebration lunch of Chipotle Chicken Chili, Chili Cheese Muffins, Caramel Brownies and Mexican Punch for the building team and construction workers to enjoy when the covers come off two new entrances.

[anneofcleves]

So Ree continues to make progress on the Pioneer Woman mecca?  Looks like a cool building.  

 

I had to pinch myself to stay awake during today's episode.  Chile (again) and brownies (again) with something swirled in.  I nodded off, though, and didn't notice whether she added a bunch of crumbled candy, because that would be predictably unoriginal for her.  

 

Tune in next week for another version of some sandwich, pizza, lasagna or meatloaf.  Can I get a "whoot" from my fellow semi-homemaders?  I miss that.

[mousie]

She did the chicken chili all wrong, although it probably would be edible. I have been making variations on chicken chili for 20+ years.

 

My tips: First poach your chicken (whole or pieces) with a few aromatics, when cooked through, remove from the broth, let cool and shred the meat. You can return the carcass to the broth and continue simmering for a rich broth which you can later use in your chili and save for later use too.

 

Saute your onions and other veg, then add the ground chile, cumin and any other spice, and let the spices toast in the oil for a few minutes. Add the beer and let that reduce. Now you have some great concentrated flavor and you can add tomatoes, beans and the shredded meat and additional liquid and let that cook together until it is the desired consistency.

 

Not all that different in terms of ingredients, but a big difference in the result. Sorry, just venting.

 

More venting: "The Building", "The Ranch", "The Lodge" she really does live in her own little world, doesn't she.

[grisgris]

WHOOT! to anneofcleves.

 

Waves Hi to mousie!

 

I would have been perfectly happy to have seen an entire episode devoted to just the building restoration. That was pretty interesting.

 

The menu was completely uninspiring. The chili looked meh and no comment on the rest of the food.

 

I still am mystified by Ree's hair. It looks like it's doubled in volume and shiny and a lovely color. Extensions? New stylist? Product? I'm more interested in that than her recipes. LOL!

[mousie]

 

I still am mystified by Ree's hair. It looks like it's doubled in volume and shiny and a lovely color. Extensions? New stylist? Product? I'm more interested in that than her recipes. LOL!

 

As a woman of a certain age, about a decade older than Miss Ree, I don't believe for a minute that your hair naturally becomes longer, thicker and more luxurious (not to mention no grays) as you get older. So I vote for extensions and lots of appointments with her colorist.

Edited June 7, 2014 by mousie

[sandyskyblue]

She did the chicken chili all wrong, although it probably would be edible. I have been making variations on chicken chili for 20+ years.

 

My tips: First poach your chicken (whole or pieces) with a few aromatics, when cooked through, remove from the broth, let cool and shred the meat. You can return the carcass to the broth and continue simmering for a rich broth which you can later use in your chili and save for later use too.

 

Saute your onions and other veg, then add the ground chile, cumin and any other spice, and let the spices toast in the oil for a few minutes. Add the beer and let that reduce. Now you have some great concentrated flavor and you can add tomatoes, beans and the shredded meat and additional liquid and let that cook together until it is the desired consistency.

 

Not all that different in terms of ingredients, but a big difference in the result. Sorry, just venting.

 

More venting: "The Building", "The Ranch", "The Lodge" she really does live in her own little world, doesn't she.

Completely agree with you mousie!!  Your way sounds so much better than hers....I cringed when I saw her dump all that raw chicken into that pot!!  It cannot saute properly and brown up that way, it will just steam....

[Lillybee]

So Ree continues to make progress on the Pioneer Woman mecca?  Looks like a cool building.  

 

I had to pinch myself to stay awake during today's episode.  Chile (again) and brownies (again) with something swirled in.  I nodded off, though, and didn't notice whether she added a bunch of crumbled candy, because that would be predictably unoriginal for her.  

 

Tune in next week for another version of some sandwich, pizza, lasagna or meatloaf.  Can I get a "whoot" from my fellow semi-homemaders?  I miss that.

 

Whoot to a fellow shrike.  Then there is all the steak that they eat, usually fried in butter for some reason.

[tabloidlover]

I cringed when I saw her dump all that raw chicken into that pot!!  It cannot saute properly and brown up that way, it will just steam

 

Gross!!  I just got back from a weekend getaway, and this didn't tape.  Now, I'm glad.  That is just so wrong...on so many levels...

[HyeChaps]

The whole building restoration storyline is a lot more interesting to me than rounding up the calves over and over.

[BitterApple]

The chilli looked awful. Shredded chicken would have been so much better and absorbed more flavor.

The Mexican punch seemed like a glorified Shirley Temple to me.

[txvoodoo]

Well, let's be real - there's nothing 'down home' about someone who has a separate house on their property just to use to film their FoodNetwork show. ;) 

[NausetGirl]

Why does FN think everything has to be so dramatic or have a plotline?   I'm tired of all the phony entertaining, parties etc that go on.  Julia Child set the bar for cooking shows and at the rate we're going, she will ALWAYS be the best.  All she did was stand there in front of the camera and show us how to do A, B and C.  Rest in peace, Julia...

[chessiegal]

Why does FN think everything has to be so dramatic or have a plotline?   I'm tired of all the phony entertaining, parties etc that go on.  Julia Child set the bar for cooking shows and at the rate we're going, she will ALWAYS be the best.  All she did was stand there in front of the camera and show us how to do A, B and C.  Rest in peace, Julia...

 

 

Which you can still see on PBS. Support your local PBS stations and keep these kinds of shows on the air.

[NausetGirl]

Which you can still see on PBS. Support your local PBS stations and keep these kinds of shows on the air.

Point well-taken.  Long live Lidia, Mary Ann, America's Test Kitchen and even Martha Stewart - who I just found is doing a baking show on Saturday afternoon.  Maybe she's been doing it for months but we're usually out of the house on errands after lunch on Saturdays.

[DownTheShore]

Someone I know who married into a western ranching family said "there are poor farmers, but there are no poor ranchers".

 

I watch this show because I find it strangely fascinating - the claim that she's some sort of pioneer woman while she lives in a million dollar home, drives late model large pickup trucks, never met an ingredient that she couldn't afford to buy.  She's got a husband who's always taking the kids off somewhere for the day or overnight.  I like her house and her kitchen; it's a pleasant fantasy to have a house like that.  I can appreciate how well she markets herself as a homey mom, and I don't have any instinctive dislike for her as a person (though I rolled my eyes when I found out that she home schools; of course she would home school).

 

I was watching one episode where she was talking about going to make her regular big grocery purchase, and I assumed that she was going to go to a place like Costco or BJ's and buy things in bulk - because, you know, she keeps telling us that she's out in the back of beyond - and she goes to a regular supermarket and buys things at whatever their price is!  Honey, if you are a true pioneer woman, you know how to stretch a dollar until it screams and you buy true bulk, and don't have a pantry with a variety of store-bought ice cream toppings.

[Diane]

One of the problems buying bulk in Eastern Oklahoma (I live in Tulsa) is we don't have a Costco yet (soon though and so excited) or a BJ's.  We have Sams.  Some people I don't know about her, will not shop with the Walmart family of stores.  The store she went to is a local and employee owned super market, really the best we have in the area if I remember right.  I believe she went to Reasors.  I am not disagreeing with you by an means, but just letting you know what we have close.

[Lisin]

It's 16-minute meals all the way through breakfast (Croissant French Toast With Maple Whipped Cream and Blackberry Syrup), lunch (Grilled Chicken and Strawberry Salad Wrap) and dinner (Pawhuska Cheesesteaks and Apple Peanut Butter Delight).

[Lisin]

Ree's cooking up a takeout treat for her girls, making a surprise dinner of their favorite Chinese food, complete with Cream Cheese Won Tons, sticky Orange Chicken, Beef With Broccoli and stir-fried Chow Mein.

[mousie]

Saw this one today. Ree and Alex are looking for colleges, oh noes, one of the children will be leaving the nest.

 

The croissant french toast was a little bit OTT when she topped it with butter, syrup, fruit syrup and whipped cream. Three strawberry slices as a garnish do not make that a healthy dish.

 

The grilled chicken, roasted corn, strawberry, and god knows what else salad with mayo dressing just looked like a hot mess.

 

The fake cheese steak sandwiches would probably be good for the boy's but Ree ate one too. How much does that woman eat?

[anneofcleves]

The whole sixteen minute meal concept just irritates me. She completely wrecks her kitchen making a completely crappy meal in sixteen minutes. If you're that pressed for time, just make a peanut butter sandwich. It would be healthier.

The cheese steaks looked like greasy salt licks. Deli roast beef, heated, with all that cheese wiz. At least a full stick of butter for three sandwiches. Yuck.

Some episodes I can tolerate, but this particular gimmick of hers is just stupid.

[Ticky]

The episode from yesterday where oldest daughter Alex becomes Cowboy Josh's apprentice for the summer - Alex was pouring some kind of feed in a large pail and saying something about the feed containing antibiotics. Didn't catch the reason, but isn't that frowned upon these days?

[mousie]

I think they were injecting antibiotics in some of the animals too. I am no expert in these things, but you think the people who are making this show would want to provide some kind of explanation.

[smiley13]

Loved the show re-creating Chinese takeout.  Everything looked delicious, especially the cream cheese wontons!

[stafford]

This is very shallow but I absolutely hate that most times (unless they have guests) the kids and Rhee seem to eat standing over the stove. How hard is it to tell the girls to set the table and SIT down for a meal? I guess it's just a pet peeve of mine.

I swear both girls look exactly alike and are very cute. I loved that the oldest was shown driving back from soccer practice.

Does anyone know how far the Lodge is from town? I'm assuming their actual house is in town.

[Lisin]

The Lodge and the actual house are on a ranch that's fairly far from town, I don't know exactly how far, I'd guess 20-30 miles, but a good portion of that is on their property. They're like the second largest land owners in OK, or possibly the US. I can't remember, I read it in Forbes I think. Anyway the basic story is this, their "actual house" was at a time Ladd's parents house and the Lodge was his bachelor pad, they're not terribly far from each other. Maybe a 5 min. drive. At some point he took over the family business his parents moved into town and Ree and Ladd moved into their house, they remodeled it and have lived there since. The Lodge was a renovation project that they took on a while ago and the original plan was to reno it so she could do blog giveaways and host cooking classes and stuff. I think they finished the reno on the Lodge right before the Thanksgiving Throwdown episode she filmed with Bobby Flay a while ago. 

[stafford]

Thank you Lisin for the information on the "Lodge" and home. What a tax write off!

I watched the "Little School House on the Prarie' this morning (it originally aired February of 2012). The home school co-op consisted of her sister's kids and her friend's two boys along with Ree's three kids (the oldest girl wasn't there). What a load of bullshit. The got a jam making lesson (or a prelude to diabeties) with "lessons" in chemistry and food safety. I certainly hope Ree stressed personal hygiene because the boys had macerated strawberries up to their elbows. It was disgusting. Of course they quizzed the kids on State capitols for their "memory" lessons and then sent them off to collect pond water.

I have to admit I have a certain bias against home schooling. I just think Public Schools are so important and while Charter Schools are tecnically public they are often formed around religious beliefs and I believe in the separation of church and state should be vigorously upheld. Now maybe they don't want their kids traveling 45 minutes to school and back each day but I get a "Duggarlike" vibe to the whole home schooling at the ranch. I'm so glad my kids attended public schools. I think it gave them a window on the world. They got a terrific education and learned how to interact with kids of all races and creeds. I actually had a co-worker exclaim, after she heard my kids were in public schools, that she thought I was the type that cared about my kids education but clearly I did not since I sent my kids into the lion's den. I think as a nation we should protect and cherish our public schools and do everything in our power to make them succeed. Rant over!

[anneofcleves]

She had me thinking, for a minute, that they had takeout Chinese for lunch and then had it for dinner.  It actually looked pretty good, but there's no way on earth I'm making anything remotely like that deep fried orange chicken.  It's too much of a mess for me.  If I'm pigging out on something that unhealthy, I'll leave it to the restaurant to fry.

[BitterApple]

I loathe the timed meal concept as well. You'd get a hell of a lot more nourishment whipping up a quick veggie omelet than you would that sugar-laden, processed carb of a mess she called French Toast.

I totally get that Ree isn't billing her meals as healthful, but she's becoming ridiculous even for her.

[mousie]

 

If I'm pigging out on something that unhealthy, I'll leave it to the restaurant to fry.

 

I totally agree. I indulge in that sort of fake Chinese food a couple of times a year. (We actually have much better Asian/Chinese restaurants in the SF Bay Area.) I'm pretty sure it was a Panda Express that they went to, so what? Then she says they eat it once a week anyway, so why bother cooking it at home. She is running out of ideas.

[LuckyBitch]

I think she must use more butter in one month than I use in an entire year.

 

WTH is a 16 minute meal? Not 15, but 16? I also can't stand that whole timed meal nonsense ever since stupid Rachael Ray and her 30 minute meals. Watching her fly around the kitchen like a lunatic was too much.

[chessiegal]

So, they live a gazillion miles in the middle of nowhere so the kids have to be home schooled, but they can make it to a Panda Express once a week? WTH?

[BitterApple]

Ree is definitely running out of ideas. FWIW, I read on Marlboro Woman that Tulsa is only 56 miles from Pawhuska. Hardly the massive distance Ree makes it out to be.

Personally I think Panda Express is the nastiest Chinese food out there. I'm guessing Ree got paid to plug them on her show.

[mousie]

 

I'm guessing Ree got paid to plug them on her show.

To be fair, they never mentioned the Panda Express name, and the logo was blurred out in the scenes when they were going through the drive-through. But I'm pretty sure that's what it was.

[Brooklynista]

A "16" minute meal at my house is a damn turkey sandwich. If we're that pressed for time, I'm not even going to pretend to make a meal.

[tabloidlover]

Totally agree!  When I am pressed for time, I certainly don't have time to wash dishes after preparing a meal - 16 minute or otherwise.