All Episodes Talk

[grisgris]

Another lackluster episode today. Versions 1,928 of pancakes and pasta alfredo. Wait today, Ree-peat (TM Lura!) used bowties instead of fettuccine noodles. How revolutionary. (Not.)

 

Three-year-olds can make fruit pizza.

 

I was more intrigued by the whereabouts of Alex, Todd and Ladd.

 

Yeah, I'll bet the FN schedulers sit around getting stoned and it's like, "Wow, man. I'm really jonseing for some banana boats..." (Then they're off to the races!)

Edited May 30, 2015 by grisgris

[anneofcleves]

It was a lackluster episode.  On the other hand, that flowy peasant shirt was one of the most spectacularly awful things I've ever seen her wear - like something one would wear to a Manson family reunion.

 

Pancakes, chicken Alfredo, and fruit pizza all bore me.  Even her kids with their stupid, staged activities (painting with easels out in the yard, seriously?) bored me.

 

The only interesting thing was imagining her wearing that ugly shirt to a Manson family reunion.

Edited May 30, 2015 by anneofcleves

[autumnh]

Ree is on virtual repeat. 

 

If it was not for her fangirls she'd be gone.

[anneofcleves]

I was more intrigued by the whereabouts of Alex, Todd and Ladd.

 

Ladd was probably pissed that pasta was on the menu AGAIN (with girly bow ties, no less) and stormed off in search of a manly cube steak sandwich at mom's house.

 

Alex and Todd were hitchhiking to anywhere to avoid having to be filmed doing yet another dumb craft project.

[CMH1981]

Yeah, the forcing the kids to paint activity was beyond stupid...i'm sure Ree probably rolled her eyes when they asked her to have the kids do that.

 

I do wonder if all the family was actually on the ranch that weekend but they only needed two of the four kids for this episode.

[grisgris]

Maybe the FN producers said, "Hey we bought all of these canvases for Alex's dorm decorating episode. Use 'em up!"

 

I call equal opportunity for Paige and Todd. Ree has had "special days" with both Alex and Bryce. I still am weeping over the time that every kid got a hand-selected menu item by Ree for dinner. One boy got steak and the other some sort of chocolate dessert. Alex got fettuccine alfredo. Poor Paige? Peas and carrots.

 

I think the way to liven this show up would be to turn it into a reality show ala Kardashians or Osbournes.

[Lillybee]

How many times has Ree showed us how to make fettuccine alfredo, 115 times at least? One thing that really bothers me, is that she hardly ever drains her meat before she adds it to whatever she is making.

[ShellSeeker]

Normally I watch the show so I can join in the snark here, but today I just couldn't do it. Pasta with alfredo sauce....again. Pancakes....again. I had shit to do.

[Qoass]

 

the forcing the kids to paint activity was beyond stupid...i'm sure Ree probably rolled her eyes when they asked her to have the kids do that.

 

Only once they failed to get a product placement tie-in from Michael's Crafts.

[chessiegal]

Since Ree is Executive Producer of her show, seems to me she could veto anything she thinks is stupid. Therefore I'm concluding she's agreeing to it because she thinks it's a) a good idea or b) she figures the producer/showrunner knows more than she does. Either way, I'm laying these kinds of things, well actually everything, on her.

Edited June 1, 2015 by chessiegal

[autumnh]

Tired of the constantly recycled recipes...

 

Using bowties because they are SO easy to cook with? Honey...pasta is pasta.

 

And the whole "Hi guys" and the syrupy sweet voices are well..not realistic lol

[Hildegard802]

Caught the last half of that hot mess called "The Middles." Holy shit, her voice keeps getting more high-pitched and squeaky. I feel so sorry for those poor children. They're far too old for the shit she makes them do and say. Love how she had to push Paigie out of the way pretending she just had to get at that stupid fruit pizza.

[maggiemae]

Do these kids EVER do anything alone.....like read a book for pleasure, play a video game, watch a movie or tv, see a friend alone? Their lives are so structured!!!!

[sharinlilbit]

That's quite an assumption from a mere 30 mins of spliced together footage for a cooking show.  

[parrotlover]

I know this has been mentioned before, but the thing about Ree that most gets on my nerves besides calling every other recipe "cowboy" whatever, is putting a "y" on the end of her kids names and other nouns. So along with Paige-y, Todd-y, Bryce-y, the one I've heard her say more than once is "herb-y". Probably because she's made that same salad dressing on more than one show. I wish someone at FN would tell her she can never again do another recipe for: fettucine, quesadillas, any shape or form of salad, and most especially any dessert topped with candy bars.

[grisgris]

How about "I just started by puttin' a whole buncha'..."

 

Add chicken breast, jalapenos and canned green chiles to the list.

[anneofcleves]

Don't forget raaaanch dressing, paaaancakes, and paaaaninis (said in the most nasally tone possible)

[grisgris]

There. We've gone and eliminated her show. Well played!

Edited June 5, 2015 by grisgris

[Hildegard802]

Can we also emliminate "me, my, I, luscious, decadent, glorious, delicious, I just love this stuff, it's my favorite, (or any other person's/family's favorite)" from her vocabulary? She wouldn't be able to speak.

[Aquarius]

And "scrumptious"!  OMG that drives me crazy!  I'll be watching, thinking that the recipe looks pretty decent, and she'll use that word and I AM DONE.

 

Add chicken breast, jalapenos and canned green chiles to the list.

 

I'd be willing to allow her jalapenos if she could learn how to say it. 

[Qoass]

justjustjustjustjustjustjust...

 

divine... (pronounced with a beat between the first and second syllables).

 

Edited to add that it feels really mean-spirited to me to pick on this woman's limited vocabulary but it is also true that I would genuinely enjoy this show for the right reasons if she would spend a few of her big bucks on a vocal coach.

Edited June 5, 2015 by Qoass

[ShortyMac]

The way she says potatoes annoys the crap out of me.

[Lura]

OK, ladies, hands up for everyone who talks to Ree during the show!  I can't keep my poor mouth shut!  I yell "NO!" when she adds an odd ingredient.  I yell, "LOWER YOUR VOICE!!!"  In real life, when I'm talking normally, I've been called "soft spoken."  Ree does something to me that I don't like.  When she made those banana boats with bags of candy on top, I shouted, "Think of the dental bills!"  When she talks in her little baby voice, it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.  How she got a show, I don't understand.  How she's managed to stay on the tube is an even bigger mystery.  It's depressing.

[Hildegard802]

"The way she says potatoes annoys the crap out of me."

Puh-tay-duhs and tuh-may-duhs! Except when she forgets and says it without the fake southern accent.

[SanLynn]

I talk to Ree through the TV all the time. "Lower you voice", "cut it out with the creepy perma smile", "why does all your food have to be so basic" and my personal favorite "I made that in grade school!"

 

At least I don't have to rail at her about Parmesan anymore.... The way she used to say it drove me nuts. I kept screaming "It's Parmesahn! (phonetically speaking of course)"

 

Oh! And the Putaytuh Tumaytuh thing! Gah! We all know she's playing up the southern accent. Just be yourself crazy lady! LOL

 

Yeah I definitely hate-watch this show.

Edited June 8, 2015 by SanLynn

[Lura]

At the risk of making the board sound like an echo, I enjoyed the engagement party episode, too.  I thought that Ree did a wonderful job of putting together a delicious menu, and I enjoyed watching her cook it.  The appetizers were a nice variety and looked delicious.  The two prime ribs were huge, but she didn't seem fazed about making them.  The only thing that I personally wouldn't have liked were the whiskey glazed carrots, but that's a personal thing.  I could eat raw carrots all day long, but I don't care for cooked carrots.  The cupcakes were so pretty.  Everyone seemed to be having a great time.  I saw lots of smiling faces as people talked together.  I thought that circle of friends at the end was a touching idea and a loving tribute to the couple.  My hat's off to Ree and her sister-in-law for entertaining such a huge crowd and making everyone feel right at home.  This was one of my very favorite episodes.

Everyone looked like they were having a wonderful time.  In a town that small, pretty much everyone knows each other -- or at ll

I totally enjoyed the Engagement Party, too.  I thought that Ree did a fantastic job of planning the menu and cooking it.

[Lura]

Well, I have to give Ree credit for something.  Did anybody see her episode about her herb garden, plus recipes made with the herbs?  Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) had a similar show, but mostly all that Ina did was to show some lady her herb garden and point out the various herbs there.  As I remember it, it was hard for the viewer to see the herbs very well.  Ree outdid Ina!  Ree showed each herb close up, explained the foods that each herb went well with, and then made three dishes using those herbs.  The show was well planned and informative, especially for cooks who generally get their herbs from a jar.  I thought that Ree deserved credit for that show.

 

Oh!  Another plus!  If you saw Pa-Pa's birthday breakfast the other day, did you notice how good Ree looked with MUCH shorter hair??!!!  There was none of that trailing down to the waist.  Her hair length was just a little bit longer than shoulder length, and she looked fantastic!  When the sun (or lights) hit her hair, it shone like strands of pale red silk.  Really nice!  Wish she'd wear her hair like that all the time.

[novhappy]

Good god that 7 can soup! Using the can liquid, adding "generous" amount of salt , then velveeta! How can she not acknowledge the sodium level of that soup??

[tabloidlover]

That soup was gag-tastic.   I'm curious about the horrible sounding combo of pesto and tapenade on crostini?  Those 2 things don't go together, do they??

[CMH1981]

How was that nan bread a pantry staple?  Wouldn't that go bad fairly quick like regular bread?

 

I'm not a fan of coconut, but when she added the canned coconut milk to the curry to make it creamy, it plopped into the skilled and looked like maybe it had gone bad.  Is that how canned coconut milk looks like?  It looked chunky.

 

For being speechless over those damn chocolate peanut butter bars she sure wouldn't shut up.

 

Did she really say you could add crushed up saltine crackers over that chocolate?

 

That was just stupid showing off her boots on the ladder and her hiding a bar in the pantry in her cookware....ugh.  Why can't I quit this show.

 

That soup was just nasty and then she added canned chili then the cheese

 

I really think this is how she really cooks when not on camera, just dump from a can and serve...plus meat from the ranch.

 

I would love to see Ree compete on a FN competition show, not one where it was predetermined she would win in order to promote her show.

[grisgris]

I hope that Ree isn't in charge of the home schooling math lessons. When she was cutting up the peanut butter bars, she said she made three vertical and four horizontal cuts (or vice versa) and "I put all 20 out on the plate..."

 

That soup looked gagtastic. So did the crostini. That soup was probably the laziest recipe I've seen on FN in a very long time. At least Aunt Sandy always added booze or seasoning packets to her canned goods.

 

I'd try chickpea curry, but I'd look for a different recipe by somebody like Aarti Sequera or Bal Aronson.

 

The dizzying array of ugly tops didn't help this episode.

[Aquarius]

I'm not a fan of coconut, but when she added the canned coconut milk to the curry to make it creamy, it plopped into the skilled and looked like maybe it had gone bad.  Is that how canned coconut milk looks like?  It looked chunky.

 

 

Yes. canned coconut milk looks like that.  It is made up of solids and liquid, and the solids melt with heat. 

[ShellSeeker]

That soup was just nasty and then she added canned chili then the cheese.

 

Dear god, you're right -- she did add canned chili. I was thinking that it maybe wouldn't be so bad if you used the no salt added variety of canned goods, skipped the Velveeta, and added some spices. But I didn't notice the canned chili. I must have been preoccupied with her not rinsing the beans when they came out of the can and missed that.

[novhappy]

I am going to check that 7 can recipe on the website. It might say to drain the beans, God willing. Will report back

[novhappy]

Well it says to dump all cans with liquid. Sad. I didn't notice on the tv but it's 3 different types of beans. So gross!

[anneofcleves]

Oh, she specifically stated that party of the beauty of that glorious toxic cesspool of canned food is that you don't have to drain the beans!  I'm shocked that it's not a 16 minute meal!

[novhappy]

Maybe there's a spinoff here. Survivalist meals for the zombie apocalypse.

[Lura]

I caught Alex's 16th birthday this week and thought it was so-so.  It seems like Ree chooses pasta as the main course a little too often, but she did say that pasta is a favorite of Alex's, so she's forgiven this time.

 

To me, the Stupid Award goes to her reunion show with her high school girlfriends.  Those goodie bags cost a mint for all those people, and most of the stuff in them was laughable.  Once again, I felt that Ree was showing off.  She has the pull, having her own show, to have any guests she wants, and I think she's determined to get everyone she knows a chance to be on TV.  Oddly enough, I don't ever remember seeing her mother!  She's had the Drummonds and her father and stepmother, so why's she leaving out her mom?  Bad feelings from the divorce?  Or have I just missed seeing her?

 

ETA:  Originally, I wrote that I might try that soup, just to see how good/bad it is.  Since then, the idea of it has turned my stomach, so I'm changing my tune.  I think it might be tasty if a tornado had blown the house down and only the cans had survived.  If there is no other food, the soup might be appreciated.  I think it should be called Tornado Soup -- not tomato, but tornado!  :)

Edited June 18, 2015 by Lura

[Iboatedhere]

 Oddly enough, I don't ever remember seeing her mother!  She's had the Drummonds and her father and stepmother, so why's she leaving out her mom?  Bad feelings from the divorce?  Or have I just missed seeing her?

 

She showed up with Ree's sister one time. Her mother, her sister, and her sister's son showed up to eat with Alex and Paige. I know they had some kind of salad and crème brulee for dessert.  

[Lura]

Oh, that's right, Iboatedhere.  I saw that show but forgot all about it.  Thanks for reminding me.

[Lura]

I watched a rerun of "Home Schooling" and realized halfway through it that I'd seen it before.  That episode is one, long snoozefest, or it was for me.  They canned jelly during the first half, and we were treated to a shot showing Page looking bored stiff!  LOL  The second half was gathering specimens down at the creek.  We never did get to see through the microscope and find out what the kids caught.   The cooking amounted to some oatmeal-strawberry jam cookies, broccoli cheddar soup served in bread bowls, and make-ahead muffin melts.  Uninspiring for me.  :(

[peacheslatour]

I adore pie and was kind of excited to see a show focused on it.  But then I realized who I was watching.

 

Her apple pie looked darn good until she gilded the lily with the caramel and the pecans.  She just doesn't know when to stop sugaring things up.

 

I was also questioning the logistics of the strawberry pretzel pie.  Has anyone made a crust like that with the pretzel pieces so large?  It seems like the crust would totally fall apart upon cutting.  And the amount of strawberries and whipped cream on that pie was absurd.  How in the world cut you cut that thing into reasonably sized pieces?

 

I was also wondering whether a grasshopper pie made with 2 contains of marshmallow fluff would end up being a little rubbery.  But then I googled and found a very similar recipe at the Kraft website (figures) and assumed it must be ok.

I swear to all that is holy, if I see her add sugar to tomato sauce one more time, I'll chew my own foot off!

[Lura]

I've heard of other people adding sugar to their sauce, Peaches, but I don't care for the combination.  My mom made us kids put sugar on tomatoes, thinking we'd like them better.  We didn't!  It wasn't until college when I saw someone salt them that I tried them that way -- and loved them!   To me, sugar and tomatoes just don't go together.  To each his own, I guess. 

Edited June 20, 2015 by Lura

[Hildegard802]

Ohmygoshohmygoodness how many times has this woman made enchiladas, pulled pork and coleslaw??? More fence-building. Didja know cowboys love spicy food? "I just love this."

[anneofcleves]

I remember busting on her before for using canned enchilada sauce (for one of her many other incarnations of crappy Mexican food), since the sauce is pretty much what makes enchiladas amazing.  I figured she was just being lazy and pandering to the FN viewers who, you know, basically don't like to cook and are just watching her until the next cupcake competition airs.  Turns out, Ree-peat doesn't know what actual red enchilada sauce is.  That recipe boggled my mind.  Canned tomato sauce, some onions, chili powder, a little cayenne, broth, and chicken bouillon?  Seriously, Ree?  No, really...seriously, Ree?  Nary an actual chili pepper in the pan.

 

I wish Rick Bayless would walk on camera and beat her senseless with a pinata stick.

 

And her comment about the heat of FOUR teaspoons of supermarket chili powder.  Oh my goodness, will their cowboy heads explode from it? She's not even smart enough to explain that whatever piddly amount of heat is in that sauce is from the cayenne pepper.  

 

Screw Rick Bayless, where's the pinata stick?  I'll do it myself.

Edited June 20, 2015 by anneofcleves

[autumnh]

I am Italian raised in Brooklyn...I don't know anyone in my family who hasn't put some sugar in marinara (Sunday sauce)..it helps to offset the acidity of tomato...I also ONLY use San Marzano tomatoes...it always makes for a better sauce :)

Edited June 20, 2015 by autumnh

[Lisin]

That enchilada sauce KILLED me... there aren't tomatoes in enchilada sauce. Period. 

[peacheslatour]

I am Italian raised in Brooklyn...I don't know anyone in my family who hasn't put some sugar in marinara (Sunday sauce)..it helps to offset the acidity of tomato...I also ONLY use San Marzano tomatoes...it always makes for a better sauce :)

I tried it once, years ago.  Nope, never again.  Tomatoes may be acidic, but they have a sweetness all their own.  Maybe it's because I'm French.  We don't add sugar to any savory sauces.  YMMV.

[CMH1981]

I thought the enchiladas looked good, and i'll be the first to say I don't have a clue on how to make red sauce, so at least I know she somewhat half-assed it anneofcleves.  

 

I was most shocked, which I shouldn't be regarding this show and who she cooks for, that she made cheese enchiladas and shredded pork for these guys.  Is there some Drummond rule where every meal must consist of a meat?  I mean if anything couldn't she have added the shredded pork to the enchiladas?  Oh well.  I noticed when she served that the pulled pork was meant to go on corn tortillas, or that's what the guys were doing, so wtf?!

 

So what happened to the rest of that dressing for the coleslaw?  I thought she might have poured the remainder over the coleslaw before she put it in the fridge.  It looked liked the dressing to cabbage ratio was way off, it looked like it would be really dry.

 

So how many times have we seen lemon bars on this show now?

 

I have nothing against Papa Dummond, but I loved his helping to put up the new fence.  It reminds me of my own dad helping to do chores by supervising.  In other words he would be inside "supervising" while we did all the work.  Happy Father's Day!

[Gam2]

My grandpa always put sugar on his sliced tomatoes at dinner time. When we visited, our mom wouldn't let us do it. She insisted that we sprinkle salt. I had an Italian friend who made the most amazing food. She always, always put a bit of sugar into her tomato sauce to cut the acidity. Apparently, her grandmother and mother taught her to do that. So that's my two cents added to the discussion.