All Episodes Talk

[anneofcleves]

Sanlynn, I've seen sugar cookie recipes that call for sour cream.  They do make for a cakier cookie, and are really good if you like them that way.

 

Did she give her mom credit for the Jello-flavored gumdrops?  I know she mentioned her mom's use of unflavored gelatin (which is actually a good thing in the recipe), but I don't know if she credited her mom with the actual recipe. At any rate, that's another recipe that's made the rounds for decades.  

 

And speaking of Jello and the Holidays...this could be fun.  Let's all submit our entries for the knock-off recipe Ree will present as her own on her upcoming Christmas show.  There are endless possibilities, but I'm going with this one, just because it looks so scrumptious:  http://clickamericana.com/topics/food-drink/christmas-rainbow-poke-cake-1980 (By the way friends, the recipe section of this blog is very good and fertile recipe hunting ground for Ree.)

 

ETA, I'm amazed by the ClickAmericana.com site, because it not only has the vintage photos from the magazines but also the actual recipes.  Score!  Did you know that Lipton onion soup dip was actually named California Dip (c. 1964)?  I hope WhitneyWhit studies this for her upcoming series.

Edited December 6, 2015 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

Ah hell! Why pussyfoot around? I'm sending her straight to the mother lode:

 

http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/knox/index.html

 

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ree, you go girl!

[Lura]

Nov 28 2015. 11:23 am

 

Am I on glue or did Ree just take credit for homemade pita wedges by saying she bought pita bread, cut it up into wedges, brush w/ olive oil, sprinkle salt, and bake?!  So in her mind homemade means buy something at the store and put your own little flourish on it and voila...it's like you made it from scratch?!  In that case I guess I didn't realize I was toasting my own homemade bread every morning for breakfast...you know...buying bread from the store then toasting it and cutting it in half.

 

LOLOL!!  I was at the Food Network today and noticed that there was a recipe for cereal cookies by Ree, the old standby that teachers would use in their 2nd grade classes!  I don't understand it.  Her three cookbooks are among the Top 10 NYTimes bestseller list -- all three of them!!!  The word "dingbat" comes to mind, but for whom, the author or the buyers?!

Edited December 7, 2015 by Lura

[Timetoread]

Those gumdrops looked like nothing more than booze-less jello shots.

 

Funny.  While I watched I was thinking, that if I made them, I would spike them and serve at a cocktail party- which would make them fun and different.

 

 

Do people really add sour cream to their cake cookie recipes? That made me gag. Also making me gag were the cheese straws as the combination of butter and cheese just did not look good to me.

 

Considering that butter and cheese are the two main ingredients of Mac and Cheese and for some people, mashed potatoes, I think they'd be good.

[SanLynn]



Considering that butter and cheese are the two main ingredients of Mac and Cheese and for some people, mashed potatoes, I think they'd be good.

Ahhh that explains a lot. I'm not a fan of Mac and Cheese and I don't use butter in my potatoes. LOL

[chakajo]

Question does anyone knows if ree graduated from college?

[mousie]

In her book, she mentions that she spent 4 years at USC in Los Angeles, but doesn't mention what her major was or that in fact she graduated. Other comments have said that she was studying for law school entrance exams when she met Ladd, so she probably did graduate.

[chessiegal]

Wiki says she graduated from USC in 1991, first studying journalism, then switching to gerontology.

[peacheslatour]



Ahhh that explains a lot. I'm not a fan of Mac and Cheese and I don't use butter in my potatoes. LOL

If you don't mind my curiosity, what do you use instead?

[Hildegard802]

I too don't understand that so-called spinach artichoke dip.  She made creamed vegetables with a bunch of cheese in the sauce.  If I make green beans in a cheese sauce, is that a dip?

 

She needs to lay off the Botox.  She can barely make her mouth work.  

 

Bal-SAM-ic.  

[SanLynn]

If you don't mind my curiosity, what do you use instead?

Milk usually, sometimes a bit of sour cream if I have it on hand.

 

I like my potatoes a bit chunky anyway, I don't really go for the smooth mashed potatoes so I just need to mush 'em a little. Sometime I don't use anything.

Edited December 10, 2015 by SanLynn

[Lillybee]

Ree, I don't really think that a heavy calzone makes a light meal for a summer day.

 

But thank you for the tip on how to keep bottled water cold on a summer day by freezing it. Gee, I never would have thought of that.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Lillybee

[autumnh]

New episode today...

 

More Prime Rib, Wedge Salad and homemade dressing.

 

How original.

[tabloidlover]

Oh goody, a how-to on a wedge salad.  That one has always been a struggle for me.  <scarcasm>

[autumnh]

She just put ketchup in that dressing...jeezus!

 

Also, if you look..you will see her line of products are all over her kitchen..

Edited December 12, 2015 by autumnh

[anneofcleves]

Lettuce wedges?  Oh perfect timing.  I really need to see her technique on this, because I always end up making lettuce blocks versus wedges.  It's so HARD!!

 

But first I need to finish watching her make Holiday Bacon Appetizers, with club crackers wrapped in bacon.  I've tried and tried so many times to make these but I just can't seem to get the toothpick through the club cracker to hold the bacon on.  Ree doesn't use a toothpick, but I'm not nearly as skilled as she is at wrapping bacon around things and am afraid that it will spontaneously pop off in the oven.   Maybe I should just use a blow torch to crisp them up, while using a fork to hold them in place?  I wish there was an "Ask Ree" at FoodNetwork.com!!

[Lura]

Has anybody ever made Ree's Caramel Turtles?  They were the only thing in her Christmas show that looked good to me.  I would think that the salt from the pretzels would taste good with the caramel, and who doesn't like chocolate? 

 

I couldn't believe she added bacon to that other cookie.  Well, I shouldn't have been surprised.  That's Ree.

Edited December 12, 2015 by Lura

[Westiepeach]

Has anybody ever made Ree's Caramel Turtles?  They were the only thing in her Christmas show that looked good to me.  I would think that the salt from the pretzels would taste good with the caramel, and who doesn't like chocolate? 

 

I couldn't believe she added bacon to that other cookie.  Well, I shouldn't have been surprised.  That's Ree.

*raising hand* I did! They are stupid easy and really, really good. My neighbor came over while they were setting up and loved them. I did NOT cover them in chocolate; I thought that would be overkill. I just set them on the chocolate. They will be included in my cookie trays this year. I'll probably make another batch or 2, they are really that good.

[anneofcleves]

New episode today...

 

More Prime Rib, Wedge Salad and homemade dressing.

 

How original.

 

But at least she's consistent!    Under the guise of Ree's anniversary dinner it makes sense, and aside from bacon-wrapped hot dogs I can't imagine them having anything else.  In terms of Ree's show, they seem to eat like it's their anniversary at least 52 times a year with a giant hunk of beef, some form of potato, and some iceberg lettuce salad with ranch dressing, bacon, and cheese.  

 

I don't go nuts for prime rib, but I know lots of people do.  Her recipe looked good, and I was overjoyed to see that she didn't encrust it in lemon pepper and Lawry's seasoned salt or drown it with root beer.  Yay for restraint, Ree!  But I would totally leave the au jus out of the equation if you're going to totally crap it up with nasty, canned consomme (they still make that stuff?).

 

Hasselback potatoes are classic and hers looked fine.  They seemed familiar to me, but I can't recall a specific show where she made them.

 

And the salad with ranch dressing.  Is it possible to start hating a food (ranch dressing) simply because you've seen it too much on a cooking show?  I used to like it.

Edited December 12, 2015 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

Are you supposed to serve the prime rib with both the chimichurri  AND au jus?

 

Did she also add hot sauce to the ranch dressing? (Sorry. Wasn't paying rapt attention.) And why in the fresh hell did she add ketchup? I can't imagine.

 

Color me surprised that there was no multi-tiered dessert overflowing with ice cream toppings, crushed up candy bars, whipped cream and sprinkles.

 

Maybe it's my hearing, but I swear Ree was saying "anniver-shary."

 

It would have been a nice touch if Ladd and the boys had at least showered and put on fresh clothes to sit down to dinner. After all, Ree made them place their napkins on their laps.

[autumnh]

Are you supposed to serve the prime rib with both the chimichurri  AND au jus?

 

Did she also add hot sauce to the ranch dressing? (Sorry. Wasn't paying rapt attention.) And why in the fresh hell did she add ketchup? I can't imagine.

 

Color me surprised that there was no multi-tiered dessert overflowing with ice cream toppings, crushed up candy bars, whipped cream and sprinkles.

 

Maybe it's my hearing, but I swear Ree was saying "anniver-shary."

 

It would have been a nice touch if Ladd and the boys had at least showered and put on fresh clothes to sit down to dinner. After all, Ree made them place their napkins on their laps.

 

 

Gris, I was thinking the same thing...It seemed like too much..with the simplicity of the menu (meat, potatoes and salad) I was confused as to how the Chimichurri fit in but that is just me.

 

Hot sauce AND ketchup, mayo, sour cream, buttermilk...I just cannot.

 

I think her pronunciation might because of all the botox. Her face seems to move less and less with each new episode!

[DuckyinKy]

 

After all, Ree made them place their napkins on their laps.

Napkins from her line at Walmart, no doubt. The product placement was as subtle at getting hit with a 2x4. 

[anneofcleves]

Hot sauce AND ketchup, mayo, sour cream, buttermilk...I just cannot.

 

I'm surprised she didn't make a white sauce for the base!

[chakajo]

They also prayed before eating I never seen them do that before

[sabretooth]

The "no fancy sushi for us on our anniversary" statement was a little off-putting. Ree, dear. We get it. You're just plain meat and potatoes folk. No need to put down those that may enjoy some fish.

I've never made prime rib at home, but that seemed like an awful lot of meat for five people.

It may also be the cold meds talking, but those potatoes looked really good.

[SanLynn]

How many times has she made ranch dressing now? It's no wonder Ketchup made it in this time. She must have run out of good ideas for how to put a twist on it. Another gag worthy moment for my ever growing collection where Ree's concerned.

 

I also didn't understand the au jus since she'd already made chimichurri. Glad I wasn't the only one. She probably made the chimichurri for her and Paige and the au jus for Ladd and the boys since she was already putting something green on their plates with the salad.

Edited December 12, 2015 by SanLynn

[WonderSchwermin]

Full disclosure, I will likely make a variation of this dinner for my Christmas Eve dinner - I make a variation of this dinner EVERY year on Christmas Eve.  But I'm not going to film myself and pretend I invented the wheel. 

 

Edited to add, chimichurri pairs well with the grilled taste of steak, for every single grilled steak show we have endured she never once made it then? When it might have been an interesting jumping off point for more inventive sides? But prime rib demands horseradish, or jus.  But not jus made with canned consomme.  She could have used wine, but as we have been told ad nauseum, Ladd wont eat food cooked with wine. She always has a hunk of beef around the house - why not some beef stock or a demi glace?  All of these things would have been more interesting than what was presented.

Edited December 12, 2015 by WonderSchwermin

[autumnh]

I'm surprised she didn't make a white sauce for the base!

 

Oh you made me laugh right out loud! lol

 

I thought for sure she'd make a 12 layer cake with whipped cream and fruit and nutella and rainbow sprinkles, m&m's, peanut butter cups etc...although?....

 

I did make that super duper chocolate /nutella/strawberry/whipped cream cake for my 8 year old nephews birthday (two layers though) and it was delicious...I did used boxed chocolate cake though....I still think she is a recipe cheater...aside from lifting recipes from church cookbooks....her "recipes" can be found all over the internet....I am continually amazed at the amount of re-using that occurs though.

[tabloidlover]

Are you supposed to serve the prime rib with both the chimichurri  AND au jus?

 

Did she also add hot sauce to the ranch dressing? (Sorry. Wasn't paying rapt attention.) And why in the fresh hell did she add ketchup? I can't imagine.

 

Color me surprised that there was no multi-tiered dessert overflowing with ice cream toppings, crushed up candy bars, whipped cream and sprinkles.

 

Maybe it's my hearing, but I swear Ree was saying "anniver-shary."

 

It would have been a nice touch if Ladd and the boys had at least showered and put on fresh clothes to sit down to dinner. After all, Ree made them place their napkins on their laps.

Ok, it's not your hearing.  I'm watching it now and she is mispronouncing the hell outta anniversary.  So annoying

[Kohola3]

Wiki says she graduated from USC in 1991, first studying journalism, then switching to gerontology.

 

She must have really hated working with the elderly.  Her fat and sugar laden recipes are designed to kill off everyone really early in life due to massive clogged arteries.

[grisgris]

We've seen evidence of that with the meals she pawns off on poor Edna Mae.

[HyeChaps]

Bobby Flay made a lovely prime rib on his Christmas at Bobby's special. His au jus did not have canned consommé in it.

[maggiemae]

I suppose living on a cattle ranch and a pioneer, one would not have access to beef bones.  

 

Oh, wait. 

Edited December 14, 2015 by maggiemae

[autumnh]

Ree is on Dr. Oz at the moment...making penne ala vodka and cheesecake shooters ...i'm surprised he allowed her to use all that fat!

[Automne]

I have to say, I found it kind of weird in having the kids involved with the anniversary dinner. That's one of those nights where you pull out one of those freezer meals you previously made, write down the instructions for the kids, and tell them to make themselves scarce for the evening. They're not little anymore, as much as Ree can't handle that fact anymore.

[CMH1981]

I too felt it was odd she turned the anniversary dinner into a family affair. You can't tell me those boys couldn't have fixed there own sandwiches at the house. I was glad she finally explained why she was calling the dinner "prime rib for five" when the non-college daughter wasn't there for the actual dinner.

I loved that everything she made was all just re-hashes of previous meals we have seen her prepare over and over and over and over and over and over...wait what season are we on...oh yeah, over and over and over again.

[maggiemae]

ina has her 10 things to make with tweaks....and make, assemble, buy.

Ree had her hot sauce and jalapenos and oddles of candies, carmel, chocolate sauce and whipped cream in a can.....and a snake.

Evidently she is the ONLY person in her county that has anything to offer....no farm stands, specialty stores, markets other than the A and P or able to buy off the internet special items with her net worth.

Instead we get light brown limp meat that doesn't even get a chance to rest.

ina has her 10 things to make with tweaks....and make, assemble, buy.

Ree had her hot sauce and jalapenos and oddles of candies, carmel, chocolate sauce and whipped cream in a can.....and a snake.

Evidently she is the ONLY person in her county that has anything to offer....no farm stands, specialty stores, markets other than the A and P or able to buy off the internet special items with her net worth.

Instead we get light brown limp meat that doesn't even get a chance to rest.

[Lura]

I had a chance to see the Drummonds prepare for Christmas the other day or night.  If the show was on before, I missed it.  I really thought that Charlie stole the show in his outfit.  What a giggle!

 

Although I'm not overly fond of thick pastas like rigatoni and penne, I thought Ree's rigatoni looked like a perfect meal for a cold winter's night until I saw her magic trick.  The sauce disappeared!  How'd she do that???  Her tomato sauce looked pretty good until she plated the dish, and it became nothing but noodles and mushrooms with an occasional slight tinge of red.  You'd really need a tall glass of water to get that meal down, I imagine.

 

I'm not one to criticize others' Christmas trees, and I have a lot of old ornaments that have probably seen their better day, but some of the Drummond ornaments looked even older than mine.  The gold topper confused me.  Maybe someone else knows what it was.  Still, the episode had its charm and left me with good feelings and a definite Christmas spirit.

 

And -- wouldn't you know? -- Brycie won the decorating contest!  That boy is headed for bigger and better things, artistically!

Edited December 17, 2015 by Lura

[anneofcleves]

Although I'm not overly fond of thick pastas like rigatoni and penne, I thought Ree's rigatoni looked like a perfect meal for a cold winter's night until I saw her magic trick.  The sauce disappeared!  How'd she do that???  Her tomato sauce looked pretty good until she plated the dish, and it became nothing but noodles and mushrooms with an occasional slight tinge of red.  You'd really need a tall glass of water to get that meal down, I imagine.

 

I had the same thought, Lura, and think that the recipe could benefit from an increase in the ratio of sauce to meatballs.  There's no right way to do it, but when I serve something like this I usually toss the pasta lightly with sauce, a little parmesan cheese, pour onto platter, and then top with meatballs.  When her meatballs finished cooking, it was pretty clear that the sauce had mostly formed a gravy around the meatballs, which is great but didn't leave a lot left over for people who like a little more sauce with their pasta.

 

I have to give her some credit for such a good, basic recipe.  She didn't resort to any canned tomato sauce (yuck) or jarred pasta sauce.  It made me happy to see her demonstrate how easy and quick it is to make a simple red sauce from a few ingredients.  I wish she had commented about experimenting with different herbs and spices to jazz up the basic sauce, though, because while parsley and basil is great, so is added oregano.  Or fennel seed.  Or my favorite red sauce, which combines the basil, red pepper flakes for heat, and a light touch of rosemary.  It's an amazing flavor combination.

Edited December 17, 2015 by anneofcleves

[peacheslatour]

Last night I saw an ep where she was preparing for a "grown up" party, but she put out a thing she called a cheese platter.  Now Ina would have put a selection of meats, cheese, fruit and bread and let people serve themselves.  Ree cut everything up in tiny bite sized pieces.  I think she's been cooking for children too long.

[maggiemae]

Ina's cheese boards are an amazing sight.....can't imagine staying away from them. Ree's, boring.

But then I don't understand Ree's use of ingredients at all compared to other cooks and chefs on tv using San Marzano tomatoes (why add jarred spaghetti sauce to homemade?), or "good" vanilla. Or different cheeses other than pepper jack and cheddar. Let alone her boring veggies and salads. She can certainly afford better ingredients than guiding the ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles, candy, carmel and chocolate.

I need to watch my food budget carefully but there are some things I don't compromise on......and think it does make a difference, especially for company. Steak is out of the question but I would never want one of Ladd's limp, light brown slab. I would think he would be an expert on beef.

[captain1]

I'm sorry but "Ladd's limp, light brown slab" made me LOL!  I'll go back into the gutter now <snort>!

[jenh526]

I'm sorry but "Ladd's limp, light brown slab" made me LOL!  I'll go back into the gutter now <snort>!

 

This made me think of Ladd too - "She always has a hunk of beef around the house"

[ariel]

This made me think of Ladd too - "She always has a hunk of beef around the house"

Sadly Ree's "hunk of beef" isn't beefy or hunkly.

[peacheslatour]

Sadly Ree's "hunk of beef" isn't beefy or hunkly.

I'd still rather watch him work his ranch than watch her "cook".  Every time one of her Walmart commercials comes on my husband visibly shudders.  But oddly enough he likes Ladd.  I wonder if he is named after Alan Ladd.  If so, I'm surprised neither of the boys is called Shane.

[ariel]

 According to her blog, sad pasty looking Ladd (as seen on tv) is the guy that makes her hinny tingle or itch or something….

Edited December 22, 2015 by ariel

[jenh526]

 According to her blog, sad pasty looking Ladd (as seen on tv) is the guy that makes her hinny tingle or itch or something….

 

I think it's the Wrangler butt (she likes posting the same pic of it over and over). Never saw the appeal myself - was always more of a Levi's girl.

[txvoodoo]

When I first saw a picture of the Wonderbutt years ago, I thought "....that's it?" It's awfully flat.

 

I mean, he's no Captain America!

[Automne]

Oh, good, I'm glad I'm not the only one perplexed by Ladd's longbacked ass. There's no meat there. I mean, different strokes and all, but the butt part of his Wranglers had some space.

[grisgris]

Meatless Meals Marvels ... Meh.

 

First up: Italian panzanella.  Ree substituted a medley of roasted vegetables for traditional tomatoes. Total roasting time was about 40-45 minutes. Prior to that, she made "Italian cornbread" with the Italian spin being the addition of Parmesan cheese and sundried tomatoes with a final flourish of mozzarella balls. It didn't look good to me. Besides, I thought the point of making panzanella was to throw together a quick salad to use up stale bread that you had on hand. So, I don't really get this take on the recipe. Also, wouldn't cornbread be too crumbly?

 

Broccoli with cheese sauce on a baked potato: Do people really need a recipe for that? To me, it just looked like an excuse to show off the fancy camera by taking superfluous photos of cheese sauce dripping off of a wooden spoon.

 

Tofu/corn lettuce wraps: Uh... Didn't really interest me and I didn't like the sound of mixing soy sauce and balsamic. Ladd made a wise decision to nix that one.

 

Greek grilled eggplant: This was just assembly by scattering the components of a Greek salad over eggplant seasoned with chili powder and grilled. If it's going to be Greek, at least use oregano and lemon instead.