All Episodes Talk

[autumnh]

Did you know that she thought it would be MORE fun just to doctor up some beans? You don't say!

 

 

I cannot deal with the recycling of stolen recipes.

[sabretooth]

That pork looked tasty and delicious. My only quibble is that I wouldn't have put the veggies from the cooking pot on top of the shredded meat. Those veggies had already done their duty for god and country and looked really burnt. If the veggies really were needed to top the dish, I would have made a small batch sautéed on the stovetop and used that. 

 

And doctoring up canned product is fun? Who knew. 

[autumnh]

Oh look, more shredded pork and refried beans. *yawn*

Oh look, more shredded pork and refried beans. *yawn*

[SanLynn]

Ree Ree's doctoring up a can o' somethin. Must be Saturday, LOL.

 

I did enjoy seeing more of Pete. You always see him around but it's nice to get a bit more information on what he does on ye ole' ranch. And I really liked seeing the hay operation. All that to me was way more interesting than the cooking.

[mmecorday]

I can barely watch this show anymore and it's not because of the cooking. I am too distracted by her traffic cone colored tresses. Her hair just looks so fake. I've seen clown wigs that were more realistic than her hair.

[peacheslatour]

Ree Ree's doctoring up a can o' somethin. Must be Saturday, LOL.

 

I did enjoy seeing more of Pete. You always see him around but it's nice to get a bit more information on what he does on ye ole' ranch. And I really liked seeing the hay operation. All that to me was way more interesting than the cooking.

Cracked me up when Ree said something like "there's been a change of plans, I'm going to meet Pete instead of taking dinner to his house".  Yeah, I bet. Pete's wife: "I don't want that red headed bitch and her camera crew in my house.  Meet her somewhere, but NOT here!"

[grisgris]

Or ...  maybe Pete's daughter, who happens to be a knockout with natural red hair, happened to be over visiting her parents!

[anneofcleves]

LOL'ing at "traffic cone" colored hair.  We saw her church potluck show from season two replayed on Sunday, and my husband commented about how much better her hair looked.  

 

Back to Pete.  It did strike me as funny, and really odd, that so many of her meals are served or transferred to someone else from the back of a truck.  Like a covert drug deal.  I'm scanning my memory banks for the number of times I've served food out of the back of my car and am not coming up with much.

[Hildegard802]

The "back of the truck" garbage is more of her "just for show" act.  I was along for more than one meal delivered to my dad in the field and never, ever, ever, did or would my mom put the food in the back of a pickup where it would get covered with dust.  That's just idiocy.  Of course, that's Ree's entire gig, so .  . . 

[novhappy]

Anneofcleves I came here to say I am watching the church potluck episode now and she looks so normal! Her hair is great and her mannerisms are normal. I haven't seen an early ep in a long time. I forgot when she was just making basic recipes and not overselling. every. ingredient.

[grisgris]

I watched an older episode the other day about separating bulls out of the herds, then the kids came in for lunch and school work. Ree was much more toned-down with normal colored hair, and while the food wasn't all that exciting (scalloped potatoes and ham and green beans on the side) it seemed like she seemed to enjoy the process more and wasn't on some mad mission to beat constraints of time or number of ingredients; impress somebody, etc.

 

That day, Ree made Rice Krispies treats with chocolate and Nutella. That would have been fine, but then she had to add more miniature marshmallows, pecans and a drizzle of melted chocolate over the top. So, she was gilding the lily since the very beginning.

[Iboatedhere]

The red and orange jerseys on those kids were way too similar. If I was playing I would've screwed a lot of plays up.

[SanLynn]

When I was watching the new episode I just kept experiencing Deja Vu. She did almost the exact same episode last year (not to mention that it aired right before the new one!). The filming of the game, the chili.... When you're just recycling your recipes and gimmicks and slapping a "new" label on it I think it's time to hang it up. Send the cameras away Ree!

Edited January 30, 2016 by SanLynn

[peacheslatour]

 

That day, Ree made Rice Krispies treats with chocolate and Nutella. That would have been fine, but then she had to add more miniature marshmallows, pecans and a drizzle of melted chocolate over the top. So, she was gilding the lily since the very beginning.

I actually thought those looked pretty good.  Of course I live in Seattle, if you know what I mean.  And I think you do.  :)

[grisgris]

Yeah, I do! LOL! I thought those treats looked good and if you have to try to elevate Rice Krispies treats, that didn't look too bad.

 

So, anyway, what in the fresh hell did I just watch? That was almost identical to last year's "big game" show. (And why in the hell don't these shows just say Super Bowl?) Bryce looks a lot older and bigger than the rest of the boys to be playing in a pee-wee league--more like middle school.

 

IF, and only, if, the spread Ree prepared wasn't for tween-aged boys, I would have been more disgusted than usual. As it was, that was pretty bland fare and did we really need detailed instructions on how to made sandwiches out of tortillas and deli meat? Shit, she added chipotle sauce to everything. I could make Ree's bleu cheese dressing in my sleep and I've never even made it before!

 

That was also a boatload of toppings choices for the potato skins. I think boys that age would go for the cheese and bacon, and perhaps some sour cream and that would be adequate. All of that other stuff was unnecessary. Also, did she really put bottled chlii sauce in the chili and barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and honey in the dipping sauce for the wings?

 

People have dinged Giada before for serving stuff like white chili and proscuitto sliders for game day, but at least that's halfway original. There was nothing innovative or interesting about Ree's show today, but then again, that's par for the course.

 

BTW, the droppin' the g's at the end of words today was off the charts. Drove me nuts trying to listen to her.

[sabretooth]

Those chicken wings...I live in WNY and chicken wings are just fried and dressed with hot sauce and butter, as Mrs. Theresa intended them. There's no jalapeño brine or BBQ sauce or honey needed. (Honey BBQ wings are tasty and delicious, do not get me wrong, but they are a completely different recipe.) And that blue cheese…she had a decent recipe going until she added the chipotle in adobo and the worcestershire sauce. The blue cheese is meant to cool the spice from the wings, not add to it. (It's also meant for the dipping of your pizza crust, too!) 

[chessiegal]

 

And why in the hell don't these shows just say Super Bowl?)

Because they will be sued by the NFL (not kidding, true). News shows can use it because they are reporting the news.

[anneofcleves]

And why in the hell don't these shows just say Super Bowl?)

 

Because they will be sued by the NFL (not kidding, true). News shows can use it because they are reporting the news.

 

Yes, I think you're right.  With these shows, it must be an issue with Food Network not having rights to say the name, because I've seen posts on Ree's blog about Super Bowl food before (?).

 

Boy, that football food show was so different and special compared to the other football food shows she has done.  I mean there was chili (oh wait).  And then brownies (oh right, we might have seen them before).  And wrap sandwiches (hmm, familiar but these had 12 types of mayo to dip them in <gag>).  And something on the order of nachos (this time the substrate was potato skins) topped with 150 different cardiologist disavowed toppings.

 

Let's be real.  Her football shows seem more like footage for a Tums commercial than anything else.

[chessiegal]

"Super Bowl" is a trademark owned by the NFL, and unless you are licensed to use it, they will come after you. That's why you'll see and hear things like "official sponsor of the Super Bowl" by people using it on the air.

[anneofcleves]

Ree must not be afraid to use the term on her blog.

 

So here is an interesting article on the use of the term (http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2014/01/31/dont-say-super-bowl.html).  Apparently it is legal to use the term if referencing the event.  You just can't say that your product (or Ree's blog) is officially associated with the game.  Businesses apparently are loathe to risk the mere utterance of the word, though, because the NFL thug lawyers will attempt to annihilate them for even thinking about saying it.

 

From the article, I love Stephen Colbert's preferred term:  Superb Owl.

[Fostersmom]

Giada's "Kickoff Party" is on now and Damaris's "Halftime" party is coming up too, followed by Bobby's "Big Game Brunch. Guy's "Game Day" show was this morning. At this point, it's like a drinking game of how many ways FN can get around saying Super Bowl and getting slapped down by the NFL I'll give Ree's version props for going the college game route and not the fake Super Bowl party route. 

[anneofcleves]

I agree with you there, Fostersmom.  I'm reading your post, and on comes "The Kitchen" and Sunny Anderson is showing us how to make her 6-foot long "Super-hero" sandwich, which by the way is a total hot mess of whole hot dogs and grilled onions drizzled with yellow mustard and (not exaggerating) about 2 cups of mayonnaise.  Somewhere Ree is thinking, "I am totally stealing that idea!  All it needs is ranch dressing and jalapenos and it will be MINE.  ALL MINE!"

 

*ETA:  My daughter just corrected me and told me that Sunny did not use mayonnaise on the sandwich but a sauce made of whipped cream cheese and chipotles in adobo.  OMG, Ree must be fuming, because she has exclusive rights to the use of chipotle peppers!!

Edited January 31, 2016 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

Last year, Sunny & Co. made a 50-layer dip for *cough* "game day." I kid you not. It had to be assembled vertically and you grazed your chips along the top.  I can't imagine what a nasty congealed mess it would be once the crowd got halfway through it. Ick.

 

That's bizarre and kinda extreme about using "Super Bowl." I think that the NFL would love the extra publicity. Guess not ...

[chessiegal]

The NFL would have loved the extra publicity for Super Bowl I, but for Super Bowl 50? - they don't need it. They're more than happy to let you use the term if you pay for it.

[grisgris]

Yes, I know that the "big game" doesn't need extra publicity. Just another tax-exempt organization that's going to wring as many dollars as possible out of its brand.

[MrsClaus]

Currently watching Football, Football, Football.

 

Seriously?  Nachos for the boys and a different one for the girls?  Sexist much?

[txvoodoo]

Super Bowl isn't the only trademarked organization that does this. The Olympics put their foot in it in 2012 with regard to Ravelry.com, the knitting website. They actually apologized for giving Ravelry a C&D - More info here

 

I'm watching Football Football too - someone put raw carrots in their chile? Weird. Also Bloody Mary - um, just put mine in a glass, please.

[maggiemae]

I don't even understand when anyone ate the nachos. Sigh

So Ree goes to the parade, home to cook, back for 2 football games, home to cook, back into town for film and snacks and chile without sour cream or cheese.

At least she didn't call her sons Brycy and Toddy.....

[Aquarius]

Currently watching Football, Football, Football.

 

Seriously?  Nachos for the boys and a different one for the girls?  Sexist much?

 

Ree isn't sexist much.  Ree is sexist always.

[IOU Payne]

Ree formed her kids' tastes by giving different ingredients to the lil' wimmenfolk and the junior cowboys.  If Brycie or Toddy would have wanted broccoli (heaven forfend!), they would have been given a withering look by their mother. I honestly don't think Ladd would have given a rat's ass, since Paige and Alex do their share of farmwork.but this would have shot holes in Ree's vision of Life on the Ranch.  I am convinced that she's behind many of the sterotypes we see. 

[grisgris]

I think some of that might be related to Ree's pre-Ladd days as a vegetarian. In her memoir/pseudo-romance novel called "Tractor Tires..." (or whatever the title is) she passive-aggressively asserts that she more or less gave up the greens when she started dating "Marlboro Man." So I guess she's now waxing over lost youth? Living vicariously through the girls? I guess she's letting her pent-up revenge loose on her free days when the menfolk are all out for the day and she can make veggie quesadillas or pasta with WHITE WINE. Ladd's natural loathing of vegetables cements the gender gap perfectly!

[anneofcleves]

She plays to stereotypes.  I have no doubt that with the amount of money she brings into that family that if she wanted to adopt a vegan lifestyle Ladd would be all "Whatever, I'm making myself a cube steak sandwich."

[savingsanta]

Ree formed her kids' tastes by giving different ingredients to the lil' wimmenfolk and the junior cowboys.  If Brycie or Toddy would have wanted broccoli (heaven forfend!), they would have been given a withering look by their mother.

 

Doesn't even need to go that far. Kids are little sponges and observe/take to heart everything they hear. I had a friend who ended up with a "picky eater" for a second child because the oldest thought it was hilarious to say "[Food] is yucky!" even if she liked it and watch the younger one reject it flat-out. If Ree really does go around saying "Well, boys just don't like vegetables" in her day-to-day life then she's making a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[anneofcleves]

The woman made Cap n' Crunch chicken fingers.  Oy.  "What I love about these chicken tenders is the color.  It's so gorgeous."  Yeah, given that the cereal is pretty much just sugar and yellow food dye how can it be anything other than golden?  Well, maybe it could be dark brown if you leave those things in the pan just a little too long.

 

She really does play to stereotypes.  In this show, kids won't eat it unless it's sweet.  So mom-of-the-year makes watermelon with lime sugar (like watermelon needs added sugar), sugar-coated chicken tenders, and frosting dipped cookies.

 

The salad skewers seemed like a cute idea, although the girls would become a miserable mess eating the dressing-drenched salad with their hands.  Finger sandwiches are a good idea, although I'm not sure why she made the mayonnaise spread instead of just using her beloved cream cheese.

 

I'm trying to envision the reaction of some of the anti-sugar, anti-gluten, anti-food dye Yummy Mummy bloggers storming the picnic and rescuing the kids from Auntie Ree's Picnic of Death.  Wouldn't that be fun?

 

The most fabulous part of the show for me, though, is Ree driving up in her filthy truck, taking on the role of the Prairie Picnic Fairy and staging the picnic as a surprise, and then driving off in her filthy truck.  Thank goodness a pack of hyenas didn't get to it before the girls did!

Edited February 6, 2016 by anneofcleves

[novhappy]

Sugar on watermelon? Have any of the children on the Drummond ranch ever had a piece of fruit without sugar? Ever?

[sabretooth]

I've heard of the Captain Crunch breaded chicken before, but usually it's with a savory dipping sauce on the side to cut through all the sugar. I suppose we should be thankful that the breading did not use the kind that comes with the red and blue flavored cereal balls in it. That would just add a bit of beautiful color to the chicken, wouldn't it? And the dipping sauce…please, how does ketchup, applesauce and worcestershire sauce sound appetizing? 

 

 

[Iboatedhere]

If she needed something on the watermelon it should've been salt. I always salt my watermelon and it tastes a lot sweeter. Salt with lime zest would work.

[anneofcleves]

Girls don't like salt!!!

[grisgris]

Kudos to Paige for stepping up to the plate and trying to salvage something out of this horrendous, forced episode. She was really good with those cute little girls.

 

So, now we know that Cowboy Josh has a passel of stepkids and one of his own on the way. Was that one girl's name Rowdy?  I sure hope that was her nickname. I really couldn't make out what they said the name of the new baby's going to be, but I thought it was something like "Touse Lee." Tousle? (Yeah, too many loud rock concerts in my younger days -- the hearing is paying now.)

 

Anyway, that was way too much food to serve at a picnic for little girls. I would have stopped with the chicken, watermelon (sans sugar) and the cookies. That was fairly obvious when everybody agreed that they liked the chicken best.

 

Thanks for clarifying Anneocleves, because I didn't know what type of "sugary cereal" Ree used to coat that chicken. Cap'n Crunch, yuck ... Served with a dipping sauce made of ketchup, applesauce and Worchestershire sauce. Did anybody catch Ree's snarky comment about, "as long as I'm combining weird ingredients..." Maybe she's been reading up here.

 

The salad skewers looked like all of the Drummond's salad bar favorites shoved on a stick.

 

I also didn't like the combination of yellow mustard and mayo with cucumber. I'd think the mustard in particular would overpower the flavor of the cucumber.

 

Lastly, it was nice of Ree and Paige to drop off two sugared-up kids to preggers mom. It was also a nice touch to keep mentioning (salivating over) that this crop of kids would be the next generation of ranch labor. Note to Mrs. Cowboy Josh: Gather your kids and run far, far away!)

[autumnh]

Gris, yep..it seems like Josh and his wife Amanda got married back in the fall of 2013...wedding was ON the ranch and Ree did ALL of the cooking...except the cake I am sure...it is lovely

 

http://cristalsunphotoblog.com/2013/06/27/amanda-josh-wedding/

 

Also, checking the Food Network press release, her upcoming shows (seems like every new season is like 3 episodes worth and oddly enough...I was just flipping channels and Carnival Eats had the same music that is on Ree's show..must be the same production company....anyways back to the upcoming episodes....

 

 

Premiering Saturday, February 6th at 10am – “Special Day”
Ree Drummond’s daughter Paige is spending the day watching some of the younger kids, so Ree packs them some fun treats for a late-afternoon picnic. She makes Animal Crackers, Crunchy Cereal Chicken Fingers, Cucumber Finger Sandwiches, Salad on a Stick and Watermelon Mini Wedges.

 

Premiering Saturday, February 13th at 10am – “Four Shades of Chocolate”
Ree Drummond whips up the most decadent chocolate treats from white chocolate all the way down to dark! She prepares White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, Dipped and Decorated Waffle Cones, Milk Chocolate Mousse and, to top it all off, a Chocolate Orange Martini.

 

Premiering Saturday, February 27th at 10am – “Kitchen Confessional: Four Seasons on the Ranch”
Ree Drummond gives the lowdown on how her life and food change during the different seasons on the ranch. She makes a Red Wine Pot Roast for the icy winter months, then Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese Salad for the spring. High summer means Ree dishes up Grilled Chicken Tacos with Strawberry Salsa, and for the fall, nothing beats Carrot and Squash Curry Soup.

 

Online, find Ree’s recipes from the show, take a kitchen tour, learn the secrets to her hearty staples and watch full episodes.

 

A big fat MEH and the same sad recipes in different variations.

Edited February 6, 2016 by autumnh

[3pwood]

If she needed something on the watermelon it should've been salt. I always salt my watermelon and it tastes a lot sweeter. Salt with lime zest would work.

 

You must be from Texas!  My husband's family is & they all put salt on watermelon & say it brings out the sweetness (canteloupe too).  I grew up in the Midwest & Calif., where we just eat melons unadorned (my dad does put sugar on canteloupe, but not watermelon).

[anneofcleves]

Was that one girl's name Rowdy?

 

Yes, yes it was.  People, it's a child, not a dog.

[chessiegal]

You must be from Texas!  My husband's family is & they all put salt on watermelon & say it brings out the sweetness (canteloupe too).  I grew up in the Midwest & Calif., where we just eat melons unadorned (my dad does put sugar on canteloupe, but not watermelon).

I grew up in Pennsylvania and my parents (and now me) always put salt on watermelon and cantaloupe.

[anneofcleves]

Thanks for clarifying Anneocleves, because I didn't know what type of "sugary cereal" Ree used to coat that chicken. Cap'n Crunch, yuck ... Served with a dipping sauce made of ketchup, applesauce and Worchestershire sauce. Did anybody catch Ree's snarky comment about, "as long as I'm combining weird ingredients..." Maybe she's been reading up here.

 

gris gris, I was curious when she was making the recipe and checked out the recipe on FN.   It calls for "2 cups crunchy sweetened cereal, such as Cap'n Crunch."  So I guess FN has the rights to name the brand, but Ree doesn't have the rights to say the brand name on her show?

 

When googling I saw the Planet Hollywood version of the chicken tenders and thought that they seem like they could be fun at a party with a spicy dipping sauce.  Trashy, fun party food, you know?  But Ree's version had the cereal very irregularly crushed with giant pieces of the cereal that don't seem like they'd actually survive the frying process and stick to the chicken.

 

Oh, and speaking of dipping sauce, I must have been distracted because I totally missed her mixing up the stuff.  Ketchup, applesauce, and Worcestershire sauce - serious yuck.  Can you imagine how thick it would be?

 

Did I really just spend the last several posts discussing Cap 'n Crunch chicken?  lol.

[txvoodoo]

I grew up in Pennsylvania and my parents (and now me) always put salt on watermelon and cantaloupe.

Me too, and yup! On all the melons, in fact. Here's an article about the science behind it: http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/adding-salt-melon-taste-sweeter/

 

It's why wrapping some melons in prosciutto also tastes so yummy!

[Qoass]

 

please, how does ketchup, applesauce and worcestershire sauce sound appetizing?

 

As I watched, I was contemplating setting up a GoFundMe page for anybody here willing to make that and eat it.

 

Page is a doll (with huuuuuge feet!)  but if she asked, "Are you excited?" one more time I was going to throw something at the television.  Obviously she inherited her mother's habit of repeating the same thing over and over.  Case in point, how many times did Ree say "cute" this episode.  Almost as frequently as "just".

 

 

[txvoodoo]

"Cute" is the new "just", I guess. Also often repeated "sweet, sweet stepdaughters." 

 

When did "hammocking" become a thing for kids?

 

I wonder if someone was off to the side telling Paige to say those things.

 

I'm watching the episode now. Am I crazy? I don't remember animal crackers ever being made from sugar cookie dough - they're not as sweet as that. And mine never had icing.  Oh, who am I kidding - it's Ree. Extra sugar is mandatory. 

 

Cowboy Josh's house looks like an HGTV design.

 

How is chicken breading "hilarious"? Or crazy. I think it just sounds gross, but then again, the only cereal I'd ever used to crust something was cornflakes. 

 

Ketchup. Apple sauce. Worcestershire. BARF. That is just DISGUSTING. 

 

(another Ree-aggravation thing: "a fourth a cup". Dear Ree: the rest of the world says "a quarter cup")

 

Warning: grumpy old lady moment ahead! People keep saying "kids won't eat things unless they're sweet!" Maybe that's because you keep giving them sweet things? I really do believe they get used to things given to them. And maybe it's my upbringing where we were always given things with garlic, savory, etc (Italian background) but we grew up *liking* that. 

 

LOL "can't forget the flower centerpiece!" She puts the flowers in and slams the lid on them. :)

 

Ree just can't cut anything without her new machete, can she?

 

So they START with sugared watermelon. Then sugared chicken. 

 

@Anneofcleves - cream cheese spread would've been so much more appropriate than mayo.

 

By the way, tonight I'm making this: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-roasted-fish-recipe.html

 

Ina's recipes never disappoint.

[txvoodoo]

So, now we know that Cowboy Josh has a passel of stepkids and one of his own on the way. Was that one girl's name Rowdy?  I sure hope that was her nickname. I really couldn't make out what they said the name of the new baby's going to be, but I thought it was something like "Touse Lee." Tousle? (Yeah, too many loud rock concerts in my younger days -- the hearing is paying now.)

 

...

 

I also didn't like the combination of yellow mustard and mayo with cucumber. I'd think the mustard in particular would overpower the flavor of the cucumber.

 

Grisgris, watching with close-captioning, it said "Taos Lee". 

 

I agree about the cucumber being overwhelmed. For "elegant" (quoting Ree) cucumber, the dressing should be subtle. Classic is just butter, which keeps the bread from getting soggy. 

 

Something else just dawned on me - why were cucumber sandwiches even part of this meal? It wasn't short on carbs (cereal crust, cookies), there were already cucumbers in the salad sticks. Cucumber sandwiches are tea sandwiches, not part of a bigger meal. Weird. 

[grisgris]

Grisgris, watching with close-captioning, it said "Taos Lee". 

 

 

Thanks. I guess that's somewhat better than "Tousle" or "Tassle."

 

You're right. Properly-made cucumber sandwiches would be good for an afternoon tea. I'd pay good money to see Ree try to make a traditional English high tea. She'd have an opportunity to roll out one of her many scone recipes (pun sort of intended!) I can also see either making some type of fruity tea or concoction made with tea, sugar and sweetened condensed milk.

 

Speaking of sugar, I forgot about the bottle of lemon-lime sweet soda Ree also threw into the picnic basket.

[anneofcleves]

Something else just dawned on me - why were cucumber sandwiches even part of this meal? It wasn't short on carbs (cereal crust, cookies), there were already cucumbers in the salad sticks. Cucumber sandwiches are tea sandwiches, not part of a bigger meal. Weird.

 

Because girls like cucumbers!!