All Episodes Talk

[Kohola3]

I bet she sticks the price tags over all of the Made in China stickers.

[anneofcleves]

On 11/2/2016 at 0:39 PM, Kohola3 said:

Like sheep to the slaughter....

Or Burger King addicts to the cardiologist...

[anneofcleves]

I hate complimenting her on cooking, but that pineapple upside down cake looked amazing.  I know the recipe and method is old as dirt, but it is one perfect cake.  And I give her kudos for not messing with perfection and junking it up with coconut or chocolate or drizzling it with caramel sauce...

I loved old Chuck in this episode, especially when he couldn't remember the name of her show.  They seem like they have a genuinely good relationship.

[grisgris]

I agree. The cake looked great.

I knew, though, that Chuck was going to ding her on the medium-rare steak.

I had to look up "cake house" to figure out what they were talking about. I didn't know that's what those pellets of cattle feed are called.

Well, at least I learned something new today. It just wasn't about cooking.

[sassykattt]

I just caught the Chinese take out from home episode and thought it was very good.  And pretty straight forward

[grisgris]

I guess so, if your tastes lean towards Panda Express and the like. Go for it!

[Lura]

It is so fantastic to be back with all of you after about two months of illness and pain.  A doctor made a mistake when prescribing a pain patch for me to wear and wrote it for way, way more medicine than most people can tolerate.  It caused all of my internal organs to cease functioning correctly, and I was sick as a dog all night and day for weeks, finally having to be treated for dehydration.  I'm still weak as a kitten, but alive!  Nothing tastes better than orange popsickles!  I missed all of your fun and interesting posts and great personalities A LOT!

 

During this time, I watched all of Ree's shows On Demand -- multiple times each.  One of my all-time favorites is the one in which Pa Pa comes over for an Eggs Benedict breakfast.  I love anything with Pa Pa in it.  Least favorites are anything to do with the Merc.

 

I predict that people will visit the Merc just to see what it's all about, but whether it's good enough to keep drawing shoppers is anybody's guess.  It seems to me like it's Ree's ego trip, but that's only MHO.

[chessiegal]

I missed you Lura. Glad to hear you're on the mend.

[tabloidlover]

Sending hugs, Lura. Welcome back!

[grisgris]

Welcome back! You're been missed!

[sassykattt]

On 11/6/2016 at 6:22 AM, grisgris said:

I guess so, if your tastes lean towards Panda Express and the like. Go for it!

Yeah, that's pretty much me.  I no longer live close enough to Chinatown to get the real stuff. My grandson, on the other, gets down there at least once a week

[anneofcleves]

13 hours ago, Lura said:

One of my all-time favorites is the one in which Pa Pa comes over for an Eggs Benedict breakfast.  I love anything with Pa Pa in it. 

Me too, Lura.  I like the old guy.  I'm sorry to hear about what you went through and am so glad you're on the mend.  That's scary!  I think it's  testament to your strength and resolve to watch Ree so much during your recovery.  If you can do that, you can do anything!

[grisgris]

Ah, the healing power of snark TV. When I was recovering from my hip replacement surgery, I binge-watched my collection of old Semi-Homemade shows that I still have on my DVR.

Lura, bring on the snark, my friend! Also, in good time for the premiere of RHOBH.  (Please don't judge ... it's my guilty pleasure! LOL!)

[Kohola3]

RHOBH?

[tabloidlover]

RHOBH - Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

[anneofcleves]

Cringe worthy stuff first:  

The term "Friendsgiving" is so stupid and overused.  I wish it would go away.

She refers to her friends as being open-minded because they'll probably be ok with the stuffed turkey breast she'll be feeding them for the non-Thanksgiving meal.  On the other hand, she implies that the Drummond family is not open-minded about food at all simply because they like their dressing cooked outside of the bird.  I hate following a recipe, or a specific way of making a recipe, possibly more than anyone, but Thanksgiving dinner is a dinner that is an exception.  I don't follow recipes, but I make it the same way every year because that's what my family loves.  And it's a pleasure doing it for them.  It's not because they're closed-minded about food - they just love the tradition of it.  I know Ree blathers family nonsense simply to avoid actually talking about the process of cooking, but I can't imagine how some people in her family roll their eyes when they hear some of this stuff.

The table she set was pretty hideous and looked like she invaded a Dollar store.  And it kind of is since she paired up with the world's largest dollar store to hawk her stuff.  What I wouldn't give to have Ina and Martha invited just to see the looks on their faces as they take the decor in.

Food:

It looked very good to me.  I don't love turkey breast cooked in isolation, but with the dressing it would be good.  I think the only thing I'd change is serving the roasted vegetables without the cheese.  It's just not necessary with the potatoes and the dressing and the gravy.  But overall I think she did a nice job with the food.  

Edited November 12, 2016 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

I started to watch this but got interrupted by a phone call which took priority over this stupid show. The menu didn't interest me at all and I braced myself for an episode of Ree carrying on and on about how she could prepare that type of food for the "girls," because the manly men wouldn't tolerate such exotic fare as fennel, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah ...

What absolutely floored me was when Ree was shopping in the basement of the Merc.  Geez ... that warehouse looked as big as my local Costco.  Where the hell did they get all that? I could only guess how much money was tied up in all of that inventory. Who's going to buy all of that crap? Maybe they also have an online ordering component of the Merc.  I don't know.  Otherwise, they are putting a lot of eggs in the tourist trap market.

Speaking of crap merchandise ... I was in Walmart recently and saw a lot of PW goods in those clearance aisles. I also noticed that the prominent display of her "goods" was gone.  Makes me wonder if they pulled out of Wally World and are doing it all on their own. Good luck with that.

[Hildegard802]

Never fear--lest she miss out on any sales of her shitty stuff, there is an online market COMING SOON!!!!!  Be still my heart.

[grisgris]

So I finally watched the show and thought, "Meh, blah ... blah ..." Why wasn't BFF Hyacinth invited to this sacred gathering?  At least Becky and Canelle (sp???) seemed like nice competent women.

Why does Ree hate mashed potatoes so much?  I didn't get the joke when she kept making the remarks of contempt.

I finally noticed something. Whenever Ree gets into a group of more than one other woman, she seems to get kind of competitive and snarky.  (It comes across as mean, not humorous.)  It always seems to happen when drinks are involved.  I'm not in any way implying that she has a drinking problem, but for some people, especially if they don't drink very much, it only takes a few sips to bring out unpleasant personality traits.

At least Ree owned up to "using a lot of hair color."

[mmecorday]

Quote

At least Ree owned up to "using a lot of hair color."

I am shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you. But does Miss Clairol produce a hair color called Bozo Red?

I caught a rerun on Sunday where she makes that Monica Geller inspired panini from Thanksgiving leftovers. I bet that gets really soggy really fast. Just EAT the damn leftovers.

[anneofcleves]

On 11/13/2016 at 11:19 AM, grisgris said:

I started to watch this but got interrupted by a phone call which took priority over this stupid show. The menu didn't interest me at all and I braced myself for an episode of Ree carrying on and on about how she could prepare that type of food for the "girls," because the manly men wouldn't tolerate such exotic fare as fennel, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah ...

What absolutely floored me was when Ree was shopping in the basement of the Merc.  Geez ... that warehouse looked as big as my local Costco.  Where the hell did they get all that? I could only guess how much money was tied up in all of that inventory. Who's going to buy all of that crap? Maybe they also have an online ordering component of the Merc.  I don't know.  Otherwise, they are putting a lot of eggs in the tourist trap market.

Speaking of crap merchandise ... I was in Walmart recently and saw a lot of PW goods in those clearance aisles. I also noticed that the prominent display of her "goods" was gone.  Makes me wonder if they pulled out of Wally World and are doing it all on their own. Good luck with that.

Yeah, when I saw the warehouse I did a big slap on the forehead and though, oh doh. She's going to do her own distribution, through mail order.  

[Natalie68]

On 11/13/2016 at 8:12 PM, grisgris said:

So I finally watched the show and thought, "Meh, blah ... blah ..." Why wasn't BFF Hyacinth invited to this sacred gathering?  At least Becky and Canelle (sp???) seemed like nice competent women.

Why does Ree hate mashed potatoes so much?  I didn't get the joke when she kept making the remarks of contempt.

I finally noticed something. Whenever Ree gets into a group of more than one other woman, she seems to get kind of competitive and snarky.  (It comes across as mean, not humorous.)  It always seems to happen when drinks are involved.  I'm not in any way implying that she has a drinking problem, but for some people, especially if they don't drink very much, it only takes a few sips to bring out unpleasant personality traits.

At least Ree owned up to "using a lot of hair color."

Was I the only one trying to figure out which Senator she married?

[anneofcleves]

1 hour ago, Natalie68 said:

Was I the only one trying to figure out which Senator she married?

Nope.  Connell is married to former OK state senator Cliff Branan (R, 2002-2014).

Ree's mom and Connell's mom go way back, according to Ree's blog.  Old Oklahoma money from the sounds of it.  

[ariel]

38 minutes ago, anneofcleves said:

Nope.  Connell is married to former OK state senator Cliff Branan (R, 2002-2014).

Ree's mom and Connell's mom go way back, according to Ree's blog.   

That does help explain Ree.  Wasn't Ree at one time (according to her blog) pursuing a law degree in CA and gave it all up for the Marlboro Man?

 

ETA - I'm not sure if it was before or after she ran over her dog?

Edited November 16, 2016 by ariel

[Natalie68]

16 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

Nope.  Connell is married to former OK state senator Cliff Branan (R, 2002-2014).

Ree's mom and Connell's mom go way back, according to Ree's blog.  Old Oklahoma money from the sounds of it.  

thank you!

[grisgris]

Thanks, anneofcleves. I was Googling that one to death.

[tenativelyyours]

On 11/13/2016 at 11:12 PM, grisgris said:

So I finally watched the show and thought, "Meh, blah ... blah ..." Why wasn't BFF Hyacinth invited to this sacred gathering?  At least Becky and Canelle (sp???) seemed like nice competent women.

Why does Ree hate mashed potatoes so much?  I didn't get the joke when she kept making the remarks of contempt.

I finally noticed something. Whenever Ree gets into a group of more than one other woman, she seems to get kind of competitive and snarky.  (It comes across as mean, not humorous.)  It always seems to happen when drinks are involved.  I'm not in any way implying that she has a drinking problem, but for some people, especially if they don't drink very much, it only takes a few sips to bring out unpleasant personality traits.

At least Ree owned up to "using a lot of hair color."

 

Actually there was something on the Foodnetwork site,  that if you read between the lines, she can't make them.  In one of those video clips with her that were promos for the one holiday show she was on she talked about how not having to bother with getting the right amount of milk in and how she hated having heated milk left over (bullshit, she doesn't give a crap about waste in any way) and I think it was part of the give and take she had with Bobby Flay because you heard a voice out of range of the camera trying to explain that potatoes can be different each time in terms of moisture content etc so it was important to add the liquid bit by bit to the potatoes so not to overdue.  And she said something like, well that's why we do ________ most of the time and it was kind of awkward because it was a holiday show and mashed potatoes are not to be dissed when sponsors might include the Idaho Potatoes farmers and it was the kind of petty along the lines of Rachel Ray initially slamming baking because she thinks she is so adorable for her refusal to actually measure things.  A petty I think FN doesn't find cute or quirky anymore to a certain degree.  

I think the special was at least two years ago.  Had Drummond been on more than one? 

[captain1]

Just noticed that Consumer Reports has given her line of pots and pans a pretty favorable rating.  I am awaiting the flying donkeys as we speak.

[grisgris]

18 hours ago, tenativelyyours said:

 

Actually there was something on the Foodnetwork site,  that if you read between the lines, she can't make them. 

So what about all the times she has made them and loaded them up with every dairy product under the sun? Maybe those were episodes sponsored by California Milk. LOL?  That kinda makes sense now in the context that if she's screwed them up, she can try to correct the mistake by adding crap and them throwing a
"whole buncha" shredded cheese over the top and nobody knows the difference

[Kohola3]

Lord love a duck, who the hell has difficulty making mashed potatoes?  That's just about as basic as it gets.  I bet she uses some of those vile boxed flake things.  Blech.

[ariel]

38 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

38 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Lord love a duck, who the hell has difficulty making mashed potatoes?  That's just about as basic as it gets.  I bet she uses some of those vile boxed flake things.  Blech.

 

Don't give Ree any ideas. She might start selling the boxed flaky faux potatoes at the Merc with her cowgirl face on it.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Lord love a duck, who the hell has difficulty making mashed potatoes?  That's just about as basic as it gets.  I bet she uses some of those vile boxed flake things.  Blech.

Right? They are one of the easiest things in the world to make. Is she so uncreative that she can't add a little milk at a time and watch to see that the potatoes don't get too thin? Does she need exact measurements? I don't think so, because I've seen her add a "buncha" to tons of things. So what the hell ails her?

[anneofcleves]

And yet, if you google recipes for mashed potatoes, her name will be one of the top returns.  It will likely be the one with cream cheese, butter, and heavy cream.  I will admit to being a bit of an Italian grandmother about food, on occasion, and will pound my fist on the table and proclaim that mashed potatoes made with cream cheese have no place on the Thanksgiving menu if turkey gravy is served.  I know 10,000+ people will disagree, but I will pound my fist and say what the hell is wrong with America now that we have to put cheese in everything?!?

Phew, I feel better.  Thanks for allowing me to rant. Arrivederci. 

[Kohola3]

You go, girl, rant away. I'm right there with you.  Too many damned extra ingredients to spoil an already fine food.

[Albino]

15 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

You go, girl, rant away. I'm right there with you.  Too many damned extra ingredients to spoil an already fine food.

If you keep adding crap, the lovely flavor of the potato is diminished.  I even buy low salt potato chips because I can taste the potato deliciousness more.

Add to the list (and PW is a huge offender): adding M&Ms, gummi bears, crushed Oreos and other sweet "treats" to brownies, ice cream, cookies and whatever.  Nothing is better than the flavor of a deep, rich, intense brownie - nuts are fine, and I have grudgingly accepted mini chocolate chips.  Cookies studded with unnecessary crap make me cry.  

I had to shut off a PW episode a few weeks ago where she made a huge cookie (I think?) for Brycie's birthday and lined up about 30 bowls of sweet toppings so the moppets could create their own.  Kids are naturally stupid, so they added virtually everything that was there.  It made my stomach turn.  I loathe her desserts far more than her savory dishes.  

[anneofcleves]

15 hours ago, Albino said:

Nothing is better than the flavor of a deep, rich, intense brownie - nuts are fine, and I have grudgingly accepted mini chocolate chips.  Cookies studded with unnecessary crap make me cry.  

Yes, this is another one of those fist-pounding things for me.  Brownies are perfect without a bunch of frosting and other gunk added.  They're supposed to be dense and fudgy and, while crispy in places and slightly chewy overall, a well-made one will practically melt in your mouth.  Nuts, candy, coconut, dried fruit, toffee bits, and all that other junk turn them into some other kind of bar cookie.  Vary the chocolate, or the cocoa, or proportions of flour, fat, sugar, and egg, but leave the extra gunk out of perfect brownies.  It's a similar thing with blondies, in my admittedly, harshly critical, purist opinion.  And Ree has certainly put her spin on blondies, too (or more likely stole the recipe from someone else).

[Natalie68]

On 11/20/2016 at 9:13 AM, anneofcleves said:

Yes, this is another one of those fist-pounding things for me.  Brownies are perfect without a bunch of frosting and other gunk added.  They're supposed to be dense and fudgy and, while crispy in places and slightly chewy overall, a well-made one will practically melt in your mouth.  Nuts, candy, coconut, dried fruit, toffee bits, and all that other junk turn them into some other kind of bar cookie.  Vary the chocolate, or the cocoa, or proportions of flour, fat, sugar, and egg, but leave the extra gunk out of perfect brownies.  It's a similar thing with blondies, in my admittedly, harshly critical, purist opinion.  And Ree has certainly put her spin on blondies, too (or more likely stole the recipe from someone else).

I am a fairly simple person when it comes to desserts.  No extra fuss or candy on it.  But I have to say I love a good brownie with buttercream frosting on it.  They are fab plain as well but sometimes I just have to toss some good (homemade) buttercream on it.

[Kohola3]

Quote

They are fab plain as well but sometimes I just have to toss some good (homemade) buttercream on it.

A whole buncha?

[Natalie68]

19 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

A whole buncha?

You betcha!  When the man of the house is out I also toss on a buncha rollos, tootsie rolls, and a dash of hot sauce.

[Kohola3]

Because you can!

[txvoodoo]

On 11/19/2016 at 7:28 PM, anneofcleves said:

And yet, if you google recipes for mashed potatoes, her name will be one of the top returns.  It will likely be the one with cream cheese, butter, and heavy cream.  I will admit to being a bit of an Italian grandmother about food, on occasion, and will pound my fist on the table and proclaim that mashed potatoes made with cream cheese have no place on the Thanksgiving menu if turkey gravy is served.  I know 10,000+ people will disagree, but I will pound my fist and say what the hell is wrong with America now that we have to put cheese in everything?!?

Phew, I feel better.  Thanks for allowing me to rant. Arrivederci. 

Well, she probably buys google placement.

I'm totally with you. Keep cream cheese out of my mashed potatoes! It's just icky.

Garlic & butter are more than enough to gussy up mine. She doesn't use nearly enough garlic.

[Kohola3]

I'm one for the simpler the better when it comes to my mashed potatoes. I want to actually taste the potato!  Just a little milk to fluff it and that's it.

[peacheslatour]

Really? No butter? I don't use garlic in mine because there's too much garlic in everything already. But I have got to have butter.

[Kohola3]

Sometimes butter but depends on whether or not I am having gravy.

[Gam2]

Mashed potatoes without real butter?! Blasphemy.  Of course, we're from the South and there's no such thing as too much butter. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

[sabretooth]

Small voice: the ham salad looked good and something I would probably consider making if I had leftover deli ham,  but I would pass on the twee cheese slices, olives and the endive. 

If I was Ree, I would have some words with whomever selected her tops from today's episode. The red one made her look heavier than she is (and shes' not a heavy woman!) because of all the flowy fabric. And the blue one had lacy embellishments right over her boobs. Her boobs had eyes! 

[grisgris]

I didn't think much about today's episode other than that I really wouldn't want to try anything Ree made, especially that icky dipping sauce for those steak bites.  I also wouldn't ruin what looked like perfectly delicious brownie bites by partially dipping them in nasty waxy almond bark. Yuck.

What I didn't understand was the final sweet tidbit. Did Ree take regular Kraft (shhh...) caramels and roll them into balls, then roll the caramel balls into that mess of chopped peanuts? What all was in that? I seem to remember lemon or orange zest and chili powder.

I will say that at least Ree put out a generous spread for her guests. If it had been Giada's party you would have gotten the (ONE) endive spears, one bite of steak on a toothpick and a small scoop of Nutella rolled in toasted hazelnuts.

I actually thought that blue top was a flattering color on Ree. But yes, it had some unfortunately placed embellishments.

Edited November 27, 2016 by grisgris

[anneofcleves]

She really phoned it in for her party guests, which is a pattern with her.  Nothing says Prohibition era, like a big old pitcher of Jack 'n Coke, dolled up with her beloved maraschino cherry juice and orange.   That would have been a big hit in high school.

I think I was most disappointed with her play on deviled ham.  Deviled ham should be very, very finely minced, or ground.  Her version with squishy deli ham is just going to become nasty and watery.  Yuck.  And I guess the fact that her mom started with the canned, deviled ham pretty much says everything you need about the basis for her cooking skills.  Not everyone in the 50s, 60s, and 70s fed human cat food to their good friends and family.

The steak bites looked OK until the mayonnaise-based dipping sauce made its appearance.  I would think something more like a zip sauce, chimichurri, or even a roasted pepper aioli would have been better and more in theme with her gross deviled ham.

And yeah, gris gris, dipping the brownies in melted white chocolate bark is sort of on par with dipping them in canned frosting.  It's a pretty good idea, and shape, for a party, but at least use a better confection.

I bet her party guests all drive through McDonald's on their way home.

[Kohola3]

I wonder how much she has to pay her "friends" to eat this crap.  Surely they don't do it willingly.

[grisgris]

I don't know. Hyacinth seems kind of like a superficial "famewhore" to me and will eagerly and willingly grab her front and center camera time whenever she can get it.  There is something about that woman that just rubs me the wrong way for some reason. She seems very phony and I pick up this underlying seething resentment towards Ree.  She probably is a perfectly nice and normal person IRL and what I perceive is just my (another) erroneous interpretation of her "dry" humor. /eyeroll

Edited November 27, 2016 by grisgris