All Episodes Talk

[anneofcleves]

The COMFORT food show was a total cacophony of stuff.  She's lost any ability to generate interesting food.  Tuna casserole makes me want to hurl, so I had to fast forward through that.  

I did pause pause for the Welsh rarebit, and was moderately impressed that no Velveeta was involved in the dish.  However, hers looked pretty boring.  I think it's better with toasted brown bread, and it's always better made with some ale or hard cider.  Hers would be great over nachos.

Edited February 26, 2017 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

I wholeheartedly agree with Anneofcleves on the need for a more substantial brew to add to the Welch rarebit as well as to use a more flavorful bread.  Ree should have been more focused on adding depth of flavor instead of richness by adding the totally unnecessary egg yolk. (We know where her priorities lie!) And adding more extras like the chives.  I don't believe fresh chives would be growing during hunting season in the hills and valleys of Wales but I could be dead wrong on that one ...

If I want Welsh rarebit for comfort food, which is rarely if ever, I just buy Stouffer's. It's pretty good.  If I had the desire to make if from scratch, I'd probably head for somebody like Nigella or Alton Brown to get a recipe from.

I make tuna noodle casserole like once every two years or so and actually picked up several cans of tuna on sale last week. However, after watching the show, I think that I will now instead try a recipe I've pinned for a tuna and quinoa dish.

I don't like any kind of apple desserts so I ff'd through the apple dumplings.

I also don't like sweet-sweet sweet and sour meatballs like the ones demonstrated today. The whole dish just looked so high-school cafeteria or what I see looking sad and dried out in the Hy-Vee deli hot case on Tuesdays and Thursdays ("Chinese Day.")

Random Thoughts:

Somebody's been reading our posts with her shout-out to "orange hair."

It was bittersweet to see Charlie

I was so sure that they were going to use the cartoon speech bubbles to make the dogs recite the "For these recipes and more ..." Dang!

Best line of the day: Bryce calling Ree "sir."  I guess we always knew who wore the pants in the family!

Edited February 26, 2017 by grisgris

[Lura]

5 hours ago, grisgris said:

If I want Welsh rarebit for comfort food, which is rarely if ever, I just buy Stouffer's. It's pretty good. 

Actually, GrisGris, I LOVE Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit and wouldn't even bother to make my own as long as Stouffer's made it for me.  It has exactly the right flavors and balance of flavors that it should have, IMHO.  There used to be a big department store in Cleveland named Halle's*** which served a Welsh Rarebit in their dining room, known far and wide.  It was wonderful!  They served it on melba toast, and so do I.  Halle's topped theirs with toasted almond halves and a slice or two of perfect bacon.  Stouffer's tastes exactly like it.  I've always wondered whether they bought the rights to the recipe.

***Halle Berry was named after the store.  I've heard her tell the story, but I don't remember it now.

Edited February 26, 2017 by Lura
Add note.

[anneofcleves]

6 hours ago, Lura said:

Actually, GrisGris, I LOVE Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit and wouldn't even bother to make my own as long as Stouffer's made it for me.  It has exactly the right flavors and balance of flavors that it should have, IMHO.  There used to be a big department store in Cleveland named Halle's*** which served a Welsh Rarebit in their dining room, known far and wide.  It was wonderful!  They served it on melba toast, and so do I.  Halle's topped theirs with toasted almond halves and a slice or two of perfect bacon.  Stouffer's tastes exactly like it.  I've always wondered whether they bought the rights to the recipe.

***Halle Berry was named after the store.  I've heard her tell the story, but I don't remember it now.

Lura, that was a great story, and I'm glad you shared it.  I found this about  Halle's in Cleveland and their Welsh Rarebit.  I also admit I've never seen the Stouffer's version in any state I've ever lived and wonder why that is?  

[Westiepeach]

6 hours ago, Lura said:

Actually, GrisGris, I LOVE Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit and wouldn't even bother to make my own as long as Stouffer's made it for me.  It has exactly the right flavors and balance of flavors that it should have, IMHO.  There used to be a big department store in Cleveland named Halle's*** which served a Welsh Rarebit in their dining room, known far and wide.  It was wonderful!  They served it on melba toast, and so do I.  Halle's topped theirs with toasted almond halves and a slice or two of perfect bacon.  Stouffer's tastes exactly like it.  I've always wondered whether they bought the rights to the recipe.

***Halle Berry was named after the store.  I've heard her tell the story, but I don't remember it now.

Yes! I live in Cleveland and remember fondly going to The Silver Grill with my mother and getting the Welsh Rarebit! Yum. 

Now I'll have to buy Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit today!

[grisgris]

Wow! What an interesting story, Lura. Thanks for sharing as well as to AnneofCleves for digging up the recipe.  I was always curious as to Halle Berry got her name and always figured it was Hollywood-generated to replace something more ordinary sounding.

Availability of the Stouffer's product is hit and miss around here.  There have been times when you could not find it, but I see it with more frequency now. Like I said, I don't buy it or any Stouffer's products very often. OK, my "Kitchen Confessional" is that I've been known to buy the Welch rarebit AND Stouffer's spinach souffle and use the left over Wr as a sauce for the spinach souffle!

[MargeGunderson]

@grisgris, that would make Aunt Sandy proud!

[ariel]

6 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

 I also admit I've never seen the Stouffer's version in any state I've ever lived and wonder why that is?  

I don't think I have either.  Now, I'm going to be on the lookout for it.  I want to try it.  I find it deliciously ironic that Ree's horrible recipes are helping to sell Stouffer's products.

[grisgris]

Ha! Ha! Ha!  My work on this earth is now complete.

Edited February 26, 2017 by grisgris

[jcbrown]

I use Alton Brown's recipe for Welsh rarebit and make it with Guinness and sharp white cheddar, served over marble rye toast. It doesn't come out the prettiest color but wow is it tasty.

Topic?  I don't want to have to heat up the oven and later clean up the kitchen to make cinnamon toast. She is such a hack.

[peacheslatour]

53 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

I use Alton Brown's recipe for Welsh rarebit and make it with Guinness and sharp white cheddar, served over marble rye toast. It doesn't come out the prettiest color but wow is it tasty.

Topic?  I don't want to have to heat up the oven and later clean up the kitchen to make cinnamon toast. She is such a hack.

How much butter did she use on that French toast abomination?

[jcbrown]

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

How much butter did she use on that French toast abomination?

Her recipe calls for two sticks of butter and a cup of sugar for 16 slices of bread. So 1T of butter and 1/2T of sugar per piece of bread. Don't get me started on a cooking show that offers a recipe for cinnamon toast. And when dismissing the way normal people make cinnamon toast, she says something like, "there's just so much wrong with Ladd's way of making this I can't even." Well, it's a good thing your job isn't to host a supposedly informative show about cooking, then. If you were doing that, you might have to actually make a point.

[grisgris]

Wait? Did I miss something? Did she make French toast yesterday? I saw her show some different ideas for regular toasted bread, none of which seemed very original.  I recall something icky with a piece of lettuce and a fried egg, ricotta and jam, and Nutella and marshmallow fluff. 

What Ree is calling toast is what I'd call crostini. Toast is what I prepare in a toaster.

For me, the bottom line is that preparing stuff like cinnamon toast or spreading something on a piece of bread are not really caliber for an *cough* instructional cooking show.  If a person can't pop a piece of commercially sliced bread in a toaster, then they really should  just exist on fast food and carry-out and wouldn't be watching Food Network in the first place.

[maggiemae]

OMG - I just can't with her. Put the cinnamon and sugar in a shaker, toast the bread in a toaster, butter, shake. Why does she have to go to such lengths and trouble to kill off her family?

[Lura]

20 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

Lura, that was a great story, and I'm glad you shared it.  I found this about  Halle's in Cleveland and their Welsh Rarebit.

Anne, I am absolutely THRILLED that you've found Halle's recipe!  I'm making it for lunch or dinner tomorrow!  You cannot believe the memories that eating it will bring back to me of lunches at Halle's with my late mother and with my husband when we were dating, not to mention the delicious taste of it.  Thank you so much!

I should mention that others may find this recipe to be close to the ones they are currently making.  That could be because I had never tasted Welsh Rarebit before then and was easily impressed by the taste of it.  My mother had never made it at home. 

You done GOOD, Anne!  YOU DONE VERY GOOD!!!  :)  :)  :)

[Lura]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 7:17 AM, grisgris said:

OK, my "Kitchen Confessional" is that I've been known to buy the Welch rarebit AND Stouffer's spinach souffle and use the left over Wr as a sauce for the spinach souffle!

*gasp* We LOVE Stouffer's Spinach Souffle and haven't it or years!  I have to find some!  Grisgris, you should send your idea to Stouffer's, AND MAYBE THEY'D SEND YOU A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF WELSH RAREBIT!  Apologies for the caps.  Stuck key.

[peacheslatour]

6 hours ago, Lura said:

*gasp* We LOVE Stouffer's Spinach Souffle and haven't it or years!  I have to find some!  Grisgris, you should send your idea to Stouffer's, AND MAYBE THEY'D SEND YOU A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF WELSH RAREBIT!  Apologies for the caps.  Stuck key.

Another cool thing you can do with Stouffer's spinach souffle and my favorite substance ever: Puff pastry. Roll out the pastry, spread it with thawed souffle and sprinkle on some grated cheese. I use parmesan, then roll it up and slice it into pin rolls. Brush with beaten egg. Bake per package directions and you'll have some great appetizers.

[Westiepeach]

Shut up. Now Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit AND Spinach Soufflé will be on my shopping list! Yum!

[grisgris]

Remember when Aunt Sandy tried to make spanakoptia with phyllo dough, Stouffer's spinach souffle and ouzo?!

Ah, the good old days ...

[txvoodoo]

@grisgris - the trick with that one was to drink the ouzo first, then you wouldn't give a crap what the rest was like.

Come to think of it, that's pretty much Aunt Sandy's modus operandi! 

[peacheslatour]

16 hours ago, Westiepeach said:

Shut up. Now Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit AND Spinach Soufflé will be on my shopping list! Yum!

I am going to get the Welsh Rarebit and put it over my spinach souffle and puff pastry pinwheels!

[Aquarius]

So, Ree uses pineapple juice "just from a can, cuz it's easier." 

Easier than what?  Squeezing a damn pineapple?  Does anyone do that?  This woman mystifies me.

It was sad to see Charlie.  He looked so tired too.  I mean, I know Bassets always do, but it seemed to me he looked especially so.  :-(

[Spunkygal]

21 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Another cool thing you can do with Stouffer's spinach souffle and my favorite substance ever: Puff pastry. Roll out the pastry, spread it with thawed souffle and sprinkle on some grated cheese. I use parmesan, then roll it up and slice it into pin rolls. Brush with beaten egg. Bake per package directions and you'll have some great appetizers.

It is a great filling for appetizers! I am lazy so I use it to fill my store's frozen bite sized pastry shells and bake. Another great filling for these shells is Trader Joe's roasted pecan blue cheese spread, then bake. Both of these are quickly snapped up so make lots! I don't watch Ree Ree anymore but love to visit the thread for snark. Keep up the good work!

[ariel]

33 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

It is a great filling for appetizers! I am lazy so I use it to fill my store's frozen bite sized pastry shells and bake. Another great filling for these shells is Trader Joe's roasted pecan blue cheese spread, then bake. Both of these are quickly snapped up so make lots! I don't watch Ree Ree anymore but love to visit the thread for snark. Keep up the good work!

I also do the lazy stuff from time to time.  It's good.  What is sad is that our lazy stuff is probably much more tasty than Ree's "recipes".

[grisgris]

I've got a package of mini phyllo cups sitting around.  I don't know why I picked them up over the holidays. Now I have some ideas for snunch (snack-lunch) next week and I just happen to be going to Trader Joe's tomorrow!

[film noire]

Now I want all the yummy cheesy things you've all described in this thread, but it's 1:30 in the morning and I doubt the night stock boy at Shop Rite will unlock the doors due to my plaintive cries of "Do you have Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit? PLEASE!!" 

Edited March 2, 2017 by film noire

[grisgris]

Hey, not to change the subject, but I saw the most interesting product the other day in the little Indian market I like to go to for peppercorns. I always like to browse around the store and saw some bottles of liquid saffron. It was in about a 10-12 oz. bottle and was $7.99.  I was flabbergasted as we all know how much saffron costs.

When I went to pay for my purchase, I asked the man who checked me out about the liquid saffron. He didn't speak English very well but from what I could make out, he kept saying "vinegar." Then he motioned for me to go over to where the liquid saffron was on the shelves. Unfortunately, my contact lenses are for mono vision so I was really unable to read the fine print for the ingredients.

When we got back to the checkout counter, the woman who was working there showed up and she spoke perfect English. She said that it was more or less saffron diluted in vinegar. I asked if you used it to make saffron rice and she said yes. (I could not imagine what else you'd use it for.) She said that they sell lots of it.

Huh. Learn something new every day. I am going to have to do some research and see what you'd use it for.  I'm not going to buy a bottle but would like to learn more.

Anybody else ever heard of/used it?

Edited March 2, 2017 by grisgris

[grisgris]

OK. I need a validation here. This past week I switched from Time Warner-Spectrum to Google Fiber, plus I switched TVs around and put the newer HD one in the living room. Was Ree's hair a darker auburn today or has it always been that color and my older TV made it look Carrot Top orange?  During the segments where she was wearing the plain blue blouse, she looked pretty good. Now if somebody could just get her out of the heavy back makeup.

The beef noodle salad confused me. First (as always) it seemed like such a waste to use a good ribeye for an Asian-flavored salad. But that's the way she rolls, same with the same old same old marinade/dressing. I thought the salad looked bland and definitely could have used some colorful vegetables to add visual appeal as well as more nutrients. Why would you soak already cooked meat in marinade PLUS add it to salad that was already dressed with the very same thing? (It doesn't make sense to even try to write it!) Also, if you had that much marinade/dressing on the salad, then why do you need peanut dipping sauce? The whole thing seemed like overkill -- not only all of the competing flavors but it took W-A-A-Y too damned much time to make it!

I was really looking forward to seeing Ladd's reaction to the bento box. Everything she put in it was questionable as to whether or not he'd like it.  Probably he would have done as always; which is give it a dubious glance then mumble something like, "Looks real good, honey." Then he's sneak off to snack on some of the protein pellets that he feeds to the cattle..

I guess the kale salad was OK, but the dressing looked like it had way too much garlic oil in it.  I also didn't understand why she used sauteed kale and raw kale. There was also too much cheese to my liking, but that's just the way I roll ... I'll bet Paige ditched the Mason jar by the side of the road and stopped at KFC in Tulsa.

[maggiemae]

It was an odd (well, odder than usual) show today. I can't imagine the stupid cowboy bento box feeding a hungry person working physically all day. It was like 2, perhaps even 2 1/2 bites of each little adorable slot in the box. Sigh. 

And yes, get some veggies and crunch into that stupid asian salad. Either she adds too much stuff or, as in this case, not enough. And of course the required jalapenos in the slaw.

[HyeChaps]

What's so special and fun about a Mason jar for salad?  Seems difficult to eat from.  Seems like a lightweight plastic container with a wide eating area makes more sense. 

[maggiemae]

I have no idea what is so special about a mason jar. Put it in a bowl with a lid. They both need to be washed later. This cutesy stuff is too much for me like the adorable bento boxes for the "cowboys."

[Lura]

Ha, ha, ha!  I was wondering whether anyone else would find the food in the bento boxes a little bit skimpy and a bit feminine for those cowboys!  What about utensils?  Did the producer put the skids on her including chopsticks for those gigantic chunks of potato?  (Incidentally, when they roll the credits now, I see that Ree has established herself as Executive Producer).  I also thought the chicken wings looked sadly undercooked -- not a speck of brown on a single wing, thus accounting for spoons full of hot sauce over all.

This episode reminded me of my dear father-in-law's wry sense of humor.  When my mother-in-law would occasionally dole out tiny portions of food onto each plate, my FIL would furrow his brow, look disapprovingly at the portions, shake his head and mutter, "It's always either feast or famine!"

[anneofcleves]

I can't even begin to understand the Asian beef and noodle salad and agree with everyone else.  I wouldn't be at all interested in it without any crunchy vegetables to give it some texture and flavor.  Weird recipe.

And leave it to Ree Drummond to fill a bento box, traditionally filled with more healthful foods, with a bunch of greasy, heavy food.  While I will give her credit for making her own BBQ sauce, I thought the chicken wings looked gross.  I just don't like them made that way and always think they come out soggy and flabby.  Not enough fat is cooked out with the quick deep frying, and they don't cook long enough to be tender.  Bleh.

The thought of Ladd eating from that dainty little bento box makes me laugh a little.  I wonder if it was accompanied with a sippy cup full of apple juice?  

Now for that cutting edge mason jar salad idea.  Stupid story line, as usual, with the handoff to Paige, and I'm guessing this foreshadows the hawking of her own line of colored mason jars?

[chessiegal]

12 minutes ago, anneofcleves said:

Now for that cutting edge mason jar salad idea.  Stupid story line, as usual, with the handoff to Paige, and I'm guessing this foreshadows the hawking of her own line of colored mason jars?

I think she already has her own line of colored mason jars, available for purchase at a Walmart near you.

[anneofcleves]

Oh goodness, however did I miss these?  I must get to Walmart, pronto, so I can make salads for lunch!  While I'm there i think I'm going to pick up a waffle iron so I can make pizzas at my desk at work. I'm going to be the most popular woman in the office.  Lol.

[grisgris]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I think she already has her own line of colored mason jars, available for purchase at a Walmart near you.

She does.  Quite some time ago I took some photos of her merchandise at WM with the intent of posting them here but I think that was during the time PTV was undergoing a major transition and I couldn't figure out how to post photos. I'll look back in my phone and see if I still have them. They've been around for at least a year.

I forgot to mention that I noticed that the show is now using the high speed overhead shots of Ree preparing whatever it is. That's very common now on social media and FN has recently started using it on their feeds.  At least that method shows the specific amounts of ingredients. No more "cuppas, "bunchas," etc.

With that and the new hair color, I swear spies from FN or PW must be reading our threads!

[ariel]

While Ree thinks she's re- inventing the wheel with those mason jar "salads" they've been around for many years on Internet/Pinterest.  That crafty Ree is so cutting edge. ;)

ETA - I think Aunt Sandy's version of the mason jar salad would be much more boozy & fun.

Edited March 6, 2017 by ariel

[tabloidlover]

3 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

I can't even begin to understand the Asian beef and noodle salad and agree with everyone else.  I wouldn't be at all interested in it without any crunchy vegetables to give it some texture and flavor.  Weird recipe.

And leave it to Ree Drummond to fill a bento box, traditionally filled with more healthful foods, with a bunch of greasy, heavy food.  While I will give her credit for making her own BBQ sauce, I thought the chicken wings looked gross.  I just don't like them made that way and always think they come out soggy and flabby.  Not enough fat is cooked out with the quick deep frying, and they don't cook long enough to be tender.  Bleh.

The thought of Ladd eating from that dainty little bento box makes me laugh a little.  I wonder if it was accompanied with a sippy cup full of apple juice?  

Now for that cutting edge mason jar salad idea.  Stupid story line, as usual, with the handoff to Paige, and I'm guessing this foreshadows the hawking of her own line of colored mason jars?

Just watched the Bento Box lunch crap.  No way in hell that Ladd ate that nonsense.   Not only were the quantities so small they were beyond ridiculous, but Ree admitted that he wasn't a fan of the "fixing up" of the potato salad and slaw.   Why would she add flavorings that she knows he doesn't like?   So stupid. 

I need someone to explain to me how pouring a marinade over a cooked steak is still considered marinating it.  Not to mention, it only sat on the steak for 3 minutes, tops. 

The salad in the jar was absurd.  It was filled to the top, leaving no room for it to be mixed when shaken.  A wide Tupperware/Rubbermaid container would have been much better.   She can't even act well because she forgot to give Paige a fork.... Are we to assume Paige has a fork in the truck normally? 

Her hair color was pretty bright today and she has GOT to stop with the black eye makeup.  She looks cartoonish. 

Edited March 6, 2017 by tabloidlover
grammer is important.

[Newberry]

On 3/5/2017 at 2:17 AM, maggiemae said:

I have no idea what is so special about a mason jar. Put it in a bowl with a lid. They both need to be washed later. This cutesy stuff is too much for me like the adorable bento boxes for the "cowboys."

I always thought the idea behind the Mason Jar salads, was that you could prep several and they would keep fresh for a couple days, but the idea when it came time to eating, was that you emptied it onto a plate, hence the order you put the ingredients in the jar, with the dressing on the bottom, so it ends up on the top when you dump. I cannot even imagine there being enough room in that jar to shake it up, let alone finding a long enough fork to eat it with!

14 hours ago, tabloidlover said:

Just watched the Bento Box lunch crap.  No way in hell that Ladd ate that nonsense.   Not only were the quantities so small they were beyond ridiculous, but Ree admitted that he wasn't a fan of the "fixing up" of the potato salad and slaw.   Why would she add flavorings that she knows he doesn't like?   So stupid. 

I need someone to explain to me how pouring a marinade over a cooked steak is still considered marinating it.  Not to mention, it only sat on the steak for 3 minutes, tops. 

The salad in the jar was absurd.  It was filled to the top, leaving no room for it to be mixed when shaken.  A wide Tupperware/Rubbermaid container would have been much better.   She can't even act well because she forgot to give Paige a fork.... Are we to assume Paige has a fork in the truck normally? 

Her hair color was pretty bright today and she has GOT to stop with the black eye makeup.  She looks cartoonish. 

I think I saw a plastic fork in Paige's hand - not sure how it got there. The magic of television?

[tabloidlover]

None of her food looked good today but I guess that's par for the course.   What happened to her eyebrows??   Very bizarre looking today

[lucygoose]

1 hour ago, tabloidlover said:

None of her food looked good today but I guess that's par for the course.   What happened to her eyebrows??   Very bizarre looking today

I was barely paying attention, but I looked up when she dished up the pie.  I thought it looked ok with the whipped cream and raspberry on top, but then in typical fashion, that wasn't enough so she had to overdo it and sprinkle more crushed cookies on top.  Reminds me of the episode when she made that chocolate pie for Ladd, and at the end she had a serving for him and her, and his was plain, and she had to put a bunch of whipped topping, raspberries, caramel sauce, and nuts on hers.  She never knows when enough is enough, it's pretty much a constant theme with all her recipes.  

[anneofcleves]

Good lord, Ree.  Give it a rest with those "famous" potatoes of yours.  Two sticks of butter, a cup of heavy cream, and eight ounces of cream cheese for five pounds of potatoes is simply gross and excessive fat - not flavorful.  Especially when it's sitting on top of a heavy bunch of stew made from chuck roast, served aside carrots drowning in fat, with a nice big piece of cream pie for dessert.

Just the shepherd's pie alone has something like 80 grams of fat in a single serving.  I can't imagine the tally for this participular, everyday, quick weeknight meal.  She's a disaster.

[Lura]

I sometimes feel that I'm the only poster here who occasionally gets on the cholesterol bandwagon, so I'm really  happy to read your post, anne.   Here's my story:

I was 31 years old, staying up beyond 1 a.m. grading high school term papers, when I fell asleep.  I woke up some time later and couldn't see out of my right eye.  I thought I was dreaming.  Everything from that eye was a dark shade of gray with nothing else visible.  I woke my husband, and in the morning we were off to the doctor's office.  The doctor suspected a stroke and sent me immediately to a specialist.  Sure enough, I'd had a stroke.  AT 31???!!!  I was lucky.  It could have been much worse.  The eyesight returned a few weeks later, and I have taken cholesterol medication ever since.

Believe me, you don't want this to happen to you.  I can't count the times when I've wanted to throttle Ree for what she's doing to her kids.  If she were only doing it to herself, that would be her business, but the kids are another story to me.  She's the daughter of a doctor, and she knows better.  What are those kids' arteries going to look like when they're 31 years old (the kids AND the arteries).  She's setting them up for trouble, and I hate to see her doing it.  I hate it with a passion.

[Gam2]

Wasn't her father a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon? What the hell is she thinking?

[peacheslatour]

43 minutes ago, Gam2 said:

Wasn't her father a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon? What the hell is she thinking?

Orthopedic surgeon, but still.

[grisgris]

Ree's father is a retired orthopedic surgeon. 

I was also dismayed by those mashed potatoes.  But I thought she also usually added sour cream to the recipe or am I just so dairy-blinded that I just assumed it. I was very surprised that she didn't add a hearty dose of pepper-jack cheese to the top of the shepherd's pie before she stuck in the oven.  I've seen that (shredded cheese) recommended before in other SP recipes.  I really don't understand the reasoning behind adding the cream cheese. The only think I could think of was that maybe the cream cheese adds stability which is why she and Nan are able to make up big batches in advance. Otherwise, you got me. What's wrong with just letting potatoes just taste like, well ... potatoes?

BTW: I just got Google Fiber activated and now have the PBS Create channel. Wow! "Food Net ... what?" Today there was some Irish guy named Kevin making cottage pie and for his potatoes (mash!) he added just a reasonable glob of glorious golden Irish butter. No cream cheese, horseradish, etc.

The stew looked average. I am not sure why Ree used paprika for her flavoring. I usually use a bay leaf and a tiny pinch of allspice which is a great tip I learned from my mother (R.I.P. of a stroke) and Rachael Ray. At least there were no jalapenos added.

Were the carrots supposed to be a warm carrot salad?  Ina's got the market cornered on that. She made a drool-worthy roasted carrot salad one of her new "Cooking for Jeffrey" episodes last year.  I was trying to think of how that vinaigrette would taste combined with horseradish.

OK. I could not wrap my head around that pie for the life of me. I have a pie on my Pinterest board that has raspberry yogurt and raspberries and I don't remember the rest of the base ingredients other than light cream cheese and you used a reduced-fat graham cracker crust; the point being that it was supposed to be a low-calorie dessert Since we know that's not the way Ree rolls, I didn't understand. Actually, flavored yogurts don't have that much fruit flavor so I didn't understand the purpose of using that if you were using frozen raspberries then heavy cream. The most head-scratching was the addition of the packet of vanilla pudding.  My mouth was just tightening up at the thought of the gritty texture that would add to the pie. The only thing I could thing of was that Ree's gotten wind that people think she rips-off other people's recipes. Adding the (unnecessary) vanilla pudding packet was a way to make it "hers."  Anybody?

[Gam2]

Thanks, Peacheslatour. At any rate, her dad was a doctor. My comment still stands. What the hell is she thinking feeding her family this crap? 

[anneofcleves]

13 hours ago, grisgris said:

I was also dismayed by those mashed potatoes.  But I thought she also usually added sour cream to the recipe or am I just so dairy-blinded that I just assumed it. I was very surprised that she didn't add a hearty dose of pepper-jack cheese to the top of the shepherd's pie before she stuck in the oven.  I've seen that (shredded cheese) recommended before in other SP recipes.  I really don't understand the reasoning behind adding the cream cheese. The only think I could think of was that maybe the cream cheese adds stability which is why she and Nan are able to make up big batches in advance. Otherwise, you got me. What's wrong with just letting potatoes just taste like, well ... potatoes?

I totally agree with just leaving the poor potatoes alone. What's her next incarnation of sheherd's pie going to be like? Let's spin Ree's Random Recipe Ingredient Wheel to see, shall we?  

<spinning the wheel while humming Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys>

Wheel says:  Turkey-chipotle shepherd's pie.  With puh-tay-tuhs infused with the usual amount of artery-seizing add-ins plus the beloved Drummond lemon pepper, lemon yogurt, goat cheese, and sriracha.  Served in glorious little mini cattle troughs.  Hold your nose and say it like Ree would :  Pure decadence!

She really is losing it, I think, with the show. Instead of getting better, she either recycles old stuff she's done or that some church cookbook has done before, or she resorts to chili dogs and nachos.  I do believe her when she says they're busy and imagine them being spread incredibly thin. In addition to the family's core business, she's got a tv show, blog, cookbooks, other books, a gigantic food and retail emporium in the middle of a small, non-tourist attracting town, a retail line of housewares, and probably other stuff that I have forgotten about.  If she's trying to be Rachel Ray, how long is it until she's into pet food, talk shows, and furniture design?  Or Paula Deen and have spin off shows for her kids?  She's definitely set on becoming an industry.

Edited March 12, 2017 by anneofcleves

[Samwil]

On 2/26/2017 at 7:53 AM, Westiepeach said:

Yes! I live in Cleveland and remember fondly going to The Silver Grill with my mother and getting the Welsh Rarebit! Yum. 

Now I'll have to buy Stouffer's Welsh Rarebit today!

Wasn't the Silver Grill at Higbees downtown?

[grisgris]

1 hour ago, anneofcleves said:

She really is losing it, I think, with the show. Instead of getting better, she either recycles old stuff she's done or that some church cookbook has done before, or she resorts to chili dogs and nachos.  I do believe her when she says they're busy and imagine them being spread incredibly thin. In addition to the family's core business, she's got a tv show, blog, cookbooks, other books, a gigantic food and retail emporium in the middle of a small, non-tourist attracting town, a retail line of housewares, and probably other stuff that I have forgotten about.  If she's trying to be Rachel Ray, how long is it until she's into pet food, talk shows, and furniture design?  Or Paula Deen and have spin off shows for her kids?  She's definitely set on becoming an industry.

 

As we used to say with Aunt Sandy ... "Don't give her any ideas!" :)

(Actually, I'd totally watch a talk show hosted by Sandy. )

Edited March 12, 2017 by grisgris