All Episodes Talk

[Automne]

I'm almost surprised she didn't negotiate a reality show deal to follow Alex during her first year in college and called it something like Cowgirl to Sorority Girl.

While I was half-asleep, she had two episodes in a row air today that involved a "crazy" dessert: "crazy" bark and "crazy" brownies. "Crazy" meaning "find every candy and nut ever produced and throw it in + peanut butter and more chocolate".

[Westiepeach]

4 hours ago, Samwil said:

Wasn't the Silver Grill at Higbees downtown?

I do believe so!

[Lura]

Re Ree's busy days:  I'll betcha Ree has a staff to rival Ina Garten's, but we hear nothing about them.  Anyone who can add can easily figure the time it takes to cook and bake for six people three times a day, do the laundry for six, write two cookbooks and a blog (such as it is), help on the range, homeschool, run the Merc, entertain, respond to mail, etc., etc.  I imagine she's the administrator of various groups of helpers but doesn't actually do all the work herself.  What do you think?

[peacheslatour]

From Good Reads:

home schools with two teachers (I bet you thought she did the teachin' too, dinja?) had/has nannies for her kids as they were growing up, had a ghostwriter and staff work on her cookbooks and recipes, clears easily a cool million in ad revenue from her blog.

[anneofcleves]

Oh, I have never thought she does all of this by herself with occasional help from Hye.  Of course she employs a lot of people to do the work.  My comments were more about over exposure, expanding too rapidly (like Paula), and cheapening a fledgling brand.  Basically, not doing anything terribly well because she's so busy trying to expand into everything.

I know she's following the model of others who've come before her, especially since FN came into existence,  but she doesn't seem to have the creativity and staying power that even Rachel Ray does.  Forget about becoming the Pioneer version of Martha Stewart.  

[grisgris]

After a L-O-N-G lull, I've just started doing freelancing again. You'd be astonished by the number opportunities for people to ghostwrite recipes or search the web for recipes. I've even seen listings for writers to take recipes and change a thing or two. The only requirement is that you know enough about food/cooking to make sure that whatever you're swapping out will work. Now, granted, these requests aren't from your top-flight cookbook authors but a few have started out as "well-known chef ..." (that's highly subjective!) I also see requests for people to help with writing and producing scripts/videos for ideas for cooking show to submit.

Monkeying with recipes and getting paid for it kinda sounds like fun! Hee!

[ariel]

13 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

  Or Paula Deen and have spin off shows for her kids?  She's definitely set on becoming an industry.

With some of her recent comments on her show, she is getting into Paula Deen territory...  

Maybe the Donald has a position in his cabinet for her.

[3pwood]

On 3/12/2017 at 1:23 PM, anneofcleves said:

... Forget about becoming the Pioneer version of Martha Stewart.  

I wonder if they've ever met?  If so, I'm sure Martha Stewart was polite, at least to her face -- I'd love to know what Martha Stewart really thinks of her.

[anneofcleves]

If I could hazard a guess, I'd say that Martha probably respects Ree's ability to build her own brand.  But that's probably about it.  I cannot imagine Martha calling Ree up and raving about anything in one of Ree's cookbooks and wanting to collaborate. But then again, Martha is collaborating with Snoop Dog, so what do I know?  

If they did collaborate, I would envision Martha correcting her speech.  "It's poh-tay-toe, dear."

[ariel]

32 minutes ago, 3pwood said:

I wonder if they've ever met?  If so, I'm sure Martha Stewart was polite, at least to her face -- I'd love to know what Martha Stewart really thinks of her.

I'd love to know what Martha thinks of Ree's hair color.

[Lura]

IMHO, Martha would be a poor one to ask for hair color advice.  The last time I saw her (on a FN promo last night), her roots were in dire need of a bleach job.  At least Ree goes from red to brown to orange and doesn't have to do much with the roots.  When "her baby" walks in with neon green hair one of these days, Ree's going to rue the day she ever fooled around with color!

.

[anneofcleves]

I can't stop thinking about a Martha-Ree cooking segment:

Martha:  (Carefully measuring 3 3/19ths cups of artisan-made, stone ground flour into a fuschia KitchenAid mixer painted with a cowgirl on a bucking bronco.) You know, Ree, it is my understanding that the Osage Nation were great hunters of elk, bison, and wild turkeys.

Ree:  Neat!  Cowboys really only eat beef.  Would you prefer to use my orange KitchenAid mixer, Martha?  I have 32 of them.  (Nervously begins fondling a bag of Skittles, as Martha casts a disapproving smile.)

Martha:  Well, I do think that these other forms of protein are quite delicious, as well as healthful if one is watching cholesterol?

Ree:  What's that?  Coll...coll-less?

Martha:  Cholesterol.  Something many Americans, unfortunately, have to keep an eye on.  (Flashes the camera with flirtatious, yet mildly menacing smile.)  And a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is such a focus with so many of my friends.

Ree: (Throws some Skittles on her tequila-spiked Cowgirl Triple Chipotle Mochachino to calm her nerves.). I totally agree, Martha!  Which is why I always add onions and jalapeños to my rib eye and pepper jack quesadillas!

Martha: (Ignores the inane comment, while looking very pleased with the perfectly rounded pie crust she has prepared and ensconced in plastic for chilling in the refrigerator.)  And here we have our perfect pie crust, which just needs to go in the refrigerator for precisely 20 minutes and thirty-two seconds.  (Martha walks to the refrigerator and quickly notices a rubber snake where the disk of pie dough is to be placed. Not amused, she ignores it and places the dough on the rubber snake.)

Ree: (Crestfallen that the rubber snake has not hit its mark with Martha, but ever the culinary professional pulls herself together.) OK, Martha. Now let's get started on our glorious pie filling!  While you're at the 'fridge, would you grab the raspberry yogurt, the six pack of chocolate pudding cups, that bottle of sriracha there, that two quart jug of whipping cream.  Oh, and a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  My crew just loves it!  So light and luscious.  Did I mention glorious? 

Martha: Yes, yes you most certainly did.  (Makes her secret hand gesture to her assistant to bring her a double Polish vodka on the rocks and start the process of firing her booking agent.)

Edited March 14, 2017 by anneofcleves

[peacheslatour]

^^^Fucking brilliant! I would pay good money to see that.

[3pwood]

People like Ree Drummond make us appreciate people like Martha Stewart.   

[anneofcleves]

56 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

^^^Fucking brilliant! I would pay good money to see that.

Add Sandra Lee, and you would have my dream cooking show. I mean, comedy.

[ShortyMac]

Watched Ree make meatloaf, and all I could focus on was that she mixed it with her rings still on. Gross!!

[grisgris]

Let me add another guest to the show:

Pioneer Woman meets Joanna Gaines! Gah ... (Sorry, but I'm not a "Fixer Upper" fan.) Actually, this is a Pinterest of a Pinterest I got on Facebook via a home/crafts/garden page I follow. How's that for fourth-hand news! This woman made a window treatment (very Aunt Sandy) out of a PW tablecloth and I think the JG touches speak for themselves!

Cocktails on the house!! 

 

Edited March 14, 2017 by grisgris

[Natalie68]

7 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

I can't stop thinking about a Martha-Ree cooking segment:

Martha:  (Carefully measuring 3 3/19ths cups of artisan-made, stone ground flour into a fuschia KitchenAid mixer painted with a cowgirl on a bucking bronco.) You know, Ree, it is my understanding that the Osage Nation were great hunters of elk, bison, and wild turkeys.

Ree:  Neat!  Cowboys really only eat beef.  Would you prefer to use my orange KitchenAid mixer, Martha?  I have 32 of them.  (Nervously begins fondling a bag of Skittles, as Martha casts a disapproving smile.)

Martha:  Well, I do think that these other forms of protein are quite delicious, as well as healthful if one is watching cholesterol?

Ree:  What's that?  Coll...coll-less?

Martha:  Cholesterol.  Something many Americans, unfortunately, have to keep an eye on.  (Flashes the camera with flirtatious, yet mildly menacing smile.)  And a diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is such a focus with so many of my friends.

Ree: (Throws some Skittles on her tequila-spiked Cowgirl Triple Chipotle Mochachino to calm her nerves.). I totally agree, Martha!  Which is why I always add onions and jalapeños to my rib eye and pepper jack quesadillas!

Martha: (Ignores the inane comment, while looking very pleased with the perfectly rounded pie crust she has prepared and ensconced in plastic for chilling in the refrigerator.)  And here we have our perfect pie crust, which just needs to go in the refrigerator for precisely 20 minutes and thirty-two seconds.  (Martha walks to the refrigerator and quickly notices a rubber snake where the disk of pie dough is to be placed. Not amused, she ignores it and places the dough on the rubber snake.)

Ree: (Crestfallen that the rubber snake has not hit its mark with Martha, but ever the culinary professional pulls herself together.) OK, Martha. Now let's get started on our glorious pie filling!  While you're at the 'fridge, would you grab the raspberry yogurt, the six pack of chocolate pudding cups, that bottle of sriracha there, that two quart jug of whipping cream.  Oh, and a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  My crew just loves it!  So light and luscious.  Did I mention glorious? 

Martha: Yes, yes you most certainly did.  (Makes her secret hand gesture to her assistant to bring her a double Polish vodka on the rocks and start the process of firing her booking agent.)

Awesome!  THIS right here would make her show interesting.  This is still programmed in my DVR but I haven't been watching.  Most of what she makes doesn't require a tv show to explain it.  How many shows have had quesadillas and nachos on them??  I didn't think either required a recipe let alone recorded instructions.  

This is a completely shallow observation and I truly don't like to snark on looks but I have to say it.  The skin on her face looks...(struggling for the right word)  gelatinous.  I am not sure that is the right word either but I am nearly hypnotized by the strange look to her facial skin.

I know she has a carefully crafted persona but I would love to see what she is really like in person.  I have an idea what I THINK she would be like but am curious.

[MargeGunderson]

2 hours ago, grisgris said:

Let me add another guest to the show:

Pioneer Woman meets Joanna Gaines! Gah ... (Sorry, but I'm not a "Fixer Upper" fan.) Actually, this is a Pinterest of a Pinterest I got on Facebook via a home/crafts/garden page I follow. How's that for fourth-hand news! This woman made a window treatment (very Aunt Sandy) out of a PW tablecloth and I think the JG touches speak for themselves!

Cocktails on the house!! 

 

All I can focus on is how the pot holders hanging on the cupboards aren't level. 

[Westiepeach]

Just now, MargeGunderson said:

All I can focus on is how the pot holders hanging on the cupboards aren't level. 

I know, right? Bugging the crap out of me!

[Eyes High]

5 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

Watched Ree make meatloaf, and all I could focus on was that she mixed it with her rings still on. Gross!!

Yeah, she does that all the time whenever she mixes ground beef. Nasty.

I've also noticed multiple instances where she's measured out flour or something but never specifies how much of it she's using. 

Edited March 14, 2017 by Eyes High

[anneofcleves]

56 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

Yeah, she does that all the time whenever she mixes ground beef. Nasty.

I've also noticed multiple instances where she's measured out flour or something but never specifies how much of it she's using. 

Sure she does.  There's "buncha" and "cuppa," and sometimes there is a "whole buncha" or even a "whole lotta."

[maggiemae]

I prefer to use my hands for mixing meatloaf, etc - but I use disposable gloves - inexpensive and clean up is a breeze.

[Aquarius]

Ree's definition of a "busy day" is definitely different than mine.  On my busy days, I don't have over two hours in the morning to cook a frigging beef stew to use as the base of a shepherd's pie for supper that night.  And make a pie, even using pudding mix.  Ree's life is nothing like mine.

[jcbrown]

37 minutes ago, anneofcleves said:

Sure she does.  There's "buncha" and "cuppa," and sometimes there is a "whole buncha" or even a "whole lotta."

And don't forget "a fourtha cuppa."

[tabloidlover]

On ‎3‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 5:59 PM, Aquarius said:

7Ree's definition of a "busy day" is definitely different than mine.  On my busy days, I don't have over two hours in the morning to cook a frigging beef stew to use as the base of a shepherd's pie for supper that night.  And make a pie, even using pudding mix.  Ree's life is nothing like mine.

Exactly!!  A busy day for me is the alarm going off at 4:30am and getting home by 7pm....  And those are pretty standard in my house.  She's ridiculous and completely out of touch.

Edited March 16, 2017 by tabloidlover

[anneofcleves]

You people are so hard on Ree.  She's not simply worrying about dinner.  She's circling the ranch in her dirty pickup truck, like a guy hawking beer in the stands of a Yankees game, feeding Ladd and a select group of starving, moderately photogenic ranch hands (screw the rest).  And in between all of that, she's keeping her roots touched up!  She's so busy that even 16-minute meals are too involved!

Tough crowd...

Edited March 16, 2017 by anneofcleves

[MargeGunderson]

Not to mention that her eyeliner doesn't apply itself, and she has to shop for those colorfully bohemian shirts she wears.

[Gam2]

Not to mention the nastiest, grossest thing of all-she feeds Ladd, the kids and the ranch hands on the back of a pickup truck without them WASHING THEIR HANDS! OR STILL WEARING THEIR FILTHY GLOVES. Sorry for shouting but that just turns my stomach. We're hand washing fanatics in my family. 

[anneofcleves]

Was today's (insanely stupid) 16 minute meals episode a repeat? My cable displayed it as a new episode, but I swear I have seen this exact show before.  Or is she just continually repackaging segments from old shows into "new" 16 minute episodes?  

Pretty much everything she demonstrated was was a method, not a recipe.  There is no moron moronic enough who couldn't figure out how to turn a box of pasta and a jar of marinara into a meal.  Not one.

Edited March 18, 2017 by anneofcleves

[SanLynn]

My cable said it was new as well and I think it's a cobbled together episode of segments of previous episodes so they can marginally call it new. Like when the Golden Girls (or other shows) would splice together clips from previous seasons and throw in 30 second segments of new material as intros to the clips. I guess that was what the ending car cam segment was for.

I'm sure we're just not supposed to notice that her kids look much younger and that Alex is around.

At least the French Bread pizza was condensed to one segment instead of two this time around. I might have tried to dive through my tv the first time that stupid "recipe" aired and took the last two segments of that episode.

Edited March 18, 2017 by SanLynn
Coherency

[grisgris]

I agree that today's show was just a buncha old episode segments spliced together. You could tell by the age of the kids.  I thought I hadn't seen the cowboy salad before but maybe not. The revolting looking dressing with mayo, BBQ sauce and hot sauce looked unsettling familiar.

The results were also contradictory. In the salad segment, Ree was adamant  that the only lettuce that cowboys would touch was iceberg. Then when she was making the taco French bread pizza for Ladd she topped it with green leaf lettuce.  If you're going to go to all of that trouble to assemble ingredients to make six separate pizzas, wouldn't really just be easier to buy the ones by Stouffer's? Serve a salad bar on the side.

Again, today's posts are brought to you by Stouffer's! (I'm seeing a pattern here.)

[Lura]

Near the top of the no-no list of Ree's concoctions that I hate is what I call her Whack-A-Doodle Salad -- one head of iceberg, whacked into six pieces and drizzled with some bland mayonnaise-based dressing.  NO!!!  You know that Ree has had it with cooking for the day when she hauls out a head of lettuce and her chopping knife.  To me, that's just filler, like the hay Ladd leaves for the cattle. 

Edited March 19, 2017 by Lura

[sATL]

sorry all - but I've got to go on record.. Ree (and/or food network) needs to put a calorie count disclaimer on her dishes. Does she ever try to make a healthier version ? she starts out with something that could be healthy and takes a bad turn. Cowboy Chopped Salad (link). I think this is the first time.... in a LONG time I have seen someone add vegetable oil to bacon grease to fry (in this case corn tortilla chips) something.

[Qoass]

Yes, you can definitely tell a clip show because she's wearing a different tunic for every recipe.  I didn't mind though because she included the explanation of how to get Chinese food at a drive through restaurant:  drive to order post, give order, drive to window, pick up order.  I really needed to see that again in case I ever find myself near a Panda Express.

[txvoodoo]

On 3/11/2017 at 5:53 PM, grisgris said:

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.

Find Lidia's Kitchen on Create.  I love it!

On 3/12/2017 at 7:44 AM, anneofcleves said:

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.

"Ree's Random Recipe Ingredient Wheel" <-- perfect!

And please don't wish her to make dog food. I love dogs far too much to inflict THAT on them.

On 3/12/2017 at 9:02 PM, ariel said:

With some of her recent comments on her show, she is getting into Paula Deen territory...  

Maybe the Donald has a position in his cabinet for her.

Well, she can become the WH chef and harden his arteries. He already likes fatty foods!

On 3/14/2017 at 3:56 PM, grisgris said:

Let me add another guest to the show:

Pioneer Woman meets Joanna Gaines! Gah ... (Sorry, but I'm not a "Fixer Upper" fan.) Actually, this is a Pinterest of a Pinterest I got on Facebook via a home/crafts/garden page I follow. How's that for fourth-hand news! This woman made a window treatment (very Aunt Sandy) out of a PW tablecloth and I think the JG touches speak for themselves!

Cocktails on the house!! 

 

That looks like Pinterest threw up on itself! "country" cabinets, extra-busy tile backsplash, stainless "farm" sink and Ree's tablecloth. Which looks SO odd there! 

On 3/19/2017 at 7:24 PM, sATL said:

sorry all - but I've got to go on record.. Ree (and/or food network) needs to put a calorie count disclaimer on her dishes. Does she ever try to make a healthier version ? she starts out with something that could be healthy and takes a bad turn. Cowboy Chopped Salad (link). I think this is the first time.... in a LONG time I have seen someone add vegetable oil to bacon grease to fry (in this case corn tortilla chips) something.

Fry. bacon. in. veggie. oil???? My brain just broke. You have a food that provides its own, delicious fat for frying! Crisping up the meat perfectly, and usable as flavoring in other things later! Why in god's name would you pollute it with veggie oil? Why not just use the bacon fat? It's so gross! Also, that BBQ Ranch dressing looks GROSS. 

Edited March 22, 2017 by txvoodoo

[peacheslatour]

Quote

That looks like Pinterest threw up on itself! "country" cabinets, extra-busy tile backsplash, stainless "farm" sink and Ree's tablecloth. Which looks SO odd there!

Right? That cutesy wootsy window treatment has no business being in the same room as the contemporary tile backsplash and granite counter top. It looks so ridiculous it's jarring.

[Aquarius]

17 hours ago, txvoodoo said:

That looks like Pinterest threw up on itself! "country" cabinets, extra-busy tile backsplash, stainless "farm" sink and Ree's tablecloth. Which looks SO odd there! 

I'm bothered by the command "EAT" over the sink.  What, does it double as a trough?  Pioneer Woman inspired, indeed.

[Gam2]

Tvvoodoo, may I borrow "my brain just broke?" That's just genius!!

[Automne]

That's the thing about a lot of these DIY/home improvement blogs: they don't have design know-how. You don't combine farmhouse kitsch with contemporary/modern design. If you want farmhouse kitsch, you want butcher's block or soapstone countertops with ceramic apron sinks. No stainless steel, no granite.

As an aside, I don't get the current obsession with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. I feel like those desires are for kitchens people don't have any actual intention of using. And I hate the this sign fad, too. Like the "eat" in the photo. It's like a few people did it really well in their home decor, then the imitators came along and ran it into the ground by just doing it all wrong.

[Gam2]

In our last two homes, we had stainless steel appliances and granite counters because they looked right in those houses. I cook and bake every day so I'm not sure why those things preclude actual cooking. One has nothing to do with the other.

[Qoass]

I understand that both can be hard to keep looking nice.  One reason I haven't redone my kitchen yet is that I'm still waiting for self-cleaning floors to be perfected.

[anneofcleves]

I caught enough of the Ree-run today to see her blathering on about sloppy joe's, while squirting ketchup and mustard in the skillet of browned meat. Normally I use this same, highly complex method (lovingly passed down through the generations of cooks in my family in a secret, midnight ceremony that takes place on the first full moon following the onset of puberty), but tonight I used Manwich.  Bought from my regular groshry store.  Not dolled up at all!

This, I suppose, is why I don't have a cooking show, my friends.  Hangs head in shame...

Edited March 26, 2017 by anneofcleves

[maggiemae]

I can never get over how many pans and bowls, etc she uses  to create her "meals." Today she used a bowl to put ingredients into after chopping them and then added them to an empty pot. She put some version of a syrup into a bowl with a spoon to make it easy for the kids vs say a pitcher. And a colander into a bowl to drain it vs the sink. And on and on.

[anneofcleves]

9 hours ago, maggiemae said:

I can never get over how many pans and bowls, etc she uses  to create her "meals." Today she used a bowl to put ingredients into after chopping them and then added them to an empty pot. She put some version of a syrup into a bowl with a spoon to make it easy for the kids vs say a pitcher. And a colander into a bowl to drain it vs the sink. And on and on.

I agree, especially when it comes to her 16 minute meals.  She's got pretty much every inch of surface area, three frying pans, two sauce pans, and 15 bowls dirtied.  I'd rather the meal take 60 minutes to prepare end to end, with a 10 minute cleanup (most of which can be done while the dinner is finishing on the stove or in the oven).

[Gam2]

Qoass, actually the granite counters were really easy to clean with Granite Gold that I got at BB&B. I also had stainless steel wipes that did a quick,easy job on the appliances. I am totally with you on self cleaning floors!!!

[Automne]

I wish these cooking shows would stress planning out your cooking, especially mise en place. You end up using fewer dishes and streamline the whole process. Especially when the audience at home doesn't have the benefit of a staff to wash their dishes and clean the kitchen.

I'll give PW one compliment and say that I do like how she does an episode or a few on bulk cooking and freezing. It's a basic common sense sort of thing if you're busy, have four kids going every which way, a day job (that isn't that of "blogger"), other responsibilities, and do frequently give food to neighbors, extended family, friends, and the like.

[peacheslatour]

I wish they would use microwaves more. They can be such time saver and lessen clean up. Melting butter, cooking fresh veggies, melting chocolate, etc. For example I used to make ganache by stirring the cream and chocolate over a double boiler. It's hot and time consuming. Now I just bring the cream to a boil in a bowl in the nuker, add the cocolate, cover for 5 minutes and then give it a stir. Easy peasy.

[grisgris]

What always bugs me is how she'll mess up the entire kitchen, including heating up the grill pan to make what boils down a fairly simple lunch concept, for ONE person. I'm not saying that it's not OK to prepare a special lunch treat for yourself or loved one or whomever. By the time I'd done all of that I'd be too tired to enjoy my meal plus I'd be obsessing over any mess that I hadn't gotten to prior to sitting down. (I also clean up as I go along. I hate nothing more than a sink full of dirty dishes and ingredients scattered about.)

[ariel]

Ree most likely has hired help to clean up after her mess.  Isn't that what rugged pioneer woman do.  ;)