All Episodes Talk

[chessiegal]

What the hell is "Memory Work"?

[film noire]

What the hell is "Memory Work"?

That's when Ree gets the kids to help her remember exactly which cookbook she stole which recipe from:)

Edited December 26, 2014 by film noire

[bubbls]

As someone who suffers with a phobia my personal experience is you can be phobic without it controlling your life. My phobia used to severely curtail my activities, but I worked with a therapist for several years to overcome it. While it still causes anxiety I no longer allow it to limit the things I want to do. Most days. Ree may be lying, but I do know from personal experience one can be "moderately" phobic and still participate in activities to which you're phobic. You'll have anxiety, sometimes a lot, but it can be done. 

Edited December 30, 2014 by bubbls

[Lura]

I've had a real roller coaster ride reading the comments on this thread! By the sound of Ree and her antics, I would say that this woman should be committed -- and fast! It sounds like they all live in a zoo!

I've seen Ree a few times. My impression is that her show is designed largely for beginning cooks. The recipes seem simple, and the dishes seem to be somewhat unappetizing, greasy family fare. The idea seems to be to "fill 'em up" rather than to feed them nutritious food.

I watched the home school episode the other day. The living organisms at the bottom of the creek water glasses sounded appetizing right before lunch. It made me cast a close eye on the bits of broccoli floating in the soup.

Edited December 30, 2014 by OnceSane
removed keyboard malfunction.

[anneofcleves]

More 16 minute meals - whoot!  Not a damn thing I would need an actual recipe for (agreeing with Lura that PW definitely caters to beginning cooks), BUT I will give the cauliflower a try. 

Edited January 3, 2015 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

It appeared that today's episode was sponsored by Kikkoman. Nothing new or inspiring here.

 

I saw some slight improvement today because Ree caught herself a few times when she started to say, "you just add a buncha," then quickly recovered by specifying the amount of the ingredient.

 

What I didn't understand was why the cooking segments were interspersed with Ree taking a leisurely stroll around the ranch. Doesn't a "prepare something in X-minutes" translate into showing an actual race against the clock? Otherwise, what's the point and who cares? It would take me 16 minutes just to prep the head of cauliflower.

Edited January 4, 2015 by grisgris

[BooksRule]

I watched the new 'healthy cooking'/16 minutes meals right after a re-run of another 'healthy' episode (I guess from last year).  It's funny that in those particular episodes where there is actually some green stuff and other semi-healthy food being served, her family is nowhere to be found.  I also agree about the strolls around the ranch, but I always love seeing the dogs (Charlie and Walter?).

 

The steak for the salad was a little too rare for my taste and I would have definitely trimmed that fat off of the side, but other than that, it looked pretty edible.  I would also like to try the cauliflower.  I love cauliflower, and have never thought about cutting/tearing it into those little florets.  I usually just cut it into chunks and slices and roast it with a little oil and salt. (When I saw that dish on the previews, I first thought they were little popcorn shrimp.)

Edited January 3, 2015 by BooksRule

[3pwood]

I didn't see the show but was intrigued by these references to the cauliflower recipe, so I looked it up on the Food Network website. It looks similar to 2 recipes that I ran into awhile back, substituting cauliflower for, respectively, fried rice & couscous. I used those as a guide to make my own version, which I just posted in the Food section of the Off-Topic Forum, under Quick Vegetarian Meals. I never realized that cauliflower could be so versatile!

[anneofcleves]

I made the spicy stir fried cauliflower and wasn't knocked out. It was OK, but pretty salty. I think for the flavor and amount of effort and cleanup I prefer simply roasted cauliflower.

[rustyspigot]

I only caught a shot of the show, why was she hanging out in a graveyard?

[Westiepeach]

I only caught a shot of the show, why was she hanging out in a graveyard?

 

I think she was walking (you know, the "healthy" episode) and the graveyard was the "turnaround" point of her walk.

[grisgris]

I wasn't paying close attention, but I think Ree said it was the Drummond family cemetery and it is the mid-way point of her evening walk.

[rustyspigot]

I figured it was something like that just a bit weird to see on a cooking show. (I guess there are only so many sheds you can burn down to get a shot)

[grisgris]

The only thing worth mentioning about today's show was that stony look of pure disdain in Ree's eyes when she was chopping parsley and talking about how picky her family was about the "size of chunks" of things in the food she prepares. I had to rewind that a couple of times.

[anneofcleves]

I give anyone props for devoting a show to soup, and I'm glad she did it.  I thought the spinach soup looked pretty good.  

 

The sausage, potato, and kale soup is good but so overdone now, probably because of the popularity of the Olive Garden knock-offs.  I'm a much bigger fan of basic, brothy Caldo Verde, with linguica and without all the milk and cream.  It's the perfect rustic soup.

 

The hamburger soup looked like one of my clean out the fridge concoctions.  No problem with that, just not really worth time on the show, imo.

[ShellSeeker]

I made the spicy stir fried cauliflower and wasn't knocked out. It was OK, but pretty salty. I think for the flavor and amount of effort and cleanup I prefer simply roasted cauliflower.

 

Yeah, I thought it looked like it had potential, but there is no way I would have the patience to break an entire head of cauliflower into tiny little pieces like that. I do mine roasted as well -- normal sized florets, a little olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes, popped into the oven for 30 minutes.

[anneofcleves]

...there is no way I would have the patience to break an entire head of cauliflower into tiny little pieces like that. I do mine roasted as well -- normal sized florets, a little olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes, popped into the oven for 30 minutes.

 

I agree with you about the tiny pieces, Queasy-bo.  And I think you waste so much of the perfectly edible core to get the tiny florets.  The thing that I did like about the recipe was the introduction of lime juice to the cauliflower.

 

I imagine you could make a much healthier (lower sodium) version of PW's recipe by roasting the cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes until nicely browned.  Then, toss with a little lime juice and toasted sesame seed.  I may try that next time.

Edited January 11, 2015 by anneofcleves

[txvoodoo]

Yeah, I thought it looked like it had potential, but there is no way I would have the patience to break an entire head of cauliflower into tiny little pieces like that. I do mine roasted as well -- normal sized florets, a little olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes, popped into the oven for 30 minutes.

I can't lie - I do a cheat. I buy bags of frozen cauliflower. There are only 2 of us in this house, and 1 won't eat cauliflower! So the bags let me do single serve of whatever I want to do with it - roast, or one of my favorites, pureed (how I love you, my Cuisinart Stick Blender). I'll puree with either olive oil or butter and some garlic. 

 

Frozen veg are a lifesaver for me.

[BooksRule]

txvoodoo, does the frozen cauliflower roast okay?  I tried roasting frozen Brussels sprouts and they mushed up on me, so I stick to fresh for roasting.  I love roasted cauliflower, but fresh is kind of expensive right now, so frozen would be great.  I totally agree about the frozen veggies, though.  A while back, I bought a lot of bags of my favorites because I though I was running low.  However, I organized my big freezer later that week and I must have had 20 bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and veggie mixes as well as some bags of frozen brown rice.  It was funny to see when I got everything in order and I had about three rows of veggie bags on two freezer shelves.  I'm working my way through them, though.

[chessiegal]

BooksRule, I read your post and thought - soup! Do you do that? I'd sauté some onions, celery, and garlic in olive oil, add some vegetable or chicken broth,  variety of frozen vegetables and seasonings of choice. Add brown rice, rice and vegetable soup. Add some leftover rotisserie chicken - soup 3. Now I'm hungry for soup.

[BooksRule]

chessiegal, soup sounds good.  We're having a little cold snap here in the south, so soup is always appreciated. I'm going to try my hand at making some homemade tomato soup for a luncheon, but I'll make 'lots-of-veggies' soup for myself.

[grisgris]

A 30-minute TV show about grocery shopping.

 

I realize that Ree's program uses the same production company as Ina's, Pacific Productions. I noticed the similarities today with the cut-ins that showed some of Ree's other recipes using the ingredients she was purchasing. But it was like night and day.

 

I wish that there were wardrobe credits at the end of this show because I'd love to know where Ree gets those outlandish tops. Today's were particularly jarring. That one she wore in the grocery store was particularly unflattering. That beige trim at the shoulders looked like dingy bra straps sticking out and we really don't need to see  Ree's cleavage. Ugh. Brain-bleach.

 

I never thought I'd say this, but I much prefer Ina's shents. With the new vivid shade of Ree's hair, wearing bright colors and busy prints just compete/clash.

[chessiegal]

While Ree and Ina do have the same production company, there is a difference - Ree is Executive Producer of her show, whereas Ina is not. I doubt Ina wants to be - she has always said the TV show is a small part of her life. An entire show on grocery shopping? What next, how to fill your pantry?

Edited January 18, 2015 by chessiegal

[mousie]

I didn't get to watch this yesterday, so I will see it when it repeats Monday. This is at least the third show that features grocery shopping. The last one even showed her putting gas in the truck. It's ridiculous how much time they waste on the filler shots vs. the actual cooking. hey call I watched a lot of PBS cooking shows yesterday and they all manage to cook for the entire show, explain what they are doing and why they are doing it.

 

As for her "shirtains" (that's what they call them on that PW snark site, because they look like they were made from her grandmother's old curtains) I can't imagine a store that would have something like that. She must have them made for her.

[grisgris]

"Shirtains." LOL! Love it. I read somewhere (maybe on a PW parody/snark site) that Ree refers to them as "flowy tops" and has been known to give them away to her blog followers after she has worn them on the show. That seems a little elitist, even for Ree, so I'm going to pass on it as a rumor.

[Fostersmom]

She has given away shirts she's bought for her personal wardrobe, but not ones she's worn on the show. She seems to order all of her shirts online and has given away some of the ones she's bought but for some reason or another never wore. Too short, didn't like the way they fit, that sort of thing. She used to offer up shirts she wore, but brand new and in the winners size when the show first started, but that didn't last too long. I think that by the time the shows air, the shirts aren't available anymore. I don't think she's given away some of the new ones from her closet in a couple of years now. 

[anneofcleves]

The bulk chicken show was really boring. She's kind of stuck in terms of what she can do. Pretty much every outing is run of the mill stuff that most of us do on a daily basis (kids, shopping, family celebrations). The ranch shots are interesting, but they probably don't want to reveal too much about life on the ranch because, well, it's a tough business that deals in livestock trade. She is a terrifically uninventive cook, like wildly uninventive, so watching her do nothing but cook yields nothing interesting or remotely challenging. If you notice, most of her new ideas for scrumptious food of late seem to come from hotels she visits or, the funniest thing, room service. On her worst day, she's like watching paint dry. On her best, she's highlighted something interesting associated with the business and their real lifestyle.

And unless she's buying the better chicken from a club like Costco, she's using the Tyson stuff that has breasts the size of footballs that have been injected with so much stuff that the texture of the meat no longer resembles real chicken when cooked. Health questions aside, the stuff just tastes weird. I really like the shows where hosts focus on their small shops and local sellers. It doesn't have to be expensive and exclusive, like the ones Ina haunts, but surely Pawhuska has some small, established retailers who have a little more color, history, and interest than Sam's club.

Ree truly Is the Panda Express of the cooking show world.

Edited January 19, 2015 by anneofcleves

[WhitneyWhit]

Saturday's "new" episode was new in name only. In fact, I, again, had to check the date to make sure it wasn't a rerun. A bulk shopping trip and chicken with pasta. And this week's recipe was another that can be found on the back of any jar of sauce or box of pasta.

[grisgris]

She has given away shirts she's bought for her personal wardrobe, but not ones she's worn on the show. She seems to order all of her shirts online and has given away some of the ones she's bought but for some reason or another never wore. Too short, didn't like the way they fit, that sort of thing. She used to offer up shirts she wore, but brand new and in the winners size when the show first started, but that didn't last too long. I think that by the time the shows air, the shirts aren't available anymore. I don't think she's given away some of the new ones from her closet in a couple of years now. 

 

Wouldn't it make more sense to just return the merchandise that doesn't fit properly, etc.?

 

The bulk shopping trips are more entertaining (that's stretching it) when Ree sends Todd and Bryce off in search of random ingredients. I guess they are too old and "too cool for school" now.

 

[Lillybee]

I don't think that Ree knows what fresh mozzarella is because what she bought was the regular kind. There is a difference.

[txvoodoo]

txvoodoo, does the frozen cauliflower roast okay?  I tried roasting frozen Brussels sprouts and they mushed up on me, so I stick to fresh for roasting.  I love roasted cauliflower, but fresh is kind of expensive right now, so frozen would be great.  I totally agree about the frozen veggies, though.  A while back, I bought a lot of bags of my favorites because I though I was running low.  However, I organized my big freezer later that week and I must have had 20 bags of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and veggie mixes as well as some bags of frozen brown rice.  It was funny to see when I got everything in order and I had about three rows of veggie bags on two freezer shelves.  I'm working my way through them, though.

 

Time for you to make some soup up or something. :D

 

The cauliflower roasts up fine, in my experience.  It's a lifesaver. If I had to buy fresh, half of it would end up going to waste. 

[BooksRule]

I fell off of the diet wagon this past week, so it's going to be veggie, veggie all the time for a while.  That's okay, though.  I do have a pot of vegetable soup in the fridge, but I didn't use any of the frozen veggies to make it.  I'm going to make some roasted cauliflower very soon, though.

[anneofcleves]

Was today's episode new?  Because she's done nachos, chili, and chocolate chunk cookies about a dozen times.  

 

Snore.

[chessiegal]

My online guide said it was new.

[Iboatedhere]

She's done everything a dozen times.

Including separate dishes for the boys and girls.

And those brownies are on everyone's Pinterest page.

[anneofcleves]

It was confusing, right down to the football game and the homecoming parade, which have been profiled at least a couple of times.

 

Chili and nachos, something every competent 5th grader can be taught to make.  And she does multiple variations on them.

 

I think Food Network should be renamed to the Remedial Cooking Channel.  And yet, I watch.  I feel like I should walk around my living room in a circle when I watch her, like the monks in The Holy Grail, bonking myself on the head while chanting in Latin.

Edited January 24, 2015 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

I got confused between the chicken nacho sauce and the chili. If it was the chili that got the boatload of chili powder, cumin and oregano on top of bloody mary mix AND Montreal steak seasoning, that would be some nasty tasting chili. Way too much going on.

 

Sexist nachos...what else?

 

It bugs me no end where Ree gives exact measurements for huge batches, then when it comes to a quantity that a person might actually try, she's never specific. Like with those brownies. How much Nutella?  (I don't know why I'm ragging. It's not like I'm going to actually MAKE them.)

 

It's kind of sorry when the only thing I enjoyed watching today was Ladd. Normally, I don't give him a second glance in his Stetson and chaps, but today he looked kinda dope. Like the hot coach flirting with the homecoming queen...

[ShellSeeker]

I hate to say it, but I do like her trick of keeping her spices in small mason jars. The jars or containers from the store usually aren't big enough for a larger measuring spoon. And I did have some spice jars with the names on the lids, but the print wore off them and then I couldn't always tell what was what.

[lookeyloo]

My girlfriend made those 3 ingredient brownies with the Nutella.  They were fabulous.  At least to us.  We don't do Pinterest so it was a new idea to us.  

[grisgris]

I swear that I now tune in to this show just to see what tops Ree is wearing, or maybe more accurately, what shirts are wearing Ree. The wardrobe choices make it so glaringly obvious that the show is shot in segments and edited. Wearing something with a subtle print or a solid color would make the continuity so much better. If Ree buys extras of her own personal tops to give away to bloggers, then why can't she order duplicates for herself to wear on the show? If one top gets dirty, swap it out for an identical clean one.

 

I didn't understand adding the champagne/sparkling grape juice to the oranges then letting everything set overnight. If you're looking for the champagne fizz/flavor, shouldn't you add it closer to serving time? If she was looking for a subtle grape flavor, maybe adding white grape juice would be better. I dunno. Got me.

 

That was a big-ass jug of coffee concentrate to make one pitcher full of mocha drinks.  Since it seems too "exotic" for Ladd and the boys, it would take up a lot of refrigerator shelf room for quite some time.

 

For a group of women who hadn't seen each other in a long time and were eager to catch up, that sure was one silent group interspersed with stilted conversation.

Edited February 1, 2015 by grisgris

[anneofcleves]

That was a big-ass jug of coffee concentrate to make one pitcher full of mocha drinks.  Since it seems too "exotic" for Ladd and the boys, it would take up a lot of refrigerator shelf room for quite some time.

 

Remember, grisgris, how she likes to make her iced coffees with sweetened condensed milk.  She'll be slurping on that old coffee all week.

 

I will give her credit for demonstrating how to make a nice quiche.  It looked very good.  My only beef is the size of the pieces.  Quiche is so rich, and she serves gigantic hunks of them along with a coffee flavored milk shake.  I'd rather have my small slice of quiche with a simple green salad honestly.

 

Maple scones just don't sound good to me, so I'd pass on them.

[grisgris]

That's slurpin' to ya, ma'am!! I forgot about the sweetened condensed milk. My teeth hurt already.

[Lillybee]

Why does she put heavy cream in almost everything? She put a carton of heavy cream in that quiche. Why not milk?

[grisgris]

Just because she can. Ree

[anneofcleves]

Just because she can. Ree

Very true.   It's also because dumping extra butter, cream, sour cream, hard cheese, soft cheese, cream cheese (her favorite), crushed candy, caramel sauce, etc. assures that it will be scrumptious.  And it's simply not scrumptious if a single serving of something doesn't have 150 grams of saturated fat, 300 grams of sugar, and 2000 mg of salt.  Cowboys and busy kids won't eat it otherwise.

Edited February 1, 2015 by anneofcleves

[grisgris]

You're slipping, Anne.  You left out jalapenos!  :)

[anneofcleves]

Hey grisgris, is Daphne Dishes being discussed on the boards?  She seems like she can actually cook.

[grisgris]

There was a brief discussion going on in Cooking Shows thread under the "Genre" umbrella. Some of us suggested having a separate forum just for the miscellaneous cooking shows (Daphne, Extra Virgin, PBS, etc.) but the mods said to use the existing one. I don't think many people know of it. See you over there!

[chessiegal]

Taking this over to Small Talk.

[MatchaLove]

This show is the only show on television that I religiously love to hate watch. I'm sure she and her family are very nice people but every time I'm watching this show I just start ranting at the television. Whether it's about the food or the way I feel her family is coming across (which more often than not reads as acting to me) I always have something to say.

Exactly!  Re: the "hate watch."

 

First of all, I haven't eaten red meat in over 30 years (since childhood), so I would never prepare or eat most anything she cooks (their livelihood is selling beef cattle, so how could she not prepare it three times a day---good P.R. for beef industry).

 

But I still watch with such fixation.   She over sells the "I'm really a chic, educated city girl who gave it all up for a cowboy."  Nothing could be further from reality.  Her appearance (hair/make-up/wardrobe) is unfortunate and budget.  She thinks she's a literary scholar because she knows what alliteration is.  Nothing about her says "worldly breeding," but everything she says reveals her WANT for superiority around the cowboys, friends, family etc.  So bizarre to me. 

 

And since the release of the film "August:  Osage County," anyone else notice how many times she has repeated and emphasized that she too, lives in and owns most of Osage County.   She never uttered the words "Osage County" prior to the film.  She likes that she has something in common with Hollywood.  Whoever said this is sort of like an anthropological study of a simpleton is dead on, LOL.