Snark Talk: Home, Home on the (De) Ranged

[ariel]

43 minutes ago, Fairfax said:

 you can get married by an Elvis impersonator.

Who has more talent &  is probably better dressed than Ree.

Edited October 19, 2017 by ariel

[mamadani]

Totally off from what we are talking about but I just don't understand why she doesn't make her male children eat more vegetables? I completely understand children having preferences but at least make them try something different. 

It just gets on my nerves when she talks about how the cowboys won't like her "girly" food. Excuse me while I go let my husband know he's girly because he eats veggies.

[Automne]

I left work early due to illness and I'm snuggled in bed watching Ree. 

 

Judging myself and my choices. 

1 hour ago, mamadani said:

@Luna I really do hope once they've been out on their own a while they decide to stand up to her. I definitely don't see those girls staying in their hometown or on the ranch. Both Alex and Paige seem a lot more adventurous than that. Ree wants so badly for Alex to be like her though and it shows. 

Advice for the kids: don't ever introduce your future spouse to your mother, I think they would run.

I have a feeling that the Drummond elders already have future spouses lined up for all the kids. I'm pretty sure Ree and Ladd were some way an arranged marriage. 

[mamadani]

I am also watching Ree, I just think the episodes with her dad and step mom are so awkward though I don't know why.

Curious if she's ever had her mom on the show? I don't think I've ever seen her.

[Qoass]

I thought Alex was being groomed to take over the ranch given her private tutorials with Cowboy Josh as well as an Aggie type college concentration.

Personally, I would be thrilled to have a kid marry into their family:  tons of money and I'd never have to worry about cooking for the holidays!

[ariel]

8 minutes ago, Automne said:

 

 I'm pretty sure Ree and Ladd were some way an arranged marriage. 

According to Ree there were several men that were begging her to marry them.  ;)

[Lura]

I gather she hadn't cooked for them before they asked her.

Hope you feel better soon, Automne.

Edited October 19, 2017 by Lura

[grisgris]

7 hours ago, Fairfax said:

More advice for the kids:  elope!  It takes less than a day to drive from Pawhuska to Las Vegas through beautiful desert scenery & you can get married by an Elvis impersonator.

Don't give her Ree any ideas. Can you imagine the peanut butter/banana/bacon//marshmallow fluff crap she'd come up with for a reception on the ranch? You know she'd insist on that. I don't think Ree would care about the ceremony. She's all into the reception/after party and showing off with her *c-REE-ations.*

[cathy]

Hideous painted mixer alert!!!! I see an ugly green, flowery kitchen-aid mixer being given away.  I hope y'all enter, and win, because she loves us.

[cathy]

I just saw US magazine while waiting in the checkout.  They have an article on her titled " How I struggle to do it all."  I read it while waiting in line.  No mention of the maids, housekeepers, tutors, web site help, PR people, managers, business help etc.  What a joke.  And the new building will be a "boarding house."  WEIRD.  Today's journalists are terrible at what they do.  They do not do any research, just write what the celebrity says.

[chessiegal]

Or what the celebrity's PR tells them. I wouldn't equate writers of pubs like US with journalists. People, US, and their ilk are entertainment pubs. Journalists work for serious news media - NY Times, Washington Post, etc.

[grisgris]

I just read the "InTouch" piece. Ree's PR people have been at hard at work pitching to the tabloids. While I hardly consider "InTouch" a vehicle for credible journalism, the article about Ree was pretty salacious even by their standards. Nothing was that extraordinary and everything mentioned, we already knew.  Correction. I did not know that Ree has another brother (William.) He is the one who got the DUI and got belligerent with the cop. We know her parents are divorced, she has called her brother Mike a "retard," and the "Asian" wings debacle.

What was very strange was that all of the accusations about Ree being a phony came from this blogger named Sue Gordon. Gordon discusses how Ree has any negative comments scrubbed from her website and admonishes her for her gender-specific menus and overall attitude of women kow-towing to men. There is a reference to the Pioneer Woman Sux website as well as Ree's earlier blogs that were more "real."  Another "source" for the article said that she researched Ree for her doctoral dissertation on food and culture. There is a strong undercurrent that suggests Ree was very calculating and strategic in plotting her career moves.

Maybe the objective here was to take a different approach and confront the blow-back head-on and try to defuse it.

Frankly, I think this might have been a brilliant PR and marketing move. The article definitely caught your attention and made you want to learn more. It sure caters to that demographic. As they say, even bad publicity is ... publicity!! 

Again, I just think Ree's PR machine has been working overtime. Maybe it's timed to help push magazine subscriptions and merchandise sales in anticipation of the holiday season. Also, isn't placement in a lot of those checkout line rags purchased like advertising? Otherwise, I don't get how a "celebrity" of Ree's magnitude would warrant coverage. Unless you watch FN, half the general public probably doesn't even know who she is. On the "InTouch" cover, she even eclipsed Kylie Jenner's pregnancy. LOL!

[ariel]

28 minutes ago, cathy said:

I just saw US magazine while waiting in the checkout.  They have an article on her titled " How I struggle to do it all."  I read it while waiting in line.  No mention of the maids, housekeepers, tutors, web site help, PR people, managers, business help etc.  

Ree brings home the bacon, cooks it up in a pan & doesn't let Ladd forget he's her man.

[Lura]

On ‎10‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 10:25 AM, ariel said:

 

Ree has certainly had her ear to the ground (or her mail person keeping track of the feedback).  It's clear that she has called her agent or PR person and insisted on some action to put herself in a more favorable light.  It has happened so suddenly that how could there be any other explanation?  I think, though, that Ree and her minions are missing the point.

The major criticism of Ree is her poor show.  Ree insisted on being a producer, which means that the criticism lands straight in her lap.  I haven't noticed that many people criticizing Ree for having help.  Of course, she has help!  Who could build an empire alone with only 24 hours in a day?

Furthermore, it is not the quantity of her work that is criticized so much as it is the quality of her work.  We "commoners" can easily identify the problems with her show and can point them out.  It doesn't take a potential doctoral degree to figure out where Ree needs improvement.  It also doesn't take a barrage of publicity to paint Ree in a positive light.  All it takes is paying attention to the television show that you signed up for! 

One of Ree's problems is that she slaps things together and rushes to her next dream before she has perfected her first dream.  When you do that, you wind up with a multi-faceted mess.  Do one thing well, Ree, and when it's the very best you can do, move along to the next thing.  Stop being in such a rush to match the Drummond's fortune and achieve the fame of Julia Child until your initial project is something to be proud of.  And don't rely on PR people to solve your own problems.

[cathy]

Grisgris, I am not sure that bad "In touch" article came from Ree's camp.  Since the article implies she's a phony, people will google "Ree Drummond phony."  Or "Ree Drummond fraud"  or "Ree Drummond fake" and go to sites like Pie Near woman and pioneerwomansux.  Then people will learn even more bad stuff about her.  Who is Sue Gordon?  Is she Sue from Food Network Musings? 

[peacheslatour]

I learned about what a phony she is from Nikki's Reviews.

[grisgris]

Well, the Edie costume is coming together. I had to return the striped shirt to eBay. That was definitely you-get-what-you-pay-for and was of a clingy knit that was extremely unflattering.  Not only that, the design of the stripes gave it kind of an optical illusion/fun house mirror vibe. You do NOT want horizontal stripes stretched across your butt and hips. So, I was lucky that I was able to return it.  The mini-skirt is SHORT. Good thing I'm wearing black tights underneath.  The HRC tshirt* just didn't work either. It didn't go with the skirt and the weight of the fabric didn't go well with the cotton skirt.

So ... I ended up at Kohl's and actually found a very nice b/w striped boatneck shirt on sale. It has some cool grommets/laces detail on the sleeves. That gives the look a modern twist and it's a shirt that I would wear to work, out and about, etc., so it wasn't a total bust. Plus I'm getting a refund from eBay.

I found some jewelry findings at Michael's to make chandelier earrings. That was one thing that I was not willing to spend a lot of money on and I make jewelry all the time, so win-win there.

My wig is supposed to arrive tomorrow. When I go in for my usual hair appointment Tuesday, my stylist said to bring along the wig and we'd play with it. I got some black root touch-up to color it at the hairline and we'll see what else we can do. I might get some silver hair paint.  I also picked up an electric blue stretchy turban-headband thingie at CVS that I might incorporate. I thought about a newsboy hat but I don't wear hats and I'm trying to get as much mileage out of what I'm buying as I can.

This week -- makeup practice!  Studying lots of photos of ES. This is gonna be FUN!

*I am disappointed because that would have been just too tongue-in-cheek.

Now, I am reaching out for suggestions for some food item to take to the party. I think all of the savoury items are covered so I thought about something sweet. I wanted to make some shortbread bar cookies and make them look like blotter but reminded myself that one of my close friend's son has a severe drug problem, so that would not be cool.

I'm thinking along the line of something small, maybe 1-2 bites. I'd prefer to make something from scratch and not repurpose packaged cookies, which seems to be the trend this Halloween.

I know this is a creative bunch! Have at it!

THANKS!!

[chessiegal]

I go to a lot of meetings that have finger food people bring in. My favorite is a graham crust cheesecake bar with a cherry flavor topping. Another cute one bite is a mini-pretzel with a Hershey kiss on top - warm to soften, add another candy on top, either an M&M or candy corn/similar candy.

[Lura]

Grisgris, check out the FN tonight.  It's full of Halloween treats, many of which are small and bite-sized.

Ree made a Christmas goodie that I wanted to try, but I ran out of time.  It's something like what Chessiegal described, only maybe better.  (Sorry, Chessie!)  Ree's version is a SMALL. 3-ring pretzel, topped with a layer of caramel and a layer of chocolate.  Looked and sounded delicious with the sweet and salty playing together.  Each could be topped with a piece of candy corn if you need a Halloween thing.  I don't know whether I still have the recipe and can't think of the name of it to look at the FN.  Very simple to make.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Lura

[chessiegal]

The pretzel treat I described (mini-pretzel) IS a small 3 ring pretzel.

[Lura]

7 hours ago, chessiegal said:

The pretzel treat I described (mini-pretzel) IS a small 3 ring pretzel.

I assumed that it was.  The only difference that I could tell was that yours was topped with chocolate, and Ree's was topped with a melted caramel and then the chocolate, hence the name Pretzel Turtle or Turtle Pretzel.

[Westiepeach]

30 minutes ago, Lura said:

I assumed that it was.  The only difference that I could tell was that yours was topped with chocolate, and Ree's was topped with a melted caramel and then the chocolate, hence the name Pretzel Turtle or Turtle Pretzel.

I made that last Christmas. It was excellent! Huge hit!

[grisgris]

All excellent suggestions. I had actually been leaning towards one of those pretzel-chocolate bite-sized snacks with a piece of candy corn on top. As much as I'd like to pull out all of the baking stops, this is not going to be the weekend for it. Also, I want something easy to pop in your mouth, especially in costume.

Thanks!

[Automne]

When an episode of PW follows a Farmhouse Rules mini-marathon and an episode of Barefoot Contessa and precedes an episode of Trisha's Southern Kitchen, it really highlights Ree's shortcomings in cooking ability and charisma. 

And I feel like her kids work harder than she does. They have school, ranch work, sports, and now working at the Merc? Are these kids allowed to have social lives or is Ree so traumatized by Alex going all the way to Texas for college that she now ensnares the remaining three in her poor woman's Martha Stewart empire?

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, grisgris said:

All excellent suggestions. I had actually been leaning towards one of those pretzel-chocolate bite-sized snacks with a piece of candy corn on top. As much as I'd like to pull out all of the baking stops, this is not going to be the weekend for it. Also, I want something easy to pop in your mouth, especially in costume.

Thanks!

You can buy these little puff pastry cups (Pepperidge Farms) I fill them with lemon curd and top with a tiny dollop of blueberry preserves. Two bites.

[Lura]

2 hours ago, grisgris said:

I want something easy to pop in your mouth, especially in costume.

I hadn't thought about that aspect, grisgris, but that's good thinking, IMHO.  Nobody wants to drag ruffles or feathers through a big piece of lemon meringue pie, especially if they're trying to wear a mask and can barely make out what they're eating! 

Peaches, those lemon blueberry cups sound yummy!  I'd eat lemon curd if I had to lick it off the roof.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Lura

[ariel]

12 hours ago, Automne said:

When an episode of PW follows a Farmhouse Rules mini-marathon and an episode of Barefoot Contessa and precedes an episode of Trisha's Southern Kitchen, it really highlights Ree's shortcomings in cooking ability and charisma. 

And I feel like her kids work harder than she does. They have school, ranch work, sports, and now working at the Merc? Are these kids allowed to have social lives or is Ree so traumatized by Alex going all the way to Texas for college that she now ensnares the remaining three in her poor woman's Martha Stewart empire?

Ree's the white trash Martha Stewart.

Edited October 23, 2017 by ariel

[Qoass]

Those pretzel/chocolate things can be made with either a Hershey Kiss or, if you want caramel, a Rolo. I like to use M&Ms as the topper because I can color code them to whatever I'm making them for. I keep a bag of Easter pastel ones for pink and blue baby showers and grab an extra Christmas bag to use the red ones at Valentine's Day and the green ones at St. Patrick's Day.

[Lura]

I really feel for Ree's kids.  On the one hand, they've lived a fairly uncomplicated life with lots of fresh air.  But I question just exactly how they'll look back on their childhoods.  The solitude away from other children may make them closer, but everything seems so ranch oriented.  All they do is work, or that's how it seems.  It's rather sad that they were so eager to work at the Merc so they could get out of ranch chores.  How about just letting them be children for a change?  I doubt that the doctor's daughter dirtied her precious hands making money for the family when she was younger.

[anneofcleves]

I think those kids have had an almost idyllic childhood, and none of them seem unhappy. If they didn’t want to be on camera, they wouldn’t be.  I think Ree is a pretty average cook and I can’t really comprehend her status as the reigning queen of Food Network, but she seems like a great mom.

Edited October 23, 2017 by anneofcleves

[Lura]

20 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

I think those kids have had an almost idyllic childhood.

You really think so, Anne?  I thought about the great open spaces they can roam around in, but idyllic?  Maybe so, but it doesn't seem that way to me.  There's just so much work involved, and ranch life demands quite a bit out of all hands.  But now that the parents, namely Ree, have branched out into other ambitions as well as the ranch, it seems to fall on the kids to work even more.  I can see how working at the Merc would be fun and novel at first, but sooner or later everything gets old.  Will they soon be changing sheets at the Boarding House?

As for the show, I imagine they're expected to "seem happy."  Maybe Ree fattens their allowances for being on it, so earning a little extra is the payoff.  They seem like very sweet kids.  I just hope that when they're older, they don't look back with too many regrets.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Lura

[mamadani]

I love to snark on Ree but I'm sure she does great as a mom. A lot of the stuff I say here is just me exaggerating. Just wanted to put that out there. Obviously, as someone who plans on having her kids at least try as many veggies as possible and not including a ton of sugar in their diet I take issue with her just letting her boys eat meat and sugar but to each mom her own.

Speaking of I saw the chocolate episode again this morning. Is it just me or does Hy not seem comfortable on camera at all?

[anneofcleves]

On 10/18/2017 at 2:37 AM, film noire said:

Left hand side, below the date -- does that read "chocolate sheath cake"?

It's the Jackie Kennedy cake! (or the condom cake). 

LOLOL.  I couldn’t believe it when I read “sheath” cake. 

[grisgris]

Homeschooling language arts at its finest!

[Lura]

I had to ask my husband what that word was, and when he said "Sheath," I told him he read it wrong!  He swore it was "Sheath," so I dropped it.  Sometimes I can be awfully dense, but I still don't get why it's called that.  I thought maybe Nan was thinking "Sheet" and accidentally spelled it wrong, but it isn't a sheet cake, at least not the way Ree made it.  Another Drummond mystery.

[cathy]

A muffin top eater?  Hummmm.....Weird.  She's wearing another ugly top, and big ugly silver earrings.  And now making another dessert with extra sugar and an extra layer of crumb topping to make her viewers even fatter than they probably already are.  She just said that as a teenager she ate the entire crumbly crisp topping off of the dessert after her mom made it, then got grounded for it.  I wonder if that is true, or if she made that up to make her seem more human, and more relatable to her reeple, so they will buy her products?  Now crispy chicken skins.  Very fattening, but that is par for the course with her.Next is Trisha' Yearwood's show.  The beginning shows part of the outside of her house.  It does not seem grand enough for she and Garth, they are hugely rich.  

[Jaded]

Someone at a deal site I go posted a link to this Pioneer Woman Crock-Pot at Walmart. I guess the pattern is called Flea Market? It doesn't make me think of a flea market at all.

Edited October 28, 2017 by Jaded

[Lura]

Oh, gosh, "Flea Market" is a perfect name for a piece of anything by Ree.  Maybe she'll name the next piece "Junk Yard."

If Ree really did eat off the top of that dessert, she deserved more than a mere grounding IMHO.  Her mom had a husband and four children to take care of, and Ree didn't seem to have an abundance of respect.  Apparently, she still thinks it was "cute," or she'd never relate it to an international audience.  Once a Ree, always a Ree.

[grisgris]

Or ... maybe she has heard Giada frequently say that when she was a child, she'd eat the crispy bits of cheese topping off baked pasta dishes that her mom prepared.  It was kind of a cute story the first time I heard it but got old by about the sixty-zillionth time!

[peacheslatour]

grisgris! I'm dying to know how your costume turned out! Pics?

[Lura]

Grisgris, amen to Peaches' request.  WE WANT PICS!  I, too, have been wondering whether you had all of your parts together for the costume.  It sounds like a winner!  Please get someone to take a snapshot of Edie in the flesh.  And have a great time at the party!  Oh yes, and how about a pic of your Pretzel Turtles?  You can pretend to be Ree, photographing her creations.

[grisgris]

I got back from the party a couple of hours ago. It started early. That's what happens for us old folks. I wish I had photos.  Nobody took photos and it was very dark in the house.

This was a great idea that went horribly wrong on all ends. First of all, I have a miserable head cold, so I didn't even feel like going, but I promised my friend, who was the co-hostess and I'd put too much effort into the costume.

The blonde wig I got was awful but since Amazon lost it in delivery, they gave me a refund, then the wig showed up a few days later. I tried to work with it, then decided to pull an Edie trick and spray it silver. That looked worse. When I had my highlights done, for whatever reason, the stylist did it lighter, so at the ends, it was Edie blonde. So, I got the bright idea to do one of those fake bobs with my own shoulder-length hair. I had a black newsboy cap, so that part worked out great and so did the earrings. I also found an old pair of round dark brown sunglasses to perch on top of the cap and I have a fake cur coat.

The makeup ... ugh ... Doing those cut creases and lines in monochromatic shades when you are 58 vs. 28 is a challenge, but I did the best I could and didn't look half bad.  If you can get her brows right, that is half the battle. Pale makeup and the drawn-on beauty spot did the trick.

THEN ... when I got to the party, I discovered that you were supposed to come dressed as YOUR MOTHER!!!!  I did not get that memo.  My friend went as Vincent Van Gogh,  so at least I wasn't the only one who didn't follow the theme. (I actually thought we looked the best of the bunch.)  Going as my mom would have been a helluva lot easier, that's for sure.  I look just like her.

It was a different crowd than what I'd anticipated so I don't think that anybody knew who I was supposed to be. LOL!

Sorry to disappoint with no pictures but it was kind of a bust. People liked the pretzel/Rolo/candy corn treats. Luckily, I had a few more than what would fit on the tray, so SOME FOR ME!!

In all ... I am glad that I went through with it. I had a lot more fun planning the costume than I did at the party.

Thanks go everybody for their support and curiosity.

[ariel]

13 hours ago, Jaded said:

Someone at a deal site I go posted a link to this Pioneer Woman Crock-Pot at Walmart. I guess the pattern is called Flea Market? It doesn't make me think of a flea market at all.

Ree  -  the crock pot is so yesterday.  The cool item now is the Instant Pot.

[Lura]

Grisgris, feel better soon.  There is nothing like a cold to make life miserable.  Thanks for the report on the party.  At least your costume worked out well, and your Pretzel Turtles were yummy.  If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't have known who Edie was, either, but you must have looked more than fine for a '60s urban type of her ilk.  You deserve extra credit for the trouble you went to in perfecting that costume from head to toe!

I wonder what Ree is going to be.  She has long hair and a horse.  Lady Godiva?

[grisgris]

Pass the brain bleach! @Lura, Don't give Ree any ideas! LOL!  Even Aunt Sandy didn't try to pull Lady Godiva off and she was the FN Queen of Halloween.

Speaking of costumes, I could totally see Ladd dressing up as the New Year's Eve cherub baby.

[peacheslatour]

Ree should be Pennywise. She wouldn't even need to buy a costume, I'm sure she has something suitable already in her closet.

[Lura]

Ladd as the New Year's Eve baby -- YES!!!  Or, along the same lines, Little Jack Horner, sitting in a corner, eating Ree's hand pies.

[grisgris]

Ree needs Jerry Seinfeld's puffy shirt to wear as Pennywise!

Think she knows him? /eyeroll 

Edited October 29, 2017 by grisgris

[grisgris]

Well, lookit what just popped up on Facebook.  Unfortunately, you can't really see my makeup. I'm the one on the far left in the fake fur. The rest of the group, I don't know from Adam (Eve?)

'

[Fairfax]

Are the other guests all dressed as their mothers?  The sweatshirt girls look comfy -- I might be willing to go to parties if I could dress that way (& if they were held at breakfast time instead of after dark).