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

[3pwood]

Say what you will about Martha Stewart, she's paid her debt to society & I think she's suffered enough for whatever her sins may be -- she  should never have to meet this poseur & try to be polite.

[saltycheese]

I actually like Ree's show, but now that the show has been going on for awhile, it's become obvious that she is running out of new content. Because she's "in the middle of nowhere," all you're ever going to get is Ree cooking for her family, ranch workers, church people, etc. because that's all that she has going on, whereas someone like Ina Garten seems to have an endless supply of rich and fabulous friends and community folk - not to mention she films overseas.  

 

That said, I always loved Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals, and she never staged real scenarios like Ina and Ree. It was always in theory:  "You could make this for a movie night," or "This is perfect for apple picking season." etc. She didn't actually invite people over for the movie night and sit down in front of a TV with them at the end of the episode. And because it was just Rachel, she never had to worry about incorporating guests (or family members) and getting them to say the right thing, etc. Ina and Ree both have to do that often (and Ina is better at it). So where Ina's and Ree's shows tend to feel fake, Rachel's never did  - even though Rachel was on a set and not in her home. 

[peacheslatour]

I don't watch all the cooking shows on FN, but isn't Ree the only one who puts her kids on regularly?  I wonder how they will feel about it when they're older.  Will they feel exploited?

[chessiegal]

Giada has her daughter Jade on a lot. I don't watch Farmhouse Rules with Nancy Fuller but I've read on her thread that her grandchildren show up now and again.

[autumnh]

Oh, what I wouldn't give to see a show on Food Network called "Martha Stewart's Intervention."  Episode 1:  Pioneer Woman.  

 

Martha's disdain would be epic.  She would bitch slap Ree, bind her hands and feet with a bunch of Ladd's rubber snakes,  gag her with a fistful of the bacon wrapped Townhouse crackers that Ree hoards in her freezer (with a few stuffed up each of Ree's nostrils), and then leave her stationed in front of the lodge's tv watching an endless loop of old Paula's Party episodes.

 

Martha would then go outside and weed Ree's poor, neglected raised bed vegetable gardens, followed by tending to the Drummond dogs, decorating their dog houses and crocheting them matching sweaters in signature Martha Stewart blue.  Afterward, she would sweep out the barn and neatly fold all of Ladd's garage towels, leaving him an autographed photo of herself with her private phone number.  She would then race off in the sunset in one of the Drummond ATV's...

 

This x 100000 LOL

[Fostersmom]

Daphne has her kids in pretty much all of Daphney Dishes as a subplot and Tiffani's daughter has been in a couple of her episodes too, but not many. 

[Lillybee]

Am I an evil person for hoping that Paige turns vegan at college?

 

I just discovered on Hulu a new show "Jamie's 15 minute Meals"by Jamie Oliver. This show makes Ree's 16 minute meals look like the crap that they are. His meals seem to be healthy and imaginative.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Lillybee

[chessiegal]

I've seen Jamie's show a few times at the gym. I think it airs on CBS Sunday mornings? It is good.

[HyeChaps]

I always thought that The Lodge was just a giant kitchen with eating area and tv area.  It has bedrooms too! Wow

[Lura]

I give up!  I can't tell the house from the lodge and usually have no idea where Ree is unless she tells us.  All I know is that there's a vase of white paper flowers in the background of one of them.  How does anybody know the difference???

 

Then, the other day, she said that the kids were "down at the homestead."  Huh???  What's the homestead, and where is that?  I was lost all over again.

 

On the episode called "Man Cave," where the boys take over the old salt shack, she told them they could take anything in the house they wanted.  Out they went with an end table and an armload of other goodies.  Who lets their kids expose home furniture to the elements?  It's getting so that I need a guide to get through what otherwise is a pretty simple show.

[WonderSchwermin]

I genuinely enjoy party scenes, but all the Alex and Meg graduation party episode taught us was how to cook beans, open cans, melt cheese and the need to hire A LOT of caterers.

[chakajo]

I agree. I didn't see or learn anything intetesting in this episode. There was really no cooking here.

[CMH1981]

I have some advice for Alex...let's hope your new college classmates didn't see you and your friends singing Amazing Grace around poolside.  Good lord indeed...what's next...Kumbaya?!

 

So was there some reason that it looked like the plates of choice were salad plates for that ginormous buffet?  Let's see we had the sushi bar, the Osage County buffet, and the tex-mex buffet.  Good luck getting all that on one tiny salad plate.

 

Why does Ree seem to keep trying to incorporate "Osage County" into all of her events.  I understand the connection due to location, but it's like she thinks if she says it enough on camera she can eventually trademark it or something.

 

I saw everyone except for Paige and Bryce in the party scenes...were they home tending the farm?

 

I was hoping after Alex thanked her parents for the party, that Ladd would say something like "don't worry, you can pay me back by getting up at 5am to help tend the ranch."

 

Alright, onto the food...

 

I was shocked that Ladd wasn't out in the street grilling up the steak and shrimp.  Methinks that they got in trouble for cooking out on the sidewalk the last time, that's why they had their friend bring her food truck.  

 

Speaking of that food truck, did she even mention what the name of the food truck was, or what type of food she usually cooked.  For that matter who has a food truck in a small town?  It it was a catering truck, that I could see.

 

So I guess the tex-mex bar wasn't enough so they had to have normal cowboy food on the Osage County buffet, it looked like what....brisket and all the other stuff.

 

When she mentioned the sushi bar I kept thinking that someone would have gone and picked up supermarket sushi and travelled back from i'm guessing Tulsa with it.  All I could think of is the food poisoning from that but damn if they didn't hire sushi caterers.

 

Is it just me or would anyone else loved to have seen Ree try her hand at sushi?  I would love to have seen put her own Pioneer Woman spin on it.  I'm sure she would have made it using canned salmon....steak.....black beans....gravy....what else?

 

I have never made peach salsa, probably wouldn't try it myself...but is it normal to use canned peaches?  I really don't know.

 

That queso....what was that, a half gallon of milk and a half gallon of heavy whipping cream?

 

I can't figure out how that queso didn't turn red after she added the four cans of diced tomatoes w/ juice.  

 

I am totally craving some of those brown butter faux rice krispie treats.

Edited August 8, 2015 by CMH1981

[patty1h]

During the graduation party, I was trying to read what people were writing on that cheesy Advice Wall.  One woman wrote the sentence "no boys in your room".   I guess she meant if/when Paige goes to college?  Maybe this mystery woman thought that was humorous, but to me, it was kind of presumptuous and very old school thinking.

[3pwood]

So was there some reason that it looked like the plates of choice were salad plates for that ginormous buffet?  Let's see we had the sushi bar, the Osage County buffet, and the tex-mex buffet.  Good luck getting all that on one tiny salad plate.

 

Portion control?  An old Weight Watchers trick is to use smaller plates so that a smaller serving looks larger & thus more satisfying.

[anneofcleves]

I liked Alex's graduation party and thought it was one of her better shows.  It's been nice to see her kids grow, and Alex certainly seems like a nice young woman.  The food looked good for a high school graduation.  Loved the advice board and the dancing.  My only real snarky comment would be that Ree should have worn a coordinating clown nose and big red shoes to go with this episode's assortment of puffy clown shirts.  

 

As for the use of small plates, the party was set up as buffet stations and smaller plates are appropriate in that setting to encourage people to move from station to station without eating too much from each one.  The issue, I think, is with the types of foods she had at the stations - tacos and refried beans take up a bit of space on a small plate and will quickly overwhelm it.  I noticed how large the chunks of beef were and thought that they would make some awfully bulky tacos.

 

I think I'm in the minority, but I hate chocolate fountains.  I'll give her a pass because it was for a teenager, but I am so over them.  I don't know why every Drummond gathering must end with guests in a sugar coma, but that's Ree.  

Edited August 9, 2015 by anneofcleves

[ariel]

Did they have separate buffet stations for the cowboys & the women, because according to Ree “real” cowboys don’t like to eat “women” type food that has vegetables (except for potatoes) in it or near it?

[chakajo]

I guess since Alex is going to college ree will probably will lay into Paige and the boys for ideas for shows or use them. What do you think of Rees so called Bestie Hey.

[Qoass]

 

Is it just me or would anyone else loved to have seen Ree try her hand at sushi?  I would love to have seen put her own Pioneer Woman spin on it.  I'm sure she would have made it using canned salmon....steak.....black beans....gravy....what else?

 

Marinara sauce from a jar and chunks of candy I think...

[nkotb]

I had a mini-marathon this weekend, the last 3 episodes, starting with the hugest pasta/veggie/peanut salad in the history of the world, and ending in the graduation party. My takeaway was that when Ree handed the covered foil tins of steak and shrimp to the food truck caterers, they were obviously empty, which I could spot, because the caterer tipped them and nothing changed. If that was full of heavy meat, they would've had a much harder time balancing it in those cheap foil pans. Then, I felt bad that I spent so much time thinking about that. That was all I got. Also, I got robbed in my graduation party, because there was no band, no caterers, and no food truck. I want a do-over, 20 years later.

[CMH1981]

 

What do you think of Rees so called Bestie Hey.

 

I assume you meant Hyacinth...auto-correct is our enemy at times.  In regards to Hyacinth, she seems harmless enough, but there is something about her I can't put my finger on that makes her off-putting to me.  I guess from out moments with her on this show she comes off as fake and putting on for the camera...like Ree.

[Lillybee]

I am waiting for Alex to turn vegan at college. That would be quite a challenge for Ree.

[CMH1981]

 

I am waiting for Alex to turn vegan at college. That would be quite a challenge for Ree.

 

Oh no....that would open the Pioneer Woman brand to a whole new audience.  Ree learning how to cook vegan meals for her daughter.  I could see Ree pulling a Marge Simpson in regards to Lisa being a vegetarian on the show, if I recall Marge sneaks beef broth and other meat things in w/o Lisa noticing.  

[anneofcleves]

Oh no....that would open the Pioneer Woman brand to a whole new audience.  Ree learning how to cook vegan meals for her daughter.  I could see Ree pulling a Marge Simpson in regards to Lisa being a vegetarian on the show, if I recall Marge sneaks beef broth and other meat things in w/o Lisa noticing.  

Ha.  "OK friends, today I'm really changing it up and adding chopped tofu to my famous paaaaancakes.  Alongside these delectable medallions of carby goodness I'm going to fry up a batch of Paige's BFF Staaaaaanton's step brother's Boy Scout Leader's wife's favorite crispy fried seitaaaaan bacon.  It's gonna be utterly scrumptious and hearty enough to keep my fence-building crew busy and out of my hair all day."  <cut to the Drummond boys looking for places to hide their breakfast>

Edited August 12, 2015 by anneofcleves

[Lura]

I am waiting for Alex to turn vegan at college. That would be quite a challenge for Ree.

 

You might be right about that.  On the other hand, can't you see Ree thrilled to death to be able to make pasta, pasta, and more pasta, Chinese, Chinese, and more Chinese, and every Mexican vegetarian dish she could conjure up?  I can picture Ree whacking iceberg lettuce wedges to her heart's content and even inventing "glorious" dishes of her own!  I'd think that Ladd and the kids (and maybe even Ree) would be cross-eyed from eating beef and would welcome the change.  Why, Ladd might even mutter his favorite go-to line:  "That was good, honey."

[grisgris]

I guess it really wouldn't be too much of a stretch. Ree used to be a vegetarian before she met Ladd and was living in California.

[Lura]

Good point, grisgris.  It also wouldn't surprise me to learn that Ree sampled and loved sushi while living in L.A. 

 

I thought the graduation party was fun, but the one thing I didn't understand was the Osage County buffet.  What was served there that wasn't served elsewhere, and why was it called Osage County?

 

I like Ree's friend, Hye.  She seems a step closer to being up with the times than Ree is.  She also has a twinkle in her eye that makes me think she's big on snark.  I also like the fact that she's very straightforward and says what she thinks.

 

Does anyone have a guess as to what Ree's real name is?  All I can think of are Irene or Rita.  Ree can't be her real name, can it?

[3pwood]

I'm no good at guessing games, so I rely on Google, which finds that her real name is Ann Marie.

[CMH1981]

 

why was it called Osage County?

 

I have a feeling it's more than likely to tie-in to the film August: Osage County plus that's where they are located basically.  

 

When that film was being shot in the area I kept waiting to hear that Ree somehow got the cast to come to the lodge so she could make them an authentic Osage County dinner.  

[Qoass]

More likely mentioning Osage County was part of a deal with the Oklahoma Tourism Board that bought advertising for some of the episodes.

[Fostersmom]

Her brother Mike couldn't say Marie and it came out Wee-Wee, which then became Ree-Ree, then Ree. 

[3pwood]

Her brother Mike couldn't say Marie and it came out Wee-Wee, which then became Ree-Ree, then Ree. 

 

Something wrong with "Wee-Wee"?

[Aquarius]

Good point, grisgris.  It also wouldn't surprise me to learn that Ree sampled and loved sushi while living in L.A. 

 

I think she's said that in the past.  And there was a sushi table at the graduation party.

[CMH1981]

Here it is...the Pioneer Woman Collection only at Walmart.

 

Well....it sure is....colorful.

 

I love the collection names...Flea Market Chic, Adeline, and Cowgirl Lace.

 

I suppose in the next batch of new episodes she will incorporate these items into her baking/serving?

 

The best part is we can all get a Charlie cookie jar.  

 

Btw...how did I not know she had a whole line of Charlie children's books?  Is she writing these or does she have a ghostwriter...perhaps the children write the Charlie books.

Edited September 2, 2015 by CMH1981

[Qoass]

Love the cookie jar, hate the rest.

[Reddust]

I love the collection but I'm crazy about colorful bowls and florals too.

[Automne]

A couple of the items are named after her daughters. I like the big drink dispensers and I would buy them only because they're cheaper than their Pottery Barn/Williams Sonoma counterparts.

[chessiegal]

I don't entertain enough to justify getting a large drink dispenser, but if I did, I'd go to Bed,Bath & Beyond and use a 20% off coupon.

 

I wonder if her stuff will show up at Sam's Club.

[CMH1981]

Wow, some of the stuff is already going out of stock online....the Charlie cookie jar is out of stock....I guess people love dog cookie jars.

 

the thing w/ the large drink dispenser is the spigot.  It needs to be made of a quality material, most are just plastic, or else it just fails.  I've had friends who have bought different kinds and the spigot just doesn't hold up b/c everyone flips it at different strength to where it eventually breaks.

 

If we're lucky Ree will have some racial secret come out at some point and then we will get her collection on clearance ala Paula Deen.  My friend cleaned up w/ the Deen pots and pan sets after the racist-takedown came to light and Walmart wanted nothing more to do w/ her.

Edited September 2, 2015 by CMH1981

[peacheslatour]

Bummer, exclusively at Wally World.  I like some of it very much and it's reasonably priced too.  Oh, well.  I really love that shade of blue and I would buy the cake stand and the footed glasses.

[anneofcleves]

I'm not being snarky and am being totally honest when I say I pretty much hate everything in her collection, and I spent the first 10 years of my marriage furnishing/stocking a home with items scoured from antique fairs, stores, and flea markets.  Even her play on Depression glass, which I adore, is somehow ugly.  I'm honestly surprised to find that I don't like anything, except the set of white coffee mugs that resemble a set I got from Crate & Barrel about 15 years ago.  <yark>

 

And I cannot tell you how much I would not want a flipping butterfly handle atop my Le Creuset ripoff pan. I wonder how durable that butterfly handle will be after a few years of use and being banged around in a kitchen?

Edited September 2, 2015 by anneofcleves

[mousie]

Totally agree with you AnneOfCleves, you build a a cookware collection over years. I am a die-hard Le Creuset fan, but only have about 5 or 6 pieces collected over about 20 years. All purchased on deep discount, on closeouts, or at the outlets stores.

 

I have not heard good things about any of these celebrity chef knock-offs. The price might look good, but they will not last as well as the originals.

 

As for regular cast iron skillets, Lodge is an American company and their prices are quite reasonable

 

As for all of the decorative stuff, I just do not need anything more, my cabinets are already overflowing..

[grisgris]

Truly fugly and I was surprised (well, not really) to see that so many items were already out of stock.

 

I refuse to add to this poseur's coffers!

[Hildegard802]

Apparently the majority of the line consists of copies of Le Creuset, Mason Cash, Mosser Glass and other such products she uses on the show. Of course, Ree's line is all made in China. Seems to me she would have done as well or better coming up with original designs. Do people really just want to have stuff that looks like what she uses on the show, or do they want unique, quality products? Her cookware bears a suspicious resemblance to the old Paula Deen line. Would I put it past Walmart to pull the PD out of the warehouse, have China stamp a butterfly on it and resell it under PW brand? No, I would not.

ETA As far as it immediately selling out online? I smell a marketing ploy, designed to get people stampeding to the Walmart stores when it gets stocked there. It also is beginning to appear the product is going to be available for a limited time only. Ree isn't forthcoming with info, so it's all guesswork.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Hildegard802

[ariel]

ETA As far as it immediately selling out online? I smell a marketing ploy

 I do too

[Hildegard802]

Peacheslatour, you can get the real-deal cake stand from Mosser Glass, the USA company that created it. Ree's cake stand was "inspired by" their design.

Eta: Just thought of something! How about in a month or so, Ree announces because of fans who expressed disappointment/disapproval with the China/Walmart situation, she has ended her relationship with Walmart and is starting all over with a US company? That would explain the limited Walmart run. And it would make her a national hero!

Edited September 3, 2015 by Hildegard802

[anneofcleves]

Apparently the majority of the line consists of copies of Le Creuset, Mason Cash, Mosser Glass and other such products she uses on the show. Of course, Ree's line is all made in China. Seems to me she would have done as well or better coming up with original designs. Do people really just want to have stuff that looks like what she uses on the show, or do they want unique, quality products? Her cookware bears a suspicious resemblance to the old Paula Deen line. 

 

I agree.  The "sponge painted" non-stick cookware looks a lot like Paula's cheapo line of stuff.  

 

The nicest thing in her line, to me, is the Charlie cookie jar.  

[3pwood]

Eta: Just thought of something! How about in a month or so, Ree announces because of fans who expressed disappointment/disapproval with the China/Walmart situation, she has ended her relationship with Walmart and is starting all over with a US company? That would explain the limited Walmart run. And it would make her a national hero!

 

Cynic!  Almost as much as I am (takes one to know one, after all).

 

[peacheslatour]

Thanks, Hildy (may I call you Hildy?)  I'm not very well versed on kitchenware.  Most of mine is hand-me-downs and wedding gifts.

[maggiemae]

Not impressed.....

I mean.....none of her tableware goes with her endless supply of bandanas.

And everything looks like a cheap knock-off of the real thing.