New Episodes Discussion: Cooking for Jeffrey!

[anneofcleves]

6 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Oh. Dear. Lord. Was she drunk? I wanted Jeffrey to cram a ball of that dough down her throat. Poor Jeffrey being forced to "make" pizza while she is standing there cackling the entire time. I thought she was going to pee in her pants there at the end. However, the finished pizza looked deeelish. 

DH and I just watched and I asked him how many bottles of good pinot grigio Ina had before the taping of this show.  She was a total blatherskite.   Whereas Jeffrey, Dean Emeritus of the Yale School of Management and consultant to American statesman, played the fool for his love, Ina.  I just adore him.  And them.

I would die happily having that pizza, a slice of that limoncello ricotta cheese cake, and a bottle of good wine as my last meal on this earth.

Edited October 31, 2016 by anneofcleves

[Mondrianyone]

She's treated him like a stupid child for so long that he seems to be actually turning into one.  Ina really needs to be alone in her kitchen.  That's the Ina I always love.  The Ina that interacts with people is getting very hard to take.

[annzeepark914]

Even though yesterday's episode featured Jeffrey (and some folks weren't happy about that), the Barefoot Contessa is still one of the last of the good cooking instruction shows on TV.  Before the show started, I had the TV on and noticed some show (have no idea which one) that featured giggling women eating & schmoozing.  I sure wish BC would produce more shows so I'd have something to watch as I loathe those competitive programs.

[LilaFowler]

Quote

that featured giggling women eating & schmoozing

Dinner at Tiffani's? 

I miss the old days of The Food Network.  I even miss Aunt Sandy and her cocktail time -- her holiday episodes were always fun.  They didn't have a Halloween special or anything this year, either.  Who is watching these endless episodes of Chopped, Halloween Wars, etc?!

Edited October 31, 2016 by LilaFowler

[Gam2]

I've always loved Ina's show. She cooks real food, tells us why she selects certain ingredients, what not to do as well as what to do and seems to really enjoy cooking. I could do without the manufactured stories around what's she cooking that day but her show is ten times better than anything else on FN. I've been cooking for 46 years and have been told many times that I'm an excellent cook but I still learn things from Ina and have made many of her recipes. Most of the other shows on FN are just crap.

[grisgris]

This is the third week into this new series and a good chunk of the time is taken up with focus on what other people are doing; Barbara scouting the Hamptons for Jeffrey's birthday gifts, Jeffrey on an architectural tour and this latest display of Jeffrey's attempts at cooking. It would have been OK if it hadn't been for Ina's running commentary and cackling.

BTW, what happened to that yummy-looking salad she made?  I saw where she was headed with her meal theme but that was a little too much of a cheese overload for me. I can't believe I'm saying that because I love pizza, cheesecake and anything cheesy in general.

It was an OK show and I imagine we have about three more episodes left then another dearth. I wholeheartedly agree that Ina's show is about the best on FN.  It's not a competition or hosted by a "celebrity" or food blogger. I actually learn something from Ina.

[annzeepark914]

I wonder if they (the producers of BC) feel they need to have storylines in every episode these days (to hold onto the short attention span people who usually watch the crazy "cooking" shows and/or competitions).  Maybe they believe the old style cooking shows (where the cook demonstrates his/her technique, shares tips, etc) no longer belong on TV.

[sassykattt]

I was so looking forward to it, and was so let down

[bc1795]

"I'm going to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread with the volume turned up!  But first.... I wonder how Jeffrey is making out at the thimble factory?  I don't even know how they make those little things!" 

All that cackling during the Pizza making.   I wanted Jeffrey to pick up a club and Negan her.

[grisgris]

Well, the "story within an episode" has always been at Ina's insistence.  I've read and heard that enough times now over the years to know that Ina calls the shots about how each show is scripted.  It often appears that she has to really stretch to come up with something, anything, but I'd rather watch the umpteenth episode of the house warming party for some gorgeous Hamptons digs than working cattle or burning prairie brush.

I like Jeffrey well enough, but I do get tired of him and the schtick about him being clueless with all aspects of life outside of his profession.  He most often across as an endearing and  loving good sport, but every now and then, I get this tiny glimpse of impatience or frustration.  Can't say I blame him, but he comes across as a generous and supportive husband and that's what matters.

How about an episode where we get to see Jeffrey doing whatever it is he does best. Writing? Advising people?  Maybe he could show and describe some of the books he's written. Talk about experiences he's had that shaped the content.  Meanwhile, Ina can be whipping up lunch or something. Now, I'd find that far more interesting than sending Jeffrey off on a lonely bus tour of London or shopping for wine.

[LilaFowler]

Don't forget, there is an Ina in Washington special on this weekend!  Sat. at 1p and Sun. at 2.

[MsChicklet]

Ina. You're at the White House. Couldn't you find something better than another shent?

[annzeepark914]

I know I'm looking forward to watching Ina in DC.  Sheesh...if I'd known she was going to be in the 'hood, I'd have invited her out here to the 'burbs for some Prosecco and cheese straws!  She's packed a lot into this one show so I hope it's not rushed (like that episode out in LA).

Edited November 6, 2016 by annzeepark914

[schnauzergirl]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I know I'm looking forward to watching Ina in DC.  Sheesh...if I'd know she was going to be in the 'hood, I'd have invited her out here to the 'burbs for some Prosecco and cheese straws!  She's packed a lot into this one show so I hope it's not rushed (like that episode out in LA).

It's an hour show, so that should help with all she seems to be covering.  Who knows, though?

[tvchick]

Loved this "behind the scenes" look at filming of this episode:

Ina in Washington, DC

[annzeepark914]

I really enjoyed seeing Ina in DC.  Every segment was interesting to me.  Don't think I'll be visiting Chaia any time soon, though. Those tacos (especially the ones with the roasted cauliflower in them) didn't call my name.   I think my favorite segment was the visit to the NYT Washington Bureau office, with everyone making something they dreaded doing.  Now that's a challenge (mine would probably be making, from scratch, a two crust pie~~shudder!)  My second favorite was in the kitchen with the WH chef.  Interesting that Ina noted it is a small kitchen.  I'd have thought it would be huge considering the big dinners they have to do.  Nice visit with Michelle Obama & I hope future occupants of the WH will continue that vegetable garden.   I hope the President and First Lady really do pay a visit to Ina's home after they leave the WH--wouldn't that be a fun show!  Poor Ina, though, would be a basket case fussing over that meal :>)

[huahaha]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I hope the President and First Lady really do pay a visit to Ina's home after they leave the WH--wouldn't that be a fun show!  Poor Ina, though, would be a basket case fussing over that meal :>)

She'd probably serve potato chips out of the bag. The more important the occasion, the more Ina likes to make people feel "comfortable."

[LilaFowler]

I thought that Barefoot in Washington was just okay.  The vegetarian tacos didn't look appetizing, and the dinner with the Woodwards & Friends seemed awkward and stuffy.  I enjoyed Ina's scenes with Michelle Obama the most and hope that she and POTUS eventually make their way to the Hamptons for a meal with the Gartens.

Edited November 5, 2016 by LilaFowler

[emma675]

Those tacos were not at all appetizing looking to me, but YMMV. I enjoyed the food challenge group at the Washington bureau of the NYT and the cooking segment of the WH kitchen. I'm going to miss Michelle Obama so much, she is so intelligent and well spoken (and her posture is amazing!) and I love the WH garden.

[3pwood]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I really enjoyed seeing Ina in DC. ...  Nice visit with Michelle Obama & I hope future occupants of the WH will continue that vegetable garden.  I hope the President and First Lady really do pay a visit to Ina's home after they leave the WH--wouldn't that be a fun show!  Poor Ina, though, would be a basket case fussing over that meal :>)

Hillary Clinton's spokesman has said that she would preserve & continue the garden -- I haven't heard from any other candidates about what they or their spouses might do with it.

As for entertaining the Obamas, they've never struck me as intimidating & I think they'd be lovely guests.  And their daughters are old enough now that child-free people like the Gartens (& me) shouldn't feel awkward around them.

[LilaFowler]

Oh yeah, I totally forgot about the NYT segment.  That felt like an Aaron Sorkin production.  I was a little grossed out by the "dictator" of the group shredding the duck meat with her bare hands.  Look, I'm no germaphobe.  I know that people handle my food and I'd like to believe that they always wash their hands.  But dammit I don't want to witness them doing it.  This is primarily the reason why I don't participate in potlucks/tailgates at work.

[sassykattt]

Loved this one.  Like the old Ina.  Hope that garden is just considered a part of the White House from now on. Everything looked so tasty.

[MerBearHou]

I loved the Barmini segment -- what a cute bar -- and the lovely White House chef -- she was calm and steady.  I'd love an hour-episode with Ina on my FN any day/every day -- wishful thinking.

[anneofcleves]

1 hour ago, sassykattt said:

Loved this one.  Like the old Ina.  Hope that garden is just considered a part of the White House from now on. Everything looked so tasty.

I agree with you about the garden.  I think it was such a brilliant and beautifully simple thing to bring to the White House that can benefit so many and hope it will become a legacy.  

Cauliflower tacos.  Yum.  I will eat pretty much anything wrapped in a fresh corn tortilla and would happily eat cauliflower that way.  I almost gasped, though, when it seemed like Ina was eating something with cilantro.  I bet she spit it out after the take was over.

Other than the tacos and the White House segment with the chef and the First Lady, I kind of hated the episode.  I actually hated the Woodwards, who came off as first class snobs to me.  And Ina lumbering along in DC in that blue shirt with the raised collar.  In a few scenes she actually looked as if she had slept in it.  Ina, you're an attractive, mature woman who can afford nicer clothes with some style.  Come on...

Edited November 6, 2016 by anneofcleves

[sassykattt]

Agree about the Woodwards.  Your 15 minutes have over for a while now.  Pompous ass. Bernstein still works. Woodward writes celebrity profiles

[annzeepark914]

Gosh...I didn't think the Woodwards were stuffy/snobby at all.  I'd have loved to be at that table (and maybe gotten an answer out of the guy who works for the CIA or whatever!)  But they'd have had to pour me a glass of white wine.  And that cake the hostess bought at the bakery?  It looked divine--my kind of dessert!

The only segment I could've done w/o was the bar segment since I only drink wine (but I loved the reformed ice cube).

Edited November 6, 2016 by annzeepark914

[MerBearHou]

That contraption that made the perfectly sized round ice ball was so awesome.   The dry ice and mixology is fascinating to me.

[schnauzergirl]

One thing that tickled me was that Elsa Walsh's pans were stained and clearly had been used a lot.  Now I know it's an unfair comparison since Ina is doing a TV show, but every pot, pan, and baking sheet are 100% shiny and new.  I didn't think the dinner was stuffy, just staged.  The NY Times segment was fun -- that's a really ambitious thing to do once a month.  

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

One thing that tickled me was that Elsa Walsh's pans were stained and clearly had been used a lot.  

I know!  I thought the same thing...Ina has staff to clean the dickens out of those half sheets she uses and they sure do sparkle.  When I saw Elsa's pans I laughed (since I've got a few pans that look similar).  I've got one new pan, though, that is easy to clean and is still sparkling so maybe the new ones have some type of coating on them that protect them.

Re: the NYT Bureau segment:  I didn't like seeing that woman pulling apart the chicken with her bare hands (I wouldn't have eaten it, using the excuse of my disliking duck).

[bad things are bad]

Quote

Hope that garden is just considered a part of the White House from now on

Hope so too, but I remember that one of the first things Reagan did was to rip out Carter's solar panels (St. Ronnie my rear end). I'm sure Clinton will not touch the garden. 

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, bad things are bad said:

Hope so too, but I remember that one of the first things Reagan did was to rip out Carter's solar panels (St. Ronnie my rear end). I'm sure Clinton will not touch the garden. 

I hope she makes it better!

I loved the White House episode. It was so fitting considering Ina's past work connection. But then, I get all warm and fuzzy about all things Michelle Obama. I knew the WH kitchen was small, but I think I read somewhere that for the big State dinners they set up extra cooking and prep areas.

[ShellSeeker]

Really, Ina, you're having tea at the White House with Mrs Obama, and you still wear the same old blue schmatta?

[annzeepark914]

4 hours ago, Queasy-bo said:

Really, Ina, you're having tea at the White House with Mrs Obama, and you still wear the same old blue schmatta?

Yeah, but she used to work there so maybe to her it felt ok to wear her shent (but she sure doesn't wear those shents to charity balls, as we've seen, so she can dress up on occasion :>)

[anneofcleves]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yeah, but she used to work there so maybe to her it felt ok to wear her shent (but she sure doesn't wear those shents to charity balls, as we've seen, so she can dress up on occasion :>)

True.  She dons her black satin shent and a scarf!

[huahaha]

I approve of Ina's outfits. She doesn't care about anything but being comfortable and minimally presentable. I think she's said in the past that her shirts and pants are replicas of Eileen Fisher clothes. It's a uniform, much like Mark Zuckerberg's hoodies or Steve Jobs' turtlenecks. Shopping (and dressing) plus size is a pain in the ass, and I don't blame Ina at all for wanting to take that out of her day. If she switched out of her uniform now, the old shows would start to look dated. All that said, someone should've had an extra, pressed shirt for Ina to change into for the DC segments. And perhaps a nice scarf. :)

Edited November 9, 2016 by huahaha

[jcbrown]

3 hours ago, huahaha said:

I approve of Ina's outfits. She doesn't care about anything but being comfortable and minimally presentable. I think she's said in the past that her shirts and pants are replicas of Eileen Fisher clothes. It's a uniform, much like Mark Zuckerberg's hoodies or Steve Gates' turtlenecks. Shopping (and dressing) plus size is a pain in the ass, and I don't blame Ina at all for wanting to take that out of her day. If she switched out of her uniform now, the old shows would start to look dated. All that said, someone should've had an extra, pressed shirt for Ina to change into for the DC segments. And perhaps a nice scarf. :)

Steve Jobs but I agree with all the sentiments in your post.

[sunsheyen]

As a plus sized woman who has lived at a variety of economic levels, yeah, dressing up isn't always the most fun, but it can be done...and done better than looking like one is in an art smock. The lady she met in the Barmini segment managed to look more stylish at a similar size. A bit of a print and styling( hair/glasses) makes a world of difference. I just wish Ina had a bit more pizzazz, but that's my desire and I recognize that she may like blandness. 

[annzeepark914]

I think it would've helped if she wasn't seen in every segment in the same colored shent (maybe she changed clothes throughout the tapings but it looked like she was wearing the same thing since they were all the same color).  But then again, it was supposed to be her day in DC, going from one place to another.  Oh well...whatever!  She's a peach and I enjoyed her DC experiences :>)

[huahaha]

I hope we can abandon the word "shent" sometime soon. I've never heard anyone refer to a loose button-down as a shent unless they were talking about Ina. It just sounds like fat-shaming to me. When Gwyneth Paltrow (or any Hollywood actress) wears one, it's considered casual and trendy. But what's really trendy is being thin.

Ina's almost 70. When does she get to stop being judged by her appearance?

[anneofcleves]

On 11/9/2016 at 7:35 PM, huahaha said:

It just sounds like fat-shaming to me.

My comment on her lack of clothing style in the episode has absolutely no correlation with fat shaming.  In fact, regardless of whatever her weight is, Ina always appears petite to me.  

In the context of the show my thought was, as a guest of the White House, she might have tried a little harder.  If she and Jeffrey were guests in real life and not for her show, I guarantee you she'd try a little harder.  Ina follows the pattern that Martha Stewart established in the 90s when she rose to fame and spent most of her shows in casual, button-down shirts and big sweaters.  Ina, imo, just morphed it into her personal version of a chef jacket and wears it everywhere one of her cameras follows her.

Edited November 12, 2016 by anneofcleves

[anneofcleves]

I loved her "return to school" celebration for Jeffrey.  The lamb chops, and everything else, looked amazing to me - fresh and simple.  I have to give the Moroccan lamb chops a try soon.  

It was nice to see Michael, too.  He's so cute.

[tvchick]

That menu was right up my alley.  If someone grilled lamb chops for me with those sides, I'd be in heaven.  And seeing dear Michael arrange the centerpiece and lanterns was so sweet.

I missed the earlier episodes so I had not seen that scar on Ina's left cheek.  That looks like it must have been a deep cut, so I'm happy to see that she is OK

[sheetmoss]

RE: White House garden

On October 4 of this year, Mrs. Obama made a series of announcements. She had secured $2.5 million in private funding for the upkeep of her vegetable garden, and had made arrangements with the National Park Service to look after its care. The true significance of these moves? Nobody is going to uproot her garden—no matter the priorities of her subsequent successors.

http://www.vogue.com/13502087/michelle-obama-vegetable-garden-white-house/

Edited November 14, 2016 by sheetmoss

[sassykattt]

THANK YOU Sheetmoss. I've been worried sick about the garden.  The new administration could be vindictive.  Now it's out of their hands.  thank you so much

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, sassykattt said:

THANK YOU Sheetmoss. I've been worried sick about the garden.  The new administration could be vindictive.  Now it's out of their hands.  thank you so much

It's actually not. I mean it would be bad PR but neither of the two things she didmean that he couldn't bulldoze it on 1/21 if he wanted. or silently just not allow for spring planting.

[anneofcleves]

Donald will probably lobby to convert it to medical marijuana.  You know, to increase the $/sqft potential of the plot.  Ina can come back and show him how to make the most fantastic brownies.

[Ocean Chick]

Yeah, but what happens after a bunch of yahoo brownshirts are invited in by, say, a chief advisor and THEY rip up the garden?  Can the PO**S re-plant it with sod?  Or does the National Park Service get the last say-so?

[ariel]

1 minute ago, Ocean Chick said:

Yeah, but what happens after a bunch of yahoo brownshirts are invited in by, say, a chief advisor and THEY rip up the garden?  Can the PO**S re-plant it with sod?  Or does the National Park Service get the last say-so?

At this point we're all screwed.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Ocean Chick said:

Yeah, but what happens after a bunch of yahoo brownshirts are invited in by, say, a chief advisor and THEY rip up the garden?  Can the PO**S re-plant it with sod?  Or does the National Park Service get the last say-so?

The NPS can do absolutely nothing. Michelle set it up so it would look bad from a PR standpoint for any administration to remove it but Trump can order it demolished after he has been sworn in.

[Spunkygal]

Just now watching this episode and really enjoyed it. That menu was killer with the lamb chops and I wanted to kick adorable Jeffrey all the way to Yale so Ina would cook for just me. Just kidding, (insert nervous giggling here). And I loved seeing Michael and his simple, creative ideas. I hope Ina keeps on her usually original path. FN has really gone astray for me.