New Episodes Discussion: Cooking for Jeffrey!

[MerBearHou]

I enjoyed Ina's special because well, it’s more time with Ina.  To me, it could have been better — didn’t feel festive/holiday-ish at all and I thought that some of the sides weren't that interesting — but I’ll take any hour with Ina that I can get.

Edited November 18, 2018 by MerBearHou

[chessiegal]

17 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Did anyone see Ina’s Thanksgiving special last night?  I enjoyed it because it’s more time with a new Ina show. Could have been better — didn’t feel festive at all — but I’ll take any hour with Ina that I can get!

It's been discussed upthread.

[Spunkygal]

Love today’s new episode “Beefed Up” when she got the giggles about the squirty noises that the ketchup bottle made! Oh, Ina, you naughty girl! 

I will say that IMO, she adds too much salt to stuff. For example, the beef carpaccio had Caesar dressing AND shaved Parmesan AND then AND capers AND then more salt. I am very judicious about how much salt I add to dishes and not because I am necessarily watching my sodium intake. I just don’t like overly salty food. 

Edited November 18, 2018 by Spunkygal

[Lava VaVoom]

Ina's make-ahead T'giving turkey had me wondering if she would EVER get around to serving it.

[Spunkygal]

Today’s episode was chock full of forced, nervous laughter and twee overload. I like Emily and LMM but I’d rather watch cooking than a 30 minute Mary Poppins trailer. LMM looked particularly awkward to me, bless his heart. And Michael’s flowers were underwhelming this time. I also hate a table that is really crowded and all those desserts piled up in the middle drove me nuts. I’ll be interested in other opinions. I have been battling a cold for a week and am frustrated that it has kept me from finishing my Christmas tree, so maybe I’m just stuck in bitch mode right now. Maybe I need a spoon full of sugar to help the medicine go down. Or just a hot toddy will do! 

[MerBearHou]

I was SO excited about this episode because of Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel and Rob Marshall.  I loved Emily and her potatoes looked easy and yummy.  Honestly, the whole meal was right up my alley except the desserts.  Totally agree, Michael’s flowers were not cut short enough — the flowers themselves were pretty and could have been lovely in those little teapots but the results were underwhelming. I thought the pink and white table was appropriate for a Mary Poppins theme. Lin-Manuel is a bit too “on” for me but he was OK.  Rob and the other guy were fine — they’ve been on BC before and are good friends of hers.

[chessiegal]

I thought today's show was delightful! Everyone seemed to be having so much fun.

[Terrafamilia]

It was interesting and I enjoyed Emily Blunt and her potatoes but I kept wondering who originated the idea for this mash-up. Was it some sort of corporate synergy thing from the suits or is it just that Ina is a big fan and asked if it could happen?

[Tippi]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I thought today's show was delightful! Everyone seemed to be having so much fun.

I really enjoyed it too.  I must be one of the very few who have never seen Lin-Manuel, other than in little bits and pieces, and I thought he was thoroughly charming.  Emily was darling, and I may have to try her potato recipe.  Ina was very cute with them.  (I hope the movie is good!)

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, Terrafamilia said:

It was interesting and I enjoyed Emily Blunt and her potatoes but I kept wondering who originated the idea for this mash-up. Was it some sort of corporate synergy thing from the suits or is it just that Ina is a big fan and asked if it could happen?

Ina had Rob Marshall on before when he was promoting another movie of his (maybe Chicago??).  I think they’re big pals.  But getting Emily and Lin-Manuel was a huge coup.  Lots of fun.  Must have filmed a year ago since there was snow on the ground and the trees were all bare.

[Door County Cherry]

3 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Must have filmed a year ago since there was snow on the ground and the trees were all bare.

It might have also been thrown together last minute since they're doing promo.

I'm one of the lovers of this episode. I like Ina's get togethers. 

[biakbiak]

59 minutes ago, Door County Cherry said:

It might have also been thrown together last minute since they're doing promo.

I'm one of the lovers of this episode. I like Ina's get togethers. 

They have been in promo mode forever and this was definitely filmed last winter.

[buttersister]

Awk-ward, and I like Lin and Emily. She’s a very good actress (as this movie promo showed). 

Best part? The reactions from Rob and grey-sweater guy to those pitiful flowers. Michael must’ve been piiiisssed not to have been invited! Guarantee shorter, fuller cups and teapots would have been made if he delivered them.

otherwise, Ina felt forced, and she used my least-favorite line: Don’t have any/do anything fun while I’m gone.

[sheetmoss]

6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Ina had Rob Marshall on before when he was promoting another movie of his (maybe Chicago??).  I think they’re big pals.  But getting Emily and Lin-Manuel was a huge coup.  Lots of fun.  Must have filmed a year ago since there was snow on the ground and the trees were all bare.

It was the movie Nine  - Ina brought them food while  they were editing the film

   That sure was a floral miss by Michael...he must have been in a snit 

[rhys]

Those potatoes looked fab! I loved the idea of shaking them to create more surface area and yummy goodness.

[jcbrown]

4 hours ago, rhys said:

Those potatoes looked fab! I loved the idea of shaking them to create more surface area and yummy goodness.

It really works, too. Serious Eats has a recipe that is similar to the one presented and it makes the best roasted potatoes I've ever eaten/made.

[rhys]

Today's show was new to me. Loved the Hemingway cocktail but the other one didn't sound good. I was surprised Ina  added the smoked salmon to the lime juice in the tartare. Seems like you'd lose all the yummy smokiness. Loved everything else tho.

[chessiegal]

Last night I decided to watch some shows I had recorded, including her Thanksgiving sides. I guess my husband wasn't paying attention to me FF through commercials, because he turned to me and asked why she was making Thanksgiving food in August. Hee.

[sheetmoss]

Catch Up on Episodes New Season Sunday, Oct. 27 12|11c

Episode 1701

Store-bought ingredients pass the test for Ina Garten as she makes sweets, treats and more. Ready-made shortcuts wow in her Raspberry Baked Alaska with Fresh Raspberry Sauce, and she takes Turkey Sandwiches with Brussels Sprouts Slaw to the next level. Jarred marinara sauce is the convenient secret to her Roasted Eggplant Parmesan, and she makes Sweet Red Pepper Hummus that's a party-worthy, pantry-to-table triumph.

More About This Episode

Recipes in This Episode

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan

Fresh Raspberry Sauce

Sweet Red Pepper Hummus

Turkey Sandwiches with Brussels Sprout Slaw

Raspberry Baked Alaska

Edited October 24, 2019 by sheetmoss

[rhys]

Yay! My show is back. Not super exciting but I love most things Ina. Tahini is so expensive where I live & I love hummus. But I end up tossing tahini. I'd never make the Alaska. Maybe I'd try the eggplant dish. I'm not fond of eggplant, but I have some vegetarian family members so it would be good to have another veg fish in my repertoire.

[Bastet]

I wish Food Network would re-run this series like they do so many of their shows I don't like; it's on too early for me to watch, and I'm not much for recording.

But the recipes for this one don't sound like anything I'd be interested in.  I dislike hummus and eggplant, and Baked Alaska is fine but not something I'd ever make.  I'd make the turkey sandwiches (with a different dressing for the slaw), but don't need a recipe for that.

Still, it would be nice to watch Ina for half an hour.  Yet they never seem to show it during any of the times I watch TV.

[Door County Cherry]

I was more amused by what Ina considered 'worth buying in a store' vs not than I was interested in making anything she made.  The dessert show they ran after was more appealing to me.

For instance, I was surprised she said to make your own breadcrumbs over buying them.  And I wanted to let her know that you can buy Brussels sprouts already shaved for slaw without needing to break out the food processor. 

I was also surprised she okayed store bought pesto when most (unless it's refrigerated) aren't great IMO.  

I was also amused how she gave hints to the brands she uses--the clear Talenti container for the raspberry sorbet and the yellow established in 1936 label which indicates that the coffee liqueur is Kahlua.

But I'm glad I have permission to use store bought ice cream.

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, Door County Cherry said:

I was more amused by what Ina considered 'worth buying in a store' vs not than I was interested in making anything she made.  The dessert show they ran after was more appealing to me.

For instance, I was surprised she said to make your own breadcrumbs over buying them.  And I wanted to let her know that you can buy Brussels sprouts already shaved for slaw without needing to break out the food processor. 

I was also surprised she okayed store bought pesto when most (unless it's refrigerated) aren't great IMO.  

I was also amused how she gave hints to the brands she uses--the clear Talenti container for the raspberry sorbet and the yellow established in 1936 label which indicates that the coffee liqueur is Kahlua.

But I'm glad I have permission to use store bought ice cream.

And the Rao’s Marinara, which I use anyway.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Door County Cherry said:

was also surprised she okayed store bought pesto when most (unless it's refrigerated) aren't great IMO.  

I've never seen pesto in the store that isn't refrigerated. Maybe it's somewhere I don't look? I use refrigerated store bought pesto - seems fine to me.

[Bastet]

I have a basil plant that grows like gangbusters, so I always make my own pesto, but they did a taste testing of prepared pesto (including both shelf stable and refrigerated offerings) on America's Test Kitchen.  Most were subpar and the winner was the only one they liked: Buitoni (which is refrigerated). 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Bastet

[chessiegal]

Buttoni is what I buy. I've tried growing basil in pots on my deck with some success for maybe a month. Now I've gotten too lazy It's too cold here in the winter to keep it alive.

[annzeepark914]

5 hours ago, rhys said:

Yay! My show is back. Not super exciting but I love most things Ina. Tahini is so expensive where I live & I love hummus. But I end up tossing tahini. I'd never make the Alaska. Maybe I'd try the eggplant dish. I'm not fond of eggplant, but I have some vegetarian family members so it would be good to have another veg fish in my repertoire.

You can make a delicious hummus without tahini. IMO, it's lighter. 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, Door County Cherry said:

For instance, I was surprised she said to make your own breadcrumbs over buying them.

I don't eat the end pieces of a loaf of bread, so I make breadcrumbs out of those and store them in the freezer.  Easy, and without all the extra ingredients in the stuff in a can (plus, it's whole wheat instead of white bread).  I don't use a lot of breadcrumbs - I don't ever make stuffing/dressing or anything like that, so it's just using a small amount here and there, like in the chicken meatballs for the Italian wedding soup - so I always have plenty on hand.

[biakbiak]

I love Ina but wtf was with that lamb and chickpea “curry” that she made with wine, maple syrup, rosemary and harissa?! It was like Garten’s Monster. 

[Gramto6]

59 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I love Ina but wtf was with that lamb and chickpea “curry” that she made with wine, maple syrup, rosemary and harissa?! It was like Garten’s Monster. 

I was confused by the recipe and was going to look it up on Food Network. I have ground lamb and chickpeas on hand and looking for a way to use them.  I missed some of the ingredients so want to see the entire recipe. The time change did not at all help my comprehension skills early in the morning.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Gramto6

[SoCal Mema]

14 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I love Ina but wtf was with that lamb and chickpea “curry” that she made with wine, maple syrup, rosemary and harissa?! It was like Garten’s Monster. 

I made the spicy sweet potato empanadas last night from this show.  They were very good; however, the potato mixture made SO much.  I'm going to make a pie out of the leftovers, but you could easily halve that recipe for the 8 empanadas.

[buttersister]

Tuned in. Saw the “curry” description and tuned out. Sorry, Ina. Better you go retro and bring back the good stuff from Barefoot Contessa’s Golden Age.

[Door County Cherry]

On 11/4/2019 at 2:47 PM, SoCal Mema said:

I made the spicy sweet potato empanadas last night from this show.  They were very good; however, the potato mixture made SO much.  I'm going to make a pie out of the leftovers, but you could easily halve that recipe for the 8 empanadas.

That's funny because it looked like she barely had enough for 5.  That's the one recipe I'd try from this last episode.

[sheetmoss]

FYI -  while setting DVR,, the listing said the new eppy 11/17 was on the Cooking Channel  with a 2018 repeat on FN...both on  at the same time.

[biakbiak]

9 hours ago, sheetmoss said:

FYI -  while setting DVR,, the listing said the new eppy 11/17 was on the Cooking Channel  with a 2018 repeat on FN...both on  at the same time.

And the one on the cooking channel that recorded for me was actually Andrew Zimmern.

[rhys]

I hadn't seen this one (updated thanksgiving foods). I thought everything looked great. I'm not a huge turkey fan for the same reason Ina mentioned (tasteless) so I liked the roulade. Too bad it can't be done with dark meat!

[Door County Cherry]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

And the one on the cooking channel that recorded for me was actually Andrew Zimmern.

Same here.  I think the one on TFN was new.  I watched the first half thinking I had the second half but nope.  Guess I will watch On Demand.

[annzeepark914]

The turkey roulade looked interesting but I missed watching what the filling was. I make a sweet potato casserole very similar to Ina's and would love to try a teence of chipotle but our 9 yr old grandson will be here so...not this time.  It's good to see our friend, Ina, again.  I've missed her show.

[Bastet]

12 minutes ago, rhys said:

I'm not a huge turkey fan for the same reason Ina mentioned (tasteless) so I liked the roulade.

I just looked up the recipe, and that Tuscan Turkey Roulade looks good.  It's only three of us, and we're in a motorhome for Thanksgiving, so we always just do a turkey breast (boned, rolled, and tied up so it's like a roast, then brined and cooked on a charcoal grill, basted occasionally with butter) rather than a whole turkey.  Between starting with a fresh, natural turkey and doing the brining and basting, it's tasty (on its own, and certainly compared to the nasty-ass frozen breast from some factory farm we threw on the grill during my childhood - for years, I thought I hated turkey!).  So we don't need anything more, but that roulade recipe looks and sounds good.  It might need a little tweaking (I'm thinking about the placement of the sage) to do on the grill, but I may try that this year or next, so I'm glad you mentioned it.

In looking at the episode's other recipes, I wouldn't eat either of the side dishes, because I don't like potatoes or sweet potatoes (and I really don't understand two starchy sides; why not a green vegetable dish, Ina?), or the pumpkin flan dessert, because I'm not much of a pumpkin fan (I don't eat the traditional pumpkin pie my mom makes) and the flan with maple caramel sounds way too sweet for me.  But my best friend would love that dessert.  She's not much of a cook, but I'll make it for her when I go visit next month.  So I'm doubly glad you posted about the episode (I never see them; they're on too early, and I'm not much of a recorder).

[biakbiak]

I am going to a friends house for Thanksgiving but know I will want some more leftovers so will probably try her turkey roulade the weekend after.

[Door County Cherry]

Even if I loved thin and crisp cookies, there's no way I'm banging multiple cookie sheets down every three minutes to achieve that result. 

Love ya, Ina but hell no.

[Mondrianyone]

They tested the heck out of Sarah Kieffer's original cookie recipe on Food52 with every conceivable variation and determined that it comes out crinkly even if you don't bang the pan. Plus, the original doesn't call for banging as often as Ina did, and there's salt on the cookie in Food52's version, so that doesn't appear to be Ina's innovation, though she said it was.

Maybe she just likes a lot of banging.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Door County Cherry said:

Even if I loved thin and crisp cookies, there's no way I'm banging multiple cookie sheets down every three minutes to achieve that result. 

Same here.  That's the exact opposite of how I want my chocolate chip cookies - I want soft and chewy, not crispy! - but even if I did like that texture there's no way I'd go through all that to get it.

[annzeepark914]

Good show today. Possibly nothing I will make, but I'm just happy to have Ina on TV, hear that sweet, soothing voice talking about food preparation. No yelling, no never-ending smiling or OTT grinning. That pimiento cheese dip was not orange 😳

[Gramto6]

31 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Good show today. Possibly nothing I will make, but I'm just happy to have Ina on TV, hear that sweet, soothing voice talking about food preparation. No yelling, no never-ending smiling or OTT grinning. That pimiento cheese dip was not orange 😳

Yes, I enjoy the peace and calm of this show.

I think she used white cheddar. eta: (Yes, checked the recipe and it is white cheddar.) It did look tasty. That is something I could see myself making. The other things not so much...

Edited November 15, 2021 by Gramto6

[chenoa333]

On 11/14/2021 at 4:04 PM, Gramto6 said:

Yes, I enjoy the peace and calm of this show.

Amen to that!

[Bastet]

I watched all of this season's episodes (so far) this weekend, and there were some things that should have been fixed in post.  She twice called Julia Child "Julia Childs", and she once referred to arrabbiata sauce as marinara (which was particularly noticeable when she later said "don't be tempted to just use marinara, you really need arrabbiata").

There wasn't much in those episodes that I want to make (and the "Remembered Flavors" episode was pretty much filled with things I wouldn't eat), but I made the cheddar and chutney grilled cheese for lunch yesterday and it was good.  And some night when I want a thoroughly indulgent dinner, I am going to make a big bowl of that truffled mac & cheese with mushrooms.

I hadn't watched her show in so long (since it's on at an unholy hour; I finally got smart and downloaded the app on my Fire stick) it was jarring to see the ridiculous amount of salt she uses, and her portion sizes.  That Dutch Baby was in a nine-inch skillet, and she said it would serve two or three!!  I notice on the website it says 2-4, and I think four is just right, but the idea of two people sitting down to breakfast and splitting that thing does not compute.  I also laughed when she said the chocolate cake would serve 6-8, and then acknowledged her friend who introduced it to her in Paris told her it serves 12 there. 

[mishy]

On 12/6/2021 at 2:18 PM, Bastet said:

it was jarring to see the ridiculous amount of salt she uses, and her portion sizes.  That Dutch Baby was in a nine-inch skillet, and she said it would serve two or three!! 

I had to laugh at this because I thought the same thing, on the episode where she made mini corn muffins the yield was 48! I thought to myself you are definitely going to have to give some of those away, because you and Jeffrey cannot possibly eat 48 corn muffins, that is an obnoxious amount of muffins. I could make half that recipe and that would still be too many. 

[Bastet]

8 minutes ago, mishy said:

I had to laugh at this because I thought the same thing, on the episode where she made mini corn muffins the yield was 48! I thought to myself you are definitely going to have to give some of those away, because you and Jeffrey cannot possibly eat 48 corn muffins, that is an obnoxious amount of muffins. I could make half that recipe and that would still be too many. 

Yeah, the show/cookbook is for home cooks, not caterers.  The mini muffin pans make 24 muffins each, so if you halved the recipe to just fill one pan, you'd need one stick of butter instead of 2, 1 egg instead of 2, 1 cup of milk instead of 2, etc. -- the recipe for 48 muffins looks doubled, so since the episode was simply about "remembered flavors" not "neighborhood block party", I don't know why she made so many when 24 is a much more logical number for anyone not catering a brunch to make.  (Even at 24 I'd have to give half away, but a family could get through 24 of them before they went stale.)

Also, in looking up the recipe, it's yet another retread; she'd already published it in another cookbook, just using raspberry jam instead of whole raspberries. 

I forgot to note that I made the red pepper aioli to go over seared salmon.  She calls it spicy, and I don't find it spicy at all, but that's why I liked it - I think something truly spicy would mask the salmon's flavor, while this was a nice complement.  But - as per usual - I thought it made too much sauce for four fillets (I halved the recipe to use over the course of two servings of one fillet each, and had more than 1/4 of it left over after that second meal; I used it as a dip for calamari).

[annzeepark914]

I love Ina but today she had me smh when she was introducing her tuna roll. She said something like lobster rolls can get ordinary after a while. Wut? Maybe if you live by the ocean. That adobe mayo will be delicious but only if I remove the seeds--those seeds are HOT. She's making her garlic bread differently now. I love her original recipe but will try this new recipe (just like Ina said--I could eat all the crunchy garlic bread!)