Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

the word yes, carrot cake is DEFINITELY not weird. Sounds downright delicious to me!

In response to Mags, it's one thing if I've never had anything like the salad you're offering, but maybe I'm just really full or enjoying my own plate enough to where I don't want to take on the additional calories. Believe me, if I turn away a bite, it's not that I'm picky! :)

In fact, picky eaters drive me crazy. If someone has an allergy or one or two things they won't eat, okay... but if you have a laundry list... then you've got deeper issues and/or you're uncultured.

My grandmother is in her 90s and she's the pickiest person in the universe. She always has been, but now it's gotten a lot worse. I think it's b/c she never traveled and was exposed to different foods by her parents. To her, fresh produce is rabbit food, canned goods taste stale. If the label says Nov 2009, it's not fresh and she wants us to return it or make a call to Del Monte. It's complete insanity. She hasn't been to a grocery store in years and she doesn't understand some brands no longer exist. If I bring her the liter of Pepsi she requested and they've redesigned the label, then it's not the Pepsi she wants and all hell breaks loose.

Despite this experience with grandma who is now very much like a difficult child, I still don't get parents who only feed their kids junk b/c it's easier. This is when you have the upper hand and I think that's getting things off to a rocky start. Maybe when I have my own, I'll have to stick my foot in my mouth here, but my plan is to just puree whatever foods the adults are eating, exotic or not. I have friends who were fed this way as children--and were never catered to--and they're the most adventurous eaters I know.

I think introducing kids to different foods from different cultures as early as possible is an extension of shaping them into adults who are open-minded and accepting in all areas of their lives.

Chicken and dumplings!

Glad you like the site, Gwen! Snap a photo of that fabulous orange pot and let us know how the soups turn out!

Btw, that sausage casserole that Graham suggested looks really gooood too!

This could be a good sister site to our SOUP blog!

Wow.....the animosity towards Sandra Lee in some of the comments is quite interesting. I’ve worked with and have hired professional chefs over the years and the short cuts they use in their cooking isn’t much different from Sandra Lee’s. She’s just honest about it. I know of one 5-star restaurant that opens a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, adds some garnish, gives it a fancy name and charges a ridiculous price. Anyone who utilizes a can of San Marino for a tomato dish cannot possibly sit in judgement of others.

I’ve tried some of the recipes of the highly rated “chefs” mentioned here and found them to be quite disappointing. The end result is what it’s all about....not how much one slaved in the kitchen.

Sandra Lee makes cooking fun....especially for those just starting out. And nowadays, with so many young folks working many hours in serious careers, I’m sure it’s nice to have a quick, fun recipe when one finally gets home at 7:00 pm and the kids are famished. I can’t wait to try some of her recipes with my grandson when he gets old enough.

I liked Alton Brown better before he went gimmicky and goofy.

I think Food Network made the gradual decision to make the channel more about food and life and less about cooking technique... what with the average American's non-stop hectic life. Cue: 30 Minute Meals and the like.

I supremely enjoyed Batali's program with the three guests observing, asking questions and sampling his dishes - it was a beautiful and simple concept for a cooking show. It was what cooking should be, about learning and sharing with people. To whoever said he moves too fast and undercooks everything, I am going to fight you.

I don't like Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee either. A lot of people go bananas over Ray though. I've never watched an entire Sandra Lee.

Favorites: Alton, always. He's a genius, funny, and has resisted the pressure to get hairplugs. : P I viewed what I'm guessing some people were declaring his rude behavior on the Food Star, and I think they need to take a breath and grow up a little; after all, these contestants were presenting themselves as both knowledgeable about cooking and having the charisma and creativity to create their own show--I don't think his expectations were too high. It's the network's that should be much higher.
Nigella I have loved for years, although I am dismayed by some of the shortcuts on the new show.
Jamie Oliver has had some great recipes in the past, so I'm interested to see the new show.
Anthony Bourdain is more himself, and therefore more entertaining on the Travel Network, but certainly worth watching in the original Cook's Tour.

Should be cancelled immediately, if not sooner:
Paula Deen, please sit down and allow Southerners to retain some semblance of self-respect. Every time I hear her, I can feel my brain cells committing suicide, and her recipes nauseate me. Less is more, Paula.
Rachel Ray--I used to find $40 a Day marginally bearable if only for the locations, but eventually stopped tuning in not only because of her overdone, annoying banter, but especially because of the appallingly paltry tips she would leave the kind people who served her food. It's no wonder she always wound up eating alone--no one else wants the waiter spitting in their food because they're sitting with a cheapskate! Since those early days, it's hard to escape Rachel. She chases me from one network to another, and even if I don't stumble onto one of her myriad shows, I can't escape her hawking something in commercials, nor her unnaturally shiny eyes in the grocery checkout line. God save us.
Sandra Lee: like a clone gone awry, she has followed Rachel in the Food Network's race to the bottom. I came across an amusing article that addresses this on a wider scale: http://chriswalkerversus.blogspot.com/2007/04/chris-walker-vs-dumbing-down-of-america.html Atrocious doesn't adequately describe her show. Just how stupid does FN think we are--and are we? *shudder*

For a while I was hooked on Nigella Lawson..where did she go? Right now I think Alton Brown is the best host. He's actually educational even if you don't cook. The man should be on Discovery and not FN. My least favorite is Paula Deen. I'm sick of that overdone southern drawl and all that butter and mayonnaise is tiresome.

Most favorite would have to be Ina Garten, Michael Chiarello, Nigella Lawson, Alton Brown and Giada DeLaurentis.

Least favorite: Easily and hands down, Sandra Lee.

The top line lists accomplished cooks who teach worthwhile lessons.

Sandra Lee OTOH, knows nothing and doesn't care who knows that she knows nothing. I have never seen anyone so proud of dropping out of cooking school in my life!

The first time I tuned into SHM, I expected to learn healthy shortcuts for busy nights and was left completely aghast at the parade of chemical laden products used by Lee. It became clear to me from her very first show that she was to be viewed for nothing more than comedic value. And this was even BEFORE her Holiday Cake debacle where she managed to insult three cultures in the same 30 minutes!

Ina Garten's food is a sensory reward for the eyes, nose and especially the mouth. Each of her recipes while not diet food can be proudly served to your most important business associates, treasured family or friend from next door over a pot of coffee. Ina's food = love.

Chiarello and DeLaurentis (unfortunately Batali will no longer be on TVFN) have Italian food wrapped up and delivered piping hot to your TV.

If you want a sexy cook, checkout Nigella Lawson. She's passionate about food and is not afraid to show it. The woman absolutely makes love to any chocolate recipe she demos!

Alton Brown = The Television equivalent of going to cooking school. Even with his outlandish costumes and sometimes over the top methods, the guy's a frippin genius. He tells you the "why" as well as the "how to."

I sincerely hope that anyone who watches Sandra Lee does so with tongue firmly in cheek because the minute a piece of her food passes your lips, your stomach will never be the same...And not in a good way.