I enjoyed the show and put it on my DVR to record list. But I'd like to see a few things change, should she make it past the first few weeks.
What I liked: 1. She's a real chef! 2. Good recipe. 3. She actually made something that took more than 30 minutes (this is where the network has really upset me - with their 30 minutes or less outlook) 4. She actually taught me something (Food Network isn't too big on teaching us these days)
What I didn't like: 1. Too much arm movement 2. A little less "superstah" would be nice
I like to see a real chef doing something I admire and teaching me something about food. I wish the Food Network had more talented chefs and fewer personalities. I won't watch most of their shows anymore and I don't like their marketing perspective.
It seems different. The same people get published over and over, even if their pictures aren't so great. I used to submit before I renamed my blog, and now I can't seem to get them to take a thing I do.
I so looked forward to their return, but I guess you can't go back home! I'm happy that other photo posting sites have appeared.
I love sopes! The first time I ever had them I went to a Mexican friend's house for lunch. We made them together. She put in refried beans with sauteed onions, mexican chorizo, and sour cream. Gosh, they were good. I still make them from time to time. Yum!
I was just fine with the elimination of Nipa. She was lacking in knowledge of anything out of her comfort zone.
At first I was hyper-critical of the show and the contestants. Then, as I began to read the opinions of others and really think about the challenges that the show is giving the contestants, I've become more hostile towards the network. I'm in a clear love-hate relationship with this show.
Really, don't like the way Food Network executives are treating the contestants. Some of it has to do with what the Food Network considers cooking, and some of it is just pure meanness. There seems to be too much emotion on the part of the selection committee towards the contestants. They seem to want to see these people get hysterical. They give personal critiques that seem unwarented and use words like "bozo" and terms like "you're on thin ice" when talking about and to the contestants.
Perhaps I just don't at all agree with what they seem to be looking for. To me, it seems that they are looking for someone who doesn't need any direction from them, won't need any help from any staff, blabbers on about themselves and their personal lives, and can cook anything in 30 minutes or less.
Once in a while I take photos in restaurants. I am always self-conscious when I do it and try to be as discreet as possible. I bring a small digital with good resolution and I try to sit near a window if it's light out so I can take an okay picture without a flash.
I feel that if I pay for the food and act responsibly, then I should be allowed to do that.
If people want to talk on their phones, I expect that they won't be any louder than they would if someone were sitting with them. After all, if they were talking to a friend at the table, what's the difference?
But on the subject of atmosphere, I am much more bothered in a restaurant when small children start screaming or crying and the parent doesn't remove them from the scene and thereby force everyone to deal with it.
I take offense to the straigh As comment! :-)
Surely, Kelsey got Cs and cried about it and did everything she could to improve upon it, to no avail.
Did you notice how many times she says peoples' names when she talks to them? The must have said "Martha" 10 times in the 2 minute conversation she had with her.
I'm starting to like Lisa. It will sadden me to see her take a slide in the kitchen whenever that episode happens.
Okay, Kelsey is totally entertaining in a pathetic sort of way. But the thought of them possibly giving her a show is really scary. I promised myself that I wouldn't watch the rest of the series after episode one. But then I cheated and watched episode two. I had my husband remove it from the DVR list, but what if he didn't? If it's there, I'll be drawn to watch it like a car wreck on the highway.
If a thermometer is required, then I'm outta there!
I would have said anchovies is a deal-breaker, but I went ahead and made something with anchovies a couple of weks ago. And it didn't suck!
Fish cheeks? Are they real fish cheeks?
Clarified butter. I refuse to do anything to my butter other than melt it.
I loved at the very beginning when Lisa said that everyone left has a sucky personality (or something like that). That was histerical!
I look forward to Spike and Lisa taking the next exits.
I am also so glad you posted this. Shame on Paula Deen and shame on Smithfield bacon. I never would have known about their safety record and such, so I really appreciate learning of it.
For about a month now I've been promising myself to make fish tacos. Perhaps this will give me the extra push I need to do it. I think I'll stop at the store on my way home.
I would do an asian tofu and rice stir fry.
Bricks of the 365 tofu at WF are only a dollar. Then you could add some nice veggies, sugar snap peas, carrots, bean sprouts, maybe fried egg. Maybe even some canned pineapple pieces. I like that. Season with soy and oyster sauce. Yum!
My blog is My Little World of Food
http://mylittleworldoffood.blogspot.com/
It is fairly new, but I think I've been posting like a madwoman! I have posts on recipes, thoughts, food reviews, chocolate, cooking, eating, and gadgets.
I'm having a lot of fun with it, and it encourages me to try new things and improve my photography. I'm trying to make the photos nice. My last dinner that I posted recipes to was a real challenge in the photography department. It just wasn't too pretty to start with.
I am working on building up a collection of nice plates to use in my photographs, and I need to get a collection of fabrics going to make my photos more interesting.
I love the cilantro and the basil ones. I think the frozen is much better than the dried, and I'm much more likely to have it than the fresh.
How is it that I had never heard of pupusas? I'm intrigued, and after reading this I did a little research and it looks like something I will have to try. It also works because I've been looking to make simple recipes with my Spanish students. I'm sure it takes some practice, but I think it will be fun to do a pupusa-making day!
I love the cooking shows on PBS.
I do watch Ciao Italia, but it's difficult. It's not Marianne, but her voice that bothers me. Her voice can be intollerable. Sometimes I just go to her web site.
I love ATK, and I like Christopher Kimball (gasp!). I learn a lot watching the show.
Lately I've been into Jose in Spain. He's funny, and since I'm a Spanish teacher who is more familiar with Latin American cuisine, I'm really learning a lot.
I wish there was more available on my PBS channels, and I really wish they had a regular schedule. Some weeks we have no cooking shows, and sometimes we have a lot.
I really didn't care for Robert Irvine much at all. But I like Michael Symon. But I wonder how good he'll make the show.
I started watching Dinner Impossible about a month or two before the scandal. I just thought that so many of the episodes that I saw weren't very chef-like. Cooking at a school graduation with some cranky, insecure cook who has to give up his kitchen kind of turned me off.
Maybe Michael Symon will make the show better?????
I didn't mind seeing Jen go. I thought it was more unfair when her girlfriend was sent home.
I'm tend to be a stickler for rules (probably because I'm a teacher), so I felt strongly that the group that didn't use the polish sausage should have lost. But wasn't it Stephanie and Antonia who were dead-set against using polish sausage? Am I mixing up my episodes?
Nikki amazes me! She seems completely mediocre, except for her home made pasta. She ought to be cooking at the Olive Garden or something in my opinion.
They offer a class at LA Burdick's chocolates in Walpole, NH on how to make chocolates and all the steps that go along with it. It is a week-long class, I believe. I live only a little over an hour away. But if I remember correctly, the class is over $800. Gosh, I would LOVE to take that class.
Oh, and I'd love to learn some bread baking too. :)
Hi! I'm Meryl, and I LOVE SE! I'm 41 and I live in north, central Massachusetts with my husband and two dogs, Petey and Elvis (hence my userID). In addition to food, I really enjoy photography. I try to combine those loves in my blog (http://mylittleworldoffood.blogspot.com/) and started a flickr page.
In my other life, I'm a high school Spanish teacher and I studied in Queretaro, Mexico and in Costa Rica. I'm really fascinated by Mexican cooking. I also want to start experimenting more with some Asian ingredients.
The area of MA that I live in is really the middle of no where. There are fewer than 5,000 people in my town, and it is a long drive to get ethnic or gourmet ingredients (or a trip to the Internet).
I would really like to have more foodie friends, I'm a little alone in my passion. So I'm very into making foodie connections on the Internet.
I am so glad you have given us this information! I read it and immediately ran to the cupboard to look at the codes on my 2 packages of fun-size M&M's. One was made the 40th week of 2007, and the other was just made this year.
I'm always bummed out with stale M&M's, so now I know how to avoid buying them.
Thanks!
matzo, matzo, and more matzo!
I cut it into 1" pieces that I slice at a diagonal. Then I sautee it with salt and pepper in olive oil - just for about 2 minutes. I then add a little bit of balsamic and sugar. Last second, I toss in some toasted chopped pecans.
This is pretty much the recipe that I remember from a Molly Katzen cookbook. I don't look at the book these days, I just play it by ear.
I gave my mom this recipe last year to bring to a friend's house and it was a big hit there too.
Can someone please explain to me what is this trolling issue I keep reading about? I seem to be having an "experience" on my blog and I don't understand what is going on at all. I'm reading about this "troll" on other sites, and it was also brought up with the whole Tastespotting thing - people thinking it went down because of the troll.
puppymomma hasn't favorited a post yet.
When they hired Bob Tuschman and what's-her-face. That had to be the moment.