The NFNS finale is a bit tainted since the FN web site released the winner Thursday night by mistake. It has been very controversial since the person who won should have been booted last week but they changed the rules to keep that person on. Apparently the show was rigged to make sure this one person won.
"Well, it's official. Now when your beer snob friends sneer at you for drinking a Bud, you can tell them it's a Belgian beer."
This calls for a little disticntion. If you love Bud then you are not a beer lover, you are a Budweiser lover. If you love Miller Lite you are not a beer lover, you are a Miller Lite lover.
Beer lovers who turn their noses up at the good old American Pilsner are not snobs - they just prefer beer.
No one on the show grated my nerves like Kevin. He referred to Mac & Cheese in a box as "white trash" in an interview I read a few weeks back. He has also been a pampas ass in many other ways on the show. I think in both episodes he made some comment about being the total package. Apparently baking is not part of his package cuz, man, he sucked at rolling those baguettes. I'm glad he is gone.
I did not care for Lisa during week one. She reminded me of a woman I knew in Nashville. Despite having gone to high school and college in Tennessee and being born in Kentucky she told everyone she was from Dallas because she lived there for 2 years. She, too, was self-absorbed and her image was more important than anything. I guess Lisa brought too many bad memories so I immediately wanted her gone.
In week two, Lisa took the judges comments to heart and actually became more likable. Her new approach, fine dining with beautiful accents or something similar is much better than babbling for five minutes. Lisa is very attractive but right now my favorite is still Kelsey; she has personality and looks without being fake.
Do not limit yourself to one dressing, just learn the basics and whatever is in your pantry can make a great vinaigrette. The important ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid (vinegar). Start there and then explore your spices, mustard, and citrus juices to find different accents on your basic recipe. Then have fun with different vinegars - after you explore red wine, white wine, Balsalmic, and rice wine vinegars then play with the flavored ones, raspberry vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and so on.
I do not often make the same one twice - I tailor mine to compliment the rest of the meal I am preparing.
I don't have a recipe for you but I will suggest that you find one you like and hold on to it as the exact same recipe can be used to make Danish and your own puff pastry as well.
The difference in the three pastries stems from how many times you butter, fold, and roll it back out. The bakery I worked at did it this way:
Roll out your dough to a 1/4" and butter lightly. Fold in half and roll back out. Doing this four times produced Danish dough. Doing it 8 times produced crescent dough, and doing it 12 times made puff pastry.
Each time you add butter into layers you make the dough more complex. The flakiness comes from water vapor (from the butter) evaporating during the cooking process. The more butter you fold in, the lighter the finished pastry.
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Unattractive and talentless women are very good at spewing hatred. Lisa is the moral winner. Aaron was inarticulate, boring and his food was unimaginative and uninspiring. I and my GF love lisa and her restaurant.
Some vegetables love sandy soil so what's your point?
She wants to have a farm on the beach? Does she have any idea how vegetables grow?
I think Lisa is a beautiful, intelligent young woman who is knowledgable about food and is an excellent cook. I have to say that I am surprised at how nasty so many people are when posting about her. It kind of freaks me out that a cooking show host contest can generate so much poison.
I commend all the contestants. Some have far more stage presence than others, but all brought something unique to the show and all, it appears, are good cooks.
It may not be commonplace to see ladies wearing designer clothes and shoes in the kitchen, but the lady turned out wonderful food without getting a spot on her clothing. We could all take a lesson from her. It isn't a sin to look nice in the kitchen (or anywhere for that matter). Beats the heck out of jeans and flip flops all the time.
I also signed up just to comment. Although my choice was Aaron, and I did not care for Lisa, I'm kind of disappointed in the venom that is being spewed her way by the bloggers. Between viewing comments from blogs on a few sites, it's frightening how many people are downright hating! Poor Aaron appears to be really getting it from so many sides which is okay if it's an opinion; but so much of it's racial epithets! viewers, it's disgraceful! Let's stop such hatred and nastiness because we don't agree with a choice, or with what a person should look like. Let's try to embrace diversity, and Ha! Ha! ,women cooking in the kitchen with high heels and expensive blouses! Lighten up, good people !
I have to wonder, why would any chef wear designer anything, high heels? Nooooooooo, that is insane!! At least wear a chefs coat to protect clothing. Her hair reminds me of the child book by Beverly Cleary, Beazus and Ramona, she looks like the little sister Ramona, exact same hair style (bowl cut). Some of her dresses remind me of June Cleaver of Leave It To Beaver, to the hilt, Lisa even wears a pearl necklace that was Barbara Billingsby's trademark on the show. I was in shock (and delight) when Paula Deen, PAULA DEEN people hated her mac & cheese, come on Paula deep fries butter balls, for her to HATE Lisa's mac & cheese? But who I was so happy to be eliminated was Kelsey, her squeaky voice made me want to run (not walk ) to the nearest bar around and drink till the ringing in my ears stop!!
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The anonymity on the Internet is a dangerous thing. You all vent all of your anger on the world and your jealousy through a public anonymous forum where no one else can judge you. You are all cowardly and horrible people to be capable of publicy bashing anyone to this extreme.
The Food Network really needed a female personality with actual talent and a good fashion sense. Someone that makes cooking look attractive and modern again. Someone that makes REAL FOOD. I'm so mad that we're going to have yet another show on how to make unhealthy, easy meals like Mac and Cheese or lasagna. Go ahead and feed your obsesity America.
TO BBSHOO about Lisa Garza --- "women who simply cannot measure up to her? Are you kidding??? Why would any of us intelligent women want to measure themselves up to somebody that acts the way she does? She comes across on tv as self-absorbed, annoying, anal, and intense (and not in a good way). Yeah, she may be pretty - nobody is doubting that. Her food may be the most wonderful, but that alone doesn't make a Food Network Star. Most of the comments are about her persona. Nobody wants to look at a Food Network star who doesn't come across as warm and endearing, of which she seems to have neither personality trait! Alot of times, she seemed to be more concerned about how she looked and making sure she wore a designer dress & shoes. Did you not hear what she said about Aaron's win? I quote, "I'm so glad Aaron won - he needed this..." What? How about "He deserved this win". And if she had won, what would she have said about herself? "Well, I do deserve this to prove that I can cook, blah, blah, blah (snore.....). So, next time you decide to tell us women that most of us don't measure up, think again. We're not even trying because we don't wish to be stepford wives, thank you! No sour grapes here!!
I'm glad Lisa didn't win. She seems to have more of a passion for fashion than for food. Even though she was prompted in her exit interview, she stated how she was wearing a Carolina Herrera dress. Anyway, I wouldn't have watched her show because she annoyed the heck out of me during the entire run of this season. I'm glad Aaron won, although Adam could have won and I would have been just as happy - I'd watch either one of them. They both seem very personable, are nice to look at, and bring something special to the screen.
Oh make her 3rd on the list after chalk on a chalkboard Rachel Ray
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Location: Mobile, AL
About: Stuart Reb Donald is a freelance food writer whose work has appeared both online and in print. He has performed live cooking demos and penned the cookbook Amigeauxs - Mexican/Creole Fusion Cuisine available from 4star.net.
Favorite foods: Pizza in all its glorius forms. Burger! Gulf seafood.
Last bite on earth: Something hard to find so I get to live a little longer - the more time I have, the better my chances to escape.