[Gav]

I feel detached from my family. I'm depressed and need relief. can cooking help? suggestions?

[Kerryclan]

Gav, I think you should, er, post on a Dr. Phil board.

[Gav]

I need to fill a space in a room for an art exhibition. I am worried because I have not come up with any ideas yet. Can anyone offer any helpful suggestions?? (p.s. anything goes, u can fill the room with anything for people to view.)

[KeeperOfTheGood]

Originally Posted by Kerryclan

Gav, I think you should, er, post on a Dr. Phil board.

Yes, this is the Dr. Food thread of a food site... easy to make that mistake I know, food is the best medicine.........

[chiffonade]

Originally Posted by Kerryclan

I love Jacques and I didn't mind Claudine. At least she has wine knowledge and explained the pairing of wine with whatever Daddy made. Same for Lidia's son Joe. Actually Lidia gives poor Joe all the dirty work when he appears occassionally on her show. I remember when she had him clean a load of squid and the look he gave her when she told him to.

I know what you mean - especially with Lidia and her son. When he does anything with her in the kitchen, she may give him the dirty work but you can see a real respect between them - along with that maternal pride. I got tired of Claudine too quick to witness her wine knowledge - at least she's got that as a redeeming quality!

[Gav]

are there any actual recipes that anyone can offer that are supposed to act as medicine for the body and soul??

[Mezzaluna]

The first cooking show I remember watching was Julia Child's French Chef. I was mesmerized. After a few shows I realized why: I realized I'd been taught good, solid cooking sense and some techniques from my mom and grandmother. I began to notice, for instance, that when I thought an item was done, or formed correctly, or was spiced right, so did Julia. (Not every time, of course...)

I was home from my freshman year in college. My mom had returned to work in my dad's office, and I was put in charge of keeping house and cooking meals. Thanks to Julia, I had the guts to try recipes (cioppino, coq au vin) I never thought I could do. Our family grocery bill went up, but we sure did eat well that summer!

Incidentally, Grahame Kerr came along around the same time. I never had the same connection with him as I did with Julia.

And for Gav: I suggest you post your question in the recipe forum. Also, use the search button to see if you can find some earlier discussions on "comfort food", etc.

[chiffonade]

Originally Posted by Gav

are there any actual recipes that anyone can offer that are supposed to act as medicine for the body and soul??

Chicken Soup.

[chiffonade]

Originally Posted by Mezzaluna

The first cooking show I remember watching was Julia Child's French Chef. I was mesmerized. After a few shows I realized why: I realized I'd been taught good, solid cooking sense and some techniques from my mom and grandmother. I began to notice, for instance, that when I thought an item was done, or formed correctly, or was spiced right, so did Julia. (Not every time, of course...)

I remember the old Julia shows and I was pretty young when they were aired. The first show I ever watched when I was at an age to make cooking decisions was The Frugal Gourmet. His philosophy that cooking was an important skill worth teaching your children (girls and boys) really hit home because I personalized it. His pointing this out made me view in a different light the way my mother and father cooked for us. I also remember Pierre Franey and miss him. I remember the Galloping Gourmet and his jog from behind the scenes to the kitchen - how he used clarified butter in EVERYTHING and how he manipulated his face into a very sensual mask upon sampling his rich foods.

20 years from now, I wonder who will be waxing nostalgic about Sandra Lee...ROFLMAO.

[Kerryclan]

Hey, All: SandySlop is making a "Tropical Dinner Theme" today. This should be hysterical!

I'm picturing Canned pinapple thrown on underdone chicken, a packet of some semi-tropical spice mix, and maybe a nice Lime Kool-Aid and rum fizzie for cocktails. Dessert (her worst is saved for last) will probably include boxed cake mix with lots of cool whip and shredded coconut made to look like a beach or something.

The tablescape: palm tree things for sure.

I will come back to discuss the show after 11:30 EST.

[chiffonade]

Originally Posted by Kerryclan

Hey, All: SandySlop is making a "Tropical Dinner Theme" today. This should be hysterical!
I will come back to discuss the show after 11:30 EST.

Start a new thread! Reply here and tell me where you'll put it.

[Kerryclan]

O.K., Chiff. I'll put it in Cooks Corner under title: Tropical Dinner SLop.

[chiffonade]

Originally Posted by Kerryclan

O.K., Chiff. I'll put it in Cooks Corner under title: Tropical Dinner SLop.

Thanks - we TIVO it and I will watch it later today.

[100folds]

Originally Posted by chiffonade

Mezzaluna - When I used to live in NYC and worked 8-4, I got home about 4:45 and I prepared a meal every night as well (GOD I miss those days!). I'd buy a veal shoulder chop, quick brown it, add a can of cut up whole peeled tomatoes, onions, garlic, wine, S&P, maybe some basil; simmer 1 hour - while I did some chore or caught up on news. How the heck did I know I'd pine for those days! I'd use leftover macaroni (or spaghetti) from Sunday and make a Pasta Pie (like a big macaroni fritatta) during the week. Leftover BBQ chix for a Chicken Salad.

Everything from scratch? Much as I'd love for that to be possible, I've scheduled myself out of most of my time. I live in a place where there is no other way to commute than driving. I'm on the road one hour to work, one hour fro.

There are plenty of great shortcuts or "plan ahead" type stuff one can do to eat decent food during the week. I usually buy some peppers and mushrooms and saute them off on Sunday for use during the week. I use leftover meat the same way - sometimes throwing together a quick quesadilla with chicken breast and veggies or a quick pasta dish using same.

I'm not even going to address that she recommends using these "techniques" for parties or holiday celebrations! (The horrible angel food cakes were used to commemorate Kwanzaa, Christmas and the mountain o'crap you mention was a DOUBLE DECKER monstrosity.)

As for her food being terrible - It's terrible for anyone who has a tastebud. The wretched combinations of a box of this mixed with a can of that - squeeze something out of a ziplock bag all over it and it's gourmet...Her whole schtick is downright comedic. (And we laugh every week .)

As for her having a cooking show...Her husband's wallet probably had more to do with that than her cooking skill. She frequently misuses culinary terms, even at their most rudimentary. During one recent show she claimed "Italians eat family style which means everyone eats in the kitchen." Family style means everything is served on platters instead of individually plated Have you ever seen the way she holds a knife? With her pointer finger resting on the back of the blade. When she prepares one of her concoctions (I refuse to call them recipes), the one she's working on looks nothing like the "display" model created by a production assistant. The display model might taste like garbage, but at least it looks good.

There are times I throw together something quick out of leftovers or frozen veggies, canned beans, etc. Nothing is fake and it doesn't take long (I'm ready to collapse by the time I get home most nights). There is more crap than anything else in her envelopes of sauce mix and chemical-laden boxed food - which she uses with reckless abandon.

Most anyone who has ever measured out a level cup of flour feels this woman is a hack on so many levels, it's hard to count them. Her "food" is not economical (which is one of her selling points). It will never measure up to anything prepared out of real ingredients, even if there are very few of them.

I guess I'm most disappointed in TVFN for airing such fluff crap. I remember when TVFN had some measure of credibility and now only about 40% of its content is anything usable. I categorize this show with "Unwrapped" and "Secret Life Of..." It's certainly not a cooking show.

That's great that you have found a way to manage your time to make healthy, tasty, interesting food. But I know from experience that many people in this world do not know and further more do not know that it can be cheaper and easier than buying the convience foods or making things half ***. Ive worked in many kithchens where my staff thinks that a tomatoe sauce is crushed tomatoes with tomatoe paste and some herbs and spices. While Im charging my customers 30 - 40 dollars a plate for this lazy ****. I learned quickly that it was my duty to educate my staff on how a tomatoe sauce is properly prepared. It was something I thought was common knowledge but as it turned out, it wasnt common at all. If fact most people dont know how a tomatoe sauce is actually made, do you?
I think that maybe instead of juding the individuals that dont know certain things, you should teach them and the ones that know more than you, you should learn from.

[chiffonade]

I think that maybe instead of juding the individuals that dont know certain things, you should teach them and the ones that know more than you, you should learn from.

I fully agree on both counts. No matter WHERE I go, the subject turns to cooking. I don't know why this happens - I don't generally steer the conversation that way but something comes up and down the merry path of spatula and saucepan we roam, tra la. The person with whom this happens is usually thrilled to learn something, as I am to teach it.

By the same token, I am an absolute SPONGE around cooks I respect. I hope to never stop learning either from books or people (friends, family acquaintances..he11, I'm not proud). Anyone who truly prides themselves on cooking skill never stops learning. Anyone who feels they know it all is someone around whom I don't need to be.

I don't judge those who don't know how to prepare healthful, delicious food. I judge those who think Sandra Lee's mess is acceptable because they're lazy and ignorant. On another board called Cassandra Crossing, we have many converts who used to think cake mix was food. They asked questions, shared experiences and some actually remembered having real food at the hand of parents or relatives or friends' moms. People tend to become nostalgic for such fare, and ultimately try to reproduce it. For this, they must learn at least the basics. Once they see it's not brain surgery, they come back for more and eventually cake mix is just a bad memory.

Sandra Lee is dangerous. Not only to the health of those who actually practice her particular brand of heinous chemistry - but to future culinarians. Watching Mario Batali or Ina Garten won't hurt you in the kitchen. Sandra Lee teaches no worthwhile lessons with her boxed, canned and bagged concoctions and she's stunting the culinary growth of anyone who watches her show - unless they view in the recommended light of pure comedy.