Had it with the Food Channel...

**RICHARD** · 01-15-2009, 03:15 PM

Did anyone see the Paula Deen, Aaron show they did together?

FN has ruined that poor dude. It was way over the top with 'character'.

I wanted to watch more of it, but my head started to cave in!

**Daisy and Delilah** · 01-15-2009, 09:00 PM

I read yesterday that RR didn't need the surgery after all. She just needed voice training. I don't think this was a surprise to anybody.

**Daisy and Delilah** · 01-17-2009, 09:28 AM

Richard,

This morning at 9:30, our time here on the east coast.......there was a new show called "Viva Daisy"(I think that was it). This lady was cooking Mexican style food with a healthy twist.
I hope you get to see it and give us your opinion. I enjoyed it.

**jennielynn1970** · 01-17-2009, 10:45 AM

I saw Viva Daisy too! She's originally from the PBS channel, and I have one of her cookbooks. I remember her being thinner and having shorter hair. She cooks really down home latin foods. You really have to check her out. She's great. You might want to look for her old PBS shows too, Daisy Cooks. I'm worried they're going to try to "food network" her show and make her less of what I liked watching. They already have her hair different, although maybe she decided that herself.

Here's her cookbook, which I have.

**Daisy and Delilah** · 01-17-2009, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by jenn_librarian

I saw Viva Daisy too! She's originally from the PBS channel, and I have one of her cookbooks. I remember her being thinner and having shorter hair. She cooks really down home latin foods. You really have to check her out. She's great. You might want to look for her old PBS shows too, Daisy Cooks. I'm worried they're going to try to "food network" her show and make her less of what I liked watching. They already have her hair different, although maybe she decided that herself.

Here's her cookbook, which I have.

Thanks Jennie. I'll check it out. I hope FN doesn't "adapt" her so much that she changes to someone obnoxious.

They seem to be really good at that.

**Karen** · 01-17-2009, 12:49 PM

Yeah, I had the DVR recording Aaron's show, but just told it not to bother. They've made him pretty much unwatchable. I liked him before they made him a "PERSONALITY" - one can have a personality and still be calm!

**RICHARD** · 01-17-2009, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Daisy and Delilah

I hope you get to see it and give us your opinion. I enjoyed it.

I always wanted to be a writer!

RR's production company is footing the bills for this new 'Daisy' program. Is the other "latina" cook still on? She is a staple on the Mexican language channel stations in EL LAY.....toned down but still cooking with cleavage!

I missed the show this morning! I kept thinking to post a reminder about it and forgot. I was distracted about the new Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef!

I remember catching Daisy Duke on PBS, but didn't stay too long. PBs has always had a great rep for bringing good cooking programs to the tube. Rick Bayless is the top and there used to be an elderly woman, who I cannot remember her name, that made the 'real thing'.

Here's the deal-

Mexican cooking is as varied as any large country's cuisine.

Examples?

France, Spain and Germany influenced the cooking and culture of Mexico, the southern edge of the country's cooking is influenced by the Central American states-and even Cuba has a little part of he pie.

I can watch the "Mexican" cooking shows for entertainment only because the Mex cooking I grew up with is different than the regional dishes that get put on the air.

Tamales?

You can have Southern tamales, middle tamales and nothern ones!

The 'wraps' change - you can get a banana leave wrapped tamale from the south, one wrapped in a corn husk in the central part of the country and closer to the northern border you get the 'bastardized' tamales -wrapped in paper because some gringos won't do the organic wrappers!

I used the term GRINGO with affection, so complain to the newspaper, not me!

Menudo, tripe soup, varies too! You can get it white, red, with or without hominy!

Beans! Black beans are more a southern and Gulf offering, Pintos more a nothern fare. Then you have the TEX MEX twists on what is plated in a restaurant closer to the U.S. border.

------------------------------

My only peeve about Mex cooking on T.V. is the availability of the food used,
Where I live there are tons of Mexican stores and when I trip thru the produce sections I find stuff that even I don't know what it's for. Many herbs and spices are used for their medicinal and food properties-so you can find all kinds of weird stuff.

Oh, I almost forget!

ANCHO CHILE POWDER! One of Booby Flay's faves!

The ground up powder is an 'invention' of the gringo again! If you walk into an older person's kitchen you will see the garlic 'tail', dried chiles and a bowl of veggies hanging around someplace!

Dried chiles that get stuck in humid places or get wet get moldy. Some one figured out that if you grind them up and bottle them, they travel and last longer. At the AMerican store you can find displays of chiles and herbs in cellophane packages-that's another MEX thing-when they shop in Mexico you have to see what is being sold-the markets are open air affairs with product out in the open. LITERALLY!

Anyway, I'll shut up now and see if they put the show on again!

Thanks for reminding me!

**jennielynn1970** · 01-17-2009, 03:19 PM

This is Daisy Martinez, not Daisy Duke, lol. She uses a lot of fresh herbs and spices. She's the one I found out how to make home made Sazon, and about the herbs culantro (not cilantro), and achiote seed. She was not a "wow" personality, but she talked about how her mother and grandmother cooked, even did shows out on a beach to show how they cooked there when they were with family. She had a really nice show on PBS.

**RICHARD** · 01-17-2009, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by jenn_librarian

This is Daisy Martinez, not Daisy Duke, lol. She uses a lot of fresh herbs and spices. She's the one I found out how to make home made Sazon, and about the herbs culantro (not cilantro), and achiote seed. She was not a "wow" personality, but she talked about how her mother and grandmother cooked, even did shows out on a beach to show how they cooked there when they were with family. She had a really nice show on PBS.

Martinez? Duke? What do I know?

The flavors that you get from 'native' palnts is amazing. But, those plants or herbs are not always available everywhere and I really hate to see the prices on line. I mentioned that I pay 1.18 for a bottle of fruit seasoning and online it costs 4.95 plus s/h!

That's criminal!

I'll have to watch her. I like the COOKING shows and don't mind the storytelling.

-------

Oh,

There is one "MEX" veggie that really give me the heebie jeebies.

IT's called a chayote (chai yo teh) It's a squash-like veggie, looks like a green pear and about the same size. Kinda sweet, my dad loved them and would cook this soup and use them in the recipe. For some reason I could never get behind them, these days I see them in a store and want to buy one and cook one, just to punish myself!

**Daisy and Delilah** · 01-17-2009, 04:00 PM

Yes, Richard. Ingrid Hoffman is still on. I really like her. I didn't at first but I do now.

I just went shopping and saw chayote. I think I've seen someone use them on the Booby Flake grill show. They look strange and flavorless.

We're fortunate to have some selection of Mexican products here but I don't know what to do with them. You are a wealth of knowledge, Richard. I really enjoy reading about different things. Thanks.

Daisy is pretty straightforward right now. She's all about cooking and not trying to audition for Broadway.