Had it with the Food Channel...

[cassiesmom]

Is anyone out there (besides me) following The Next Iron Chef? I was rooting for Chef Mullen, but he's been eliminated. If Chef Mehta wins I might need to have a chat with the Chairman. Chef Mehta's kaiseki preparation was over the top with all those flowers. Go, Chef Garces, go!

I stumbled into Guy Fieri and his son cooking together - it looked like the topic was Thanksgiving leftovers. I thought it was nice to see him with his son! They were making sort of a one-dish meal with potatoes, tomatoes, and leftover roasted turkey. I came into it part way through so I'm not sure what all Guy had in the pan before he added the tomatoes.

[Karen]

Is anyone out there (besides me) following The Next Iron Chef? I was rooting for Chef Mullen, but he's been eliminated. If Chef Mehta wins I might need to have a chat with the Chairman. Chef Mehta's kaiseki preparation was over the top with all those flowers. Go, Chef Garces, go!

I am, I kind of like Chef Mehta's exuberance, but maybe that's just me! I was rooting for Amanda Freitag, but she got eliminated, so it'll be interesting to see which one wins.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Chef Mehta did a regular Iron Chef not too long ago. I forget who it was against. He almost won the battle. He seemed more versatile in that one than he has on the Next Iron Chef competition. I am voting for Chef Garces right now. Chef Mehta just seems like somebody I wouldn't want to watch on a regular basis.

I'm still shocked that Amanda Freitag was eliminated. We needed another woman in the Iron Chef group !!!

[Pinot's Mom]

I'm following the Next Iron Chef, too, and I was rooting for Amanda Freitag as well. In lieu of that; I actually like Chef Mehta - I think he is a more versatile chef. I wouldn't argue with either, though, they both seem very good.

[RICHARD]

I think Chef Mehta will win.

Again, the TVFN is searching for the ethnic angle...

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


LOLOLOLOL,

I just busted Tyler Florence.

(I do have a love/hate relationship with this channel.)

TF was making turkey mole (moh-Leh) - turkey cooked in a chocolate/cinnamon sauce.

Ewwww.......I have never cared for anything sweet with meat. I don't like it.

Anyway, TF starts with "mexcan cinnamon"-they look like regular cinnamon sticks to me, then he breaks out the "Oaxaca Chocolate".

"Chocolate from Oaxaca"- he says..

(Oaxaca is a state in Mexico!)

DUDE!

He pulls it out of plastic wrap and I see that it's a mexican style of chocolate
called "La Abuelita"-The Granny/Grandmother.

It comes in wheels that have the name stamped on them - Nestle' is the company that mass produces the chocolate for the Mexican market.

Now, people will think that TF is cooking with a 'real mex' chocolate, and in a sense he is....But, you can get the same stuff all over Mexico and in your local Mex restaurant.

That's the kind of tom foolery that makes me laugh and dislike some of the programs and hosts on TVFN.

Yeah, I understand the idea of wanting to make a dish that is true to the original, but when they try and pass off regular ingredients as original?

[Daisy and Delilah]

Good for you, Richard. I saw part of that show but I wasn't able to pay close attention.

I like Tyler Florence but he talks so fast, I have a hard time keeping up with him sometimes.

[RICHARD]

From the link...
I was curious who sits in the audience at the IC tapings...

The smell is intoxicating, even for savory foods at 8:00 a.m. As the shooting wrapped by lunch time, I was horrified to see the crew dump all the food into the trash. I guess next time I'll come as a judge -- I can't watch, hear, and smell all that food without tasting it!

http://www.superchefblog.com/2005/05...f-america.html

Seriously,

How can they do that? They advert the "food for millions" food drives they have, yet, they toss top notch food items into the trash?


I think I get it.

[cassiesmom]

Is anyone out there (besides me) following The Next Iron Chef? I was rooting for Chef Mullen, but he's been eliminated. If Chef Mehta wins I might need to have a chat with the Chairman. Chef Mehta's kaiseki preparation was over the top with all those flowers. Go, Chef Garces, go!

Morimoto, BF and (especially) Michael Symon seemed to like Chef Garces better than Chef Mehta. Interesting to listen to the judges and the Iron Chefs discussing the competitors. I got the impression Mehta had a couple of mistakes in his dishes that should not have occurred at that level.

[Karen]

I knew as soon as someone said their burger was raw that Chef Mehta's chances were low, serving raw pork is a complete no-no. It was sad, I was kind of rooting for him until that point!

[RICHARD]

When I die?

I am not going to heaven.

And it's all Paula Deen's fault.


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

I saw last night that she was at some kind of charity event and was hit in the face with a ham.....


I really laughed more than I should have.

She's O.K., but mom always said?


Don't play with your food!

[RICHARD]

Jennifer Garner likes the Barefoot Contessa...

She really loves Ina Garten's 'Barefoot Contessa:' "I tried to get on Ina's show. I tried to use my, well, you know...I say, use what you have to make the world better or for yourself! But eventually she just said, 'I'm sorry, I only use my real friends on the show.' I felt like, What are you saying? That we're not friends? I know everything about you!"


http://www.popeater.com/2009/12/09/j...-w-magazine%2F

-------------------
Guy Fieri is doing a tour....
I'll post the link later!

http://www.dailynews.com/lalife/ci_13953666

[RICHARD]

I love (hate) the Food Channel.

If I am feeling crappy or have to deride someone, I load up on the NERF gun and tune in the the FC.

After a few minutes of target practice, I feel better.

Today, I tuned into Raychul Rae and she was doing some kind of hour long special on Christmas party food.

She was making cheese balls in olive oil and herbs and goes off to the local cheese shop to buy cheese for the party. She is making an antipasti platter?

I was trying to check out the prices-they had the little signs that have the little wire prongs on the bottom that get pushed into the cheese.

She checks out some 9.99 (looked like) cheeses, then the clerk pushes a 23.99 dollar a pound cheese on her-which, of course, she has to buy.

She walked out with two bags that I guesstimate weighed about 6-7 lbs.

I figure she spent about 75 bucks there.
She goes off to a meat market and buys some sausage and other meat.

I had lost interest by that time.

I love to watch food programs, but, I still get irritated by the claim that it's a meal that you can put up in your kitchen.

That 24 dollar cheese is probably 32 dollars in lost angeles.

I really doubt that RR would even consider her purchases if the FC didn't pay for them?

-------------------------
Christmas really is a time for family and feasting.

I have always thought that if you invite me into your home and feed me a meal, I would gladly eat a can of dog food on account of your courtesy.

(Cat food smells too funny....)

So, I could buy a brick of velveeta, toothpicks some chips, stuff for salsa and a 12 pack of Pabst and have a rocking party. All that for 24 dollars and maybe I'll have a paper dollar to buy a lotto scratcher?

And to all?
A good night!

[Medusa]

I have always thought that if you invite me into your home and feed me a meal, I would gladly eat a can of dog food on account of your courtesy.

(Cat food smells too funny....)

So, I could buy a brick of velveeta, toothpicks some chips, stuff for salsa and a 12 pack of Pabst and have a rocking party. All that for 24 dollars and maybe I'll have a paper dollar to buy a lotto scratcher?

And to all?
A good night!

I love this, RICHARD. My sentiment exactly. I'm always thrilled when I receive an invitation. It's the company that I appreciate and the effort that's put into serving a meal or snack or whatever.

Hey, have you tried Mario Batali's jar pasta sauce? I usually have a container of sauce in the freezer b/c I make a batch when the boy comes home, then I freeze it. But I didn't have any left this time and I was in the mood for spaghetti but didn't feel like making a batch so I tried his sauce. The tomato basil is really good. It's light and isn't made w/puree. If you want a quick, light, meatless sauce, give it a whirl. I'm sure I'll play around w/it later and add a few ingredients but for right now, it's good. If you've tried it, let me know what you think.

[RICHARD]

I love this, RICHARD. My sentiment exactly. I'm always thrilled when I receive an invitation. It's the company that I appreciate and the effort that's put into serving a meal or snack or whatever.

Hey, have you tried Mario Batali's jar pasta sauce? I usually have a container of sauce in the freezer b/c I make a batch when the boy comes home, then I freeze it. But I didn't have any left this time and I was in the mood for spaghetti but didn't feel like making a batch so I tried his sauce. The tomato basil is really good. It's light and isn't made w/puree. If you want a quick, light, meatless sauce, give it a whirl. I'm sure I'll play around w/it later and add a few ingredients but for right now, it's good. If you've tried it, let me know what you think.

I am very old fashioned about food and eating at someone's home.

I would rather see a table of 'real' food, than a spread of fancy stuff that I cannot pronounce or spell. One funny part about that RR show was her discussion with the clerk/owner of the cheee store.

I think the expensive cheese had truffles in it....during the clip she mentions that the viewers can pick up a cheese with mushrooms in it if we can't find the truffle kind. Hmm, I guess us suckers will have to make do with what we can find?

I have never seen the MB sauces.

I tend to stay away from 'name brand' sauces. The get kinda pricey and sometimes are too sweet.

I do stock up on canned, flavored sauces, then, as you do, punch them up with other ingredients when I make spaghetti.

I'll keep my eye peeled for it next time I go shopping.

Thanks!

[Karen]

So what did you all think of the Top Chef finale?

It's funny how little we knew some of the chefs - it was "oh, yeah, her!" and I bet they were all relieved to not pick Robin out of the knife block!