Look what I found while poking around on Serious Eats

[AwakeAtLast]

Pop Torture: The Sandra Lee Dinner Party
Our writer prepares and serves the cake Anthony Bourdain called “a war crime on television.”

http://entertainment.nerve.com/2010/03/24/pop-torture-the-sandra-lee-dinner-party

A must-read! :rofl:

[Warpy]

1. That reminds me of "Steve! Don't eat that!"

Somehow the Kwaanza cake just isn't the same without those full sized candles jammed into it. They might be the most edible part.

All of Lee's stuff does sound good until you get to the last few ingredients. The author was right about that one.

And that dip did look like a pan full of diarrhea.

[The empressof all]

2. Poor Sandra Lee.....

I know I'm in the minority but I have to give that Sandra Lee some High Fives and Love. She came from a rather difficult back ground and really is a true example of someone who worked hard to get where she is. I give her a great deal of credit. I think she's a hoot and a half. There are millions and millions of folks out there who don't cook at all and who have absolutely no comfort level in the kitchen. They wouldn't know their EVOO from Balsamic and the "fancy" food is just not something that they would gravitate towards. Think in your own life how many people you know who don't like garlic or onions. Jeeeze we even have people on DU who don't like....Cheese! :wow: :hug:

If she gets folks to open their minds to adding some frozen veggies to their boxed mac and cheese I say Bravo Sandy!..... I occasionally watch her shows and sometimes I learn things or am reminded to do things. The other day for example I saw her do her Indian Food ...I won't be making her version of Chicken Masala but she did give a good reminder of using seeds on dough. I don't bake often but now will remember to use up those seseme seeds on the next batch of focaccia I make.

Withoug cooks like Sandra we'd never have the Fluffer Nutter Sandwich or those meatballs with the jelly and chili sauce. And I'm not so Pure as to say the world would be a better place without a good grilled cheese with American Cheese on white bread.

She may not hit a homerun everyweek for us experienced in the kitchen but she's a damn fine coach for the rookie league.

[AwakeAtLast]

3. I agree with everything you say

but I also think her Kwanzaa cake should have never seen the light of day.

[Warpy]

4. I agree with you to a point

and that point is the last few ingredients on her list which usually render something plastic but inoffensive downright awful. An angel food cake with chocolate frosting wouldn't have been bad but with canned apple pie filling dumped into the middle, it was bloody awful. So it goes with all of her other stuff. The woman just doesn't know when to quit and must have a palate made of hardwood.

Any tentative cook who tries this stuff is going to come away with their low opinion of their cooking ability intact and while they might watch Lee again, they'll be eating takeout while they do it.

That's why I want the silly cow off the air.

Love her or hate her, at least Rachel Ray produced edible food and she did so cutting reasonable corners like using precut vegetables. That's who the tentative cooks in the world need to watch, not the horrible Lee.

[tigereye]

6. a palate made of hardwood!

:yourock: That's a great one. :rofl:

[The empressof all]

8. Oooooh Woman!

You're a tough cookie with the cooking...boy. I agree the Kwanza cake was in a league of it's own. I'm sure that came about after one too many of her cocktails I'm sure!

[tigereye]

5. nice analogy, and I suppose I often feel the same way about people who

actually get people to read, even if it's only Danielle Steele. :scared:


At least they are cooking with a bit more imagination, or reading...

[EFerrari]

13. I wouldn't call that imagination as much as impunity.

:rofl:

[GoCubsGo]

9. Yeah, poor Sandra...

...laughing all the way to the bank. More power to her. Anyone who includes a cocktail in every episode is okay with me. I don't understand the animosity toward her or Rachel Ray. Not everyone wants to be a chef. Some only want to put a meal on the table that their family will eat and enjoy. They at least introduce people, who might not otherwise try them, to new ingredients, like couscous, guavas, and the like. Lots of people out there consider things like that to be really exotic. Hell, I know people who never tried broccoli until they were in their 40s.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. And that's her audience. Nobody actually cooks the stuff on Emeril or...

most of the other shows 'cause it's too tough to find the ingredients, or time, or there's some other excuse. Emeril knows this, and if you watch closely there's something missing in his demos-- if you want to cook it, go to the website and get the full recipe and technique.

Personally, I tried two Of Paula Dean's "recipes" and while they looked good on paper, the results were horrific-- and I really tried to get them right because the ideas seemed so good.

Lee, otoh, doesn't pretend. Sure, I wish she would use use whipped cream, buttercream is too much to hope for, instead of that white goop in the plastic pot, but her people have never baked a cupcake, and had no idea what a trifle was until she threw some stuff in a big bowel. You gotta start somewhere.

Some of her stuff is crap, but not all of it. Besides, I'd love to see how the food snobs who regularly trash her feed themselves when no one is looking.

(Really could do without the tablescapes, though-- there's good taste, and bad taste, but no taste is the worst of all)

[The empressof all]

11. Her new show about cooking less expensive meals is pretty good

She made a veal dish over Polenta yesterday that looked really good. She also did a nice looking eggplant parm. She offered some pretty good money saving tips and cooked all the food pretty much from scratch. :wow: Of course there was the obligatory cocktail...but ya know it didn't look half bad.

[Retrograde]

14. was that the polenta with the white chocolate chips?

No, I'm not making that up: see her recipe.

I have to disagree: Sandy's the Food Network's sitcom. If you ever get a chance catch some of her older shows - they're a hoot. BTW, she contradicts herself from week to week, not just about costs and savings but about her life story. Anyone who thinks that a tofu and yogurt cocktail is a good idea (no, not making that one up either) is not someone I take advice from.

[The empressof all]

15. Yeah that one was from her semi homemade show

Looks pretty awful.

I drink tofu and yogurt shakes all the time. Many of them would be delicious with a bit of Rum. My defense of Sandy stands. There is a large segment of the population out there who doesn't know there's a difference between scallions and chives. Her shows are designed for them. Her recipes are quick and she presents them in a way that is not intimidating. I'm an extremely experienced and competent home cook who thinks she is a hoot and a half but I still enjoy seeing what she comes up with. She's not on my TIVO list but if I'm flipping through the channels and I see her on I'll give her a few minutes to see what she's up to.

[tigereye]

7. Bourdain is amazing... thanks for a fun read

[me b zola]

12. I always thought that Sandra was better suited for DIY network

Her show always struck me as something that a crafter would get into, foodies, not so much.