You see above my simplified take on Giada De Laurentiis' recipe for Eggplant Timbale from her show Everyday Italian. (No, I didn't mold the dish into a torte like she does, but mine took a fraction of the time.)
I know. I don't usually write about TV.
An explanation:
I've been a little under the weather, a little absentee. In fact, I spent the last 2 weeks recovering from some medical drama, but all's well now. I'm absolutely fine.
During my convalescence, with little to do but rest and heal, I watched, let's just say, more TV than I've seen in the past 10 years. Morning. Noon. Night. It's amazing I'm here to tell the tale.
The Today Show, the View, Ellen, Oprah, Larry King, Letterman and Jon Stewart filled my days and nights with their eclectic mix of inanity, drivel, bombast, and humor.
Oh, and the Food Network. Can't forget the FN.
Now, I'd heard about Paula Deen. I'd read about Paula Deen. I'd seen her cookbooks and empathized with her story. But I'd never watched her show. Never seen her cook the food for which she is so very famous.
Oh. My. God.
On the episode I watched, she made a Gobble Cobbler Pie with canned green beans, 1 cup EACH mayonnaise and sour cream, 2 cups cheddar, rice, turkey, and peppers. Her Chicken Boudine used canned mushrooms and pimentos, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, and 3 cups of cheese. On one episode, with Katie Lee Joel, she made a crab benedict. I'll love Billy Joel to my grave, but watching Katie Lee chop the red bell peppers gave me a laugh that hurt. This cookbook author tossed the seeds right into the bowl.
Am I the only one who doesn't understand the nationwide appeal of Ms. Deen and her cuisine?
