Kitchen

[PamelaSue72]

On 4/22/2014 Gloria said:

One of my favorite recipes of hers is her Pan-Fried Onion Dip. Always a hit!

ETA that I don't use the cayenne (the regular pepper is enough for us) and I use only a little salt (regular, not Kosher).

That's one of my favorites, too! It's decadently good. I have found, however, that I can cut back to about half of the butter and the oil when sauteing the onions and that still works out well. That dip is a favorite around here. I do use the cayenne, though, because I like the kick.

Love her Asparagus and Leeks recipe, too. It's a holiday favorite here. And her Chinese Chicken Salad is wonderful. Many Ina favorites around here.

[glitzandglam]

On 4/22/2014 JeanLouiseFinch said:

On 4/22/2014 faeriemoon said:

On 4/22/2014 BeckiWV said:

On 4/22/2014 JeanLouiseFinch said:

I enjoy watching her cook, but the set-ups are always so contrived and scripted that it's a bit ridiculous. I'm not doubting that they love one another and enjoy their lives together, but that's also made me wonder how scripted the sweetness between Ina and Jeffrey might be. I was also disappointed when I read in this forum that she refused to grant a "Make a Wish" request to a sick child a few years ago. That has altered my opinion of her as a person.

I believe I heard that Ms. Garten did not refuse the child and that she didn't even know about the request.

Yes, and when she heard about it she tried to rearrange her schedule to accomodate the request, but the family had already chosen a different "wish" to fulfill.

When I did a little research, just now, it seems that the boy made the request twice and both times was denied. Once it reached the public and there seemed to be a bit of a kerfuffle because it seemed he was being turned down while Ina had plenty of time to host some of the hoity toity set from The Hamptons. In the end, Ina contacted the family, willing to meet with them and their son, but the parents decided against it because they didn't want to put anymore stress on their son, and opted for a different wish. It might not be as bad as it sounds, but for the two refusals. Yes, Ina may have tried to mend things, but all the circumstances surrounding the controversy were unfortunate.

This is what I heard, as well. She is really not as nice of a person as she would like viewers to think. I stopped watching her after I read about this.

[peachesncream]

I'm a fan. Hers is the only show on Food Network that I still watch. (I say still because I watched the original shows, like Sara Moulton's live show - which was excellent. I still miss that one.)

I have a lot of respect for Garten. She is a self-made woman and has led a very interesting life. I wouldn't want her life, because having children was so important to me, but I respect her choices and the success she's achieved.

Ina's recipes are the ones I use and trust the most, when it comes to celebrity chefs. Her recipes aren't intimidating. She has simple preparations that let the flavors of food shine.

When it comes to everyday meals, I cook more like Elie Krieger than Ina. I consider most of Ina's recipes to be special occasion food, although she does have some great healthy recipes, too.

[GOLDEN KAREN]

I always watch her shows & really like her - she's genuine. The only place I cut back is on the amounts of pepper she uses. I like it for seasoning just not as much as she does. A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to go to a talk with q & a session she gave in Kansas City (I was visiting my cousin) & her latest book (at that time) was included in the ticket price. I remember someone asked her what questions she was asked most often. The number one question she said was ""Where's Jeffrey?"" We really had a nice time & I enjoyed what she had to say.

[Love Accessories]

She is absolutely my favorite person to watch. Her recipes that I have tried always turn out to be very good, and I have several of her cookbooks. My daughter and son-in-law think she is boring, but my son and daughter-in-law think she is wonderful and also make a lot of her recipes. My little 4 year old grandson loves to watch her with me, and says "ooh, that looks yummy", all the time!

[NaturalBornWoman]

Love Ina - do adjust the salt in some of her recipes. Make her blender hollandaise a lot!

Here's 'how to' video for those interest:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-asparagus-with-hollandaise-recipe.html

[CLEM]

I like Ina too and it seems to me that they are really nice people.

But should she and her husband ever have a tiff, I am sure they would not show it on her cooking show.

[glmama]

I love Ina's sense of taste in all things and her approach to cooking and entertaining. So, YES, I'm fan.

[terrier3]

I like watching the Pioneer Woman, but her recipes are boring and not very tasty, IMO.

She made a chicken pasta dish recently that was like Chicken Riggies minus the flavor!

[chi5925]

I like Ina and use many of her recipes.

She's the only left on the Food Network that is worth watching, IMO.

She's calm, doesn't show cleavage, doesn't talk fast, doesn't lick her fingers, doesn't constantly say "you guys" (personally, I do not like that saying-I'm not a guy, last I looked), and she speaks proper English (no EVOO).