WTH! Paula Deen...

[GordonCooks]

After catching a few minutes of Paula Deen's euro vacation - she shoots to the top of my most annoying food personality list.

[Joisey]

I worked at a hotel where we used to throw cinnamon rolls, danishes, profiteroles, Croissants, muffins, whatever we had laying around in the bread pudding.

Honestly, is it any worse for you than making French Toast out of Brioche?

[MissAmy]

It makes me sad when people dis Paula, but I can understand why some of ya'll don't get her.

Her cooking is very region specific, and much of it emerges out of an era when canned goods had to do. She cooks A LOT like my grandmothers and my great-aunts, did, and the way my mother did back in the day before she changed her ways a lot. The thing with the "Mexican" chicken casserole is very similar to casseroles I ate growing up. These days, I probably wouldn't make it, but I also know that it is probably good in a guilty sort of way. Don't knock it 'till you've tried it.

My Paula Deen cookbook sits alongs side Bouchon on my cooking shelf. Blasphemy? Maybe. But I like her, I particularly like her dessert recipes, and they've always been huge hits when I serve them to others. Isn't that the point of cooking for other people, anyway? To make stuff they're going to like and enjoy?

[carpetbagger, esq.]

fwiw, fellow eg member whifflechef serves (or served) a kk bread pudding at his restaurant, tayst.

[JennotJenn]

I've heard from several people that the food at her restaurant was disappointing. My dad was in Savannah and was thinking about eating there, but he looked in the window of the restaurant first and decided that nothing looked good, so he skipped it.

I'm ok with her style of cooking. I collect church cookbooks, after all, which seems to be where most of her recipes come from. But I wouldn't eat much of it, and I'm not sure I want to see a tv show devoted to it.

I'm from Winston-Salem, and I love my Kripsies (but not the glazed ones so much...lemon filled to cut the sweetness a little is the best), but ewwwww, fruit cocktail. WTH? Gah. Fruit cocktail is NASTY, and no amount of Krispy Kreme donuts can remedy that. Anyway, I've heard they're good grilled and topped with ice cream.

[Andrew Fenton]

I've heard from several people that the food at her restaurant was disappointing. My dad was in Savannah and was thinking about eating there, but he looked in the window of the restaurant first and decided that nothing looked good, so he skipped it.

Oh, there's nothing wrong with the Lady and Sons. I have no opinion on Paula Deen as a TV personality-- I've never watched her-- but I've eaten at the restaurant several times, and my in-laws have eaten her food for ages.

I'm not going to claim that the restaurant has the best Southern food out there; it doesn't. But the buffet offers a good selection of reliably well-prepared dishes, and the restaurant is always crowded enough that there's a lot of turnover: everything stays fresh, crisp, et cetera. The downside is that there's usually a long wait, which I think turns off a lot of locals. Still, it's a good choice for downtown Savannah.

[Bombdog]

Her accent is over the top - the "ya'll" is just simply TOO exaggerated, and dropped into her banter TOO often to be natural. Her manner reminds me so much of my dear departed ex Mother in Law that I can't help but think of her every time I see Paula Deen, and I suppose I have transferred some of the love I felt for that lady unto this lady. Having said that, my ex Mother in Law got on my nerves from time to time, as well.

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Not sure where you're from...but in these parts of South Carolina, not that far from Savannah, Paula's accent sounds pretty normal to me.

[cowpati]

After catching a few minutes of Paula Deen's euro vacation - she shoots to the top of my most annoying food personality list.

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her 'older' show were interesting. but, the take on making her new 'hubby' part of the scene is going to be a downfall. he might be a nice guy but he has no tv personality and i think he knows that. he can barely look at the camera while she blathers on about him.

all of a sudden the show is about the boys, their new show, and her husband (who seems to be an albatross on stage.)

sad.

[GordonCooks]

After catching a few minutes of Paula Deen's euro vacation - she shoots to the top of my most annoying food personality list.

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her 'older' show were interesting. but, the take on making her new 'hubby' part of the scene is going to be a downfall. he might be a nice guy but he has no tv personality and i think he knows that. he can barely look at the camera while she blathers on about him.

all of a sudden the show is about the boys, their new show, and her husband (who seems to be an albatross on stage.)

sad.

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I'm not really addressing her cooking (which in my opinion is over the top ridiculous as far as the amounts of butter, cream, mayo etc) but the entire show, some of the comments regarding english cuisine (Black pudding, etc, ) were rather inane. You can't help but wonder why people have this caricature of the typical american tourist.

I'm sure she's probably nice as pie as a person but I just don't care for her as a TV personality.

edit grammar

Edited July 19, 2006 by GordonCooks (log)

[Grub]

I don't like the notion that someone might be professionally disadvantaged or looked down upon, merely because of their accent -- that's simply linguistic racism. Of course, having an accent might make people percieve you in a more positive manner -- a French cook, an English intellectual, or (negatively) an English villain.

Methinks Paula Deen just might utilize her accent to come across as a good ol Southern gal. You know, some ol gal who just takes life easy, enjoys cooking up some good ol Southern food, and I dunno, says "ya'll" a lot and does whatever a stereotypical good ol Souther gal is supposed to do. Methinks she's sort of overdoing it a bit.

No, I tell a lie -- she's overdoing it a lot. If Paula Deen was Irish, her show would consist of her getting smashed on Guinness and going on about her lucky charms.

She really is over the top.

[C_Ruark]

Ginger cake bread pudding?  That's sounds intriguing.  Is the cake really cake-like? Do you let it dry out a bit before making the dish? 

Any chance you could post the recipe?

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Off-topic: but I glanced and saw Toliver's post

Know you're asking someone else, but...

Ginger bread pudding rocks; love the spice already but I REALLY like the sweet/spicy combo here.

Top-shelf Ginger Pudding - simplified version :

I bake a white bread with grated ginger (follow your fave raisin-bread recipe as a guide) to start. Go on to make the pudding as instructed. For a simple sauce: a redux of a good ginger beer, cinnamon, and a little sugar. You can cut it with birch beer to widen the flavor a bit.

Play around with the idea, I had a lot of fun arriving at the plating we use. If you come up with a good product, please let me know. I like hearing about new variations.

~ C

Edited July 19, 2006 by C_Ruark (log)

[annecros]

Her accent is over the top - the "ya'll" is just simply TOO exaggerated, and dropped into her banter TOO often to be natural. Her manner reminds me so much of my dear departed ex Mother in Law that I can't help but think of her every time I see Paula Deen, and I suppose I have transferred some of the love I felt for that lady unto this lady. Having said that, my ex Mother in Law got on my nerves from time to time, as well.

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Not sure where you're from...but in these parts of South Carolina, not that far from Savannah, Paula's accent sounds pretty normal to me.

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Well, personally I am from Albany, Georgia - Paula's "home" town. Actually, at least four generations in that part of the country, maybe six. My mother-in-law who was Paula Deen before Paula Deen got her on screen persona (and she must have met Doris, probably at church), was from Commerce, Texas. My ex-husband was from Effingham County, GA.

It is a "normal" thing for the "ladies" who genuinely love all, and work hard to feed them well, to exaggerate the accent and attitude. That said, it is still over the top, and meant to be that way.

I am not bashing her, I just know what she's up to, and I would think that she would readily admit it.

She does have a sense of humor, after all.

[carpetbagger, esq.]

i think she's perfect just the way she is.

[annecros]

I've heard from several people that the food at her restaurant was disappointing. My dad was in Savannah and was thinking about eating there, but he looked in the window of the restaurant first and decided that nothing looked good, so he skipped it.

Oh, there's nothing wrong with the Lady and Sons. I have no opinion on Paula Deen as a TV personality-- I've never watched her-- but I've eaten at the restaurant several times, and my in-laws have eaten her food for ages.

I'm not going to claim that the restaurant has the best Southern food out there; it doesn't. But the buffet offers a good selection of reliably well-prepared dishes, and the restaurant is always crowded enough that there's a lot of turnover: everything stays fresh, crisp, et cetera. The downside is that there's usually a long wait, which I think turns off a lot of locals. Still, it's a good choice for downtown Savannah.

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That's the point. Some of us know good southern food, other's don't.

Would it compare to what my granny, mom or I cook for our families? Nope. But I would wager that it would exceed a "Soul Food" place say, anywhere from the southern Maryland border north, and somewhere in Texas west. I've eaten at those places, and people thought they were doing me a favor.

If the only thing you have had is "soul food" from a kitchen somewhere in the industrialized, over populated Northeast, then the Lady and Son's is going to knock you dead, and you are better off for the experience. Just the locally sourced ingredients guarantee that.

I would wager. Dollars to KK Donughts.

Annie

[Kris]

...It does amaze me that southerners are bashed for their love of mayo. Shouldn't the French be bashed for the invention, AND the perpetuity of mayo and mayo based sauces in the lexicon of French Cooking? But they aren't. If a Frenchperson eats mayo, it is oh so cool. If a southern person in the US eats mayo, it is looked down on.

Word to the wise. They cannot look down on you if you are above them.

So funny. Egg yolks and oil. A rose by any other name.

I am a sinner I suppose. I prefer miracle whip. Hate mayo.

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Put a little garlic in it then call it aioli. Then your beloved mayo will be sophisticated.

I certainly don't hate Paula Deen and to be honest, I don't mind the rich ingredients like butter & cream.

But I don't particularly like watching a cooking show with recipes made with Campbell's soup and a bunch of pre-packaged ingredients. Sure it's comfort food for a lot of people and many people were raised on that kind of cooking, including my husband, since every meal my MIL made was like this.

When my husband & I were first married, I began to cook meals like my MIL thinking that's what he liked since his mom cooked that way. Then I realized that Lipton's onion soup mix, Hamburger helper, Campbell's soups, et. al. contained way too much salt, fat & preservatives. Then one day hubby told me that he considered his mom to be just an "okay" cook, but nothing like his late grandma from South Carolina who cooked & baked from scratch. Well that just did it for me!

So I've sworn off that type of cooking and want to learn more techniques on cooking with fresh ingredients, good ingredients and base ingredients made from scratch (e.g. chicken stock, tomato sauce, & pie crusts).

I'm not perfect and I certainly haven't achieved all of my goals yet. And I do take some shortcuts with canned tomatoes and canned beans. But when I see cooking shows that feature this type of cooking (e.g. Semi-homemade cooking with Sandra Lee and a few episodes of Paula Deen's show), I'm not thrilled. Because I don't think I'm really getting any real cooking instruction. That's more like assembling.

[jasie]

I made Paula's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake for Thanksgiving a few years ago and now I'm stuck with it.  If I tried to go back to pumpkin pie I think my family would divorce me.

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I made this a couple days ago to give to share in class. I had expected people to exclaim that it was too sweet or that it was weird but everyone loved it. Even my pumpkin pie hating boyfriend loved it. Must be that combination of way too much butter and sugar.

[dividend]

I really enjoy her show, and the only recipe I've made from it is probably the most requested thing I cook.

Shrimp stuffed twice baked potatoes:

6 large Idaho potatoes

Vegetable oil, for coating

8 tablespoons butter

2 cups grated cheddar cheese, plus more for sprinkling

2 cups grated Monterey Jack

2 cups sour cream

Salt and pepper

1 pound shrimp, peeled and Sauteed

Paprika

These are the BEST twice baked potatoes in the universe. I agree with the others posting here that you can make her recipes when you're cooking to make other people happy. She may over-do the southern thing; I don't know - I'm from Kansas, and I find her charming.

[annecros]

...Then one day hubby told me that he considered his mom to be just an "okay" cook, but nothing like his late grandma from South Carolina who cooked & baked from scratch.  Well that just did it for me!

So I've sworn off that type of cooking and want to learn more techniques on cooking with fresh ingredients, good ingredients and base ingredients made from scratch (e.g. chicken stock, tomato sauce, & pie crusts). 

I'm not perfect and I certainly haven't achieved all of my goals yet.  And I do take some shortcuts with canned tomatoes and canned beans.  But when I see cooking shows that feature this type of cooking (e.g. Semi-homemade cooking with Sandra Lee and a few episodes of Paula Deen's show), I'm not thrilled.  Because I don't think I'm really getting any real cooking instruction.  That's more like assembling.

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It's Grandma's and several Aunties cooking that I prefer as well. There seemed to be some pressure on the families in the post WWII generation to stray from the "old fashioned" recipes, and the red can was the height of sophistication.

The family reunions, church suppers and funerals I attended did have a small proportion of red can casseroles, but that was the exception rather than the rule. I wouldn't consider canned tomatoes or green beans shortcuts either, when you consider that these were put up in the pantry every summer in an incredibly hot kitchen for use in the winter months. As long as they are good canned toms and beans, that is.

Paula Deen has not quite stooped as low as Sandra Lee..

[LindsayAnn]

Love her....really!

She has a great TV personality....and she is on TV. Remember folks? That is what she is paid to do and I think she does it well, as do many others (if you dont agree why dont you check out her ratings).

Now, to each there own. You dont like her? GREAT! You hate her? WONDER-FLIPIN-DO.

DO I employ many of her recipes? Nah, not really. Some of them? Sure I do. Have I learned a thing or two from her tips/cooking style/recomendations? Most certainly have!

And with that - I hope you all enjoy your afternoon/evening. I am going to go and watch myself some Paula Dean. HAHA

[zoe b]

I made Paula's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake for Thanksgiving a few years ago and now I'm stuck with it. If I tried to go back to pumpkin pie I think my family would divorce me.

I tried this also for Thanksgiving a few years ago after watching her for the first time --it got thrown out for the animals after a few days--nobody liked it. I don't think because it was made from prepared food, it just didn't have much taste, in my opinion.

But that old fashioned community cookbook food can be delicious--my Great Aunt Zoe, who taught me how to cook did both kinds of cooking--she made Beef Burgundy with Campbell's soup and cooking wine and beef and it was totally delicious--also suberb broiled sweetbreads with browned butter and lemon that i still dream about.

So I don't knock PD's style--she is fun to watch, and more power to her for her success.

[MissAmy]

I made Paula's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake for Thanksgiving a few years ago and now I'm stuck with it.  If I tried to go back to pumpkin pie I think my family would divorce me.

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I made this a couple days ago to give to share in class. I had expected people to exclaim that it was too sweet or that it was weird but everyone loved it. Even my pumpkin pie hating boyfriend loved it. Must be that combination of way too much butter and sugar.

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I made the double chocolate version for a party once, and now that's all any of my friends request! I'm like, "Dudes! I have a culinary degree! Don't ya'll want a cake or a tart or something fancy?!" And they're like, "NO! We want double chocolate gooey butter cakes!" -shrug- What can you do?

When people excessively bash Paula Deen, I get a little offended even though I probably shouldn't. She cooks a lot like my grandmother did, and my great aunts did. Their food wasn't five star gourmet, but it sure was good. When people talk about how horrible her food is, it's like saying the cuisine of an entire region and people is horrible, which is really, really not fair.

[JeanneCake]

I like watching the food network for the entertainment value and if I pick up a few cooking tips and techniques, so much the better. I'm a baker by trade so I don't expect to learn a lot from these shows, but it's better than anything else that's on TV. I'd rather watch Paula Deen than some not-really-reality or crime show where half a dozen people are killed before the opening credits! (well, truthfully, I usually am reading a book or emailing friends. We've only got the one TV and it's off during homework time and I get up too early to stay up late to watch much!)

I was reading in the Boston Globe newspaper about the woman who started the don't like Rachael Ray website and how the thing has taken off and created a life of it's own. Yet on numerous occasions the journalist notes how the woman chuckled or giggled to punctuate what she was saying - not unlike what RR would do!

What I find fascinating is that both Paula Deen and Rachael Ray have exuberant on-air personalities, a joie-de-vivre that comes across to some as too much so that makes them a target for being bashed. Are we all just in a perpetual bad mood and can't take it when someone else is happy?!

[Donia]

I made Paula's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake for Thanksgiving a few years ago and now I'm stuck with it.  If I tried to go back to pumpkin pie I think my family would divorce me.

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I made this a couple days ago to give to share in class. I had expected people to exclaim that it was too sweet or that it was weird but everyone loved it. Even my pumpkin pie hating boyfriend loved it. Must be that combination of way too much butter and sugar.

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I made the double chocolate version for a party once, and now that's all any of my friends request! I'm like, "Dudes! I have a culinary degree! Don't ya'll want a cake or a tart or something fancy?!" And they're like, "NO! We want double chocolate gooey butter cakes!" -shrug- What can you do?

When people excessively bash Paula Deen, I get a little offended even though I probably shouldn't. She cooks a lot like my grandmother did, and my great aunts did. Their food wasn't five star gourmet, but it sure was good. When people talk about how horrible her food is, it's like saying the cuisine of an entire region and people is horrible, which is really, really not fair.

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I found the recipe for an "Elvis" version with peanut butter and banana that I'm going to make for my mom this weekend for mother's day. She loves Elvis!

As for Paula, I feel just like you. I was raised on southern food including those cheesy casseroles and even though I still get a craving for them every now and then (sadly for my Canadian husband), it's not all I cook. I have made a pretty good gyu-don and I love to make curries. My next project (after the Elvis gooey butter cake! ) is okonimyaki. I love Paula because she makes me feel like a little kid again in my momma's kitchen watching her de-bone chicken for a broccoli-rice casserole.

[handmc]

Her voice is over the top but I can stand it in a Rachel Ray sort of way if the recipe sounds interesting.

But WTH is this new show. The slobbering over the camera men eye candy and guests, GAAAH. Please you just made a big deal of marrying a nice guy are we now really supposed to believe you are on the prowl for a 20 year old. PLEASE STOP BEFORE I PUKE!

Go back to cooking, the sexy thing ain't working leave that for our favorite bobble head Giaada queen of Pancheeeeeeeeeeta!