WTH! Paula Deen...

[Toliver]

Paula's "Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding" totally rocks the house. To mix my FoodTV phrase-ology, she kicks banana pudding up a notch. Sure, it's a little Sandra Lee-ish (as are a lot of Paula's recipes) but after tasting it, I forgave her. You could always substitute home-made ingredients for whatever pre-made stuff she puts into her recipes, if you are so inclined.

[McAuliflower]

I first caught the KK bread pudding show while home sick and dopped up on cold meds. Thanks for confirming the hallucination.

My favorite Fairy Fat Mother moment was when she caught herself in the melted butter act mid pour.... as she was about to pour two sticks of melted butter on her fried chicken!

She paused and looked up at the camera with tears of laughter in her eyes: "now don't y'all write in to me about this one!" she giggles, "it's gooood"!

I think there were toasted pecans in there too...

[Terrasanct]

I used to have a friend who worked at a muffin bakery. We made the best bread pudding from the leftovers. Not something you'd eat every day, but it really was good!

[rooftop1000]

I have never had nor made bread pudding out of Bread....dunkin donuts cinnamon buns here....actually leftover fruit danish is even better with all the different fillings running through it.

Mmmmm good thing I dont work in a deli anymore

tracey

[IrishCream]

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.

[FabulousFoodBabe]

DID I REALLY SEE HER MAKE BREAD PUDDING W/ KRISPY CREME DONUTS??!!

what the hell is up with that?? is she TRYING to kill people??

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Oh, wow. What a way to go. Ahhhh ... I guess the recipe assumes there are leftover donuts? Not gonna happen Chez Foodbabe, I'm afraid.

[Megan Blocker]

DID I REALLY SEE HER MAKE BREAD PUDDING W/ KRISPY CREME DONUTS??!!

what the hell is up with that?? is she TRYING to kill people??

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Oh, wow. What a way to go. Ahhhh ... I guess the recipe assumes there are leftover donuts? Not gonna happen Chez Foodbabe, I'm afraid.

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I think the recipe calls for 2 dozen donuts - who has that many left over? How many did they start with?

Edited August 30, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[Ling]

I never make bread pudding with bread either. I use croissants.

[TrishCT]

The banana pudding with chessman, the gooey butter cake, the krispy kreme donut pudding.... none of those are Paula's recipes. I collect local cookbooks from around the country, like the kind put out by churches or women's groups for fundraisers. Those recipes have been printed... and re-printed for years. That seems to be the kind of cooking she favors. To me it's hit or miss.

Paula's schtick is like a diabetic grandmaw who's caught with her hand in the cookie jar...oooh I'm so naughty...

[MobyP]

I watch Paula and egg her on, living vicariously, imagining how delicious that full fat food is

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"full fat food" was also the "personal trademark" of the "Two Fat Ladies" from England on Food Network ... remember them?

Clarissa and Jennifer

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But at least they used real butter, eggs and cream rather than reconstituted industrial chemicals lathered in toxic waste.

Ug. I like the odd Krispy Kreme, but I find that woman a real insult to everything I find worthy in food.

[Megan Blocker]

But at least they used real butter, eggs and cream rather than reconstituted industrial chemicals lathered in toxic waste.

Ug. I like the odd Krispy Kreme, but I find that woman a real insult to everything I find worthy in food.

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Paula's a mild guilty pleasure when compared to the Queen of Spice Packets (I refer, of course, to the infamous Sandra Lee).

I think most of Paula's recipes are not quite as rife with preservatives as this one is, though. In terms of fat content, it's definitely representative of her ouevre, but in terms of ingredient freshness, I don't think it is...

[tupac17616]

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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The exact same thing happened to me. I make pumpkin pie, they each have a small piece. I make pumpkin gooey butter cake, they enthusiastically go back for seconds. What can ya do?

[BuzzDraft]

But at least they used real butter, eggs and cream rather than reconstituted industrial chemicals lathered in toxic waste.

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Party pooper.

And worse, the party is likely a wake.

[Angela Alaimo]

We were going to some friends' house on Sunday, and I said "Hey...why not make some Gooey Butter Cake?" DH says "Sure". Then I read the small print at the bottom of the recipe, the part which says swap out the yellow box cake for chocolate and instead of pumpkin use peanut butter. Well. I can say it wasnt' too bad, but the guests acted as if Jesus was in the house. Even I liked it pretty well. So it was good that I listened to DH and instead of making what I liked, I did what you're supposed to do--To cook for people and make them happy.

OTOH, there have been so many stories of unhappy people that I would have to insist you try anything first, when it comes to recipes of this ilk. I just don't like chocolate all that much, hence the "not too bad" description.

OTOOH, cooking on your own usually is the best way to go. But Paula can't be faulted with the Gooey Cake recipe. Really, it's like the high level of junk food--I don't usually eat that kind of stuff but found myself having a few of those gooeys--they can grow on you. <g>

A

Edited for punctuation, and am glad for the opportunity to do so. _^_

Edited September 6, 2005 by Angela Alaimo (log)

[TrishCT]

Caught part of one of Paula Deen's shows this weekend. She made her famous lasagna... the one with about 5 lbs of cheese, including fresh mozzarella, swiss, cheddar, cottage cheese and of course cream cheese. What lasagna would be complete without that....

Edited September 6, 2005 by TrishCT (log)

[tamiam]

There I am being all open-minded and watching Paula because sis-in-law LOVES her. I've never given her more than 5 minutes of my attention as she really gets on my nerves (never even seen her cook, she just bugs me in a way that is completely unfair, immature, and unreasonable on my part.

Paula is on with her two sons. They are good-looking guys, and she is sure to tell us that one or both of them are real chefs. She's a proud mama. They are going to make "mexican" chicken. I love Mexican food, and was curious how the distinctly non-ethnic Paula might approach it

Demo begins. Here is how you make "mexican" chicken. You take a can of Campbells cheddar cheese soup and plop it in a casserole. Then you take a can of Campbells Cream of Chicken and plop it into the same casserole. Then, you take a can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom and plop into the casserole too. I cannot provide much detail about how the chicken is incorporated because I became nauseous and outraged and failed to pay attention. Then you cover it all with loads of cheese and bake it till bubbly. It is possible that there was some sort of flavoring in there too, mild chili powder or cumin. I don't know. I was too scared (scarred) to watch.

She has some nerve calling this mexican, and even more nerve, because she took a bite, and while chewing with her mouth opn, lied to all of us in TV-land about how good it tasted.

I'd like to know where the boys cook so I can be sure to stay far away. I suspect they should stick to cooking with Krispy Kremes.

[Daniel]

Paula needs to stay in her genre.. She is a good Southern Cook with some good recipes.. She starts getting into trouble when cooking "exotic" cuisine such as Italian or Mexican.. Just because you pour a jar of salsa into a dish, does not make it Mexican.. Paula, its never alright to use Cottage Cheese to replace Ricotta..

[mrsadm]

There I am being all open-minded and watching Paula because sis-in-law LOVES her.  I've never given her more than 5 minutes of my attention as she really gets on my nerves (never even seen her cook, she just bugs me in a way that is completely unfair, immature, and unreasonable on my part. 

Paula is on with her two sons.  They are good-looking guys, and she is sure to tell us that one or both of them are real chefs.  She's a proud mama.  They are going to make "mexican" chicken.  I love Mexican food, and was curious how the distinctly non-ethnic Paula might approach it

Demo begins.  Here is how you make "mexican" chicken.  You take a can of Campbells cheddar cheese soup and plop it in a casserole.  Then you take a can of Campbells Cream of Chicken and plop it into the same casserole.  Then, you take a can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom and plop into the casserole too.  I cannot provide much detail about how the chicken is incorporated because I became nauseous and outraged and failed to pay attention.  Then you cover it all with loads of cheese and bake it till bubbly.  It is possible that there was some sort of flavoring in there too, mild chili powder or cumin.  I don't know.  I was too scared (scarred) to watch.

She has some nerve calling this mexican, and even more nerve, because she took a bite, and while chewing with her mouth opn, lied to all of us in TV-land about how good it tasted. 

I'd like to know where the boys cook so I can be sure to stay far away.  I suspect they should stick to cooking with Krispy Kremes.

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Oh my God are you serious about the Mexican chicken?????? How can anyone seriously be a star of a COOKING show by pouring cans of soup in a pot?

Now I am not sorry I gave up watching this show. The last straw for me was when she took a lobster and put it in a stew with just about everything under the sun - beans, corn, tomatoes and many other ingredients - which I saw as ruining a perfectly good lobster by putting it into compost stew!

[Marmish]

There I am being all open-minded and watching Paula because sis-in-law LOVES her.  I've never given her more than 5 minutes of my attention as she really gets on my nerves (never even seen her cook, she just bugs me in a way that is completely unfair, immature, and unreasonable on my part. 

Paula is on with her two sons.  They are good-looking guys, and she is sure to tell us that one or both of them are real chefs.  She's a proud mama.  They are going to make "mexican" chicken.  I love Mexican food, and was curious how the distinctly non-ethnic Paula might approach it

Demo begins.  Here is how you make "mexican" chicken.  You take a can of Campbells cheddar cheese soup and plop it in a casserole.  Then you take a can of Campbells Cream of Chicken and plop it into the same casserole.  Then, you take a can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom and plop into the casserole too.  I cannot provide much detail about how the chicken is incorporated because I became nauseous and outraged and failed to pay attention.  Then you cover it all with loads of cheese and bake it till bubbly.  It is possible that there was some sort of flavoring in there too, mild chili powder or cumin.  I don't know.  I was too scared (scarred) to watch.

She has some nerve calling this mexican, and even more nerve, because she took a bite, and while chewing with her mouth opn, lied to all of us in TV-land about how good it tasted. 

I'd like to know where the boys cook so I can be sure to stay far away.  I suspect they should stick to cooking with Krispy Kremes.

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Ok. I thought surely you must be exaggerating. I'm not Paula's biggest fan, but I don't think I have seen her cook anything like that.

But, no, you were exactly right Here is the ingredient list from Foodtv.com:

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cheddar cheese soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes

1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken

Unsalted butter, for greasing pan

1 (11 1/2-ounce) package flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Cheddar

Wow.

[tamiam]

Ok. I thought surely you must be exaggerating. I'm not Paula's biggest fan, but I don't think I have seen her cook anything like that.

Thanks for looking up the details of her recipe. It proves that it wasn't just a bad dream.

From the recipe, it must have been the tortillas that make it "mexican", as there are no herbs or spices or any way to incorporate any kind of flavor into the chicken or any way to erase the non-mexican-ess of the soup trio.

[mochihead]

I think my arteries just clogged, and not in a good way! Actually, though, it's not so much the fat, but all the preservatives and salt in that one meal. I wonder what the nutritional servings would be like. Of course, ethnic authenticity issues aside...

[hsm]

Oh my God are you serious about the Mexican chicken?????? How can anyone seriously be a star of a COOKING show by pouring cans of soup in a pot?

Perhaps she's been taken over by a semi-pod of Sandra Lee?

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cheddar cheese soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes

1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken

Unsalted butter, for greasing pan

1 (11 1/2-ounce) package flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Cheddar

Holy crap. Literally.

I've seen a bit of her southern cooking and thought it a bit rich for my blood. Once again, not in the good way, either. She? Grates.

[annecros]

Though too "Over the Top" for me most of the time, this is a very interesting person. She was raised and lived as a young adult in Albany, Ga (pronounced "Awwl-benny"). I was also born and raised there, and my sister and my best friend both live in Savannah. I've heard a little gossip about the Deens, but since this is a food site, I'll try to stay on topic!

She does indeed own and operate a very successful restaurant in Savannah, GA - The Lady and Sons.

http://www.ladyandsons.com/

It's hard to argue with success.

Although I understand that she is rarely there anymore, and that her sons have taken over and pretty much run the place. It is basically Southern style buffet, but nothing special according to my sister and a friend I have in Savannah that have eaten there. It is considered a tourist trap by the locals, but the tourists keep it packed all the time. I've heard that her brother's place, "Uncle Bubba's" is actually much better, and that she has some interest invested in that place as well.

The Farmer's Market in Thomasville, GA is far superior to the Lady and Son's according to my sister, if you want to try a Southern Buffet. And I can't imagine why anyone would not want to!

I can't imagine purchasing one of her cookbooks, either. As another poster noted, most of what I see her cook is "southern church lady cook book" kind of stuff. And please note, Southern Ladies would not necessarily publish their best in the church cook book. Why give your rivals at church your best recipe?

The one thing I have seen her do that I am interested in trying soon is cut fresh okra stirred into the cornmeal batter and fried up like a hoe cake. Now, that strikes me as a good thing - a cross between fried okra and fried cornbread, two of my favorites.

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. And that gooey cake? Yep, my MIL would make it for a quick casual dessert, before the Food Network was even conceived.

Just like anything else, take the best, and leave the rest.

[hjshorter]

Oh my God are you serious about the Mexican chicken?????? How can anyone seriously be a star of a COOKING show by pouring cans of soup in a pot?

Perhaps she's been taken over by a semi-pod of Sandra Lee?

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cheddar cheese soup

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes

1 whole chicken, cooked, boned, and chopped or 4 cups leftover cooked chicken

Unsalted butter, for greasing pan

1 (11 1/2-ounce) package flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Cheddar

Holy crap. Literally.

I've seen a bit of her southern cooking and thought it a bit rich for my blood. Once again, not in the good way, either. She? Grates.

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That's similar to Kings Ranch Chicken, a very common recipe - popular in Texas and Oklahoma. Nothing unusual, and pretty good if you've never tried it. I have a recipe from my Okie grandmother, but nowadays use the recipe from eG member Jaymes, hers calls specifically for Ro-tel tomatoes and corn tortillas.

[byron]

Here's to Paula Dean in 2006 for making food fun!! Cooking out of the pantry is different for people all over the world and make fun if you will, but have a good time.

The show with the donuts was memorable on several counts. Paula said that the recipe was given to her by a friend and that she was "sharing" it. The donuts precluded any other use of sugar, forgot if she washed the fruit cocktail off before using, and how about the visit to the donut shop? Perhaps the dream of millions, eating fresh donuts off the line while the employee is trying to box them up!!

Surely almost all of the "Hosts" on tv food shows would retract certain episodes that did not represent their tastes or techniques correctly or in the best light. I see Paula Deen as an individual that is proud to SHARE her food from The South.