I love watching cooking shows. They give me inspiration and ideas. Even if someone is cooking something that I will probably never fix, I still like watching the whole process. And cookbooks, I love looking through cookbooks also.
There are plenty of cooking shows to choose from nowadays, on PBS, Cooking Channel, Food Network and even on regular TV. They come and go, some are on for a few years while others may last only a few months. There are usually "themes". For instance, one show may be about making sandwiches every which way, one may be about Indian food, fast meals, southern cooking or even entertaining. You can find almost any thing you want.
Right now I have two favorite shows that I really enjoy watching. I love watching The Pioneer Woman. She has a blog and a show on Food Network. She lives on a working cattle ranch with her husband and kids. http://thepioneerwoman.com
As she says herself, her food is simple and delicious and I must say that everything I've cooked from her cookbook has been delicious. As a matter of fact, I have shown some of her recipes in this blog. She is not a trained chef, just a homecook. She uses everyday ingredients and food that anyone can get easily. From lasagna and chocolate cake to breakfast sandwiches and homemade French fries and donuts. I'm dying to fix her enchiladas, they look delicious. Her show/blog has introduced me to numerous new (new to me that is) ingredients and I will introduce you to them as they come up in a recipe.
Some critics might say her food is too simple or she sometimes uses some canned ingredients and, oh the horror, Cool Whip!! She also has a garden and uses lots of fresh ingredients. The way I feel about this is that this is the way everyday people cook. They come home from work and have to get dinner on the table for their families. Also, she lives on a ranch, about an hour away from a supermarket. I like her recipes and they give me good food to cook and a basis for a recipe that I might start with and make my own.
My other favorite cooking show is a new show, Heartland Table with Amy Thielen. She is a chef and moved back to her small town in Minnesota. She has a HUGE garden and buys a lot of her ingredients from local sources. There have only been three episodes so far, but I like it. I like her understated, calm way of working in the kitchen. Of course some people have commented that she is too understated and mellow, but I think it's a nice change. You can't please everyone.
I hope her show stays around, it's apparently on a 6 episode trial. The one things that solidified my feelings for this show was she was looking a particular utensil and when she opened the drawer it looked just like mine!! I have one big drawer where all the non-everyday utensils are stored, the measuring cups, whisks, biscuit cutters, meat mallet, ladles etc. and they are just all in a jumble. I just have to dig in there and find what I need. She had a drawer just like it, made me happy to see that. heartland table.
I've provided a couple of links above and I hope they work. I've never done it before and I'm not sure I did it right, but I guess I'll find out.
Happy Cooking
Kathy
Heartland TableHeartlandtable
No comments:
Post a Comment