Reality TV Glorifies difficult children

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
LOL...I like Pitbulls and Parolees too. Also the David Tutura Wedding show is great. I would get married if he would do a wedding for me...lmao. That is saying something considering I am marriage phobic. I occasionally catch Bridezilla but only can stand it for an episode once in a blue moon. I think they are stupid for spending all that money on one day, and then to spend it arguing is pitiful.

Tony thinks I have gone off my nut with some of the shows I watch now. I have always been a true crime, drama, law and order fan. Now he comes home and finds me watching cupcakes and cooking shows...lol.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
One episode of bridzilla I thought to myself............and the man wants to marry this brat??? Nichole had wanted to try it out......neither of us have bothered again. ugh

Right now national geographic has a special "reality" show called Hard Time........actually a documentary and it's really good. Makes me really believe we need to think this whole "rehabilitation thing" cuz it obviously is not working for the vast majority and the way the system is set up and the prisoner society rules.......if you want to survive inside any length of time.....rehabilitation is not where it's at. But I do have to admit I find it interesting.

lol on the cooking shows Janet. I've stumbled on a few of the cake boss guy while I was too sick to do much else.........have to say that one can be fascinating and he's pretty cool. Nichole loves these and is learning to cook all sorts of fancy dishes........then she comes home and begs for mom's old fashion country cooking. lol
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
Since I'm home during the daytime now, I've turned in to a Gordon Ramsey addict! He's my "guilty pleasure". Not that he's a very good example of anything, I just think he's funny when he goes in to one of his profanity-laden rants at the restaurant owners who have roaches in their kitchen or month-old meat in their 'fridge! :rollingpin: And it's so strange listening to the BBC channel because they don't bleep out most of the words that are bleeped on American TV. The only word that is bleeped is the "F" word and half of the time they miss that ... or you'll hear him say the entire word, clear as day, immediately followed by "bleep".

And I have developed a real fondness too for a lot of the wedding shows. I used to watch Bridzillas but I found myself wanting to backhand those people! I can't help thinking though that some of them are laying it on extra thick because the cameras are on them. But I really love to watch, "Say Yes to the Dress" ... another guilty pleasure.

And I watch "Hoarders" too because it makes me feel better about myself ... I can look at those people with the crappola piled up to the ceilings and say to myself, "Well, at least mine's not THAT bad!"
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Lisa...you have got to watch Kitchen Boss. Thats Cake Boss but he is doing his Italian food dishes. OMG they are to die for. He has all his recipes up on TLC. They are really easy to do too. Or pretty easy. I wish I had a better deli here though...or any deli...lol. All I have is Walmarts deli counter. Tony is so jealous of Buddy (the cake boss). I have made probably 5 or 6 of his recipes so far and they turned out really well.

I watch Hoarders and want to call them and ask if they will come put me on the show just to get the help...lol. My house isnt that bad but I am not able to get the junk out myself and I could sure use the trash truck to come to the house to haul it all away. Plus I would LOVE to have someone come in and thoroughly clean for me while I tell them what to do! I wouldnt argue a bit over letting stuff go...lol. I dont give a rats patootie about a pizza box from 1984.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
Janet, I just started watching Kitchen Boss and you're right! The stuff he makes all looks soooo good! And most of it looks relatively simple to make. But I have the same problem that you do. I could never find all those ingredients that he uses. Our store is more geared to those good ol' country cooks. Fresh oregano? Yeah, right! And we don't even have a Walmart here - closest one is 20 miles away. We have a very nice grocery store here, much nicer than you would expect to find in a little rural town like this, but they just don't carry all of that stuff!

About twice a month I drive the 20 miles to the next county to buy dog food at the Tractor Supply store, and while I'm there I go to the Walmart and buy all the things that I can't get at our local store here. But even they don't carry fresh oregano!
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
For fresh herbs, you can put them in egg cartons in a windowsill to grow.

If your cats don't eat them...Which mine do.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I actually found a store that sells fresh oregano in a tube! Its diced with some olive oil and you just keep it in the fridge and squirt out what you want like toothpaste...lol. If you cant find fresh, you could look in the spaghetti isle and see if they sell pesto sauce and use a bit of that. All that is is basil, garlic and olive oil. (learned that yesterday!)
 
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HaoZi

Guest
I've seen that stuff. It didn't look trustworthy to me, but in the organics/vegetarian section near the produce at Wal-Mart I have found containers of fresh basil, oregano, etc.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Ive been using the squeeze stuff since I just dont have the knife skills or the ability to go to the store daily right now. I am going to plant the herbs for summer though. Right now my hands are pretty bad with knives. I need to buy some arthritis knives. The squeeze tube stuff is pretty good though.
 
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HaoZi

Guest
I mean I wouldn't know what to do with squeezy oregano. I stick with the dried stuff, but since I only use it for a sauce that simmers for hours, I have no need for fresh herbs. There are ways in which having a limited palette is a blessing.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Oh, I have started making my own fresh marinara sauce instead of using canned or bottled spaghetti sauce. It is easy and it tastes way better to me. In the past couple of years I have really started to hate spaghetti, even pasta itself, with a passion because we ate spaghetti at least once a week because it was cheap and filling with 3 growing boys. I also gag at hot dogs and mac and cheese...lol.

Well with learning to make my own sauce, I can handle spaghetti maybe twice a month...with meatballs or sweet Italian sausage....no hamburger! I do put some basil in the marinara sauce near the end when it is simmering and it just wakes up the flavor and smell so wonderfully! I really never knew about cooking with spices...fresh or dried...lol.
 
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HaoZi

Guest
I use plain tomato sauce and paste as a starter for my spaghetti sauce. I hate chunks of tomato in my sauce (in fact, if there's ANY chunks, they better be meat). I use a simple recipe that was passed down to me from the Italians on Mom's side. ;) Takes hours to simmer it, but it's worth it.
 

skeeter

New Member
I'll watch a few of these shows. Does "Deadliest Catch" count (I cried when Phil died, even though I knew months ahead of time he had). We've been watching "Police Women of Cincinnati" because husband knows most of them. I'll watch Pawn Shop or Pickers to see what they find. I've watched WNTW, but I'd slap Clayton if I had the chance.

My oldest wants either Chip Foose to steal his 1979 pick up, or have their house redone. The younger wants to be on either Chopped or Iron Chef. I have strange kids.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I use crushed and petite diced tomatoes. I like that combo. I one large can of each and as Buddy says, a teaspoon and a half of sugar per 28 ounce can....sugar makes it better! (Cuts the acidity)
 
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HaoZi

Guest
I don't get the sugar anywhere near my sauce. I'm heavy on the oregano, basil, and garlic (garlic actually sweetens it up more than you'd think, and if you put in too much it's easily countered by more oregano).
 

svengandhi

Well-Known Member
My H makes awesome tomato sauce from scratch; we use it on his homemade pizza as well.

Going back to the reality show topic, if any of you had kids who took the SAT yesterday, ask them about the essay question. difficult child told me it was about "Reality TV shows!" I can't wait till I can access his test on line and read the question and what he wrote.

For my reality TV doses, I watch NY, NJ and BH Housewives, Million $Matchmaker in NYC, Bridezillas (because I can be smug over it since I was not one), David Tutera's show (I am going to call him for my daughter if/when she gets married) and all the true crime I can get. I don't like cooking shows or singing and dancing shows because they highlight what I can't do... I love truce crime and forensics shows and In Session because I like to see how other attorneys try their cases.
 
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