Sandra Lee's Table Scapes?

[themonkeytree]

I love watching all food network shows, some more than others. One of which I am not a huge fan of is sandra lee. I know it is all bout semi-homemade, but I just do not like to use that much store bought help. I can live with that part of the show though, but the table scapes is what really turns me off. I mean she makes these over the top table settings and tries to make it seem like it is easy and anyone can do it. I caught the end of her show yesterday and she had a chair on the table. She used spray paint and painted it, then put some fabric stuff on it. Then she covered it in fake flowers. I mean who in their right mind would put a chair on the table as a centerpiece?? Of course she had to make the place settings all fancy to. So am I the only one who thinks her table scapes are way too over the top, and just not fesiable? Has anyone here actually done one of her table scapes?

 

[mike in brooklyn]

Wouldn't be caught dead with all that nonsense -
Watched her show maybe 2 times - more than enough.

Bordain said she takes a can of crap adds it to another can of crap
mixes in something unprocessed and produces new crap.

 

[themonkeytree]

That is pretty much her show. I mean she buys chopped vegetables. Sure she can afford to buy them already chopped, but how many home cooks can and will pay extra for already pre chopped vegetables?

 

[Chef Munky]

Rachel Ray does the same thing.
A lazy cook is a lazy cook.

And they make how much a year??

 

[Cooksie]

I will never, ever forget SL's show on a romantic picnic in the woods. She took a chandelier to the woods..........I kid you not.

 

[themonkeytree]

A chandelier to the woods?? I love the fact how she has fabric for everything. I mean with the amount of fabric and plates she uses she must have a huge huge storage place. She seems to use different plates for every episode, and thinks that is economical for most people.

 

[Andy M.]

That is pretty much her show. I mean she buys chopped vegetables. Sure she can afford to buy them already chopped, but how many home cooks can and will pay extra for already pre chopped vegetables?

Rachel Ray does the same thing.
A lazy cook is a lazy cook.

And they make how much a year??

I don't regularly watch their shows. I have watched them and don't enjoy them.

However,you'd be surprised how many people appreciate some of her's and Rachel's short cuts. There are a lot of home cooks who are short on time and have to put a meal on the table in a hurry every night.

There's nothing wrong with short cuts. We all use them.

 

[Callisto in NC]

A chandelier to the woods?? I love the fact how she has fabric for everything. I mean with the amount of fabric and plates she uses she must have a huge huge storage place. She seems to use different plates for every episode, and thinks that is economical for most people.

I think the point is if you are having a special occasion, you pick one and use it. She has some interesting ideas. The thought process is to help, not be budget friendly to buy every tablescape she presents.

 

[themonkeytree]

Can I just say that rachel ray and sandra lee are completly different in their styles of cooking. I would say rachel ray does most of the cooking and does not use much store bought help. Sure she will use store bought help when making desserts, but that is only because she cannot bake and she only has 30 minutes to make a meal, which makes it hard to bake and make the rest of meal in 30 minutes. In my opinion rachel ray is not a lazy cook. You see her chop and do lots of other things she could get done right at the store, but decides to do herself.

 

[Callisto in NC]

And Sandra Lee's show is called "SEMI-HOMEMADE" ~ she's following a premise, if she couldn't cook, she wouldn't have her own shows on the Food Network.

Rachel and Sandra cater to specific audiences. I don't think Sandra is lazy, I think her show is directed to people who just don't cook everyday or have the time. If you research her background, making processed foods work is something she's not foreign to. She grew up wondering some days if her family would even have food to eat that day.

 

[LPBeier]

I don't get Sandra Lee here in Canada so can't comment. Rachel Ray I think has a good concept of helping people make nice meals in a short time. I know I have been known to take a few shortcuts in my home cooking (don't tell my clients please LOL!!!) and there are people who want to cook like a pro but just don't have the abilities, money, time, and/or facilities to do it. These ladies serve a purpose.

Again, I haven't seen Sandra Lee's Table Scapes, but I have seen Martha Stewart do some pretty over the top table presentations.....for a child's birthday, among other occasions. As Callisto says, you take from it what you want or leave it. But I do find it interesting to see what they do!

 

[kadesma]

I think the point is if you are having a special occasion, you pick one and use it. She has some interesting ideas. The thought process is to help, not be budget friendly to buy every tablescape she presents.

Right on Calisto, good point.I don't believe for a minute that she keeps all these things from her table scapes at home. What she is intending,is to show us different ideas for different things..Having a special party, her ideas can help you,you don't have to copy them item for item.Remember as well, her short cuts help those of us who have several small children,work, keep house and cook the meals. We love our families and there for use some shortcuts so we can spend time with each other. Sure she uses pre-cut veggies, so if we have the money or the veggies are on special, why not? The main thing is the food is on the table and you are all together.
kadesma

 

[MexicoKaren]

I don't get Sandra Lee, either, but I have watched her when I am in the states. Rachel Ray we get daily on our local satellite service. I don't agree she is a lazy cook, either. She does not use alot (if any) processed/convenience food and her premise is "get it on the table in 30 minutes." Sandra Lee struck me as a type of cooking I don't care for - lots of processed and prepared foods. HOWEVER, it is at least home cooking, and there are many many families (I used to live next door to one) that NEVER cook, and Sandra Lee's cooking is better than going out for fast food. To each his own...if I only had 1/2 hour to get dinner on the table every night, I'd use some shortcuts, too. And lots of young cooks today grew up in families where both parents were working hard and they never learned to cook. To me, the effort is what is important. I am not a food snob, and the lack of food snobbery on this board is one of the things that drew me here and keeps me here.

 

[marvinq]

I wasn't a big fan of Sandra Lee either until I made one of her dishes. I am the cook of the family. Both my wife and I work. I tend to like good tasting food and my wife dosen't cook. So it's up to me to come up with things to cook.

One thing I noticed is that Sandra Lee always has some alcohol in her food. Like wine, vodka, etc..etc... I really like to cook with wine. Also I noticed they stuff that is store bought tend to be things like pre-chopped carrots, or frozen cut potatoes. So it's easy to substitute, say the frozen potatoes for some real ones and cut them yourself. You just save time on the other stuff.

But I found her food great tasting and starting making more of her dishes.

My .02

 

[FlyGuy]

While I don't care for the use of lots of processed foods and mixes (usually heavily laced with salt), I find that some of Sandra Lee's recipes give me a good base to start with, using my own substitutions for prepackaged sauces & mixes. Just a couple weeks ago an episode aired on soul food. The Smothered Chicken recipe looked delicious, so I printed it out, and made my own homemade gravy instead buying bottled gravy, and made my own flour dredge in place of Dixie Mix. It came out wonderful, and I'm sure the salt was reduced by about 75% because I was cooking from scratch and not for long term storage in someone's pantry. I guess you could say i separate the wheat from the chaff.

My wife likes the tablescapes, but she admits that tablescapes are really something the average person only uses a handful of times each year. I think it's more of a trademark of her show than something that's really being promoted for every day use. I'm sure the ladies like it more than the men.

I watch most of these chefs/cooks and hope to glean a tip here and there or a useful recipe the same way, but realize that they are also there for their entertainment value.

 

[MexicoKaren]

Welcome to DC, flyguy. I agree that her recipes are certainly adaptable. When a recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup, for example, I find that a well-seasoned white sauce works great and probably tastes better. And it certainly cuts down on the salt.

 

[jabbur]

In my family growing up, as long as the tableware was clean and we had enough plates, glasses etc., we considered it good. Occasionally we'd have a centerpiece if it was a special party (shower, graduation etc) so the table scapes I don't care for. I think it is more important to have good food and good friends than good decorations. As for the food, I don't watch Sandra much. The few times I caught her show I wasn't impressed. Rachel on the other hand I like. She does her own cooking using fresh ingredients but points out that you can substitute store bought products if you want. She is very encouraging to timid cooks. So many of the ones on tv seem to be food snobs and Rachel really breaks that mold.

 

[marigeorge]

Like some have said, Sandra Lee caters to many people that are not comfortable cooking from scratch. Many young people have little interest in the art of cooking, they would rather have an almost ready made meal.

Although I don't do tablescapes except for special occasions, I do like some of her ideas. Some are too far out for my tastes but I am sure there are many that do do them.

 

[Turkeyman]

I also find her tablescape segment totally hilarious/ridiculous. I guess it could do for a special occasion, but the whole idea is more suited to the home & garden channel or something. I mainly watch the show(whenever I randomly come across it) to stare at her for a few minutes =D

 

[Scotch]

This abomination, supposedly a Kwanzaa Cake, tells you all you need to know about Ms. Lee's culinary talents:

Sandra Lee's Kwanzaa Cake Video

BTW, what she calls "acorns" are, of course, Corn Nuts.