Hello all! Been ages since I posted in this thread- post-wedding calm ruined by weeks of ear infections and sinusitis!


I haven't watched Good Food in ages- got annoyed with Market Kitchen and their fake-repeat summer series, there was no Ina and as much as I love Rick Stein, the same series x10 got a bit much! Someone mentioned his Far Eastern Odyssey a bit further down- I LOVED that! Have the book and have cooked some recipes from it- all turn out so well and so yummy. He is just lovely to watch!


I must be very behind as well because I only just found Food Network- double episodes of Barefoot Contessa! Yay! Apparently her 'Chefology' is on later today as well...


Can't wait to see a new series of BC over here. I've not been cooking much at all lately having been so sick, or what I have done has been a bit same-old- I need new inspiration, and she's usually the best place to get it from!


Hope everyone is well

Hello everyone!


Been absent for a while- wedding planning got more hectic than I could ever have imagined! The wedding was this past Saturday, and it was the most perfect day ever- the sun put in a special guest appearance and it was beautifully warm and sunny all day. Still getting used to the idea of calling myself a Mrs!


Haven't had chance to watch Good Food at all recently but v. pleased to hear that Barefoot Contessa is back soon! I've definitely missed it- my recipe repertoire has ground to a halt since she's been off-air!


Hope everyone is well. ladypamala it's good to see you here again!

Oh and surely the quote of the year from Ina just now:

'Anyone who tries to make brownies without butter should be arrested'

Love it!

Hello everyone!


Sorry for the abscence again- still not well :( A bit OT but I traveled to Kent yesterday to see a specialist and have been diagnosed with migraine related vertigo, after 2.5 years of suffering and not being able to work. To start with I have to cut out all dairy including cheese, cream, etc, red wine, chocolate/cocoa, caffiene, citrus fruits and anything with MSG in it. I can live without the cheese and just about without the odd glass of red wine on a good day but how on earth will I cook without lemons and limes?!! Going to have to do some serious recipe-searching and adapting... Hopefully not forever, just until my symptoms are under control, but for at least a few months...


Azelia, my wedding menu (which now consists of lots of things I can't eat!) is a starter of pan-fried Somerset Camenbert with a cherry tomato salsa. Main is roast Somerset Rib of beef with Yorkshire puddings and red wine gravy (wild mushroom and asparagus tart with lemon and chive butter for veggies). Desert is a warm pear tart with chocolate sauce... I think that will be a major rule-breaking day!


Anyway, I'm still loving the new series, watching it now in fact! Nice to see that tonight I don't think she's made these recipes before? I had noticed it was a bit of a rehash of previous dishes, but die-hard fan that I am, doesn't phase me! Not that I can cook much of it myself anymore now.... How will I not BBQ Tuscan Lemon Chicken every week?


Hope everyone else is well!

ARGH! What have they done? I was mighty confused when I logged in and everything is backwards- newer posts on page one and older posts on page 12? So now we have to read from the bottom up?!


Had a BBQ yesterday, and cooked, yes, you guessed it- Tuscan Lemon Chicken! It went down a storm with my family and they were all very impressed. It's a firm favourite in my house now!


Reality has set in that I've got less than 3 months to go to the wedding so I'm beign strict with myself - haven't had chocolate for over 6 weeks now and I don't know how I'm doing it! The white chocolate bark did give me the best idea for wedding favours though


Nevermind Ina's kitchen, I'm seriously jealous about her herb garden! My herb plants are so tiny that I can use them once or twice and then not for another few weeks while they grow back, so I end up going to the shops anyway


Azelia- thank you! I have good days and bad days and have just had a run of bad days recently. It's bad when I can't even get to the kitchen to cook- makes for a very miserable Jen! Our wedding is coming along well thanks- we chose the menu the other day. I'm hungry just thinking about it all!


Adrian- your shop is in Bath?! I am only in Bristol and due to go shopping in Bath very soon- may have to pop in for a look around! Have a great trip!

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while, I have been really ill recently Also, my fiance whisked me away for a week to the Lake District for my birthday! Rest, relaxation, quality time and sunbathing by beautiful lakes in the heatwave! Doesn't get better than that

I watched the new episode tonight- it's so nice to see some new material and new recipes! I've never made onion rings before- I might have to try them now! I have made the Tuscan Lemon Chicken again, for the past 2 nights in a row- it was lovely on the BBQ, the grilled lemon just makes the dish.

Adrian, I'm so jealous of your trip! Lucky you! I too would love to visit the East Coast. You can pass on that I think Ina is an inspiration to so many! I can't work due to illness and cooking is one of the few things I can manage and enjoy doing, and I love watching her show and trying out her recipes. It gives me a release from an otherwise somewhat boring life. Plus, every recipe is so delicious too!

Thank you azelia! It's a little better now, but still very bruised all around my mouth, and I still can't open my mouth properly!

I loved the chicken picatta (sp?) that Ina made last night. Looked so easy! I'll definitely have to try it when I can eat again....

We bought a new BBQ at the weekend which is just torture since I can't eat anything that would go on it. I can't wait til I'm better and we can have a nice BBQ and I can make the Tuscan Lemon Chicken! It's yummy enough in the oven, I can imagine it's even nicer on the BBQ

Hello ladies!

Been absent for a few days- I ended up staying in hospital overnight on Weds when I had my wisdom teeth out! I came home on Thursday and have been taking uper strong painkillers which have made me very drowsy ever since. It has been AGONY! I can still barely eat unless it's very soft food with a teaspoon, as I cant open my mouth wide enough to fit anything bigger in there....

I got VERY hungry yesterday when Ina made the roast pork loin and the green beans etc.... That looked soooo yummy...

I can't wait until I can eat and get back in the kitchen cooking again! The most I've eaten the past couple of days is a small bowl of soup and an even smaller bowl of rice :(

Azelia, glad to hear the cocunut cupcakes turned out well! I'm not a fan of coconut at all so I wont try them, but they did look good on the show a while back. I'm so jealous that you went to watch MK being filmed as well! I've always wanted to go, but it's so far from me. Any idea when that episode will be shown?

Hope everyone is enjoying the bank holiday weekend!

He does look at the camera quite cheesily, doesn't he?! I notice he always tucks imaginary hair behind his ears as well.... Almost like he's used to wearing a wig?!

Happy drinking and watching! I can't drink tonight because of the general aneasthetic tomorrow.... Otherwise I'd be joining you with that glass of red too!

It's not just the mixers in JL either.... i drool over the food processors, the salt and pepper mills, the knives, the Le Creuset... all of it! It works out well as my fiance goes down to look at the MacBooks whilst I look at all the kitchen stuff...

I didn't know the motor was slower on a KitchenAid mixer either. I would imagine that a Kenwood or any other brand like that does a pretty equal job to the KitchenAid, and you probably pay more for the label.... but they are SO pretty!

I currently don't have any mixer at all except for my hands :(

Moreseo than a mixer though, I would KILL for a Magimix! I don't have a food processor, and I am always so jealous of Ina when she makes coleslaw and the cabbage and carrot is shredded in 30 seconds flat, whilst I end up with an achy arm, grated fingers and carrot and cabbage EVERYWHERE in my kitchen!

As a side note, whilst waiting for Ina, I'm watching Bill's Food and I'm really liking it! I made the Vietnamese Chicken salad he did yesterday for dinner last night and it was delicious!

Rhymed with itchy? Lol! Which comment was that HLG?

I think that £349 or however much they cost (trying to remember it vaguely from the time I spend daydreaming in John Lewis lol) is still way too much to expect for a birthday present from my OH sadly, much as I'd like one! We do have it on our wedding list, but I'm worried it's very cheeky and might take it off out of embarrassment.

Saying that, my fiance is planning a big surprise for my 25th birthday next week, but I don't know what it involves. Haven't been told a thing, although he was looking for a number for our petsitter earlier....

Woah, that was all totally off-topic- sorry! I have just made a huge batch of carrot and roast butternut squash soup- not Ina's recipe but I'm due to have my lower wisdom teeth removed tomorrow so I want to be prepared for not being able to chew! That wasn't on-topic either... hmmm.... Looking forward to Ina later, since I wont be able to watch it tomorrow!

I wish I could afford a KitchenAid mixer... sadly just too expensive for me :(

I'm giggling at Kentucky fried carrots, and at the Pirate comment! A food pirate!

I'm watching Healthy Appetite now, on +1 since there's not much else on, and she does make me cringe too. What kind of a cook microwaves vegetables?! Bleugh! I find the key to a good cookery programme is one that makes you hungry just watching it. I don't get that at all from her. In fact, it makes me want to go straight to the kitchen and make whatever I can with cream, butter, sugar, red meat and everything she says we shouldn't have! I must admit though, I do still watch it when it's on....


As for Ching's Kitchen, I really like her recipes, but I agree that she is cringeworthy too. I just find it really annoying the way she says that xxx adds a 'real flavour' a 'real texture' a 'real sweetness' to the dish... She's much better on MK though when she doesn't have to act for the cameras so much. I do still like MK, but I do wish they'd cut out all the random filler and celebrity interviews that are only vaguely related to food. If I wanted to watch that I'd watch a chat show!


And azelia, I noticed your comment had disappeared too- it wasn't just you! It was gone last night when I looked but appeared again this morning...

What a coincidence! I'm making a tomato and avocado salad for tea tonight! Not using the other ingredients that she is as I want it to be quick, but it does look good... I shall have to make it next time!

I can't believe how good she looks either at her age... I did look it up on Wikipedia recently and she is about that. I can only hope to look half that young when I get to that age!

WOW I've missed a lot today!

Yes, I couldn't agree more with you azelia, HomeLovinGirl and zehra!

Sure, there is a certian amount of 'acting' in her shows- there is in any cookery show, it's just how it comes as a package. I'd personally much much rather much a whole half hour of Ina's 'filler' than watch even half an episode of Delia lecturing me though, but I just never was a Delia fan. And yes, it does make me envy her lifestyle, of course it does! Who wouldn't want to live in a huge beautiful house like that in the Hamptons? Most of all I envy the produce that they get. Everything looks so fresh, and so much nicer than what we get over here. For example she had a fennel bulb the other day that was almost the size of a melon, compared to our tiny bulbs over here! Not to mention the seafood, given where she lives.

I like the filler, as it gives a bit more background to the dish. Rather than just 'I'm making this and this is how it's done' which would get a bit boring IMO. And I think there's much more cheesy TV out there!

To whomever mentioned Healthy Appetite earlier; it always made me laugh how it was on right before BC. I called her the Anti-Ina- some of her recipes were a little ridiculous and whilst they might have been very healthy, didn't seem at all appetising. A chocolate mousse made with tofu? Now, if I'm going to have something like a chocolate mousse (which I wouldn't very often) I want a proper chocolate mouse, that actually has chocolate in thank you very much!

This reply has gotten quite long now, because there have been so many posts that I've been trying to answer all at once, but someone else mentioned further up how reading Ina's books was always interesting because of all the background info in them- I completely agree! So much more interesting to read, and I like that the recipes and the tips etc that are in there are very much in the style of her show. I'm really hoping that my fiance is picking up on the hints that I want more books for my birthday in a few week's time!

HomeLovinGirl, your Le Creuset pans went rusty? That's scary! I've dreamed off ownig Le Creuset pans for so long now, I hope that dream isn't shattered!


azelia- I'm getting married on September 12th, in a barn just south of Bath (we live in Bristol). I can't wait! Luckily even though we only got engaged in Feb, most of the planning is done alreay How about you? Have you got much organised yet? I've found it stressful but so exciting!


I loved today's episode- one I've not seen before! The grapefruit and avocado salad sounds strange, but one I might have to try- I have all the ingredients here. I'm absolutely terrified of lobsters so I'm glad that she always buys the pre-cooked stuff so that I don't have to cover my face like I do when Rick Stein is on

New episode just starting- is it me or has this one not been shown before?!

Has anyone else also noticed that they are now showing the episodes the same way as MK- new episode in the evening that is then repeated the next day? It used to be the same episode at lunchtime and evening...

The recipe for the scones is on the Food Network site I think- that's where I usually get them all from. I'm too lazy to write them down lol so I just get the webpage up and carry my laptop into the kitchen and read it off the screen as I go! Although I really should get to printing them out and filing them away- that's a great idea...

And yes I know what you mean about clotted cream... I must admit I do feel guilty just looking at it, but YUM! It's well worth a splurge every now and then

azelia I hadn't even realised that the scone recipe didn't contain eggs! It seems strange thinking about it now but I really didn't miss them at all. They were very moist. Also, not sure if my oven is just fast, but they didn't need as long as the recipe says- the first batch I made came out very 'golden brown' because I followed the timing too closely

Has anyone else seen the episode where she cooks new potatoes I think, just by putting butter in a pan, tipping in the potaotes, putting the lid, and keeping it over a medium heat- no water or anything? I tried this and I just ended up with a burnt saucepan and very uncooked potatoes- not sure if maybe it only works with the Le Creuset pans with the heavy base... (which is all on my wedding list so hopefully come September I shall be the prowd owner of some!)

Yes, back onto topic!

I have made the cheddar and dill scones many times. They are lovely. Really moist and flakey and they lasted for days as well. I did find I had to use a lot more flour than the recipe called for but they came out really well. I haven't made them for a while actually, it's making me want them again!

I also love to make the zucchini gratin. Very easy and so tasty, and it goes really well as a side dish for something. I think we had it with steak, but I've had it with chicken as well...

Oh and the Tuscan Lemon Chicken from the Basics book? Gorgeous! I did it in the oven because we weren't BBQ-ing but it worked just as well, and the grilled lemon squeezed on top was well worth it...She's right about the salt in this dish too, it seems like a lot but it doesn't taste overly salty and it does bring out the flavours more I think...

Aah, so once again someone comes along to state their opinion and it's not allowed? I must have missed the rule that says you aren't allowed to post in this thread unless you are a die-hard fan of Ina and her cooking and worship the ground she walks on.

I am a die-hard fan as it happens, but seriously, other people are allowed to express their opnions too...

What an immature attitude...

*yawn*

This is just getting a little pathetic now IMO. I went back to read what all the fuss was about with ladypamala's comments about salt..... Thinking they were going to be horrific. She said she didn't like the amount of salt Ina uses and feels it's too much. So? Big deal!

I moderate on another message board- non-food related, and there are a lot of teenage members there. I can't imagine any of them going on at each other the way you lot have!

I came here because I thought it would be a good place to talk about a program I love with other people who thought the same. Maybe I'm better off just quietly enjoying it by myself from now on.

I have to agree. Surely we can be a bit more grown up and just agree to disagree about these things? As a new member it's not making me want to stick around at all...

Yeah I notice that as well. I must admit it annoyed me at first but now I just think of it as part of the whole 'Ina experience'- it's a bit cheesy when she's talking to her guests but now it just makes me laugh!

My fiance has clearly been subjected to it too many times though poor guy- I've caught him saying 'How great is that?' on a few occasions


As a side, I made the Tuscan Lemon Chicken from the Back To Basics book last night- it was delicious!

I completely agree with everyone- life is way too short and there are enough things to worry about enough of the time without worrying about the odd stick of butter and the odd dollop of cream here and there. If you're going to splurge and have a chocolate cake you want it to be a really good one!


I have been meaning to try her parmesan and thyme cookies, thanks for the reminder! I may have a go tomorrow

Hi everyone! I'm new to the message board, but I just had to say how much I love Barefoot Contessa! Definitely the best show on UKTV Food- everything she makes is really easy and yummy, and I love trying out her recipes. Favourite so far has to be the cheddar and dill scones... yum

As far as the healthiness/unhealthiness goes- she does say herself that her cakes etc aren't for every day eating- bear in mind she quite often cooks for 'special occasions' like parties, birthdays, etc etc. Also, she does often cook for a lot of people at once, so there's going to have to be more oil/butter in the pan, etc.

My fiance surprised me the other day by buying me her 'Back To Basics' book- and I love it! I can't wait to start trying recipes from it.

I watch Healthy Appetite too and I do quite like it, but some of the stuff she makes is a bit ridiculous. Tenny weeny portions, and sometimes I feel she substitutes things that just shouldn't be substitiuted. Can't think of an example right now but the other day I was aghast at something she did! I call her the anti-Ina

And yes, I agree with the rest of you- new episodes PLEEEEEEASE...