en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/623050 Comments by kala http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2008/10/check-out-this-blog/#IDComment31739564 "normally when proteins are put on sale, they are as much as 50% off so by buying a family size package on sale, you are saving a larger percentage of money than if you bought a regular size package not on sale." On sale is cheaper than not on sale? Saving 50% per pound is more than saving 0% (not on sale) per pound? She thought of that all by herself? And she thinks people really need to be told that? Amazing. The "too much" is that someone is arrogant enough to think they are the only one to figure out the obvious. Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:12:40 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2008/10/check-out-this-blog/#IDComment31739564 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/a-chat-with-melissa-darabian/#IDComment31543256 I use IE7 and IE 8. I have also tried Netscape and Flock/Firefox. It does not work ANYWHERE. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:01:05 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/a-chat-with-melissa-darabian/#IDComment31543256 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/a-chat-with-melissa-darabian/#IDComment31542920 If you mean the little pochettes, she posted that recipe on her Facebook page. She rates it as super easy and it looks very doable. She says it only takes about a half hour to prep and 15 minutes to cook. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:56:05 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/a-chat-with-melissa-darabian/#IDComment31542920 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/quick-vote-melissas-new-show/#IDComment30806511 And the worst thing about putting a number to it is, what happens when food prices skyrocket unexpectely between the time the show tapes and it airs? It's a moving target. They are just asking for failure... Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:59:39 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/quick-vote-melissas-new-show/#IDComment30806511 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/quick-vote-melissas-new-show/#IDComment30804010 I think we are all in agreement that the $10 idea was not good. What surprises me is that the FN did exactly what they told Katie not to do. They kept reminding her that we want to cook healthy but we do not want to hear about it. We also want to cook affordable meals, but we do not want to be reminded that times are tough. Eating good food we prepare ourselves is one of the few remaining luxuries we can enjoy and give to our family. Please rethink the theme of the show. $10 Dinners, no, Luxury for Less YES! Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:17:40 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/quick-vote-melissas-new-show/#IDComment30804010 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/quick-vote-melissas-new-show/#IDComment30803508 No cleavage??? How can you cut meat without a Meat Cleavage... What?...Oh.....Well...That's Different... Never Mind! Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:10:20 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/quick-vote-melissas-new-show/#IDComment30803508 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/susies-answers-finale/#IDComment30185452 As for her “outcooking" everyone else on the show, that is not necessarily the case nor will we ever know as we could not taste the dishes for ourselves. Her dishes were called dry or lacking flavor on multiple occasions. The reality is, she and Jeffrey were the only 2 that did not self destruct. Sun, 9 Aug 2009 22:16:04 +0000 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/susies-answers-finale/#IDComment30185452 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/susies-answers-finale/#IDComment30185435 It it’s not so much that Melissa’s recipes are too simple. They just do not seem incredibly original. She made a classic French bacon potato gruyere tart. Her black bean recipe looks a lot like the one on my package of beans. Affagato is not an original concept. There are numerous baked egg recipes online and in several of my cookbooks. Her 4 step “rustic” chicken is Chicken Francese with an onion so the 4 step technique was not her invention (it is also the base for chicken/veal picatta and several other classic recipes). Giada already has a parmesan and green onion drop biscuit recipe so there’s nothing new there. Rachael cooks in a muffin tin (meat loaves – yummo…sorry) and the potato recipe itself was nothing new. I have had many Vermont Cheddar burgers. Dried dates in couscous is a cliché as is orzo with lemon and thyme. It just seems odd that others were called out for not being original yet she is called a genius. I can get recipes online or in magazines for myself. I want to see something different that I am not likely to come across on my own. Sun, 9 Aug 2009 22:15:48 +0000 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/susies-answers-finale/#IDComment30185435 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29655217 Thinking outside the box and having the resources to execute it in the time allotted are 2 different things. It's easy for us to sit in the comfort of our living room and second guess. Absurd "Dinner Impossible" challenges do not test any skill and are horribly disrespectful to the guests for whom the food was being prepared. If FN really wanted to test the contestants, the ingredients would have been more fair, rather than some people getting very run of the mill combinations that allowed them to make their existing recipes with only minor changes, while others were given an sufficient quantity and absurd combinations that required planning to execute. And if FN really intended to do something nice for the returning troops, they would have spent a DAY making a REAL MEAL with real ingredients. Not many people would like blueberries and lobster combined in any fashion. Thu, 6 Aug 2009 03:42:20 +0000 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29655217 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29615766 Well, what is cold lobster with blueberries? Cooking time for lobster Veronique for 2 (2 lobsters only) 20 min prep and 20 min cooking (according to other recipes, not my own numbers). Also, there were not NEARLY enough lobsters for the number of people he had to feed. I'm surpised there was enough for one bite per person. Thu, 6 Aug 2009 00:45:32 +0000 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29615766 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29497490 There should still be room for the tips (I almost don't see how she could cook without them as they are so much a part of her recipes) but I almost think the term survival might make some people think it is a beginner show and that would limit the viewer pool. On the other hand, EVERYONE wants to save money. Also, "survival" seems to be a very scary word, kinda like life and death...Maybe it's just me? Wed, 5 Aug 2009 03:37:41 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29497490 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29494129 For those who cannot find Harissa, you can make your own. There are recipes online or get a cookbook from the library. The ingredients are Chile peppers, cumin, coriander, caraway seeds, garlic (some recipes don't use garlic), and olive oil. I may have missed something but there is nothing really hard to find in it. In fact, a lot of what we think of as exotic spices are actually spice blends (which are WAY cheaper if you make them yourself). Good luck and let us know how it comes out if you make it... Also look for exotic spice catalogs online. I like Penzey's. Unusual spices are a great way to make an easy and inexpensive meal more elegant. You'll feel like you splurged and your pocketbook will love you. Wed, 5 Aug 2009 03:06:31 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29494129 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29492378 The potato one is on here. I think they put it up this morning. It's in the recipe section. Wed, 5 Aug 2009 02:46:32 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29492378 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29491087 By the way, is anyone else having issues with this site eating comments...One minute they are there, the next they are not. I even had one that timed out but then somehow ended up in there 3 times...Just wonderin' Wed, 5 Aug 2009 02:30:33 +0000 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29491087 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29489182 Yes, Jeffrey should have been able to cook all of those lobsters on a barely functioning hot plate in an hour. Just because no one else's water boiled does not mean his would not have. That should also have been plenty of time to shell them all and chill them all. Wed, 5 Aug 2009 02:08:08 +0000 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29489182 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29482019 If Jeffrey had a full show instead of just a demo, he most likely would have taught the viewer to make their own Harissa (chile peppers, coriander, olive oil, cumun, caraway seed). It's not hard and does not contain anything that is not in my small town grocery. There are recipes for it online and in cookbooks that can be checked out free from the local library. Any more exotic spices can be ordered from Penzey's Spices - they have a paper catalog if folks do not have internet access and they also take phone orders. Believe me, I never would have left New York if I had to give up any of the wonderful foods and spices that I had grown to love. It's all easily available to those who want it. Wed, 5 Aug 2009 01:26:12 +0000 http://stageblog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/08/sneak-peek-melissas-new-show/#IDComment29482019 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29381773 Not for me...I've seen how they edit people... :-) Tue, 4 Aug 2009 04:14:24 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29381773 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29374525 I do not think Melissa has anything of value to offer to me. Anyone who has an appreciation of food already knows how to dredge, sauté, caramelize, and deglaze (including the children in the Chef Monkey Cooking Club). We also already know that green onions grow (as do potatoes, garlic, and any other kind of root veggie that sits around too long). Slicing semi-frozen meat is also not a new concept. If you were to try to slice frozen chicken, which gets rock hard, you’d most likely take your hand with it. There are 3 dozen or more baked egg recipes online, some dating back several years. Using muffin tins for individual portions is not rocket science and neither is tasting an ingredient we are not familiar with. If you did not taste it, how else would you know how to cook it? And traditional ratatouille is POTEZ, not EZPOT. You want your tomatoes to cook down completely before adding the eggplant and zucchini. Are you and Bob genuinely impressed with Melissa’s suggestions? Do either of you actually cook? Tue, 4 Aug 2009 02:56:53 +0000 http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2009/07/ask-susie-finale/#IDComment29374525