Sandra Lee writes a book

I wonder if Sandra Lee's autobiography is 70 percent someone else's work and 30 percent her own, just like those awful meals she serves up. The book's called "Made From Scratch," which I'm pretty sure is a phrase not found in her vocabulary.
I watch "Semi Homemade Meals" to mock her prepackaged sauce mixes (chock full of chemicals and sodium), limeade and lemonade concentrates as marinades (hello, high fructose corn syrup), fruity cocktails with every meal (what, are we on a cruise ship?) and those tablescapes (because everyone spends $50 to update their decor for each meal; spend the money on the food instead of distracting them with smoke and mirrors).
Her cooking philosophy is: I'm going to take the lazy route, then put all my energy into making a cocktail so everyone will forget how awful my food is.
Seriously, this is one of her recipes: Spaghetti with meat sauce
No. 1: She uses jarred sauce.
No. 2: The recipe calls for 4 tablespoons each of olive oil and butter. (Are you kidding me? Who needs that much fat!?)
No. 3: The photo includes garlic bread that I'm pretty sure is from a box.
No. 4: That sounds like something I made when I was 7. We all use canned/boxed/premade ingredients from time to time. But she takes it to the next level.
I get it. She wants it to be simple, easy and affordable. I've seen her Chefography on Food Network. I respect her for all her hard work. And I understand: She was poor as a child and had to make due. (get it: "Made From Scratch." Nope, title still doesn't work for me.) I respect that she raised her sisters and helped stretch their food budget. But psst... you're rich now. You can either hire someone to cook for you or buy/cook better food.
The easy-food genre has many stars (Robin Miller, Rachael Ray, and others) who are far more talented than Ms. Lee. And they don't rush through the cooking to spend 10 minutes decorating the table! If I want decorating tips, I'll watch HGTV!!!
Her Web site says:
Me-ow. This is catty. But seriously. I'm all for taking short-cuts, but she's downright lazy!
(And did anyone else notice that she redecorates her kitchen every episode?!)
I watch "Semi Homemade Meals" to mock her prepackaged sauce mixes (chock full of chemicals and sodium), limeade and lemonade concentrates as marinades (hello, high fructose corn syrup), fruity cocktails with every meal (what, are we on a cruise ship?) and those tablescapes (because everyone spends $50 to update their decor for each meal; spend the money on the food instead of distracting them with smoke and mirrors).
Her cooking philosophy is: I'm going to take the lazy route, then put all my energy into making a cocktail so everyone will forget how awful my food is.
Seriously, this is one of her recipes: Spaghetti with meat sauce
No. 1: She uses jarred sauce.
No. 2: The recipe calls for 4 tablespoons each of olive oil and butter. (Are you kidding me? Who needs that much fat!?)
No. 3: The photo includes garlic bread that I'm pretty sure is from a box.
No. 4: That sounds like something I made when I was 7. We all use canned/boxed/premade ingredients from time to time. But she takes it to the next level.
I get it. She wants it to be simple, easy and affordable. I've seen her Chefography on Food Network. I respect her for all her hard work. And I understand: She was poor as a child and had to make due. (get it: "Made From Scratch." Nope, title still doesn't work for me.) I respect that she raised her sisters and helped stretch their food budget. But psst... you're rich now. You can either hire someone to cook for you or buy/cook better food.
The easy-food genre has many stars (Robin Miller, Rachael Ray, and others) who are far more talented than Ms. Lee. And they don't rush through the cooking to spend 10 minutes decorating the table! If I want decorating tips, I'll watch HGTV!!!
Her Web site says:
Made from scratch? Really? Do you honestly think that a chicken-lemon soup made from condensed soup tastes homemade? Not in my home, it doesn't!She creates the foundation and supplies the information that allows anyone
and everyone (from students to parents to working professionals) to take 100% of
the credit for something that looks, feels or tastes as if it were made
completely from scratch.
Me-ow. This is catty. But seriously. I'm all for taking short-cuts, but she's downright lazy!
(And did anyone else notice that she redecorates her kitchen every episode?!)
Labels: food snob, food tv, sandra lee





