Readers and Reading discussion

I have concluded that PBS has better cooking shows than the Food Network. The people on PBS are not as "Hollywood" as the FN "stars" but the recipes sure look good. I think ever since Guy Fieri (sp?) went on the FN, the quality of the shows have gone down. No one on PBS is annoying and grating like he is.

The only cooking show i've watched on PBS is Sara Moulton's, which was on FN for awhile. Therefore, i won't comment. I must admit, however, that Ina's show is the only FN cooking show i am presently willing to watch.

deborah

madrano wrote: "The only cooking show i've watched on PBS is Sara Moulton's, which was on FN for awhile. Therefore, i won't comment. .."

I was pleasantly surprised at the variety and scope of the food shows on PBS on Saturdays. I recorded a bunch of them to wach at my leisure. I am just so disappointed in FN.

When we have a quiet Saturday, we can watch cooking shows on PBS all day long. Wonderful. FN doesn't even have cooking shows anymore, does it?

Bunny wrote: "When we have a quiet Saturday, we can watch cooking shows on PBS all day long. Wonderful. FN doesn't even have cooking shows anymore, does it?"

Barely! FN is all about "celebrities".

I liked Ellie Krieger but wonder if she is still doing new shows..all I see are repeats.

I sometimes watch the Cooks Illustrated PBS show, but mostly I watch the sewing and quilting show on Saturday. I am trying to minimize television watching.

Shirley wrote: "I sometimes watch the Cooks Illustrated PBS show, but mostly I watch the sewing and quilting show on Saturday. I am trying to minimize television watching."

Can you sew while you watch TV? I am always doing something else/multi-tasking, or I would probably be horrified at how much TV I watch!

I'm the same JoAnn...TV is my distraction when I'm doing really mundane boring task..today cleaning out a closet..though I'm actually listening to the radio..I love sports talk shows for some strange reason..used to be a news junkie but am having to take a break since the news was making me stressed!

Jean, since DH retired he watches both news & sports shows on tv, so i am more aware of some topics than i ever wanted to be. Like you, when the news became too much (several years ago), i curtailed my viewing & am rather satisfied with that status.

deborah

Shirley, I saw the cutest Christmas card today and thought of you. Santa and the reindeer were sitting around a big quilting frame, doing hand-quilting.

The Santa and reindeer quilting card sounds quite clever!
Quilting winds up taking up a good deal of my life--actually doing quilting, reading quilting related books (fiction and non-fiction with several especially good authors including Jennifer Chiaverini whom I was able to hear speak and meet in Kansas City a couple of years ago), as well as attending quilt shows, guild meetings, and going on quilt shop hops.

Shirley wrote: "
Quilting winds up taking up a good deal of my life--actually doing quilting, reading quilting related books (fiction and non-fiction wit..."

well, at least it is a healthy obsession!

I recently discovered that I have arthritis in both thumbs. Some days they hurt a lot, sometimes not much, but it makes my ability to knit unpredictable. I am using Voltaren gel - it is the only NSAID in gel or cream form, thus much better for the stomach than a pill. Only problem is that I have so many aches and pains that I need to bathe in the stuff! LOL

I'm sorry not only about the arthritis, but the interferance it causes with your knitting. I hope you can get some relief.
A coworker is quite bitten with the knitting bug and shares with great enthusiasm not only her projects, but the various types of yarns that she is using. A store in her nearby town has begun carrying yarns and to help encourage sales, she goes once a week and sits and knits. She has now taken up spinning as well.

Shirley wrote: "I'm sorry not only about the arthritis, but the interferance it causes with your knitting. I hope you can get some relief.

A coworker is quite bitten with the knitting bug and shares with great enthusiasm not only her projects, but the various types of yarns that she is using. A store in her nearby town has begun carrying yarns and to help encourage sales, she goes once a week and sits and knits. She has now taken up spinning as well. ..."

Some stores in my area have set up couches and chairs to encourage people to knit there. And "our Deb" is also quite into her knitting and also has taken up spinning.

Nifty to know that there are others in the group who enjoy the fabric arts.
A combination of two things keeps me away from trying knitting--I have so many sewing and quilting projects to do that I don't have time to add another hobby and my first knitting attempt (a washcloth) was a disaster. However, I do enjoy seeing the projects others have made.

Shirley, I only knit squares (dishcloths) and rectangles (scarves). Leslie sent me an "easy" baby hat pattern and it was beyond me! So I will stick to my geometric shapes....if I am able to knit at all, that is.

I usually quilt or applique when watching television. Not only does the multi-tasking allow me to get something else done, but it helps me stay awake.
I like audio books for the same reason as this multi-tasking lets me keep up on "reading" while doing other tasks.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I recently discovered that I have arthritis in both thumbs. Some days they hurt a lot, sometimes not much, but it makes my ability to knit unpredictable. I am using Voltaren gel - it is the only NSAID in gel or cream form, thus much better for the stomach than a pill."

My SIL swears by some sort of cream which contains cayenne pepper. The product she used was cap-something (can't find it online because i can't recall more of the name).

deborah

Capsaicin???? Yes, this does provide temporary relief...sort of like Tiger Balm or BioFreeze. The Voltarin, on the other hand, builds up in your system.

I posted in the other cooking thread about "Cooks Country" on PBS. That's my favorite!

Donna in Southern Maryland

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Capsaicin???? Yes, this does provide temporary relief...sort of like Tiger Balm or BioFreeze. The Voltarin, on the other hand, builds up in your system."

JoAnn, it's something like Capsaicin but spelled with a "z". However, it is a cream, i didn't realize what you were taking is to build up the system. I hope you'll let us know how it works for you.

deborah

Deborah, capsaicin is the active component of chili peppers, so the product can be called whatever the manufacturer decides to call it. I bet you are talking about Zostrix. Other names are Icy Hot, Capsagel, etc

It does not build up the system but builds up....in other words, there is supposedly a cumulative effect. I would have tried a capsaicin cream except that I am using it on my hands and I worried about having that on my hands all the time and being around Charlie, or putting my hand near my eye, etc.

JoAnn, your worry about the heat remaining on your hand is valid. My SIL says it stings at first, then she is super-cautious about what she touches for the next hour. Being around a baby wouldn't be a good thing. For me, the eye issue would be the relevant one, as allergies often make my eyes water. I'm going to mention the Voltarin to her, despite the fact she is already taking many pills for other problems--diabetes, thyroid and acid reflux, in addition to the once-a-month chemo pills this year.

deborah

I became quite impressed with the chef Eric Ripert when watching TOP CHEF - he has been a guest judge. Now I see he has a cooking show --- on PBS ---called AVEC ERIC. It is on here at 3 on Saturdays and is also available online via the videos link on this page:

http://aveceric.com/

I watched a couple of the videos and thought the show was very good.

Ripert is the chef at Le Bernardin in NYC.

Rick Bayliss now has a show on FN and although he was appealing (and the winner) on the Top Chefs Masters show, his cooking show is b o r i n g. I was very disappointed.

Anyone who watches CHOPPED on FN probably is familiar with the sometimes "witchy" judge, Alex Guarnaschelli. Although she can be difficult, there is no doubt that she knows her food.

She now has a show on FN on Sundays called Alex's Day Off and it is probably the best new cooking show I have seen on this network in a year. Bobby Flay is the producer.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/alexs-day-...

She certainly is a well-trained chef:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/alex...

She is supposed to have another show on FN "The Cooking Loft" but I cannot find it on TV, just on the website.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-cookin...

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Capsaicin???? Yes, this does provide temporary relief...sort of like Tiger Balm or BioFreeze. The Voltarin, on the other hand, builds up in your system."

Just saw this, JoAnn and was wondering how this is working for you. I also have arthritic thumbs. I dislike the stomach effects of the ingested pills

I am finding that the Voltaren is working well...BUT.....I have to use it as prescribed. If I skip a few doses/applications, the pain comes right back. I am supposed to apply it four times a day, but I do it three times and as long as I am religious about it, it works very well. I even did some knitting today!

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I am finding that the Voltaren is working well...BUT.....I have to use it as prescribed. If I skip a few doses/applications, the pain comes right back. I am supposed to apply it four times a day, b..."
Glad you were able to knit. Thanks for the info. I'll ask my doctor if she thinks it is for me when I see her next.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I even did some knitting today!.."

In case you're not already familiar with it, the website ravelry.com is a great place to get patterns, share ideas and get help. One of my daughters is an avid fan.

I'm glad Marcy asked you about the Voltaren, JoAnn. It's good to know it is working nicely, as well. Thanks.

deborah

Marcy wrote: "
In case you're not already familiar with it, the website ravelry.com is a great place to get patterns, share ideas and get help. ..."

One of my daughter's friends is active at Ravelry and so is "our Deb". Alas, even the easiest things there are beyond my abilities, I'm afraid! LOL

I watched and loved the Eric Ripert show that was on yesterday on PBS. I had liked the videos, so was not surprised. This episode was a trip to an olive "farm" in Tuscany and showed how the oil is made after the olives are shaken off the trees into nets. We saw these nets when we were in Italy...they are stretched under the trees to catch the olives.

In fact, I liked the show so much that I immediately ordered his newest book, On the Line

http://www.amazon.com/Line-Eric-Riper...

which is described as "A behind-the-scenes look at the famed New York restaurant Le Bernardin" - where Ripert is the chef. I do not know why I like reading about restaurants and the inner workings, since I have never worked in one nor had any desire to do so!

Looking forward to this book.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I watched and loved the Eric Ripert show that was on yesterday on PBS. I had liked the videos, so was not surprised. This episode was a trip to an olive "farm" in Tuscany and showed how the oil is ..."

I like books like that, too - it went on my list!

Bunny, have you read Cafe Beaujolais?

http://www.amazon.com/Cafe-Beaujolais...

It is about, and has recipes from, the restaurant of the same name in Mendocino. The book is porabably 25 years old but is still fun to read. The author, one of the previous owners, tells all about how the restaurant came to be, hiring, ordering food, setting up the restaurant.

The restaurant changed hands in 2006. http://www.cafebeaujolais.com/

I don't feel that way about restaurants, i have the same feeling toward books about museums. I've never worked in one, nor desired to do so, yet i'm fascinated with the hows, the history & the whys of them.

deborah

madrano wrote: "I don't feel that way about restaurants, i have the same feeling toward books about museums. I've never worked in one, nor desired to do so, yet i'm fascinated with the hows, the history & the whys..."

this is another topic in which I am interested, Deborah.

We spent a weekend in Mendocino once and had three terrific meals, one especially at Cafe Beaujolais (sp?) They had sturgeon on the menu, which I had never eaten, so I was torn about ordering it. The waiter, who looked like a tall, skinny Einstein, told me that if I didn't like it, they'd take it back and get me something else at no extra charge. Ummmmm, it was so good!

Wow, how's that for backing your product? If more restaurants did that i suspect more diners would be adventurous eaters.

deborah