Lee ignores jabs, cooks by the box
Ubiquitous
tpe...@dmreg.com
Sandra Lee of "Semi-Homemade Cooking" fame has been described by one
celebrity chef on a rival cable television network as "pure evil.''
Anthony Bourdain, who has a show on the Travel Channel, also reportedly
went on to say that the Food Network star "seems on a mission to kill
her fans, one meal at a time."
Lee, who will be at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines on July 17 for a
summer-themed soyfoods cooking demonstration, said she ignores critics
who snipe at her for using prepackaged ingredients in her cookbook
recipes.
But the home and style specialist does admit to entertaining wicked
thoughts every now and then. In a phone interview a few weeks ago, Lee
confessed to plotting a junk-food bender with a 6-year-old.
"I had this bright idea for a show that my nephew, Bryce, and I were
going to do a strawberry shortcake with a box of Twinkies.''
She came to her senses two days before the show was to be taped, she
said. "I thought, 'Am I out of my mind? I'm not feeding my nephew a box
of Twinkies.' " [But you're fine with that other crap you make?]
Instead, she and Bryce baked bran muffins, topping them with homemade
strawberry yogurt.
Delivered from evil by her own inner compass, Lee, in all likelihood,
not only saved herself from being rushed by a food police SWAT team but
also may have unwittingly positioned herself for her gig later this
month in Des Moines.
The Iowa Soybean Association, which promotes soy-based ingredients is
sponsoring the event. Drawn to Lee because of her far-from-priggish,
user-friendly approach to home cooking, the group is hoping to change
perceptions about soyfoods through its association with Lee, one
executive said. [That they're inedible?]
"Having her work with us is great because it is showing that soyfoods
have become mainstream," said National Soyfoods Council executive
director Linda Funk.
Lee's semi-homemade formula calls for roughly 70 percent prepackaged
items and 30 percent fresh ingredients.
One reason Lee may be undaunted by critics is that her relatively
quick-fix style has plenty of fans. In May, she shot the 200th episode
of "Semi-Homemade Cooking'' for the Food Network.
Since 2003, she's sold more than 2.3 million cookbooks. Her latest,
"Semi-Homemade Grilling 2," enables her to celebrate one of her earliest
cooking passions, she said.
"I'm a huge griller," Lee said, adding proudly that in the world of TV
cooks, "I'm the only girl that really does grilling." [Bullshit!]
Her roots in grilling go back to La Crosse, Wis., she said. "I used to
grill at the Ramada Inn on the deck when I was in college," Lee said.
"We had one of those outdoor grill kiosk things that served cocktails
and barbecue." [That's because she was draining the cocktails between
customers.]
She felt comfortable around food. At the time - the mid-1980s - she was
a student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, putting years of
hardship in her native California behind her.
In her memoir, "Made from Scratch," published in November by Meredith
Books, Lee writes of the abuses she suffered and the parenting duties
she assumed at age 10 after her mother died.
"I daydreamed of being a normal kid, but that wasn't the reality I lived
in,'' Lee wrote.
In an interview, she said one of the reasons she loves celebrating
holidays is because she didn't observe any as a child. "We didn't
believe in holidays,'' Lee said. "We weren't allowed to celebrate them.
"So now I am 6 years old."
By the early 1990s, she was back in California. While trying to decorate
her apartment on a slim budget, she used shear fabric and coat hangers
to fashion a style of window dressing.
Her creation led to her launch her own company, Kurtain Kraft. By 1993,
she had a million-dollar enterprise and a following on QVC Shopping
Network.
Success was fleeting. A few years later, with her curtain business
struggling, Lee decided to start what she called "a total lifestyle
company'' that focused on solutions often more affordable than those
touted by Martha Stewart, the style maven to whom she's often compared.
Lee, who will be 43 on Thursday, said she gravitated toward food
preparation because she had noticed very little was being done to help
time-starved women who still wanted to put flavorful food on the table.
Still, she recalls being reluctant to do a cooking show for the Food
Network when approached six or so years ago.
"I wasn't a real chef like Emeril (Lagasse) or Mario (Batali)," Lee
said, remembering that she was told she could set up the show however
she wanted. "I didn't have a restaurant.
"They said, all you have to do is cooking something. And I go, 'OK, so I
can change the decor?' "
By the time "Semi-Homemade Cooking'' debuted in 2003, it had been
decided that the decor colors would be different for every show. Since
then, the set has been decorated with 200 window treatments,
tablescapes, and colored KitchenAid blenders.
But it has never cost more than $1,000 for materials and appliances to
decorate a set, Lee said. [That's because she puts everything she buys
back into their boxes and returnsthem at the store]
"I want to show everyday homemakers that no matter what your taste, no
matter what your flavor, what your style, you can make something look
beautiful and change it when you want," she said.
"It doesn't have to be a fortune."
RECIPE: SAUCY WHITE HOTS
Born on the day before the Fourth of July, Sandra Lee says she always
looks forward to celebrating her birthday and Independence Day
back-to-back. “I really do love to grill,” she said. “To me, the Fourth
of July is the best holiday for grilling.” One of Lee’s favorite recipes
for the season is Saucy White Hots, which is included in her latest
cookbook, “Semi-Homemade Grilling 2.” The recipe is essentially a brat
dressed in chilli-dog finery. Lee, who lived in Wisconsin during the
1980s and attended the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, said she became
fond of brats during her time there. For more recipes, log on to
www.semihomemade.com.
PREPARATION: 15 minutes
COOK: 45 minutes to 1 hour
GRILL: 12 minutes
FOR MEAT SAUCE:
8 ounces lean ground beef
1 can (14-ounce) lower-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons frozen chopped onions, thawed
1 teaspoon spicy steak seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
FOR WHITE HOTS:
4 bratwursts 4 French rolls, toasted
DIRECTIONS: In a large skillet, combine ground beef, beef broth, chili
sauce, the 2 tablespoons onions, steak seasoning and cinnamon. Cook over
medium heat, stirring to break up meat into fine pieces. Reduce heat;
simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1hour or until liquid is evaporated. Set
up grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Oil grate when ready to
start cooking. Place bratwursts on hot, oiled grill. Cook for 12 to 15
minutes or until done (160 degrees F), turning occasionally. Serve hot
on toasted rolls. Top with the meat sauce and additional chopped onion.
LEE'S LATEST BOOK
Yes, Sandra Lee did attend a fancy cooking school. But many chefs would
probably never admit to owning any of her “Semi-Homemade” cookbooks,
which revolve around the notion that tasty dishes can be made by mixing
70percent prepackaged ingredients with 30percent fresh ingredients.
Lee’s latest book, “Semi-Homemade Grilling 2” ($19.95) is a Meredith
Books publication. The time-starved cook will appreciate the recipes.
Other things readers are likely to appreciate:
• Most recipes include instructions for indoor cooking.
• The recipes include only a few brand-name ingredients that would be
unavailable or hard to find locally.
• Plenty of recipes don’t require overnight marinating, for those who
like to be spontaneous.
Anim8rFSK
web...@polaris.net (Ubiquitous) wrote:
> By TOM PERRY
> tpe...@dmreg.com
>
> Sandra Lee of "Semi-Homemade Cooking" fame has been described by one
> celebrity chef on a rival cable television network as "pure evil.''
>
> Anthony Bourdain, who has a show on the Travel Channel, also reportedly
> went on to say that the Food Network star "seems on a mission to kill
> her fans, one meal at a time."
>
> Lee, who will be at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines on July 17 for a
> summer-themed soyfoods cooking demonstration, said she ignores critics
> who snipe at her for using prepackaged ingredients in her cookbook
> recipes.
What about the critics that point out she's using the WRONG ingredients?
--
Star Trek 09:
No Shat, No Show.
Ubiquitous
>> By TOM PERRY
>> tpe...@dmreg.com
>>
>> Sandra Lee of "Semi-Homemade Cooking" fame has been described by one
>> celebrity chef on a rival cable television network as "pure evil.''
>>
>> Anthony Bourdain, who has a show on the Travel Channel, also reportedly
>> went on to say that the Food Network star "seems on a mission to kill
>> her fans, one meal at a time."
>>
>> Lee, who will be at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines on July 17 for a
>> summer-themed soyfoods cooking demonstration, said she ignores critics
>> who snipe at her for using prepackaged ingredients in her cookbook
>> recipes.
>
>What about the critics that point out she's using the WRONG ingredients?
And the inability to cook. Ever notice that whenever she uses a stove,
she only seems to set the burners to "high"?
--
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.
Anim8rFSK
Ubiquitous <web...@polaris.net> wrote:
> ANIM...@cox.net wrote:
> > web...@polaris.net (Ubiquitous) wrote:
>
> >> By TOM PERRY
> >> tpe...@dmreg.com
> >>
> >> Sandra Lee of "Semi-Homemade Cooking" fame has been described by one
> >> celebrity chef on a rival cable television network as "pure evil.''
> >>
> >> Anthony Bourdain, who has a show on the Travel Channel, also reportedly
> >> went on to say that the Food Network star "seems on a mission to kill
> >> her fans, one meal at a time."
> >>
> >> Lee, who will be at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines on July 17 for a
> >> summer-themed soyfoods cooking demonstration, said she ignores critics
> >> who snipe at her for using prepackaged ingredients in her cookbook
> >> recipes.
> >
> >What about the critics that point out she's using the WRONG ingredients?
>
> And the inability to cook. Ever notice that whenever she uses a stove,
> she only seems to set the burners to "high"?
Last week she put frozen corn in the microwave to thaw for like 8
minutes. Yikes!