Did any of you catch "Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee" yesterday? She made 'easy' party cakes. The one that really got me was a fondant covered gift package cake. She PROMOTED using this great already made fondant you can pick up at the craft store...WILTON'S! She went on and on how simple it is to use and the colors available and how pretty the cakes turn out...all true. But...she failed to mention it tastes like Play-doh!!!!! It is very hard for me to convince people that there are yummy fondant icings I can put on a cake that don't taste like crap...I don't need someone suggesting using that stuff just for them to think that fondant is not good!!!!!

Sandra Lee is a hack at best! We had a thread awhile back dissing her and I have to admit it was alot of fun!

Have you tried the marshamallow fondant recipe on here. It's not too bad and I actually enjoy playing with it. Never thought I would like fondant on cakes but this one isn't too bad.

Sandra Lee freaks me out!! I realize it's just a TV show, but she said she actually redecorates her entire kitchen for each season and/or holiday. Who can afford to do that?

And by the way...pull your hair back and take off that fingernail polish and cover your boobs!!I want to see the food, not down your shirt.

Remember when Debbies Fields had a show on TV? Her hair was always huge and hanging in front of her shoulders and her nails were so long and red. Drove me batty!!

Bah! Good one Monstersmom! That's what I think about Giada DeLaurentiis, too. Cover the boobage, ladies before you get tagged Food Network Floosies. Hate to be catty here..... yeah, Debbie Fields and the big hair and always red nails--yeah, you bake alot.

Puppylove: ---> how's this one?

Well, believe it or not, there are some people out there who like Wilton fondant, and I have sold them some cake. No, it's not for everybody, but I use it, and it's good to some, including me and my kids. I add a little vanilla or other flavoring to it, but it's good to me.

As for Sandra Lee, as far as I'm concerned, the jury is out on her. I watched her show for the first time today, and I'm thinking. This was not the show you alluded to, with the cake, it was one with artichoke rolls and beef tips and orange cheesecake. I don't know, I don't like a lot of prepared foods, but am thinking about trying some of those things, dressing some stuff up a little. Would be easier in the kitchen......... like i said, the jury is out at my house........

So........ different strokes for different folks, huh?

I have to agree with Zamode on the Giada DeLaurentis comments and Sandra Lee has always kind of bothered me (and yes, I noticed her perpetually re-decorated kitchen which is weird too). Although, hey, I don't have a show on the Food Network so who am I to criticize? I really like Rachael Ray and her 30 Minute Meals show. She seems like someone who is genuinely nice and "regular". But it would take me WAY longer than 30 minutes to make what she does.

Sandra Lee is NOT a cook! Her recipes are supposed to be 70/30 store-bought/homemade, but it all looks store-bought to me. There's a web site that blasts her and points out all her horrors; it's almost as addictive as this site! Go to televisionwithoutpity.com and check it out. My rule of thumb is: If she makes it, I won't have anything to do with that recipe! My kitchen-phobic 20-year old daughter does much better!

Actually I used to work with a woman who changed some of her rooms for the seasons....yes, she had money and was a bit of a snob to boot and in her case, her house was more of a showpiece with a roof rather than a home.

Sandra Lee is more tuned for people who don't have time or don't have culinary skills and I'm sure it works for some, not everyone likes her or her ways. She drives me nuts with her repetitive phrase, "then, all you're gonna do....." Ugh!

Giada sometimes reminds me of that band camp chick in American Pie: "and then, one time, at culinary school....."

Sandra Lee creeps me out, as does DeLaurentis (her head seems too big or her shoulders too narrow, or something, and my goodness those TEETH)
I like Rachael Ray OK enough but she's like chef on speed and my DH thinks she has man-hands
Personally my fave is Paula Deen and if she were my next door neighbor, she'd have a restraining order out on me..."where's Liz?"...."Oh she's over at Paula's again"

Ooh.... the Italian Princess really gets to me as well.... her smile reminds me of a neighbor (that we call Squiggly for some reason) that I have issues with..... that and my husband just can't stand the woman!

Sandra Lee is okay in small doses, kind of like Emeril. I like him is small doses

Oh, I gotta take up for my girl Giada. Granted, she is a living bobble head doll but I love her food! Her recipes are fantastic and have always turned out great for me.

Funny thing about Sandra Lee is her ex or soon to be ex-husband is the king of manufactured housing so no wonder she's all about pre-fab stuff. I used to say I cooked semi-homemade because I doctored up everything that I don't make from scratch but after I watched her show I've never said it again since my cooking and hers are waaaaaay different!

debsuewoo will agree with me-nobody compares to our man Alton! Love him! they are having an Alton special coming up but I don't remember when they said!

Alton's background makes his show very entertaining to watch, visually.

I had always thought alot of what Sandra Lee did on the show was a bit of fluff, but she comes up with some good things sometimes. I looked at her cookbook at B & N and it had some yummy looking things in it. I am all for time-saving recipes...with 3 young children and a blossoming cake-decorating passion, I am all for anything that keeps me out of the kitchen at mealtimes!
And I have to say, as I said in the last thread...my friend met Sandra Lee at a photo shoot for her new kids cooking book..she said Sandra was the nicest, most genuine person ever and treated her child like a real person. So she's okay in my book
And I'm not going to hold it against her that's she's gorgeous and thin!!
Cindy

I was at the library yesterday browsing through the cookbook/baking section, and I picked up her semi-homemade baking book. I was skimming through it when I came across a recipe for a body powder that she says you should dust across your chest and shoulders (and especially your cleavage) and it will be sparkly and make you smell good. What is in it, you might wonder? 2 Tbsp powdered sugar and 10 red pixy stix. Yup, the woman thinks you should cover yourself in candy----eeeeek!

lets hope you don't have flies where you live . jeesh thats kind of wierd. she must of drank one too many of her martinis.

I'd worry about misquitoes with sugar on you, that and bees. Was that a perfume guide for children? The only people I can think of who would find that scent attractive on another person would be a little kid "hey you got any more?" She's been drinking WAY too much.

The food color in the Pixie Stix is going to stain your skin, so maybe that's where the glow comes from.

I can see it now, I'd break into a sweat and walk around the rest of the day looking like someone melted cotton candy on me! LOL!

Definitely Tee Martoonis!

Theresa

Oh, boy, Sandra does have some annyoing things but sometimes you do get some ideas from her as well. Like my pastor says at church, keep the good stuff and toss out the bad...

Sandra can be annyoing with her phrases like "Just like that...", or "This will be the best tasting thing you've ever made" (as if), and her opening line of "I've been cooking and entertaining for years...."

I am sure I am forgetting a lot more, but these are the ones I remember...

Again, like some of you say, you can only take it in small doses. I can't stand Emeril not even a second and Molto Mario either.

I do like Giada De laurentiis. She makes a lot of pasta, which I don't eat much of, but she sometimes makes this thinks that I like, like:

Frittatas
Chicken wrap (filling spinach, prosciuotto, cheese) Yummy!
Desserts

amongst a few other things. She drives me a little crazy with her hand movements, but I guess Italians "talk" a lot with their hands.

Shamdra is making a wedding cake today! "It's just so easy!"

we should count how many times in a show she says "just like that" , "a quick stir", and "its SO easy" lol

OH MY GOD

not one mention about dowelling!!!!!!!!

Yes, I have seen this one before.... She didn't cover the cake boards with anything.... Oh, well....

I do like the grapes idea though... to dust them with powdered sugar and they look like they are frosted...

I will admit - I am a little intrigued about champagne flavoring.......

but oh my heavens, white grape juice in a lemon cake mix??? I'm all for doctoring but I can't even begin to imagine what that must taste like. EEW.

Okay, Y'all!

Sandra Lee just plain skeeves me out. Her WORST cake faux pas I've seen:

"Ocean Cake!" (I swar! She called it an "Ocean Cake")

It was on her beach episode. She takes a sponge cake from the store, stuffs the big marshmallows into the hole part to level the top, tints 2 cans of frosting light blue, smears it on the cake, and TOPS IT OFF WITH GUMMI OCTOPI (octopus plural?)!!!

And what is it with her and the marshmallow-stuffing-in-the-spongecake-thing anyway? She does it ALL DAY LONG on her show. Gee...wonder what Sandra's having for dessert today? Why, SPONGECAKE of course!