by Emily

In Defense of Paula Deen

I’m sure y’all have heard by now that Paula Deen has diabetes. It’s all over the news. People are pissed. I’ve seen media “correspondents” (who are these people who are allowed to throw stones all over the place?) calling her “outrageous” and demanding apologies to the public. WHAT? Why?

Know what? I’m just gonna say it. I like Paula Deen and I DON’T CARE. I don’t care that my girl Paula cooks food that is bad for her/everyone; I don’t care that she kept her diabetes a secret; I don’t care that she is now doing an endorsement deal with a diabetes pharmaceutical company.

Is a lot of her food hilariously bad for you? Sure is. Does she blatantly ignore nutritional guidelines? Yep. If you cook and eat a ton of her recipes on a regular basis, are you doing your health a disservice? You better believe it.

But guess what, Food Network viewers! The onus is on YOU! If you think Paula Deen’s recipes are unhealthy, don’t cook and eat them. If you think her lifestyle is appalling, don’t watch her show. The fact that Paula has diabetes may be linked to her eating habits, great. Frankly, her health is her business. Anthony Bourdain may say she’s “in bad taste,” but honestly, how is her admitting to diabetes and hawking meds really affecting any of us? Nobody was “betrayed” by her cooking shows, as some people have claimed. She’s never represented herself as an athletic, fit person. Paula Deen’s admission of her diagnosis doesn’t give you a free pass to eat poorly, then complain and point fingers.

Even here at Endless Simmer, we delight in writing about alarmingly extreme foods. I highly doubt any of our readers think we constantly pig out on all of our ridiculous culinary discoveries, or that we encourage anyone else to. We’re all smarter than that, right?

This is just like people who try to sue fast food companies for their health issues. Let’s take some personal responsibility, please. If you honestly think it’s okay to eat burger-stuffed doughnuts three meals a day, that is 100% your problem, not Paula Deen’s.

(image: eater.com)

by gansie

10 Great Food-Induced Cosby Family Faces

This time of year is all about family. Love. Sharing. Laughter.

Not your family? Join the food-loving Cosbys.

10. The Joy of Giving Birth

9. It Does a Body Hmm-MMM

8. What He Said

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by Emily

Presents for Foodies: Food Network Star Book

This time of year I am always scrambling for holiday gift ideas. It’s not that I’m not a generous person… it’s just that sometimes, come on, people are hard as hell to buy for. Being a food-minded individual, I often solve this dilemma by throwing a cookbook their way and calling it good. In this case, here is something to please the masses: Food Network Star: The Official Insider’s Guide to America’s Hottest Food Show. It’s chock full of recipes and television gossip. We all know people who love Food Network, so there! One gift to cross off the list.

How good is this cookbook? Well, it’s definitely a crowd pleaser. FNS:TOIGTAHFS, as I like to call it to save time, offers a wide array of recipes, from the laughably simple (Carissa Seward’s Shrimp Puffs), to the reasonable (Eggs en Cocotte from Amy Finley), to the elegantly involved (Alex Hernandez’s Beignets with Rosemary Caramel). It’s fun because recipes from basically every cheftestant from every season of the show are featured, so it’s easy to pick a selection from one’s favorite. I, for example, eagerly sought out recipes from the Hearty Boys. Then, upon seeing that their featured item was lobster pot pie and reminding myself I was supposed to be saving money for other presents, decided to go with something a bit more pedestrian.

I would hardly call Guy Fieri my favorite “chef” but hey, he is probably the ultimate Next Food Network Star winner. This dude is everywhere! How’s his food? There’s only one way to find out, and that is to make one of the recipes that catapulted him to stardom.

Chipotle Pasta

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by Russell Warnick

Top Chef Recipes: Cracklin Hush Puppies

Top Recipes from the Most Recent Loser on Top Chef. More Top Chef Recipes.

We’re getting to that point in the series where the chefs have known each other long enough to start hating each other (I’m looking at you Beverly and Heather).

C’mon, I’m waiting for the cat-fight.

One shocking development: desserts are coming out on top. Gone are the days of Tom turning up his nose at chocolate tart, he’s now embracing the sugar high.

If not dessert, then which fat is being trimmed? Keep reading and find out what dish they had to offer up to ES.

in Pig / TV 0 comments

by gansie

Attack of the Meme: The ’90s Are Back

In times of heartache and unrest we reach for nostalgia to calm our shattered souls. And apparently the 1990s heals our collective hearts, as plenty of Boy Meets World and Family Matters references dot the internet.

But my favorite ’90s poster child is Daria and how she decodes the world via food.

3. Dating Advice

(Photo: Creestool)

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by Russell Warnick

Top Chef Recipes: Chicken with Green Pipian and White Rice

Top Recipes from the Most Recent Loser on Top Chef. More Top Chef Recipes.

The cheftestants packed up and moved on last week. Texas is a big place and they’re not going to promote the whole state by staying in one place — so it was time for Dallas, but not before a little theatrics. The Quickfire involved a stop on the highway, courtesy of a burly state trooper, to cook a dish using a campfire burner with very limited ingredients, including canned tuna and chicken. Delightful. The chefs got a reward in the elimination, cooking for some of Dallas’ high society folks; it’s true, they exist.

But who packed their bags and gave ES a recipe from their personal collection?

in Fowl / Recipe / TV 0 comments

by Russell Warnick

Top Chef Recipes: Chicken Soup Noodle

Top Recipes from the Most Recent Loser on Top Chef. More Top Chef Recipes.

With no Top Chef exit interviews you’d be forgiven for thinking that ES has given up on the show this season. Well, you’re wrong, instead of asking the chefs the same old questions we asked for a recipe. So, with Top Chef Texas well under way we’re starting off with Richie Farina of Moto Restaurant in Chicago, who was the second chef to pack his knives. Keep an eye out as each week we’ll be posting a recipe from that week’s exiting chef.

in Recipe / TV 0 comments