Monday, November 21, 2005

Paula Deen's Thanksgiving special

I won't do a full recap because the special is an hour long but I have to make a few comments about it. The highlight of the whole thing for me was the homemade turducken. I nearly lost it when the teaser said she was going to make her own turducken. Turducken (I love saying that word!) aside, it was a kind of meh episode. She was laying it on thick with her corn pone antics and her sons were laying it thicker with their UGA frat routine. I was trying to figure out whether the two ladies at the poker game for Jamie and Bobby's wives or Michael's children.

Not including the turducken, the food was pretty meh. Paula made an oyster stuffing with oysters that were essentially harvested in her backyard. It was a fairly standard cornbread stuffing that I thought was way too wet. When it was taken out of the oven, it had a bread-pudding-like consistency. I like my stuffing to be breadier and more solid. While that was going on, fratty Boddy and Jaime were staying true to their Southern roots and frying a turkey. They essentially rubbed it with butter and spices and dunked it into a huge fryer. More fake hijinks of Paula trying to steal a drumstick from the boys.

When we get back from commercial Paula is putting together her turducken. It's a sight to behold. I'll leave it at that. She then makes a sweet potato ball that's a mound of sweet potato with a marshmallow surprise inside. I went into sugar shock just looking at it.

There's this whole fakety fake scene of poker playing that is just plain stagey. I google Jaime Deen (the bigger, doughier one), and it looks like Brooke is his wife. She looks like she could be a cheerleader, complete with heavy eyeliner, chunky highlights and a perky smile. She has the good sense to look a little embarassed at the fake poker cheating.

Jaime and Bobby retire to the kitchen to make some artery hardening snacks. Bobby wraps sesame pretzel sticks in bacon and Jaime makes a little hamburger and wraps it with puff pastry. They have an easygoing rapport and pal around while they cook.

They come back to the game with a plateful of snacks and fake accuse their mother of cheating in the fake poker game. Thankfully we leave that and go to Paula's gorgeous porch where she SAYS she set the table but we all know it was some poor production assistant working until 4:00 am. It is a fall fantasy of leaves, red and orange flowers, and pumpkins.

In her final demonstration she mixes cranberry juice and apple juice together with some cloves and cinnamon to make a cider. We leave the Deen/Groover household on the gorgeous porch hoping they don't drop dead from a heart attack.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does anyone else find Paula's sons' straightness a little unconvincing?

ScottE. said...

First, let us not go to the son's "straightness." I'm sure we've mentioned before the sandwich we'd like to make with them!

The Turducken concept makes me want to heave. On their own, yum yum, but together, it gives me the heebee jeebees.

And right on re: oyster stuffing, it's looked like watery goo. Another gag me with a spoon!

I liked the idea of the sweet potatoes, but maybe with a mini-marshmallow...a whole one...no no...and I'm coming from the cover them with brown sugar and marshmallows...but the balls seemed to much.

The home/porch are stunning...and that kitchen....gawd I'd die in there! Even with the country-kitsch.

Paula was in rare form. I think she was drunk. But I do love me some Paula.

Supposedly this kitchen is in fact in GA. I read or saw somewhere that the other one she uses is in NY and was designed by the tall dude who whored himself out to sell campbells soup....can't remember his name now. He's her producer...Gordon Elliott. That kitchen I don't care for.

Do I know the other rebecca?

Dancer in DC said...

Jaime, Bobby, me. Sandwich. Need I say more?

And if I recall correctly, Bobby isn't married. So maybe the other girl is his beard? Kidding!

Anonymous said...

Oh, you know me. I gorged myself on delicious pita chips and red pepper hummus chez vous in recent memory.

ScottE. said...

ha ha! That's what I thought. Hola Chica!

jp 吉平 said...

Oh no. We're not going to play "Straight or Georgian?" are we?

I found my way here via google, nice blog! I appreciate your summary of the PDTS, which was in my opinion a food atrocity and a rivetting cultural spectacle at the same time.

I was inspired to make an oyster dressing after watching the show; of course mine was not a sloppy, pukey mass before going into the oven. I think just culturally that Miss Paula has a different idea of what dressing should be. It's totally a bread pudding.

The tur-duck-en concept is explainable (shocking, but explainable) to my Filipno family, who has lived in this country for over 30 years. The sweet potato balls with a melted marshmallow however.... You know, sometimes we feel like, yes, America is our home now. And sometimes we feel like slapping somebody and getting on the next plane to Manila.

jp 吉平 said...

Speaking of sandwiches....

I apologize in advance for this link to their restuarant
http://www.ladyandsons.com/sons.php

Anonymous said...

It is ironical that people defend other people(Paula and her sons) by using name calling and derogatory statements. That is the pot calling the kettle black. I think Paula, her recipies and her shows are a matter of taste and everyone is entilted to their own opinion. But the last poster is right, the blogs are not fun without other peoples rants.

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Anonymous said...

hahahahahaha accurate

Neuse River North Carolina said...

haha it's make me laugh..