Food Network

Hassan has ESPN and I have the Food Network. It's my favorite television station on cable! Not only do I love watching people cook, but I love the chopping, learning about different foods, how they are prepared, and even the history of food! And what I like best of all are the people of the Food Network. They all have different personalities and it warms my heart too see them get together for the holidays and cook with one another!

Rachael Ray: Besides Emeril, she's recently become the famous face from the Food Network. She's got four shows going on at once: "30 Minute Meals", "$40 a Day", "Inside Dish", and "Tasty Travels". Now she's featured on "Entertainment Tonight" and even adopted by Oprah. I think the fame has gone to her head a little. In her recent "30 Minute Meal" shows she's become annoyingly loud and over-charismatic. She's got nicknames for food and annoying phrases like" "YUM-O!", "DEE-LISH", and "E-V-O-O" (short for extra virgin olive oil). AND enough scolding to those people who don't pre-wash their herbs and stick it in a zip-lock bag with a damp towel! Sheesh!

Giada DiLaurentis: Despite her large head (as some people criticize), she is SO cute! And a lucky-duck because all of her clothes are free complements of Anthropologie (her hubby is works for them). She cooks some seriously good Italian fare...and pronounces them all with an authentic Italian accent. "Parmigiano-Reggiano!", "Mascapone!", "Mozzarella!" She's also a HUGE chocolate feind for being so petite! Nuttella goes into every dessert! Last year, I was obsessed about the layered diamond necklace she always wears on the show. I stopped obsessing when I found out that it was from Tiffany's (Diamonds by the Yard), made from different 3 necklaces, and costing about $2,500!

Michael Chiarello: Another chef of Italian decent with a flair for Napa cooking. He's all about preparing food ahead of time. For a male chef, he's no Bobby Flay...a little soft with the cooking. In one episode, he was baking cookies and cupcakes for his daughter's bake sale. His daughter looked so embarrassed and withdrawn with the whole situation. He meant well...but it looked like she was going to have a major depressive episode.

Paula Deen: One of my favorite chefs in the "Food Network" family. She scared me at first with her Southern accent and upbringing. I swore that she had a couple of slaves in her basement chopping up onions and peeling potatoes. Anyways, I've gotten over that thought and now she's my favorite when it comes to cooking desserts. She doesn't hold back...everything starts with a bit of "BUTTA". AND not only does she have ONE "Mama's boy", but TWO! (Reminds me of a couple of boys I know...) They occasionally guest-star on her show and it's like watching a mother bear licking clean her two bear cubs clean. Hmmm....

Ina Garten: She's a bit pretentious, but I think it comes from living in New England. This poor woman, trapped in her Pottery Barn house alone all week long while her husband works in NYC. He comes home only for the weekend. Half of her shows are about cooking a "special meal" for her husband Jeffrey. It's either a brunch, late-night meal, or a midnight snack. Her desserts are fairly good too, but it's her brunch episode that had me watering by the mouth! A yogurt-granola parfait with peaches and brioche french toast...YUM-O!


Sandra Lee: I'm still trying to figure her out. Some critics call her the "modern Martha Stewart", but I think she's trying too hard to be perfect. I think it's the same person who designs the set and picks out her wardrobe because it's nauseatingly too coordinated. If it's an episode about coffee, she's (surprise!) wearing a coffee colored turtleneck and matches the curtains in her kitchen. I've also recently noticed how sexually charged the show is...no joke! She's SO adament to do things for you. "I will make YOU a super special cocktail!!", "I'm going to show you THE best chocolate cake EVER!!", or "Wait until YOU see this beautiful tablescape!!" SCARY!!

Alton Brown: He's my original favorite "Food Network" star. He's quirky, animated, odd, and a bit nerdy. He explains the history of food and the science of cooking. "Good Eats" is a highly entertaining show because he has interesting ways of explaining the science. In one episode about honey, he "spoke" with bees about how honey is produced. The funny thing was, these bees were actually hand-puppets. An adult "Sesame Street"! Alton is also a food commentator for "Iron Chef America". He was the perfect person for the job because of his culinary knowledge strange and exotic foods!