(For those of you who have not read one of my posts on Sandra Lee in the past, here’s a bit of a warning…
I do not like this person. I am ruthless and more than a bit cruel when discussing her. This is not going to be a read in praise of Aunt Sandy. You have been warned!
If you are a Sandra lee fan, please read the bottom of this post before commenting. ((You may skip the rest, you won’t like it))))
For me, Semi Home Made with Sandra lee is something akin to a train wreck, or a serious auto accident in progress. I don’t want to watch it. I have no interest in the carnage, and most likely what I see will scar me for life. But as with a train wreck, I simply can’t turn away, the sight is too ghastly for that. I simply stare in shock as something beyond my control goes terribly, horribly wrong.
Try as I might,if I fail to get to the remote before she starts talking, I’m stuck in the glow of her inanity like a deer in the headlights of a fast moving semi truck. Somewhere inside of myself I know that the end is near, but there is a part of me that just has to see what those shiny lights are, regardless of the danger.
For those of you who railed against me for having nothing at all positive to say about Miss Lee, let me say this. In the span between my first post on this person and today, I have seen some decent looking recipes on her show. Not many, mind you, but a few. For the most part I tally those up to “it’s such a simple dish that it has to be good.” In any case, there aren’t enough of those moments to keep me from finding new and improved ways to state my obvious distaste of her.
EDIT:– For those of you who just have to tell me she trained at the Cordon Bleu:
No, She did Not! She dropped out of a Cordon Bleu Satellite Class after one week, stating she could get the same results out of a package! (What a nauseating thought!)
So let’s dive in shall we? Let the carnage begin!
Thirteen more Things about Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee
- Sandy still hasn’t curbed the habit of matching every single item in her kitchen with the clothes she is wearing. this might even have been a neat idea for one or two episodes, but it’s really just gone too far at this point. I have a great fear that one day she’ll take to coloring her hair to match as well, or worse, color coordinating her nieces and nephews!
- Does the fact that it’s difficult to find a picture or video of this woman without a cocktail in her hand a bit frightening to anyone but me? What message is the network trying to put out here, that the only way you can properly enjoy this excuse for a program is with a stiff one in your hand, or better yet, two?
- While we’re on the subject, the most notable portion of Aunt Sandy’s show is “cocktail time”. It is begun each episode with the infamous words “And now it’s time for my favorite time of the day, Cocktail Time.” In her first few seasons this consisted of one drink with enough horsepower to render a large man into a drunken idiot. It seems that Sandy has themed her shows to make sure that she adds one more cocktail to “cocktail time” with each season. Hopefully that is the case, since aside from being cab-calling strong, her drinks are the one thing on the show she seems passionate about, and most look pretty good. Anyone else for a show titled “Cocktail Time with Aunt Sandy”? Let’s skip the “cooking” and just get to the drinks, shall we?
- I mentioned in my last post on this subject that Sandra’s idea of a kids menu was generally frightening to me. This unease has shifted to a firm state of panic, as her choices for drinks have now turned to “and for the adults, just add vodka”. What happens if the containers get mixed up!!?
- I will admit that Sandra no longer looks like she’s drunk herself under the table the night before taping her episodes. She’s gained a few much needed pounds and has lost the emaciated look of a binge drinker, for which I’m sure her liver is thanking her. It is very possibly the reason that she’s come up with some nearly palatable menu items. She can actually taste this slop now!
- Apparently her time as a cooking host has not taught her basic kitchen skills. I saw an episode a few weeks ago where Aunt Sandy was measuring out some liquid (probably vodka). Her recipe calls for three cups of the stuff. As she’s telling you this she tops off her measuring cup and pours it into a pitcher to mix with the other ingredients, all the while stating that you “need three cups”. The problem? Pyrex doesn’t make a three cup measuring cup! Nor does OXO, or any other company that I’ve been able to find. She poured four cups worth of whatever it was in there. I think messing up your directions by a full cup is a bit careless, don’t you?
- Figuring out where Aunt Sandy gets her recipe ideas from is no real challenge. Oh sure, there are some that are inspired by Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali or Bobby Flay, but for the most part if you want to see what Sandra will be making next season, all you have to do is watch Rachael Ray this season. You can bet Sandra will be back next year with her own version of the ever-so-perky brunette’s recipes in tow.
- I can’t discuss Sandra lee without taking a moment to mention the table settings she has dubbed “tablescapes”. (The fact that this word will be a part of the English language very soon makes me want to gag, but I digress.) While she has set up a few that even I liked, for the most part even her producers have to be wondering what the h@ll this woman was smoking when she came up with the idea for some of these impractical assemblies. Her use of unfinished fabrics doesn’t bother me, but plates set on pedestals at the table is not only ugly and nearly impossible to talk over, but so impractical that it should have been banned by the production staff, not featured on her show.
- Sandra is personally in charge of every aspect of her show, including her wardrobe. Unfortunately she, sometimes seems to forget her age. Sorry Sandy, you are not cute in a sun-dress designed for a 15 year old, nor are you cute wearing Daisy Duke wannabe clothes. Lastly, please, please, please do not ever wear camouflage again!
- Sandy has been touted as “The Next Martha”, but for all the hype, she still sits in Rachael Ray’s shadow, both on the Food network and off. I’ve often wondered if she will simply snap one day and go after Ray-Ray with a Semi-Homemade handgun, though I still can’t figure out which 30% of that she would create from scratch.
- Sandra Lee’s love of store bought angel food cake borders on the obsessive. Her Kwanzaa and Hanukkah cakes have already earned her a place in infamy, and I can’t see her stopping there. I’m waiting for an angel food ‘tini to hit the air at some point. Grotesque? Yes, but I wouldn’t put it past her if she’s had too many cocktails.
- It boggles my mind that Gourmet Magazine ran a featured artice on Sandra In the September 2003 edition titled “Good Bye to All That” with a subtitle of “Cookbook author and soon to be television star Sandra Lee doesn’t see any reason to devote her days to tedious culinary tasks. She doesn’t think you should, either”. Isn’t Gourmet supposed to be pushing the virtues of fresh seasonal gourmet food? They do however, confirm that Sandra was already touting the virtues of “wine, wine and more wine — or Margaritas — at the end of every day”
- It is actually a measure of Sandra’s success that allows people like me to despise her so. I am truly not alone in my hatred of Miss Lee. YouTube is full of anti-Sandy videos, and Television Without Pity has a forum dedicated to nothing more than bashing Sandra. (It’s the only dedicated Food related sub-forum there, that should tell you something!) If the Anti-Martha hadn’t infested our collective presence with her malodorous idea of what life should be like, we wouldn’t get the pleasure of repeatedly trying to find some way to collectively forget her. Thank You Sandy! And keep those ‘tini’s coming.
By this point there are rabid Sandy fans foaming at the mouth, especially if they’ve read part one in the series. Before you shoot straight to the comment form to lambast me for being vicious, cruel or heartless, I’d like you to hear me out on a few points, if you will.
My wife thinks some of Sandra’s craft projects are worthwhile, and to be honest if Sandy ran a crafting show, I would probably not dislike her as much as I do. The woman does have talent, just not in the area of cooking. Since her show is on The Food Network, I expect some sort of culinary insight from it. The only place I see that is in her cocktails, which she has been touting for years as the way to relax at the end of the day.
I am aware that Sandy had a hard life growing up. So did a lot of us. I think it’s wonderful that her ideas have been so well received by the world, it gives me something to snark at.
If you would like to disagree with me, feel free to do so. Do not attack any other commentator on this blog, or I guarantee that your comment will never see the light of day. Likewise with cursing like a sailor. I actually was a sailor, and I refrain from such language here. I would ask you to do the same.
Please do take note. This is not a personal attack on Sandra Lee. I do not know Sandra. I cannot comment on her as a person in daily life. I can only comment on her television persona, which I personally find to be trite, annoying and forced, if not downright Barbie-Doll fake. I reserve personal attacks to people I have actually met.
So, do you love her or hate her? Let me know in the comment, but please. If you do like her. Explain why! I’d really like to know.
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I just recently discovered Sandra Lee’s show and I love it! I’m all for short cuts and saving time in the kitchen. Just wish I had more time to watch her show.
my husband laughs at me everytime Sandra Lee comes on and quickly changes the channel. she doesn’t seem like a bad person but her show irritates to no end. I have watched it several times hoping she would somehow redeem herself but that has been a huge no-go. The thing is check the ratings on foodtv in regards to her recipes, not good. Most of her recipes come up three stars or less which should tell you something right there. Also, the tablescapes drive me crazy! who has the time or money to do that? Maybe for a special occasion but the whole match this and match that makes me want to throw-up.
Funny post! I can relate!
I cannot understand how she even got on FN. Truly if she would put her time into cooking instead of those atrocious “tablescapes” she might have gotten somewhere. With all of the crud they put in pre-made foods I cannot believe FN is letting her peddle these recipes. I am a full time student with a part time job and 2 kids. If I can find the time, Aunt Sandy should be able too. Yuck! I felt 2 yrs come off my life when I happened across her show.
I haven’t read all of the posts, so I hope I’m not repeating anything that’s already been said.
I’m curious about something………..at the start of Semi-Homemade, while she’s narrating, she indicates that she’s been cooking and entertaining since she was a child. Now I see that she is promoting the Share Our Strength program and one of the first lines of her commercial is, “As a child, sometimes I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from.” WHAT? Well, Sandra, which is it? Were you hitting the food banks so that you could cook and entertain as a child? Now FN has given her another show? Are you kidding me? In the words of Anthony Bourdaine, “She makes my eyes bleed……………” Between the changing of the set to match her outfits to the “can I just tell you?” line that she throws out every 3 minutes, I wanna scream!
I agree! Aunt Sandy drives me crazy! She is like a step-ford wife and her recipes are rather pathetic. What makes me really crazy is her use of “little, cute and nice”. Everything is little, cute or nice….on and on…….She even makes my 11 year old son crazy with inane babbling…..so fake.
I must confess I love SL. She is so cute. The way she says things like “woo!”, “super simple” and “marscapone”. On one episode she was cooking outdoors and she said “you’ll see the trams coming by, looking at the wildlife animals”. Sandy dear, animals ARE wildlife.
I cannot stand those seasoning packets she always buys….”it will save you money, think of ALL those bottles of spices you would have to buy!!!” Well if you buy them all once, you will have them for a long time, and you can actually control how much of what spice goes in your food. Plus, and I know this is a tough one for her, but you can actually make it YOUR OWN RECIPE. I hate this woman. Hate I tell you! Why would you substitute taco seasoning in a fajita recipe? You are not making TACOS!!! AHHHH!!!!!! Also, Why does she emphasize every third word? Her recipes look like pig slop and her table settings make me want to vomit on myself. Who has the time or money to buy all the crap she puts on her tables? Jesus, someone get her off the air.
I could have written this entire post myself. In fact, I just posted today about how my husband loves to tease me about my dislike of Sandra Lee.
http://blog.wantingwhatyouhave.com/2009/09/now-hes-just-teasing-me.html
I’m so glad it’s not just me.
I once saw the crazy bat put popcorn and 7-inch taper candles on a cake (which I’m assuming was angel food). She’s insane. But unlike the proverbial trainwreck, I can no longer watch. It’s not even entertaining in the oh-my-gawd! fashion it once was. I did enjoy a few years back when Food Network got all their TV personalities together for a holiday show and had Candace Olsen (from Divine Design) do the decorating. I stood up and cheered.
At first I was drawn to watch her show,thinking you can have great meals and do squat…. but after I tried some of her recipes I realized something was really wrong.Then after each time I watched I started really hating the sound of her voice, like finger nails on a blackboard. Then I couldnt focus on what the hell she was blabbing about and began to wonder who she has intercourse with to give her so much air time. I really hate this woman. So darn annoying-someone should tell her.
I know her family and her past and it’s all a huge fake! I have read her book and it made me gag!
She in a manipulative bitch to her family and she won’t even talk to some of them.
AND I think her show is so terrible…I can’t even believe FoodNetwork carries it!
i only have one thing to say since i found this in my board moment of internet searching…I LOVE YOU MAN! i too hate this woman’s show. my mother-in-law thinks she is the greatest and i have yet to figure out why. thanks for the laugh!
I think she is a gorgeous woman with a ton of talent. I could CARELESS if she dropped out of the culinary school. She got a great opportunity in life that anyone of you haters would take if you had the chance, but apparently you are not ambitious enough to get there. Further, if you were intelligent enough to actually listen to her before writing such horrible things, you would know that she never has claimed or said she was a professional chef. Also, about her changing up the other chef’s recipes, she always gives credit to them. All she is doing is changing it up so that people who work 60 hours a week (unlike people like you who have the time to write blogs) can make good tasty food without spending a ton of time or money on it. I really just don’t understand why people in this world are so very jealous of another person’s success. If it bothers you so much, why don’t you focus on doing something like that for yourself instead wasting your time on why you hate Sandra Lee. For not liking her, you sure spent alot of time writing about her!!!! I NEVER write back on this stuff but I do really enjoy her show and if you don’t, then don’t watch it..It’s that simple! All I thought to myself when I read this was…. looks like another lazy person sitting at home with 40 cats has nothing better to do…..I wish Sandra Lee tons more success and as for you….try turning your anger into something more positive for yourself, then maybe you too can be successful.
Sandra Lee is not only an awful cook, she is, after Sarah Palin, the most inarticulate person I have ever encountered on TV. One would think that her producers would correct her abuse of the English language. One day I counted 36 times of using “pop” on one 30 minute show. She pops things not only in the oven, but in the trash, on a plate, in the fridge, in a bowl, in her mouth, on another piece of food, ad nauseum.
Everything you hate about her is exactly what people like me like about her. To each their own. I did share a train ride with her recently NY -Boston and I do agree she seems to have a drinking problem – she was so plastered by the time the train pulled in the station she had to be wheeled out on the luggage cart!
For heaven sakes Jerry lighten up and get a life. I watch her now and then and have gotten some good ideas….but I don’t seem to have the same obsession that you have .. No one said you HAD to watch.
I just hate the way she pronounces her L’s. She LLLLLLLLLLLoves this or adds LLLLLLLLLLLLemon to that. The way she allows her tongue to linger over the L makes her look like she’s auditioning for a porn flick. Bugs the crap out of me when I’m trying to watch the show.
I do think the “pop” thing would make a fun drinking game. Mix up a batch of her fake-tinis and each time she says “pop”, take a drink. When will people learn, just because your pour it into a martini glass does not make it a martini.
You all know she was a decorator or some such before she got this gig. She’s no cook, let alone any sort of chef. Just a girl out to try to pull a Martha by synergizing her salable products.
I watch her for entertainment sometimes. My three year old daughter loves her show. She refers Sandra as the grown up little girl.
Ummmmm…….. Okay, if you don’t like someone and say you don’t care for them. Why do you write it? You say you don’t care about her but you do. You honestly care for her because you observe her. So, what she likes to do the thing she does. I mean am I writing a blog about how much i hate you for writing this. no. You need to calm down and learn to worry about yourself. Leave people alone because you and I both know we dont know her life. If this is what she does because she is happy…then let her. I honestly didnt know that being happy is wrong in life. Just because you are depressed doesn’t mean you should turn the world depressed.
I have to agree with true gin martini fan: ms. lee’s emphasis on the longated LLLLLLLL is really annoying. i used to watch sandra lee when her show first aired but by the time her show switched formats to de-emphasize the natural aging lines on her face (and the fact that she constantly kept switching hairdos as well as kitchen decors), i stopped watching her all togther.between her and the ever expanding hips/rear end of rachel ray, i’ve decided to watch pbs cooking shows instead….sorry food network fans!