I LOVE cooking shows!

For a while I was on a Rachael Ray kick but she uses ingredients that aren't too common for my pantry so I took a hiatus but still continued to watch her 30 minute meals. I even invested in a few of the 30 minute meal cookbooks. Yum-O! :) However, most of the 30 minute meals I prepared were about an HOUR and 30 minutes! :) Still, they were delicious!

So now I'm a big follower of my friend Melissa with her $10 Dollar Dinners! :) Yea Melissa! I'm so proud of her for following her dream of being the Next Food Network Star! I wish she was given a higher budget -- even $20 dinners would be a little better. Most people I know would feel VERY comfortable and still feel like it was a bargain feeding a family of four on $20. Hey Food Network, are you listening?!

Another guy I like is Guy from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I just wish it wasn't so much as just watching other people make stuff that I'll never get to eat. He travels the country over going to diners, drive-ins and dives to find unique fare. Generally, he's right on the money with the places he finds! Like I said, however, it's highly unlikely that I'll visit 99% of the places he goes.

So, what's a girl to do? Tune in to Paula Deen of course! :) Although her "yauuuuul" (pronounced ya'll in Texas) can sometimes grate on my nerves along with the way she says PEA-cans instead of puh-kahns, I can completely overlook that becuase the food she prepares not only looks delicious, it's HOME COOKING with ingredients most everyone has in their pantry and/or fridge. I've got so many of her shows bookmarked and saved or marked "keep until I delete" that I fear I may run out of Ti-Vo space! I'm on a mission now to get on my paperback swap account and get lots of her cookbooks!

I just wish I had the time to do them all! :) Who doesn't love a cook that believes everything is better with butter?! Ha!