Cookbookaholic

The Paula Deen Network

Did anyone notice when the intro of the Paula Deen Network hit the news a few weeks back?

It seems that during that time after the lawsuit was half dismissed and half settled, Paula and her team spent some time away from the media glare and quietly huddled on the options. A cable network may have no longer been an option for her and the Paula Deen brand, but there were certainly a lot of supporters still out there.

Remember when the upcoming cookbook she had with a major publishing house started pre-selling at a huge velocity? I think the publishing house scuttled plans to publish it…but still, it was a remarkable show of support from her fanbase. Not only in the sheer volume of orders…but the money it would have made for the publisher and Paula Deen.

And I don’t think the lines outside of The Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah got any shorter? The line waiting to get in still wrapped around the building. People were still willing to pay and be seen publicly supporting her (even though she didn’t even own the restaurant anymore).

It seemed as if her fans were signaling that if she could make it through the more immediate and harsh media storm, her brand possibly had a way forward? It may take a while for the public to forgive and forget, but the Deen team seemed hunkered down and looking for a way to keep bringing Paula to her fans.

That initial wave of news on the Paula Deen Network was just the announcement that the online channel was on the way—but still a few months off. The accompanying video shows that they’ve been hard at work with a rather large production team and an audience of about 12 in her kitchen. The atmosphere felt both intimate and very festive. That audience looked happy to be in her company—and she seemed thrilled to have them there.

It’s interesting to note that the Paula Deen Network will be subscription based. It’ll be equally interesting to see if her fanbase will be willing to pay for access to the online recipes and videos that were previously free. If she didn’t have any sponsors to help foot the bill for the production costs, most--if not all of it (in theory)--would have to be covered by the money raised through subscriptions.

This first round of info asked you to sign up just to be on a list to receive the subscription info when it finally became available. I think they used that list of initial interest to help gauge the number of fans that could potentially follow her to the online channel and to also help them come up with an amount or amounts that would get them on the path to profitability.

On the evening of July 21, an email went out with three subscription rates and terms. The lowest rate was $7.99 a month for a subscription that lasts 12 months. That’s being pitched as the “best value” and includes extra incentives like 40% off an order from the pauladeenkitchenware.com site; BOGO 40% off a Paula Deen Live Event, an invite to attend a launch party in Savannah and a sneak peak video for a “Paula Colada.”

Other plans include an $8.99/month 6-month subscription as well as a $9.99 month by month plan.

This is going to be interesting! If the Paula Deen channel has enough subscribers, she may never need fear losing another lucrative sponsorship deal. The crazy part of this could be that if the fans really do line up, sign up and fork over $8 to $10 bucks a month, the sponsors will come running back for a chance to get in front of her subscribers.

Launch day is September 24^th…will you be there?

Rule of Thumb: The Mic is Always Hot

I know this is a rule of thumb in all of broadcasting, and most of us (with the exception of a newbie sports broadcaster in North Dakota) have heard it: the mic is always hot. Anytime you’re near a microphone, always assume it’s on (even if it’s not).

In other words, be cautious with your comments and treat the airwaves with respect.

With the recent revelations exploding out of the Paula Deen lawsuit, perhaps this should become a rule of thumb about life. If you’re a celebrity, you need to treat every moment outside your front door like there’s an open mic nearby. Especially so if you’re toting around some past indiscretions that, when made public, could alienate a good bit of the population.

It’s very disappointing to hear about her comments and one hopes that she really learns from all this. But let’s all move forward with this thought: be gracious with your comments and treat others with respect. You never know when they might come back to bite you in the rear.

Now that social media is here and can take a comment said a second ago or ten years ago (side-eye to you, too, Abercrombie + Fitch dude), it can suddenly emerge out of the blue and never, ever go away. People can forgive, memories can fade, but the social media record has it logged…forever.

Not to mention testimony in a court case. That’s on the record in a deeply historical way.

Wow—so, what can you say about all the Paula Deen business in the news? In the space of about a week, we’ve watched the beginning of what may very well be the decline of her brand and the collapse of her empire. She’s being sued, she skipped out on a Matt Lauer interview on the TODAY show, Food Network dropped her shows and there’s a blooper reel that is supposed to resurface soon. And I don’t think that will help very much.

It seems like her image is going from sassy to crass at mach speed. It’s breathtaking. It’s fascinating. And it was all preventable.

As someone who spent a few years in public relations, I’m curious about how she’s been advised on handling this situation. Maybe the sad truth is that there is no way to quantify how to “successfully” handle her situation—her own words and behavior have opened the door to all this. But it appears that the situation is not being guided with much strategy or a decent video editor. Did anyone think through how that first video apology really looked?

It appeared edited for time, but turned out to be edited of any meaningful, redeemable substance.

This lawsuit has exposed a more realistic side of a celebrity’s personality. The side that exists when the camera isn’t rolling or an audience isn’t applauding. Can you come back from that? Well, Alec Baldwin is still around. And how many more times can her brand take a beating? Didn’t she just start to recover from the diabetes diagnosis/drug company endorsement controversy? I did notice her Twitter account had an increase in followers by the end of the week.

We’re also getting a good look at how much damage inappropriate words and attitudes can wreak when an employee decides a working environment is too toxic and enough is enough. There seems to be plenty of ammunition and she’s admitted to some really objectionable comments. Makes you wonder if all this would still be a dirty secret instead of front page news if someone would’ve remembered that rule of thumb….

 

By Appointment Only

I’ve got a short list of sales today. Why so short? I’ve been having an issue with my car and it’s just better to keep the list as short as possible. If I make more than four or five stops, the car has trouble staying on. If I’m not careful, once I try to shift it into gear it’ll cut off. It’s as if the car wants to stay in idle. Lots of stress…

I had an extra note for an estate sale that was by appointment only. This sale did have cookbooks, but it started on Friday. Maybe I can call the number and get in today if the other sales don’t pan out?

Well…an hour later and it turns out the other sales really didn’t pan out. I pull out my phone and give the number a call. The estate sale is being handled by Tom. You may remember the sale where he decided to keep the Betty Feezor cookbooks for himself?  

This is a sale that had cookbooks listed…there was even a photo of a shelf of cookbooks! Okay, so the estate sale started on Friday. The selection will probably be picked over, but right now there’s no other option. He gives me the address and tells me to come by the sale in about an hour. When I arrive, I pull into the parking lot of an older, upscale retirement apartment complex. It’s only about four stories, but it still looks very impressive. When I go inside, it’s almost like I’ve stepped into a time machine.

The décor is retro cool, upscale and tranquil…lots of pastel colors. The only weird thing is that when I walk down the carpeted hallway, I can feel the aging, sagging wood flooring underneath. Maybe I’m just a fat ass, but I can almost feel the age of this building.

I make it to the apartment and there are already about 10 people inside. I look around but don’t see the shelf of cookbooks. Then, as I walk around the living room, I see bookshelves in the closet. I step inside and find the cookbooks. There are definitely a few less than the original picture, but I start a stack. Here’s what I found:

Food for Thought (Shiloh Baptist Church, Monroe, NC), Bells Best (Telephone Pioneers of America, Mississippi Chapter No. 36), Carolina Cooking (Telephone Pioneers of America, North Carolina Chapter No. 35), Cooking with Love (Kay Peek Boone and Kathy Boone Pratt), Shared Secrets From Our Kitchen (Social Committee, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte, NC), What’s Been Cookin’ at Pleasant Grove for the Past 100 Years (Pleasant Grove UMC, Charlotte, NC),Our Favorite Recipes (The Young at Heart Club, Idlewild Baptist Chruch, Charlotte, NC), Delightfully Southern (Compiled by Dot Gibson), Mission in the Kitchen(Girls in Action, First Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC) and Glenelle’s Requested Recipes (Mozelle Williams, Lake Junaluska, NC).

How ‘bout that FBI cookbook?! We’ve had some recent excitement here in Charlotte with that whole Paula Broadwell situation. I wonder if the FBI leaves behind a complimentary copy of that cookbook after they serve a warrant and search a home? I know I’d appreciate that!

I’m glad I had taken the time to write down Tom’s phone number. If not, I would’ve had a pretty disappointing morning. Now, I just wish that I’d called and had an earlier appointment… 

Just Calm the Bleep Down!

It seems the world around Paula Deen exploded this week with her recent—or actually, not so recent—diabetes diagnosis. I’m so torn on this whole controversy. I really enjoy her personality, her backstory and her food. Granted, I haven’t watched any of her shows in a couple of years. I can say that I did book her as a guest on Bob & Sheri a couple of times. She’s just this vibrant personality that makes you feel happy.

So much has been thrown at her this week and I wanted to put some of my thoughts down. Hope you don’t get offended or disappointed, it’s just my opinion.

First off, calm the bleep down. It’s not like she’s the Dalai Lama. She’s a southern cook who loves to cook with butter, flour and sugar. Are you actually surprised she has diabetes? I’m sure there has been an oddsmaker in Las Vegas taking bets on when she’d have a health crisis for years now.

Second of all, she’s a person. Let’s all remember that she’s a fellow human being that was given a life-altering diagnosis. She has a right to keep it private as long as she needs in order to deal with the long-term implications for her health. She can make her own decision as to whether or not she will make dietary changes, take medication or both. Any criticism that she needed to immediately jump up and proclaim herself a diabetic needs to simmer down. That is, unless you want to volunteer to get on your Facebook page and shout to the world every one of your ailments. It’s none of our beeswax. What was that? I thought so.

Then you have to keep in mind that she’s not just Paula Deen. She’s also the brand "Paula Deen" with a big ole “incorporated” behind it. Millions of dollars run through that brand and “she” probably had to carefully think through how that diagnosis would affect her brand on both a short-term and ongoing, long-term basis. “She” may even be a committee—butting in and putting in their two cents worth. Heaven help her, but that’s what companies with big money do—they sit, they think, they strategize, they run test scenarios, they consult focus groups, they analyze—and only then do they chose the option with the least amount of risk/fallout with optimal profit potential.

But then again, I don’t reach for a Paula Deen recipe for something health conscious, that’s not her field. I go to a Paula Deen recipe for something that tastes amazing, regardless of calories. Again, we’re going back to the “brand” Paula Deen. I don’t really know if I would want a healthy version of her cooking. Who knows, maybe that’s what she’s been doing these past few years but pushing it out through the son’s “Not My Momma’s Cooking” show? (She did add in salads, didn’t she? Back when her husband had a heart attack, I think?) Would her brand withstand a colossal, 180 degree change in direction? I’m not so sure it would.

Many have taken the stance about her responsibility to inform her fans and change her way of cooking. Did New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme stop being so popular and respected when he was scooting around on his Little Rascal? The man could barely walk because of his weight, but did the world rise up and demand that he change his recipes? They might have…but still, I think he pretty much decided for himself to lose the weight and get his health back on track. And if I want a Cajun red snapper recipe—I reach for one of his…from his fat phase!

On the other hand, ouch—she is a public figure who did decide to share her condition. And boy, it really did take her a long time to come out with the news. Three years is a huge swath of time. That’s an extended period to figure out where you’re going and map out a strategy to get there. 

Should she have taken the money from the pharmaceutical company? If the long-range outlook for her brand is not positive, then this drug company money will be what keeps her and the brand going a little bit longer. That huge payout does one of two things. It either buys her some time to bow out of public life gradually and graciously; or, it gives her the cash to keep everyone employed until the controversy blows over and she finds a way back to the limelight.

Who knows? Maybe she’s found that the drug has really helped manage her diabetes. Has it occurred to any of us that perhaps she’s actually the one pulling the strings? Maybe she convinced that drug company to give her oodles of cash to wave their product in front of her fans? I honestly don’t know. But I do know that it’s not easy to get an endorsement deal out of those big drug companies—that kind of money is a game-changer and you have to work for every penny. I’ve seen someone attempt that process…it was like watching them jump through never-ending hoops for an unbending, unimpressed taskmaster. Have no doubts, she’ll be working her bohonkus off day and night until that contract runs out. 

Here’s what I take away from all this. I still think she’s a great lady, a great cook and an inspiration. She’s dealing with a life-changing diagnosis and now she’s dealing with a possible career-ending public relations nightmare on a public stage. I wouldn’t wish either one of those on anyone. Given the right forum, she’s got the right ingredients (and sass!) to potentially turn this all around and back in her favor. She’s a strong, smart lady and I think she’ll be just fine. I wish her well.

 

Tragedy in San Antonio

Did you read about this yet? http://www.ksat.com/news/Man-steals-Krispy-Kreme-truck-crashes-into-gas-pump/-/478452/7653614/-/i4nlm1/-/index.html?source=ANT

Seriously? This is how a guy dealt with losing his job? He steals a Krispy Kreme delivery truck and then crashes it into a gas pump? The doughnuts could've been burned up in there! I can’t believe how some people would be so careless with a truck full of Krispy Kreme doughnuts…oh, and also their future. I mean, who's going to hire you after you've pulled a stunt like that?

Well, I stepped up and did my part. On Friday after work, I took the first coupon from my Krispy Kreme 2012 calendar and saved a dozen doughnuts from a horrifying, fiery end.

I know...it's like the Nobel Peace Prize is practically already mine.

 

Pick the Big Royal Honkin' Ring!

As a testament to how eBay can be your friend, here are three faux sapphire rings I've collected over the years. They're all gorgeous, huge honkin' rings. I think I should wear one of them tomorrow in honor of the royal wedding...and because that Royal Name Generator proclaimed me HM Queen Angela Eugenia. I need to look the part!

 
Which one do you like the best? Top? Middle? Bottom?

Let me know!!! Comment, Tweet or Facebook your choice!

The Royal Wedding Omelet: The Recipe

You are cordially invited to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton at the crack of dawn. But who wants to watch all that pomp and pageantry at 5am on an empty stomach?

Besides, the E! channel’s website had a Royal Name Generator and mine popped up as Her Majesty Queen Angela Eugenia Snidercott of Charlotteshire. So, naturally, I feel it is my duty to give you, my loyal readers, an omelet befitting such a smashing occasion!

It is by my royal decree that I put on my favorite faux sapphire ring (bought on eBay) and share with you one of my favorite recipes for a very filling and tasty omelet.

The Royal Wedding Omelet

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tbsp salted butter

2-4 pieces deli-sliced ham, diced

1 wedge, Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb spreadable cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Chives, for garnish

In a skillet, heat to medium-high and melt butter. Add beaten eggs to skillet, stir gently to incorporate melted butter into eggs but then let it begin to set. Add salt and pepper. As eggs begin to cook and firm, turn the heat down to medium-low. Add in pieces of the spreadable cheese and diced ham onto one half of the eggs.

Once the eggs have mostly firmed, use a spatula and fold over the top half to form the half-moon shape. Immediately plate and top with chopped chives.

For this version, I used the deli sliced smoked ham. It really balanced out the nice zing of the garlic and herb flavored spreadable cheese.

So what beverage do we pair with the Royal Wedding Omelet? Why Taylors of Harrogate Scottish Breakfast Tea, of course! I’ve had this box in my cabinet for a while now and I’m down to the final three bags.

I think it’s a nice touch that Prince William and Kate met at St. Andrews in Scotland. (Scott and I attended St. Andrews together as well….only the one that’s located in Laurinburg, NC) Plus, I’ll get to sweeten my hot tea with some local honey given to me by my co-worker Reeves!

Royal Wedding Donuts

Curiosity got the better of me and I actually went by Dunkin Donuts for the Royal Wedding Donuts. They were listed as “Manager’s Special” and there was a rack full of them! Here’s the half dozen:

The white chocolate with chocolate drizzle was delicious and, yes, it had a red raspberry filling! 

What a perfectly sweet way to help start off the wedding celebration!

 

The Royal Wedding...Donut, That Is

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting excited about the upcoming royal wedding. Back when Prince Charles and Lady Diana got married, I was too young, it happened too early in the morning and I was out of town with little access to a TV. But this time around, I’m very interested in what Kate Middleton’s gown will look like…and most importantly, if she’ll get a borrowed tiara to wear for the big day.

I’ve probably clicked on every photo gallery of the tiaras in the royal collection. I’m hoping she’ll get to wear the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara or the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara. Those are my favorites.

Anyway, the wedding will broadcast very early in the morning over here in the states. Which means you’ll need some breakfast while you're watching! Cue the very savvy people over at Dunkin’ Donuts who have a perfect plan. Specifically, we need to thank the Dunkin' Brands CEO, Nigel Travis. He's originally from across the pond in Woodford, Essex just outside of London. So he knows.... Anyway, he encouraged the Dunkin' Donuts chefs and now they're introducing the “Royal Wedding Donut” in honor of the upcoming nuptials. Here’s a picture. 
photo courtesy Dunkin' Donuts

 It’s a heart shaped donut filled with jelly topped with vanilla icing and chocolate drizzle. Sounds sweet and very filling.  It’s nice that they can whip out the heart shaped donut outside of Valentine’s Day. The jelly is a nice touch as well...I hope its raspberry!

What a great idea! It’s a love themed breakfast item and there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts near my house…very convenient. I hear they’ll be available the week leading up to the wedding from April 24th (my anniversary) through the 29th (the day of the royal wedding). They’re retailing for $0.89 each so I’ll be sure to make a run over to the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts and grab a few.

Well done, Dunkin’ Donuts! Well done, indeed.

O Cap'n! My Cap'n!

Has the Obama administration sunk Cap'n Crunch's ship? This cereal has been one of my favorites since childhood. I've been "crunch-a-tized" for a very long time indeed. I still find that, every once in a while, we all need some of the Cap'n. (Please note that I've never enjoyed Crunchberries.)

Apparently, the cereal's market share has plunged since the Obama administration took aim at it a few years ago. So, parent company Quaker Oats has stopped actively marketing Cap'n Crunch. I think it'll still be around--we'll just have to keep supporting the product by continuing to buy it. I know that once I saw this story pop up in the news, I made a beeline to buy the cereal.

 

I'll keep it in my office as a nice afternoon treat. You know....when you get that craving around 3:30 pm! Instead of chocolate, I'll pour myself a small cup of the Cap'n! A small cup (without milk) only has 110 calories, which is much less than peanut butter cups or a bar of candy. Thank you Obama administration for a lower-calorie afternoon snack! 

By the way, did you know that Planet Hollywood has a very popular menu item of chicken strips (World Famous Chicken Crunch) made by dipping the chicken into crushed Cap'n Crunch cereal? It's the Cap'n that makes the sweet, crunchy coating. It's very versatile...