I am curious how you guys feel about the FN.
We have had members here in the past who seemed obsessed with a show or shows and flooded the forum with recipes and links to the FN.

I don't post a bunch of recipes from there because we can all obviously use the internet and you know where they are as well as I do lol. You want em..get them yourself :p Besides their websire is obnoxious to use.

I do watch the channel. I love Ina Garten's new show Back to Basics. Like any channel some of their shows stink and some don't. I think FN fills a spot for alot of people who are new to cooking or just curious about it. When I really first started getting into cooking it was nice to be able to see recipes being prepared right before my eyes. It pushed my interest even more. I had always been a decent cook. I made recipes we gew up with. I saw dishes I didnt even know were out there being prepared on the FN and they looked easy enough for me to try. That lead me to do more research online and finding this forum. I have learned so much from Brook, Kevin, Nan, Canman, Cathy, Mama and the others here. My cookbook collection has gone from 5 or 6 to around 70 or so.

Like any other channel some of the shows on FN are bad but I do think you can learn things from it. So what is your opinion on the FN? Love it or hate it?

We dont get HGTV. I wish we did.

You would be hooked, but you would be like me and redecorating your house a million times over....IN MY DREAMS!!!!!

In all honesty- if I had cable or sattlelite tv I would likely watch the FN. But since I make lots less $ these days, I see cutting pricy tv as a great place to help my budget.

When I'm at my Dad's or sister's places I love watching Ina, Michael Chiarello, and even Paula Deene... But there are other popular shows/personalities, adored by many, that I never liked at all.

For instance, Emeril. Now, I recognize his contribution to cooking- and I credit him with a tremendous role in the field- but for ME personally- he just never reached me as a viewer. Something about his obnoxious "BAM!!!" pro-wrestling approach to cooking just went completely over my head, I guess! Ha! To each his own- we're all reached by different folks in different manners- I for instance LOVE Martha- while many despise her. Paula too.

These days I watch a few shows on PBS that I find easy to enjoy: I adore Lidia, Rick Bayless is pretty cool too. I HATE the set kitchen of the married couple from Oregon (I forget their names) but I like their cooking style, and I like the newer series on Spain of Mario's- tho I have to admit, something about Mario's personality kinda rubs me wrong. I also like the middle-aged Spanish dude- cannot remeber his name, tho- I love the travel/culture food shows most, I guess.

In the past I loved any PBS show with Julia... also Jacques. Of course I loved James Beard, and also the Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet- even though he ended up taking a turn down weirdo street!

My FAV cookbook authors? I have MANY! Martha, Ina, Julia, Edna Lewis, Lee Bailey, Jacques Pepin, Patricia Quintana, Christopher Idone, and many, many more.

In adition to travel and culture- I also like cookbooks that connect with ART and artists, like "Monet's Kitchen", "Renoir's Kitchen" and "Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminisces of Life w/ Frida Kahlo".

I also like several celebrity cookbooks- especially those written by Mo'Nique, Patti LaBelle and Sophia Loren.

Lastly, I really enjoy regional cookbooks because they detail and tell tales about life in kitchens in remote parts of often unexplored places, like "Screen Doors & Sweet Tea" by Martha Foose- the book about her Mississippi-Delta kitchen. "The New Low-Country Cooking" by Marvin Woods... Also the cookbook by "The Lobster Chronicles" author Linda Greenlaw, about life in kitchens on several islands in Maine.

Maybe I'm so fond of regional cookbooks because I myself hope to be lucky enuf to publish one, one of these days! I have recently completed a cookbook chock full of Alaska tales & recipes that I plan to start sending out to potential publishers and agents the first of the year. Please wish me LUCK! winks- k.