Ugh- if you like garlic in a jar, you are NOT a foodie! Sorry Sandy...

Wait Sandra Lee's boyfriend is Andrew Cuomo? The things you learn...

I once saw her take spoonfuls of canned frosting, roll them in cocoa powder and serve it as "truffles." There's no fabulous tablescape that can redeem you after that.

OK, I think her food is unhealthy and a little lazy, but I must admit that I was attending a BBQ over the summer and I made a dessert of hers. She serves her purpose and I think she resonates with people who have busy lives and aren't that skilled in the kitchen, which is a lot of people. She's not that different from Rachel Ray as far as public opinion is concerned. When RR first came out a lot of "foodies" were criticizing her for the same things they criticize SL for. Seems like RR is still around and doing alright, so...whatevs

So we've established that to her, the term "foodie" essentially means nothing.

I watched her on last night's Extreme Home Makeover and I think she is really respectable.

i think she's great. i love to cook gourmet meals but during the week i'll take all the extra help i can get. jarred minced garlic is great to have around. i hate having my fingers smell like garlic! and foodie really does mean nothing. seriously i don't understand why some people out there are so snobbish about things. there really is nothing wrong with making life easier and using conveniences. just sayin'...and she does face her critics with grace and poise. as partysugar said very respectable!

Foodies are this huge, elitist group??

I'm sure she's a nice lady and all but Sandra Lee has zero credibility. Have you seen her "recipe" for No Bake Cake or her Kwanzaa cake? Unbelievable.

I don't really care about the word foodie or its definition. I do however care about cheap, healthy, and tasty food and I think that Rachael Ray does a much better job than Sandra Lee.

my problem with her recipes is that she doesn't actually make things easier, but almost always makes them more expensive. I've seen her a couple of times make cookies using cake mix, which she alleged made them easier and "fool-proof," but then adding a ton of ingredients. You could just save time and money making regular five ingredient cookies, which are pretty fool proof on their own.

Also Anonymous, garlic in a jar is good. It's obviously not the same as proper fresh garlic, but it has its own taste. Plus it has an awesome reeky smell. Just because someone likes it, doesn't automatically disqualify them from being a "foodie." It's like how Cheetos are not actually food, but once in a while they taste good.

Also, foodie is a silly word.

I write a food blog to help folks who have purchased a particular brand of cooking appliance - understand and use it with more success. After thousands of hours of reading and responding and pondering over the vast amount of email and recipes and other food writers and such - I've come to one simple conclusion. "If you like it - it's good."

There are so many fundamentalists and zealots who want to be better than the other person - to show their superiority - regardless of the undertaking. Like several folks who posted comments above mine.

Why judge? why care? why worry about it? I like Jazz - you don't, so what? I like rustic French style cooking - you like Tex-Mes, I don't - who cares? I like braised rabbit - you don't. Big deal. With all of the hungry people in the world there is only one thing upon which we should all agree. We are so very fortunate to be able to worry about all this crap.

I like Sandra Lee. She's entertaining.

I'll agree with SeattleCB. I don't understand people who say "Oh, I'd NEVER eat X, it's too cheap/lazy/etc. for my tastes". But I guarantee you that there are so-called foodies that enjoy grilled cheese sandwiches made with Wonder Bread and Kraft singles. And why should anyone care? If you like it, it's good. It's not like people are going to watch you eating it in your own house and critique your taste (or lack thereof) in food.

I, too, am with SeattleCB. I don't always love her recipes, but there is something to be said for a woman like Sandra Lee who embraces food without any pretense whatsoever. In today's food world, that is so rare.

While standing on my soap box "You go girl, I am a foodie and agree, if you like food you're a foodie" Now I'll go back to my yogurt balsamic dressing for the spinach salad I'm making for dinner and the fake tandoori chicken - it's fake cause hubby is BBQing it, but the spices are spot on.

i love sandra lee & recipes

Don't worry AmberHoney, I don't think many of us are going to judge you because you don't have a tandoori oven at home.

I've never watched her show, but I've seen her vilified in posts here on YumSugar and other sites. After seeing that quote, I have to say, she's right.

I'll mix TADOW's and SeattleCB's posts together and just consider myself in agreement.

Thanks very much eshellmoyer. Just trying to keep things fun around here. And dinner was delish!