Up until now, I always assumed that "domestic goddess" referred to someone who was exceptionally good at "domestic" things, primarily cooking. Their food looked and tasted better than anything anyone else was making. They weren't professionals, but they were as good as. But it seems that the term may have changed meanings and, instead of referring to someone who has goddess-like domestic skills, it might now refer to someone who is a goddess and happens to be able to cook, too. This new application of "domestic goddess" is applied to women like Giada de Laurentiis, Sandra Lee, Cat Cora and perhaps even Rachael Ray.

If part, or perhaps all, of the audience is watching the host, not the food, is this a good direction for food TV to be heading in? For al the interest in cooking shows, does it just come down to whether you look good in an apron or not? Check out Details' sexpots in the kitchen slide show and decide for yourself.

Some of us love the Food Network. Some of us want to hate it, but can't. I am of the latter group. I want to ban the channel from my television for some of the things they have done to my viewing pleasure (Iron Chef! Bring back Iron Chef!), but I can't. I just can't do it because there are a few things that still capture my attention:

1. I love watching Michael Chiarello throw together some seriously delicious looking Napa-terranean meals; better yet, I love watching him stroll through the vineyard in his jeans, caressing his grapes. (Oh my, did I blog that second part out loud?!?!)
2. Tyler Florence is hot. I'd like to be Tyler's Ultimate.
3. There is a rumor that the original Iron Chef is coming back (it is on the schedule at 4 am right now). Not confirmed, but a rumor is better than nothing.
4. Paula Deen's food scares my fat cells, but she is too adorable when she is cooking with her sons.
5. Alton Brown is good eats. 
6. They will have Nigella Lawson some time this year
7. By some glorious semi-homemade alignment of the stars, every time I turn the television on, Sandra Lee is not scheduled (unfortunately, Rachael Ray is, but that's a different post).
8. Even though I am not a fan of Giada de Lauentiis, I like her taste in kitchens and clothes.

Rappers in the kitchen? This unlikely combination is about to hit television. Celebrity Cooking Showdown is a 5-night culinary contest between celebrities of varying degrees of success, like Tom Arnold and Gabrielle Reese. The semi-homemade Food Network celebrity, Sandra Lee, will host the show when it airs in April 2006, on NBC.

Feeling outdone by his rapper friend, Coolio, is working on his own cooking/variety show. In what is certain to be either the best or, depending on how you choose to look at it, the worst cooking show of all time, Coolio says " 'This won't be your average cooking show - it'll be Coolio with food. I'll be cooking, talking, rapping, dancing and singing.' There will be a four-piece band, a DJ, and strippers - all in the kitchen." That's right: strippers. Of course, Coolio says that he's a good cook, specializing in enchiladas, spaghetti and egg rolls, and though self-taught, it is entirely possible that he has a few genuine tips to share with the television audience.

But I'm not holding my breath.

Statistically, the most targeted group in marketing is 15-35 year old males.They often have a large chunk of disposable income and they are considered to be more likely to spend it than to save it. It makes sense that advertisers and television networks would want to have a portion of that income reach them. It does not make sense, however, to do with utter disregard for the population that is actually likely to watch your network or your programming.

According to Sara Moulton, when the new president of the Food Network came in she wanted to make the network appeal to that new target demographic with young, entertaining shows – not cooking programs. The obvious disconnect here is the fact that the network is called the Food Network; cooking shows are a logical component of the programming. Sara even said that a producer friend of hers was told "No chefs please, and nobody with training" when they were pitching show ideas.

As much as I love the Food Network, sometimes they just don't quite hit right the mark. Holidays are guaranteed to turn out many interesting recipes, as all the chefs work on recipes designed to fit a particular theme. Recipes like Sarah Moulton's Chocolate Stuffed Heart Shaped French Toast and Michael Chiarello's Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter and Bittersweet Chocolate are truly excellent recipes and fit the delicious, romantic standards of the holiday wonderfully. The recipes below, however, you might want to avoid serving on Valentine's Day, assuming that you want to keep your Valentine around until next year.

"Some women, it is said, like to cook. This book is not for them."

If you have any interest at all in cooking or history, you must get your hands on a copy of Peg Bracken's I Hate To Cook Book. Published in 1960, Peg Bracken was the forerunner to women like Sandra Lee, taking a semi-homemade approach to things that she felt obligated to do, like cooking for her husband. Peg's strategy was to get away from the stove and onto another cocktail as quickly as possibly. Her writing is clever and witty, downright hilarious at times. Even without considering that it is a cookbook, it makes a great read.

When it comes to TV cooks, people seem to either love or hate Rachael Ray, love or hate Emeril Lagasse, and love or hate Sandra Lee. But I don't know anyone who would even think of hating Dave Lieberman.

Lieberman is the young cook who had his own cable show (Campus Cuisine) while in college at Yale. He was then featured in a New York Times article by Amanda Hesser, and that led to his being signed to the Food Network, where he hosts Eat This. I picked up his book Young and Hungry: More Than 100 Recipes For Cooking Fresh And Affordable Food For Everyone  (yes, I'm slowly building up my cookbook collection). It's a hip, readable, and smartly put together book. He covers all the basis, including chapters on romantic dinners ("Dinner For Two"), breakfasts ("Lazy Mornings"), tail-gate parties ("Living Room Tailgate Parties"), even cooktails ("Happy Hour"). The book lives up to its title, and is a really nice gift if you know someone who needs an all-around guide to meals that the average person might want to make (unlike a lot of cookbooks, I can picture myself making almost everything in here).  

(And if I can say this here: speaking of Food Network, I really miss Sara Moulton's Cooking Live show. I don't know why I had to shove that in here, but I just had to say it. Go buy Lieberman's book though)    

Before the jump (into 2006) we saw how food trends go from introduction to assimilation into the mainstream. Nicole showed us a few predictions of foods that will take off in 2006, and Sarah Gilbert gave us the ratings on last year's most popular trends.

But there are a few trends that either only started or hung on for dear life through the end of 2005. These are the bottom five food trends (trend, not people) I hope to see completely suffocate and fizzle out in 2006.

Every year I seem to end up with a bunch of calendars that I don't want, but am forced to use because by the time I get around to shopping for a nicer one, all the stores are sold out. This year, I turned to the internet to find some good foodie options so we can all avoid looking at "More Lighthouses of Maine" or "The OC 2006" for the next 365 days. Not that there's anything wrong with lighthouses, of course, but we can do better.

• Coffee 2006 has great shots of hot drinks in cafes and beans ready for processing.
• Chocolate 2006 Mini Calendar includes interesting facts and quotes about chocolate and the pages are chocolate scented!
• Dog Food Play with Your Food has surprisingly realistic (and adorable) animals made out of vegetables, like cauliflower poodles and strawberry puppies. Also available in mini size.
• The Wine Lover's Daily Calendar is packed with daily wine tips, tastings and trivia, as well as including helpful pairing suggestions.
• The Joy of Cooking Daily Calendar features recipes as well as information on what is in season and cooking techniques. 
• Food Network All Star 2006 Calendar and Cookbook Set includes a wall calendar tribute to New Orleans and a book with the network chefs' favorite recipes. A portion of the proceeds for both the book and the calendar go to charity. 
• And be sure not to miss out on Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade Daily Calendar. Since Slashfoodies are such fans of her work.

It's that time of year, the time to look back on the stories that made 2005 great. Our countdown began with God and moves on to - what else? - TV.

It all began in 1998. My obsession with the Food Network. I was hanging out in New York awaiting the beginning of business school. I'd quit my job and, other than boning up on the calculus, I had absolutely nothing to do. I scheduled my life around Too Hot Tamales, Ready Set Cook! and Cooking Live with Sara Moulton. In those days, the Food Network was all about cooking, especially cooking at home. I mean, Cooking Live - Sara would list the ingredients the day before so you could be prepared to cook along with her. People called in and they were actually in front of their stoves, yes, cooking live.

It was gradual, but the channel has changed over the past seven years. A couple of major things happened this year that indicate a turn away from the original core audience - people who liked to cook - to a new and (for whatever it's worth) bigger audience. People who eat.

The Food Network, it seems, is divesting itself of the foodies and embracing food, of the edible and eye candy variety. And this is such a shame. Some of the big changes that spell doom for the home chef:

If you want to make something that tastes exactly like store-bought eggnog, but still have the thrill of “cooking” at home, this is the recipe for you. It combines store bought ingredients for a traditional holiday drink. Make sure to work lots of cream-colors into your tablescape so the drink is color-coordinated with your décor.

Semi Homemade Eggnog

1 gallon vanilla ice cream, melted

2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup bourbon

Mix ice cream, nutmeg and bourbon together in a large pitcher. Chill.

Serves 8

[Photo By Nicole Weston]