My DH was watching and I finally got sucked in for the last few episodes -- so I didn't watch all the lead-ups. One thing that occurred to me . . . until recently, and for the last 32 years, I lived in a small resort town. We had one grocery store, except for a glorious 2-year period with a real supermarket, with specialty foods -- it closed. So if my one store didn't carry an ingredient, or was out, I faced a 40 minute trip to find it, or change my menu -- which in reality, is what I did. For out-of-the-ordinary ingredients, I just had to plan ahead -- for my out of town shopping trips. Harissa -- not a chance! I wonder how many other fans live in areas where Jeffrey's exotic ingredients would be difficult to obtain. Incidentally, I'm now in a town with 4 (count 'em!!) supermarkets, the smallest of which is larger than my former one!! Oh, my!!!

LOL...Do you like to read, Susan? DH and I like to read. We are on satellite, and NEVER watch t.v. that much. DH threatens to cancel our satellite subscription, but I tell him "wait, wait, I'll start watching it", but I never do. LOL. I just LOVE my books. I affectionally tell my friends that travel that I travel too~~~ I have been to Russia as a spy, the Congo on a Safari, an archelolgist in Egypt, in the mideast on a cia covert mission, hidden slaves in my home during the civil war, been in the revolutionary war fightin'- in 3 feet of snow with hypothermia, why I have been Scarlet in a tissy and NOW I DO know something about birthing those babies!!(with long southern eyelashes slapping my "scarlet" cheeks). My adventures only exist in my books and in my imagination.:)

Phyllis; I have hummingbirds everywhere! It's so nice to sit under the "feeder tree" and watch them. I keep one feeder in the next-door neighbor's yard, one in the across-the-street neighbor's yard, and right now I have two in my big tree and one on a shepard's hook near the sewing room window. I can see all the feeders from my shaded "perch." I can sit out there and watch them drink, perch, preen, and flit from feeder to another, screeching bloody murder as they chase one another away. They are such a hoot!

I agree with Sushipup. I'm concerned about Amy. She started strong, but seems to be checked out. I could happily watch her on Food Network, so I think she has the star part down, but don't they have to be in New York a lot? That isn't going to be easy from Hawaii, and I don't think I could move from there to the Northeast. :) She definitely outshines most of them on the warmth meter. That's what I love so much about Aarti. She's so genuinely warm. Her food is great, but I could just listen to her chat. Manny has "it" power. He's charismatic but warm, and knows a lot without being brash about it. He doesn't have great presentations skills, but that's the easiest of it to learn on the fly. I liked Christian more this time out. He's starting to be more real. So is Jess (? is that her name? The novelist?). A lot of writers are poor spontaneous speakers, but she has command of her tongue, and also seems to be warming up. She could be a dark horse if she figures the whole thing out. She's also becoming more memorable. I like Palak a lot but she doesn't project the kind of warmth that Amy has in spades. I think her food is much more interesting, but, frankly, she reminds me a lot of Giada, who has, herself, learned to project a lot more warmth in recent years, but is more composed and tight by nature. I'm making no predictions, however. The show I would have added to my DVR list would have been Dom's. By far one of the best cooks that's come through the show, charming without trying, and warm without gushing. I could listen to him describe food in Italian laced English all day. But they didn't want a cooking show cook, they wanted someone to prattle about restaurants, and out he went. I miss the old Food Network before there were stars. Sara Moulton was a favorite. Ming Tsai, too, though I don't cook his kind of food. Dom would have fit in with them... But maybe not the stoner set whose glassy eyeballs watching seem to keep the lights on at Food Network.