If You Can't Stand the Heat, Get Out of David's Kitchen

It's finally David's kitchen now! After Bob Bowersox's sudden and controversial departure last December, the fate of the long-running "In the Kitchen with Bob" show was in limbo. Yesterday, the reins were symbolically handed to David. I mean, it must be official ... he's got his own snazzy logo and and blog and everything.

The REAL Queen Bea

I might be the self-proclaimed Queen Bea of Home Shopping, but make no mistake, Bea Toms is the real Queen Bea. I humbly bow in her presence.

Bea is a 95-year-old great-great-grandmother who brings home the bacon, fries it up in the pan, then turns around and sells it on QVC. She is one hot mama!

According to the Baltimore Sun, she single-handedly cooked for the 300 people that came to her 95th birthday party before heading to the QVC studios to promote her book, Recipes From a Country Cook, which she first published at the tender age of 90.

When asked if she ever takes a day off, she pauses and asks, "A whole day?"

Energy, she figures, is a state of mind. If you want to do things, you do them. Simple as that. "Work does not stop me," she says. "I've shocked wheat, I've driven horses, I've husked corn, I've driven tractors. It's who I am."


Her take on cooking and life is real and is the antithesis of the fancy-shmancy celebrity chefs we have crammed down our throats. She grew up on a farm making big, hearty meals that tasted good, weren't complicated, and didn't cost a fortune. Her catering business grew organically out of her kitchen through word-of-mouth--a wedding here, a baby shower there--and she still makes all the food herself. She's written five cookbooks, two volumes of poetry, and a collection of short stories in her spare time.

Just stop and think about that right now ... she's 95 and runs a catering business where she does all the cooking herself and has written 8 books in her spare time. What have you been doing with your time lately? Sure makes you stop and think about what you could accomplish if you put your mind to it.

Bea might be slight of stature, but she is strong as steel.


(This is by far the cutest home shopping picture ever! Love David!)


"They call me the little old roll lady."

Venable bit deeply into one roll stuffed with country ham. "Mmmmmm. Mmmmmmm," he said. "I do like."

Later, on the phone with a reporter, Venable says that all the oohing and ahhing wasn't just for the camera.

"Her rolls are without parallel," he says. "I've never had a nicer, fluffier, more wonderful roll than Bea's."

Bea's advice on cooking: "I don't buy cheap food. You can't make something excellent out of something mediocre." Words to live by.

Check out the entire article here including pictures, recipes, and videos.

David Venable ... More Than a Yum-Yum Face

QVC host David Venable--originator of the infamous "yum-yum" face and the new host of In the Kitchen since Bob Bowersox disappeared--sure has some dedicated online fans! Whoever they are put together this inspired collage of David showing some skin.

What do you think is his secret? Total Gym? Aero Pilates? Crab Cakes? Hmmm ...

Shopping Around ... More of the Same

Scott Barnes cosmetics has been discontinued after a relationship with investors soured. Right now his products are still on the QVC website. I wonder if they will go on clearance soon.

Check out this site for some cheap Iman purses. Instead of selling for over a hundred dollars like on HSN, you can get them for only thirty bucks. Now that is a globally chic price.

This blogger believes all those stars at the Golden Globes managed to stuff themselves into those form-fitting gowns without having a muffin top by using various Dr. "hands all over the models' boobs" Rey shapewear. I found him mildly entertaining on Dr. 90210, but he just skeeves me out on HSN. Those poor models. And while I love the award shows, they aren't the same without Joan on the red carpet.

How YesPilates got started on HSN and the patent battle that ensued.

The "Not Available on QVC" contest (not horrible, but probably NSFW).

Some advice on how to get your product on QVC, but I'm pretty sure that they just want to keep showing the same old stuff over and over and over again.

Website customer satisfaction ratings for the holiday season look good for the Q, which came in third behind Amazon and Netflix and ahead of Walmart. HSN, on the other hand, had the largest decline in satisfaction by dropping nine points and landing below industry satisfaction standards. If other customers had the bad customer service this blogger did, I’m not surprised.

Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, was honored for her outstanding contributions to the fashion industry by the Fashion Scholarship Fund. HSN vendors, Iman and Patricia Fields, were presenters.

HSN has fired nine more people. This time in Virginia.

Not only are QVC customers in debt, so is QVC. Suze Orman would not approve. Where is their emergency fund?

MTV’s reality show “Run’s House” will feature some behind-the-scenes footage of Justine Simmons presenting her Brown Sugar jewelry line on HSN this season.

Tosca Reno, creator of the Eat-Clean Diet, is very excited that she was asked to be on the Q as a clean eating and cooking expert. What’s clean eating you ask? No sugar, white flour, alcohol, or processed foods. While I appreciate her passion for health, I couldn’t live like that and be happy. I’m curious to see how this type of eating will go over with the QVC audience or if it will be modified in some way. In any case, she changed her life around with her diet so kudos to Tosca!

Recently ousted ShopNBC host Kerry McNally quickly got a new gig as a traffic reporter. He must have seen this coming.

The It Cosmetics girls had a great time kicking off the new year on HSN.

Ever wonder what Christmas dinner would be like if it were catered by QVC? This lady did it and loved it. As much food as she bought, Yum-Yum Face David should have been her free gift!

Who's in Bob's Kitchen Now?

A curious caller cornered David Venable into giving an answer about who will be taking over the In the Kitchen with Bob show.



Congrats David!

Today's Blue Plate Specials ... Eat in the Heat!

QVC is obsessed with all this summer eating business! Maybe David “Yum-Yum Face” Venable and his appetite have taken over the Q. Anyway, today--for your July 4th picnic prep pleasure--the TSV is the Kitchen King Pro 11-piece Food Preparation Station.

This is one of those gadgets that does a little of everything. It looks like it works (really like the suction cup feet!), but I always end up with storage and clean up issues with these things. Regardless, it’s hotter than a goat’s butt in a pepper patch around here so Queen Bea will not be eating outside any time soon!




HSN has the Clean-A-Bout 1600psi Premium Electric Pressure Washer as their TS. I’m sure it’s great, but I just can’t sit through those horrid presentations where the washer is roaring and the host is trying to talk over the sound without sounding too much like they’re screaming. Not enjoyable. However, Laura Hutton will be on today and that is enjoyable. Hope she got some sleep!




ShopNBC has a fabulous 14k 1.26ct. diamond flex ring from Sonia Bitton of the Galerie de Bijoux Collection—I just love saying all that in my horrendous French accent (I sound strikingly like the chef from The Little Mermaid, “Les poissons, les poissons, how I love les poissons!”).

But, as fabulous as it might be, it’s also over $1600. Not really doable. This is why Queen Bea has an undying love for fake diamonds (note recent Tacori ring purchase). I wonder if these flex rings are easier or harder for people to slide over their knuckles.

Blue Plate Special Daily Round Up ... the Yum-Yum Face Strikes Back!

QVC's Corky's BBQ Pork Ribs Sampler TSV is finger lickin' good (hey, don't judge ... it's hard to get all the BBQ sauce out from under acyclic nails ... maybe they'll come out with a a special Fuller brush for that!). Oh my, a food TSV means that we have so many David "Yum-Yum Face" Venable moments to look forward to today! Where I live, I can buy Corky's ribs at the grocery store and at the Corky's restaurant down the street, so i just don't get why I would want to have to pay to ship them. Are there places in the country that don't have Corky's?

The ShopNBC OTV is the Comodynes Total Body 20 Pack Tanning Towelettes. Now being fish-belly while myself, and not being a big fan of cancer or wrinkles, I'm all for anything that will give me a little color in a safe way. But they need to learn a little restraint! A little goes a long way, chickadees. I just don't want to encourage any home shopping channel on this particular topic. Please refer to the Oompa-Loompa Hosts post for a full explanation. :-)

HSN is in updated hippie mode with Tatami sandal. On the plus side, the sandal has the famous Birkenstock footbed and they are kind enough to offer them in wide width too (Queen Bea greatly appreciates this!!!), but I'm just not feeling it. Sorry. It's just trying too hard ... or maybe I'm just a tree-hugging, whale-saving, crunchy-granola traditionalist that just wants to wear plain ol' Birkinstocks when I go to a folk concert in the park. Maybe not, cause I do kinda like these other ones ...