The ‘chicken spaghetti’ as my daughter calls it! You can have a fancy name for any dish, but kids alway have a way of calling it like it is, don’t they?

Chicken in Puttanesca Sauce

Paula & Al on Today Show (source: The Atlantic)

The big news this morning is Southern food maven Paula Deen’s announcement on the Today Show that she has type 2 diabetes. She’s had it for a while, apparently, and now she’s also come out as a spokesperson for a diabetes drug.

The media and everywhere online have been giving her a lot of flack about it. Some even go as far as to insinuate that she somehow deserves it given all the “un-healthy” food she promotes.

I feel bad for her. Truthfully, I enjoy watching her show! Some of her recipes, especially the extreme ones like the cheesburger on Krispy Kreme donut leave that queasy, sick feeling in my throat just watching it, but hey, it’s amusing in a morbid kind of way. That’s why I watch it. It’s like all you rubber neckers who clog up the highways whenever there’s a wreck. We all slow down to take a look even if it makes us cringe. Admit it.

I liked watching Paula Deen because she seemed to genuinely love food. Relished it! You can see it in her body. At least she’s not matchstick skinny and pretending to enjoy all the rich, calorie laden food she cooks. You can tell the woman eats what she cooks! No crime in that.

I do, however, don’t agree with this new venture she’s going into as a paid spokesperson for the diabetes drug company. She will also be promoting ways to manage diabetes through healthier diet and exercise on a website sponsored by the drug company. It’s all and good, I suppose. Maybe someone will see it, take heed and make a difference in their lifestyle.

Personally though, I would probably have had more respect for Paula if she had just told everyone to “Kiss my grits!”
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We went to Walmart this past weekend and while there, I decided to check if they had any Olivari Olive Oil. I received some coupons and a sample of the Extra Virgin Olive oil for the giveaway that I’m hosting on my food blog and their literature says that they also make flavored olive oils. So that’s what I was looking forward to getting with my coupons, and so far Walmart is the only store that carries this brand. I was disappointed to find though, that the Walmart store we went to only carried the ‘Classic’ Olive Oil. So I got a bottle and held on to my other coupon to get a flavored one when I find it.

If you would like to try Olivari Olive oil, make sure to enter the giveway for this Kitchen Essentials Kit that I am giving away on Cooked From the Heart. Click on the photo above to go to the giveaway post.