Counting On Season 8/9/10 2: How low will they go? (CW: Miscarriage)

[CaricatureQualities]

Holy Flashbacks, Batman!

So in plot A we have people making cakes that "look like vomit" and taste like shit, and in plot B you have JinJer showing home vids of Lissy's shitsplosions....baby crap all up her back. Wow. And both these plots are better than the C storyline of Lauren's cramps and what comes next. And all this brilliant new footage is shown and re-shown least 3 times in the episode and is sprinkled with flashbacks and super long commercial breaks.

They all really had a hard time with those cakes. So many obstacles. Gluten free and sugar free baking is a challenge but after this debacle I wonder if they would have done any better with traditional cakes or even a cake mix.

 Jessa truly doesn't understand anything about cooking or baking does she? Like the basic fundamentals of it are just seemingly completely beyond her and always will be because she just doesn't give a shit. And that's fine but anytime she tries to cut veggies or wield a knife or do anything in a kitchen it scares the shit out of me. It's probably good that she only seems to be in the kitchen when the camera crew is around because I don't think she should be left to her own devices when trying to cook or bake. It's always such an amazing catastrophe.  I'm pretty sure they had sifters in the "old days".  

Kendra: good effort but what do you think will happen if you take a cake and shake it upside down in the air without a rack directly underneath it? Has nobody seen a baking show. Hers seemed the most edible though. And honestly, I always like Kendra more and more. She might have a lot more substance than her giggle implies. 

I liked Jana's tone and expression when she said "I'm glad I'm not gluten free" . #overit.  And that she just rejected the boys/Michelle's decorations and basically redid the whole thing herself. Jana may seem really meek and mild to us, but more and more I get the feeling that she is not the one to fuck with in the family, and that if she has a strong opinion on something it will be known.

[Dandruff]

13 hours ago, Buzzard said:

Dear TLC,  Fuck you.

I second that.  I'm appalled at the way Lauren was pushed to tears about the miscarriage.

[Peaches-n-Beans]

Honestly I do not believe you can live in that house and not know how to measure. maybe the ones from Joy down who were born/did most of their growing post television series starting but if they were half as strapped for money and funds as they say they were then they would know how to measure effectively to avoid using more of something then they should. Yes I know they ate crap like tater tot casserole but surely they had to have learned to measure. My family hated cooking and still my mother made sure I knew how to do it. 

Surely this has to be a TLC thing where they're like 'oh haha wouldn't it be funny if they acted like idiots again"

[Sky with diamonds]

Watched the end of last night's episode. It wasn't easy to watch. 

I hope Si was by Lauren's side or very near by her during her TH. My heart went out to them both, truth be told. I hope they still both have a support system even now. 

I have to wonder if Jessa was playing it up for the cameras that she isn't a good cook. I'd like to see her invest in cooking classes or even a few good cookbooks. 

[kachuu]

Every time I think about Jessa in the kitchen, I think about her melting the oven manual. 

 

[Buzzard]

7 hours ago, CaricatureQualities said:

So in plot A we have people making cakes that "look like vomit" and taste like shit, and in plot B you have JinJer showing home vids of Lissy's shitsplosions....baby crap all up her back. Wow. And both these plots are better than the C storyline of Lauren's cramps and what comes next. And all this brilliant new footage is shown and re-shown least 3 times in the episode and is sprinkled with flashbacks and super long commercial breaks.

So, the entire thing makes no sense to me.  The wedding is far away and they were planning on bringing the decorations (that they built last week in the living room) and various other things in the "caravan."  Were they planning on bringing a gluten/sugar free cake as well?  A cake that JD didnt even know if he wanted?  That just makes no sense.  You dont try to travel multiple hours over the span of days with a decorated cake, even if youre the duggars.  There was never going to be a grooms cake, this entire thing was just another boring check-mark in the plotline.

Jinjer's part - Felicity wasnt born at the birthing center and her feet look MUCH bigger than the other footprints on the wall.  That whole thing just seemed like dead space because they needed to do something with the baby and the pediatrician wouldnt allow filming.  If they had some guts they would have shown her getting her 3 month shots and a flu shot.

3 hours ago, Peaches-n-Beans said:

Honestly I do not believe you can live in that house and not know how to measure. maybe the ones from Joy down who were born/did most of their growing post television series starting but if they were half as strapped for money and funds as they say they were then they would know how to measure effectively to avoid using more of something then they should. Yes I know they ate crap like tater tot casserole but surely they had to have learned to measure. My family hated cooking and still my mother made sure I knew how to do it. 

So, we've seen Jill fail at making rice and Jessa repeatedly fail at using an oven.  The only one with a clue seems to be Jana.

[backyard sylph]

8 hours ago, CaricatureQualities said:

I liked Jana's tone and expression when she said "I'm glad I'm not gluten free" . #overit.  And that she just rejected the boys/Michelle's decorations and basically redid the whole thing herself. Jana may seem really meek and mild to us, but more and more I get the feeling that she is not the one to fuck with in the family, and that if she has a strong opinion on something it will be known.

I felt bad, though, when Jackson said he thought he'd rather have done baking (than making fondant stick to cardboard.) The boys weren't really part of a baking team. She didn't let them help with any of the most interesting parts. I can be overly enthusiastic about turning fun into teaching moments, but I'd have enjoyed showing them they were performing chemistry and explaining what gluten does and how people substitute for it. 

Plus I'd have had them help make an applesauce cake, and told them about the substitutions people made for sugars and fats during World War 2.  

[libgirl2]

Kendra was the one bright spot in a really dull episode. She has an infectious smile and I agree, I think there is more to her than just a giggly girl. 

JD was right about not eating the cake. I think even he knew this was  a stupid set up from TLC. He isn't gluten/sugar free, so why should a groom's cake be? 

 

[SassyPants]

4 hours ago, Peaches-n-Beans said:

Honestly I do not believe you can live in that house and not know how to measure. maybe the ones from Joy down who were born/did most of their growing post television series starting but if they were half as strapped for money and funds as they say they were then they would know how to measure effectively to avoid using more of something then they should. Yes I know they ate crap like tater tot casserole but surely they had to have learned to measure. My family hated cooking and still my mother made sure I knew how to do it. 

Surely this has to be a TLC thing where they're like 'oh haha wouldn't it be funny if they acted like idiots again"

I believe it. Remember years ago when Jessa was baking CC cookies and didn’t measure anything, and GM Mary told her you have to measure when you bake? Of course Jessa blew her off and made some sort of snarky remark.

Duggarville  is a free for all, and has been for a good long time. Too many kids and too little time for most of them to learn even the basics. 

 

And why, oh why, would TLC pick cake baking as a theme when one of the main consumers is both gluten and sugar free?  Did they even have a cake at their cereal fest of a breakfast reception?

[theotherelise]

Do we have a list of their jurisdictions from the early days specials? I know Jessa did a lot of the packing and then did she and Jill do the laundry? Could it really be possible that Jana is the only one of the older kids who learned how to cook properly? 

I think there can be a real danger with unschooling or unsupervised/unmanaged homeschooling as evidenced by the Duggars and Bates and several of the other fundie families. It's not just the curriculum or beliefs. They appear to have just let the kids essentially ignore subjects they didn't like. I know some of the kids probably did have aspirations for further education or training, especially Josiah and even Josh. But many of the kids seem to have languished under a homeschool system which allowed them to do the bare minimum across the board. Unschooling where you let the kids lead the way with their interests can be really cool because it allows you to tailor the instruction in a more engaging way. But many of the Duggar kids are laid back and not naturally curious (from what we've seen), so they were never pushed academically.

In the same way, their factory line specialization practices meant they learned to do only one or two things. It's no wonder they all act so in awe of Jana, she can do more than one thing. She cooks, sews, plays instruments, rears children, keeps a good garden, and appears to do some diy construction projects. It's absurd that more of them don't know how to follow simple directions for cooking and baking. How could they possibly get by if they didn't have the show??

ETA: Oh yeah, Jessa did school management!

[nst]

2 hours ago, kachuu said:

Every time I think about Jessa in the kitchen, I think about her melting the oven manual. 

 

i think growing up jessa just sat on the couch a lot while jill, jana, and jinger all cooked. 

 

[kachuu]

4 minutes ago, nst said:

i think growing up jessa just sat on the couch a lot while jill, jana, and jinger all cooked. 

 

Or stood off to the side, watched & made snarky remarks 

[Markie]

If Jessa’s recipe said you need 200 grams of butter it was in metric. Even Johanna knew and questioned the 170* oven temperature. Maybe Jessa doesn’t mind being the Duggar Baking Buffoon character.

[tabitha2]

That at least shows someone is teaching Johanna something and better yet how to think logically! That’s a promising thing  

I think the older ones all like the money and lifestyle so much they don’t mind looking like dimwit fools before the public. No pride at all.That’s not a very promising thing. 

[Buzzard]

Interesting how Jessa had to look for a recipe online when sweet jillymuffin has a gluten free, sugar free, banana recipe on her blog that uses a blender instead of a mixer.  Its even in measurements Jessa can understand!

 

https://www.dillardfamily.com/2019/02/blender-muffins-gluten-free-dairy-free/

Quote

A few years ago we were on a gluten free, sugar free, dairy free diet for awhile and I found this recipe online (I can’t remember where…there are several similar ones!) and we loved them. We have made them with several different fruits added. I made them the other day with blueberries and coconut as the added fillers and the boys loved them!

2 medium bananas (if using frozen, it might add a little to your cooking time!)

1 cup peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

2 T. honey

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. apple cider vinegar

1/2-1 cup fruit and/or nuts (e.g. diced apples, blueberries, coconut, raisins, dates, etc.) *optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend everything, except optional fruit/nuts, until smooth. Add fruit and pulse or just stir for a min. Pour into greased muffin tin (3/4 full). ** Bake 15-20 min. Let cool. Enjoy! Makes one dozen very moist muffins!

 

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Markie said:

If Jessa’s recipe said you need 200 grams of butter it was in metric. Even Johanna knew and questioned the 170* oven temperature. Maybe Jessa doesn’t mind being the Duggar Baking Buffoon character.

I know, I was saying Jessa listen to your sister! 

[CaricatureQualities]

7 hours ago, Sky with diamonds said:

I have to wonder if Jessa was playing it up for the cameras that she isn't a good cook. I'd like to see her invest in cooking classes or even a few good cookbooks. 

I sincerely believe that Jessa is as bad at cooking as she looks but I think this is mostly due to the fact that she really just doesn't give a shit about it. She doesn't care to care. I mean she tried to mash bananas with a whisk and then a spoon and it was pitiful. How do you make mashing bananas look that hard? It's clearly not her interest, and that itself is fine... She could make like Carrie Bradshaw and use her oven to store her shoes and get better use out of it that way. But Carrie was never fixin to have a large brood in the country and live frugally and make a career out of being a SAHM. You don't have to like it, but you might want to try to give a shit and try for basic competency at least. Especially if you're in a television segment.

 I believe the whole grooms cake bake off only happened as a segment for the show. There was never going to be a grooms cake at the wedding, it was just something to do for the show. And the show makes money that goes to someone and funds them all one way or another. Point is, it was being filmed and televised, put some effort and preparation into it. Like, you're on TV and you're gonna get paid, don't phone it in. Maybe bake a test cake before hand and make sure you have all the ingredients you need? Maybe, learn what gluten actually is and its function in flour and what it does in dough, learn about some of the substitutes and experiment and teach it to the kids....actually, that's too much to ask. Just, at the very least, learn how to mash bananas and preheat an oven, and maybe get some new baking soda. 

 

[Buzzard]

22 minutes ago, CaricatureQualities said:

Maybe bake a test cake before hand and make sure you have all the ingredients you need?

Or buy a box and own that you DGAF.  They probably could have gotten a product placement. 

https://www.theglutenfreeshoppe.com/default/gefen-gluten-free-sugar-free-chocolate-cake-mix.html?gclid=CjwKCAiA2fjjBRAjEiwAuewS_UEBIoxm4lNECwFW7u0hH3MK-6XsHxmzWZpK7Zz9U_4BBYteNh1GpBoC7HUQAvD_BwE

[Cheetah]

16 hours ago, JoytotheWorld said:

My take away from this episode: I saw more smiles from Jennifer than I have in the rest of her life combined. Seems like the one on one time with Kendra agrees with her. Hope it happens regularly (assuming she gets to be the child and not aunt-mom to Garrett.)

Yes!  I noticed this as well, and she spoke up more than she has in the past without looking like she'd rather be anywhere else than right there.  So whether it's growing up a bit, spending time with Kendra, being away from her other sisters, it was a good move.

[SassyPants]

2 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

That at least shows someone is teaching Johanna something and better yet how to think logically! That’s a promising thing  

I think the older ones all like the money and lifestyle so much they don’t mind looking like dimwit fools before the public. No pride at all.That’s not a very promising thing. 

Given how poorly educated and rather lazy most of them likely are, looking the fool on TV for money is probably their best option. How else would they survive, let alone have elventy kids, homes, SUVs, vacations and the good life? Poorly educated and Duggar Time do not make for a financially successful life plan.

[Cheetah]

16 hours ago, JoytotheWorld said:

My take away from this episode: I saw more smiles from Jennifer than I have in the rest of her life combined. Seems like the one on one time with Kendra agrees with her. Hope it happens regularly (assuming she gets to be the child and not aunt-mom to Garrett.)

And on the flip side, Johanna was so quiet with Jessa.  Maybe Jessa just soaks up all of the air in the room regardless of who she's with.  I always thought Johanna was a bit spunkier, though.

Another point - I know this whole contest was just a fake plot point but I am curious to see if there were any other limitations on the sweetener allowed beyond 'no sugar'.  Because a lot of diets would interpret that as 'no sugar, no honey, no molasses, no maple syrup' etc, but obviously a honey-sweetened cake is going to taste a whole lot better than one made with xylitol or Stevia. 

[wandering woman]

It made no sense that they were making practice groom's cakes in Arkansas for an Oklahoma wedding. There is no way they would bring a cake that far.

[AtlanticTug]

I guess we know the price for Jessa to look stupid in front of the whole world and she doesn't mind. I'd be horrified to be portrayed that way, but then I have a respected professional reputation and self- respect, so...

I know a lot of it is fake for cameras, blah, blah, blah, but come on, mashing bananas? And this from someone with two very young children and a gaggle of younger siblings. What the hell, had she never mashed a single cooked vegetable or fruit? I did baby led weaning with my kids, but I still mashed up a few things now and then.

[Carm_88]

I am Jessa, I hate cooking and I doubly hate baking. So if I had to pretend like I was baking a cake, you sure as shit know that I would be making that cake look absolutely horrible in the process. I don't give a shit, I'm not going to eat it, I don't even like cake. Ben likes cooking and you can buy a cake, cupcakes, and muffins if you really want them. Jessa doesn't, because she likes ice cream. 

[Iamtheway]

So two episodes in a row had had a made up plot line that includes the kids? This is all just a way to make sure the viewers get a connection to them so the show can go on for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever.