Sunday, April 26, 2009
So I was debating whether or not to go out and see Giada today because I have so much studying to do… but a friend talked me into it. I got there early and got a glimpse of Curtis Jones (Take Home Chef) and Barbara Fairchild’s demonstration (she’s the editor in chief of Bon Appetit magazine). I was super excited to see Giada though, and things definitely got super packed when 3:30pm was approaching. I went to buy her most recent book from the festival for $36 cash. It retails at $32.50, and Amazon sells it online for $20.70. I figured it would be okay to buy it there for a pricey cost if I got to meet her!
Anyway, her interview with Barbara Fairchild was really cute. Giada is so charming and quirky in real life, and she’s so much smaller than TV makes her out to be! She’s super thin for being a mother, and she is just so cute! She even brought her daughter (Jade, 1-yr), and she is super cute and friendly as well.
When the last five minutes were coming, people started leaving to get in line for her signing. I wanted to do it too, but I opted to stay and watch her instead. That being said, when I got through the stampede of people at the end, the campus event staff cut the line off literally two seconds before I got there. I had gotten in line, and the staff said, “Sorry, the line ends here.” It was such a bust. I played it cool though and left instead.
I’m not angry that I didn’t get to see her; I’m just disappointed that I spent so much money on her book. I’m a bargain shopper and would have rather bought her book on Amazon and felt better because I would’ve saved $15 and gotten free shipping! OR if I bought it from an actual store, I could’ve returned it. I don’t cook much Italian food, so I don’t know how much her book will help me. I am damn sure I’m going to be using this book though — I have to milk it for its money!
So now that it’s over and done, I need to go back to studying. I have two midterms and a project this week, and math is giving more trouble than normal 
Thursday, April 23, 2009
This weekend, UCLA is hosting the L.A. Times Festival of Books. The entire campus has tons of tents being put up for all the booths and stages, so I’m getting pretty excited. Tons of cool authors are going to be there including Ray Bradbury, Michael J. Fox, Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady), and GIADA DE LAURENTIIS!!!
Now, I am not a die-hard Giada fan, but I do watch her often and find that her food/show is most appealing to the contemporary eye and palette. She’s going to be interviewed, so I will take a break from my weekend of hardcore studying (hahahaha) to head over to the festival! I hope she’ll do a signing after… during which I will probably buy her book that is 30+ dollars. I think it might be worth it though! I hope she falls in love with me and essentially launches me into culinary superstardom! Maybe she’ll accept me as her apprentice, and my dreams of becoming a superstar chef will come true.
People always say she over-pronounces her words like pancetta and bruschetta, but I don’t really mind. It’s just kind of funny to listen to her say those words on TV. Of all the Food Network TV hosts, I just really don’t like Ina Garten and Sandra Lee. I think Ina is so pretentious — always fundraising for her neighborhood — THE HAMPTONS. Sorry girl, but not everyone can identify with your rich New York beach lifestyle. And Sandra Lee? I get her, I do, but the way she talks is just so FAKE to me. She’s like a wannabe Bedford wife.
Regardless, I have a dream of becoming a celebrity chef. I really should start investing in some cooking classes! A friend and I were talking today, and I’ve decided that I want to post my own cooking segment onto YouTube sometime!!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
A few weeks ago I went to Trader Joe’s after a night of happy hour sushi in Westwood. While browsing the aisles, next to the soy milk, I saw almond milk!!! I was pleasantly surprised and decided to try some because I am not a huge milk drinker at all. I was hoping the original flavor tasted really almond-y like the almond smoothie I used to have at Tastea before they changed their menu about four times. I’m also a fan of almond milk tea, and I have even used almond extract in some cakes. Almond extract is super expensive, so I was hoping I could use this as my milk in baking. A plus is that it has a long shelf life and doesn’t need to be refrigerated until you open it!
So today, I finally tried it in my black tea… After researching, I discovered that almond milk is just two parts water and one part ground almonds. Not really excited anymore, I tried a tablespoon-ful of the muddy-looking water (it looks like rice water), and I only tasted water with a nutty aftertaste. I didn’t get the sweet almond flavor I was looking for. Disappointed, I put it in my tea anyway, and it made no difference. This wasn’t sweet at all, but I know I didn’t buy the unsweetened one. I’m not sure if I want to try it with my cereal because it’s not quite creamy, but we’ll see. I’ll probably buy another box and try baking with it when I get home because I bake with water anyway.
I’m still looking for that sweet almond-y taste. I think I might try the vanilla flavored almond milk to see how it tastes. If I recall, it was only two or three dollars for 32 ounces anyway. Wish me luck!
