Burgers vs Salads

Here we are, smack in the middle of the March Salad Challenge: Team Tummies Aren't Trashcans (YAY TEAM!) and the Boyfriend has decided he would like to start "experimenting" with grilling burgers. Make no mistake, I'm not entirely disheartened by this news. Contrary to what you may think, I actually enjoy a really good, juicy burger straight off the grill. It is one of my favorites. I only eat about three a year. It makes total sense to me. If I let myself enjoy them with abandon I would eat them 3-4 days a week, and about half that time they would only be half-way decent. So, I wait and search for the perfect place and time and then I have a really good one, and I don't feel guilty.

So I'm gonna get excited about this New Culinary Adventure.* Why not?

So here is my question? What actually constitutes a "burger"? Is it always beef between a bun? Just type in "burger" in www.epicurious.com, and you get an onslaught of recipes featuring black beans, salmon, chicken, turkey, lamb.... Is that also a "burger"?

To be honest, I'm completely ambivalent about this. I really don't care, as long as it is good. The Boyfriend (surprise) most definitely has opinion** about this.He is a purist. He thinks it should ONLY BE BEEF (just ask him about his thoughts on chili and asymmetrical dresses).

So what do you think? Do you ever get a hankering for a turkey burger? Or do you  pale in shock of such Burger Blasphemy? What about toppings and bun choice? Is your ketchup fancy? Let me know! I'm curious and in search for the perfect Burger Recipe!

* For real, I love it when the BF wants to grill. He's really good at it. Anything else he does in the kitchen, and it's like watching a little girl play with mommy's makeup. Don't tell him I said that.

**Do you know who else has an opinion? Jimmy Buffet:

Two Movies, Two Soups and a Stack of Laundry

So I have had the best weekend ever. Part of my weekend involved watching two Very Funny Movies that I have never heard of: Your Sister's Sister and Lola Versus. I won't bother with a synopsis, that's why IMDB exists. But basically, they are rom-coms that did not suck. You should watch them.

Your Sister's Sister has Emily Blunt, Rosemarie Dewitt and Mark Duplass (who I have never heard of before, but now I want to watch every movie he's in). They are all awesome. Netflix it.

Lola Versus has some chick named Greta Gerwig and was written by a very funny lady named Zoe Lister Jones. It is kinda hipster-ish, but not painful like Girls. Netflix this one, too.

Okay, then I made Two Soups!!!
The first one is a Portuguese Spinach and Sausage soup. Well, it's my riff on Portuguese Spinach and Sausage soup. The traditional recipe includes Chorizo and Potatoes, I subbed hickory smoked sausage and brown rice.

Doesn't that look delicious****!?!?! Funny thing about this soup: For some reason, I spent a good chunk of Friday morning googling recipes for Spinach soup. The Boyfriend came home that night and said, "You know, I helped a lady pick out wine for a Portuguese spinach and Sausage soup today ". Whammo. That's the Universe telling me to make soup. Here's the recipe I found as my inspiration for Caldo Verde.


And I made a lovely Cream of Spinach soup (I had a mother lode of spinach at home).
Here's the basic recipe: I sauteed one onion and two cloves of garlic in olive oil until translucent. I then added a ton of spinach, about 1 cup of dry white wine, salt, pepper, and 1 container of chicken stock. I let simmer until spinach wilted and then I blended it with my immersion blender. I then added a bay leaf and milk and about 1 cup of sour cream, and then let simmer for another hour on low. And because he can sense when I try to make a low-fat/reduced calorie/Weight Watchers version of something, I added some butter for the Boyfriend.

And the pile of laundry, you ask? I'll tell you a secret. I really enjoy doing laundry. My favorite part is ironing. I love love LOVE to iron. So, on Saturday, while my soups were simmering and my movies were playing I binged on a basket full of the Boyfriend's shirts. It was heavenly.***

***Please do not tell him that I love to iron his shirts. He thinks I am doing him a huge favor and that it is somehow a terrible wifely chore. I'm gonna milk that for as long as I can.

****This is how I feel about all soups.

 

I'm Just Assuming People Have The Winter Blahs....

... and that's why they be acting like fools. There was a little too much nonsense and things that made me go "hmm" this week, and it's just Thursday.

I'm assuming it is because of the weather, but honestly, this is Alabama. It has been Spring-ish since Feb.1, and we can always get some freak ice storm in April.

We do have 28 days of Winter left (according to the all-knowing Groundhog). And that's okay! because we are going to make the best of it! I have compiled a list of happiness for you.

Here are some wonderful things I love about winter:

1. Soup:

2. Cozy Clothes

Like this cashmere wrap from Portolano (sold out on Bluefly). Can find similar here at Last Call: Nieman Marcus. (I may actually commit a whole post to Portolano Cashmere because it is beautiful and looks like it would feel like buttah).


3. Snuggling

4. White Wine and Oysters.




I suggest this lovely Sancerre from the Loire Valley if you want to spend around $25 bucks. It is called Delaporte. It is best buddies with oysters. If you don't like this wine, it's because you are sick with a cold or something and can't smell or taste properly.

If you want to spend around $12, try this little Muscadet from France as well. It is made from Melon de Bourgogne, which is French for "Drink me with Oysters". This is from a winery called Chateau Ragotiere.

(By the way, if you like to eat oysters, we are automatically Friends + 4 + EVA.  And the best place to sit and enjoy oysters in Birmingham, Alabama is at Satterfield's. Love love.)

5. I get to go to New Orleans every Winter after the Holidays. It is my favorite. This year we visited my friend Darling Jeff who works at SoBou. They have a drink there that I can't remember the name of (surprise) but you get a pair of sunglasses with it. They are awesome!!! So is the food. Go there, ask for Darling Jeff. He set you up real good.

6. Boyfriend makes Chili!!!!!! YAYSIES!!!

7. It is the start of awards season. Golden Globes, SAG awards, Grammys, the Oscars!!!! So much judging of fashion! I recommend following all of this on Tom and Lorenzo. They are Fabulous and Opinionated.

8. And my most favorite thing about the changing of seasons is that everything from the season before goes on sale. And it all goes on sale before it really even needs to go on sale. So you can buy brand new boots and coats NOW and probably still get to wear them! See! Spruce up your wardrobe. Buy your Christmas cards for next year. Invest in wintry smelling candles. Buy an OUTDOOR FIREPLACE. All for CHEAP. BECAUSE STUFF GOES ON SALE BECAUSE WE ARE A NATION OF RAVENOUS CONSUMERS.

So, there are a few things that can help get you out of your Winter Slump. Winter and its dark, cold, bleakness happens. It's supposed to happen, if the world is to operate in the fashion in which it was created. Now smile and be nice!

****The Boyfriend's favorite thing about Winter is Spring Training and something about Pitchers and Catchers, but that sounds dirty and I don't get it.****

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

I'm going to spend today telling about a few things I love right now. (other than the obvious: Spanky and Boyfriend)

But today, some other obsessions are keeping me happy, too!

Like my brand new Skull Sweater I bought in New Orleans at my new favorite store called Hemline.
They have stores all over the Southeast (two in NOLA: in the French Quarter and on Magazine).
I loooooove this sweater. And it was a total impulse purchase, I spotted it from about 50 yards away, stormed into Hemline, and the shop girl was like, "Yeah, I know what you want. They're folded over there." and then pointed to a stack of folded skull sweaters. Get you one. Go to Hemline.

This is called the Rhythmic Skull Sweater.







Also, I love my new glasses:

They are Raybans and they are AWESOME. Also a impulse purchase.
Well there's nothing "impulsive" about getting glasses, especially for me because a 15 year old cat with glaucoma has better vision than I do. But these frames were certainly impulsive. One lady at the eye doctor was like, "Yes! Get them!" and the other lady would not even make eye contact with me, so I did what EVERYONE should do and called my cousin Weldon, who is honest to the point of "ouch, flinching, that hurts" and she said "only you can pull those off" and I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not, but I bought them anyway.

And I LOOOVE this wine:

It is a wonderful Pinot Noir from Mongeard-Mugneret, a fantastic burgundy producer. It is a mouthful to say, I know. Those Frenchies love extra letters in their words (but so do English speakers: "bomb", am I right?), but say it like this : "Mon-yeered Moon-yer-way". I'm not sure if that is right, but who cares. You go buy it and drink it and call it whatever the hell you want. This wine is SO good no one cares what your French sounds like. I recommend it with salmon, and/or mushrooms.

Also on my love list: The Walking Dead is back (holla!) and so is Smash (don't judge me) and Justified (if you are not watching it, I'm totally judging YOU), my nephew Max, anything Russian themed, my friends and loved ones being happy in happy (-ier) situations, and mirrors (for decorating, stay tuned).

I'm ALL about simple and easy...

....but WHY is this a hairstyle? And WHY does it need a step-by-step DIY feature?

It's called "Low Messy Loop". By definition, it does not need instructions. Or product. 

I know it's Friday, and on most of the East Coast, it's raining/snowing....but did y'all seriously just dedicate time to what college girls do everyday to their hair?

Bitches be bored over at www.theGlitterGuide.com.

This is what most girls refer to as "Yoga Hair", btw. 

Do you know what happens when you Google “Gia” and “purses”?

Wonderful, delightful images will appear on your screen.

Try it.You’ll get this:

These are all Michael Kors and they are beautiful, right?

Here's the info if you want to buy one for me.

Michael Kors "Gia" Purse

Yes, I know they are fabulous. And there's more!

Look!

Also it's Michael Kors: just Google "Michael Kors Gia Colorblock Saddle"

There's like, a thousand purses he makes called "Gia" For the record, I have never met Mr. Kors. I have no idea how I managed to inspire such a amazing array of handbags, but here they are anyway.

***all images are Michael Kors. I'm serious, he has a ton of purses.

Okay, YOU try it. Google your name and then purses. Next, I'm going to Google "Gia" and "shoes".

Enjoy!

Hi!

I’m embarrassed to say it but I’ll do it anyway: “I’m back! Hey y’all!”  I’m embarrassed on a couple of levels: I’ve been absent, I’ve not been consistent (the true death of a blogger, I’m learning, is inconsistent postings), I don’t post pretty pictures of what I wear/eat/drink/visit…But sometimes I’m embarrassed because I don’t think y’all truly care about what I have to say, and why would you, really?

However, my dear friend AEP did a very scientific, thorough, controlled poll on Facebook and at least EIGHTEEN (+/-) of you seemed to give a vague indication that you are indeed curious as to what goes on in my head these days.

I’ll try to write something fun and/or informative I will! Truth be told, part of the reason I fizzled was because of writer’s block. Nothing was really piqueing my interest. I have no fashion conquests, no new house to renovate, no new craft project, etc. I’m done with oxblood, and almost done with Pantone’s new color for Spring and it’s not even Spring yet (if you don’t know Pantone’s new color, FOR SHAME). Everyone’s taking pictures of their food like they ain’t never seen jalapeno mac’ n cheese before. Everyone is drinking Bordeaux now (see: last post). What is new and fresh these days? I turned 35…is there no new and fresh?????

So, I challenge all of you to help me out! If there is something you want my two cents on, let me know. Books?  Recipes? Television shows?  Do you want my true feelings regarding large, Buddy Holly-style glasses on anyone over the age of 30 (love them, for the record. LOVE THEM.)?  Speaking of, when does the age of Hipster actually turn into not-a –Hipster? Do you want my opinions on that? (Yeah, I don’t feel qualified to answer that…which means I’m too old to be a Hipster…so…32?)

Or, perhaps we can play games! Guess Kimye’s baby’s name! An over/under as to how long it takes Lena Dunham to fall into the pressures of Hollywood and join Weight Watchers! Pantone’s color for Fall 2013!

So, Happy New 2013 everyone! Hopefully we can have some New Fun to go with the New Year. Or we can just start drinking now. I’m officially almost done with my first martini.

PS: If you clicked “like” on AEP’s Facebook post, “If at least 10 likes the post, maybe Gia Bivens will be update her post again”, and we have not actually met, God Bless You. You are in my head for life, and I am in yours.

Bordeaux Isn't Dead, It's Just Broken.

So, that’s what some people say: Bordeaux is dead! No one drinks it anymore! It’s too expensive, only really really rich people in Asia buy it, California is where all the good red wines are….etc.

But for the optimists, Bordeaux isn’t dead. It’s just broken.

I count myself as one of those optimists, albeit a reluctant one. Bordeaux has never been my favorite. I would rather drink an Italian, Rhone, sometimes a Malbec, or yes, a California Cabernet*.

But at some point this summer, I was in a room full of well-seasoned wine professionals and someone said those words: “Bordeaux isn’t dead, it’s just broken. And it’s our job to fix it”.

And my heart might have fluttered a bit. I do love a challenge. 

So, World, Wake UP! Got some wine for you to drink! It’s from a region in France called Bordeaux. Bordeaux makes some really good red wines with Cabernet and Merlot grapes. And,  if you do a little bit of leg work, you can find some great ones under $20!

                                                             

Here are two: Chateau Fontenille and Chateau Brondeau. 

They are both Merlot based, and both are well under $20. I’m having them with Horseradish cheddar cheese, grapes and low-fat Triscuits and I’m watching The Voice... yes, you read that correctly, I am watching The Voice for some reason, and I’m trying to figure out what that reason is, and why are Cee-Lo’s arms so short and why does everyone think that the dude from Maroon 5 is so hot when clearly Blake Shelton is where it’s at and I don’t even like country music all that much but HOLY COW this CHATEAU BRONDEAU is SOOOOO GOOOOD!!! But so is this CHATEAU FONTENILLE! Do I have to pick just one?

Bordeaux! You are not DEAD, You are just IGNORED, and people have just forgotten about you. It’s not your fault we are a society of instant gratification (hell-OOO, I’m watching The Voice, why?) with very short attention spans (what is UP with Xtina’s boobs? They are GI-normous) and we just need to bring you back into our fold. You deserve a little patience. And, I may add, you are great food wine.Grilled rib-eye, possibly duck…you’re very versatile! So next time I want a good red wine, under $20, I just might grab a Bordeaux. Or two.  

*www.halterranch.com

I'm back.....

I’m back…… (did y’all miss me?)

Guess what inspired me to get back to this blog? You’ll never guess. …..Just try……

Okay, it was a salad.

I’m on day 12 of Super Awesome Salad September, along with my other teammates on “Tummies Aren’t Trashcans” and this past weekend I made a salad for my sister and her husband and it was SOOOOO good I just had to pass it on. Here we go!

The players:

2 cups of cooked quinoa

2 cups of cooked lentils

2 cups of roasted carrots (carrots, 2 TB of olive oil, salt and pepper, roast on 450 degrees for 25 minutes)

The fancy dressing:

1/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt**

½ lemon juice

1 TB of Dill

Mix it together, eat it. Know that you are doing something good for your body.

**Praise the Greeks for at least getting yogurt correct (God knows they’re terrible at paying taxes), because you can do so much with it! This means I will be making a post about Greek yogurt soon.

Did y’all miss me?

I've moved!

Go to my new tumblr spot y'all

http://whatwouldgiado.tumblr.com/

See Ya there!

Cheers!
Gia

HATS!!!! May 2012

Resolved:

Once a month, gather friends, pick out hats (all with different themes, ie, Sombrero, Fedora, Tam, Cowboy, etc.), go out in public, switch hats every 30 minutes, or upon request of wary restaurant owners.

                                     Photo taken at Ollie Irene in Mountain Brook, Alabama.


So, where are we going for June and who's in?

Introducing Princess Fierceness

Can we talk about this dress?

Can we talk about that if I had this dress I would change my name to Princess Fierceness and I would drink champagne instead of drink smoothies everyday and I would collect blank white canvases and call it art and Diane Kruger would be my best friend? 

Dress, Style Stalker, Thrifted and Modern, $138

Click on the link to see the dress in its entirety and be enamored with it like I am.

Happy Saturday, y'all!

G-POST. A day late. Again.

How freaking cute is my Spanky? I just love him.
So, it was brought to my attention that some of you may not know that G-POST actually stands for something. Gratuitous Picture Of Spanky Thursday.
There you go.



Oh, and a quick update. Remember these shoes? Within 3 minutes of posting them on this blog, I got a big "Hell to the No" from BF. So, they won't be showing up in my closet anytime soon.

 And remember how I was super upset with Bruce Springsteen about trying to take all my money to go see him in ATL? Well, he added more dates to The Wrecking Ball tour and my super sweet Mother bought us tickets to see him in Chicago this September. Hells yeah, y'all. Oh, but I still haven't gotten a new chandelier. It is possible this household has spent some money on wine. And dresses.

BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!

Have a good Three Day Weekend Y'all! Be Safe.
Remember why we celebrate Memorial Day!

Kisses!

Summer is Almost Here...Unless You Live in The South...

.....then you know that it summer early-May through mid-October....

But I will enjoy the anticipation of Summer, because Memorial Day is coming, and I consider that the Kick-Off of Summer (I think a lot of people do) and I want to tell you about all of the things I'm excited about this summer! Please be Enthusiastic With Me, because I will lose steam around mid-August and then I will do nothing but Whine, Complain and Bemoan about how much I want Summer to go the hell away so that I can wear Sweaters.

Until then, YAYSIES for Summer!

I plan on Drinking This Wine:

It is 2011 Halter Ranch Rose from Paso Robles, California. It is delicious.

And I plan on helping my sister get ready for this baby:

(Not the best quality video! Sorry! I'm a blogger, not Martin Scorsese.)


And I plan on swimming because I need to do something else with my exercise routine. And Dara Torres is my new fitness hero. Here's my new swimsuit!

 

 

Swimsuit from Speedo.

 And I plan on swimming in the morning, challenging myself even further because I have suddenly had issues getting my ass out of bed earlier than 6 am. But do you know what happens in the summer at Swimming Pools? They are overrun with Toddlers in Diapers. I learned this when I went to the Y last weekend and was out-splashed by a bunch of  4 year old Birthday Party Animals.

And I plan on making lots of Roasted Okra, my new favorite French Fry Substitute:
 This recipe is the bestest ever: NY Times Roasted Okra .


.....And Last but Not Least.....

I plan on getting my Summer-Time Brain Candy Fix with some True Blood, y'all. June Tenth, HBO. Christopher Meloni as a Vampire. Shut. Your. Mouth. (or a mosquito will fly in,  AND by the way, mosquitoes are gonna be hella horible this year thanks to the complete and utter lack of winter. That's what the Today show just said. Invest in OFF. I bought the family pack at Costco b/c Skeeters love me. I hate them with a passion.)

Oh wait, one more! I am thinking about making a switch from Blogspot to TumblR. Any opinions on this matter?

Okay! So these are some of my favorite things I am super excited about! What are you super excited about? Tell me! I wanna know!

Baseball Isn't So Bad.... You Can Drink Beer and Eat Peanuts....

.

I'm not even going to pretend that I personally enjoy with true, genuine pleasure the game of baseball. However, I do very much enjoy spending time with my husband, and he really loves baseball. He actually really really loves The Cubs. So, most of the baseball watching I do is the Cubs. And let me tell you something, people who LOVE the Cubs TRULY LOVE the Cubs. I think it because they have heart and soul . I mean I don't think they have ever won a World Series (Is this true? Someone fact-check me please). So you just have to LOVE them because someone has to love them, right?

BF loves loves loves loves the Cubs and he loves loves loves talking to me about them, and it's rubbing off on me, a bit. I'm not a rabid fan, but it makes him happy and he lights up and that's cool. Some very dear friends gave us Cubs tickets as a wedding gift. We went on our honeymoon. It rained. I think he cried. He really wanted me to watch a game on Wrigley Field.

I tell you all of this, because something very important happened this weekend. BF's favorite player, Kerry Wood, retired after 12 seasons with the Cubs. He struck out the last batter and then his son ran out and hugged him. It was really sweet and really heartbreaking.

I don't know anything about statistics, RBIs, rules, etc. But here's some stuff that the 34 year old Kerry Wood did:

• He won rookie of the year award in 1998.
• He threw a 20 strikeout one-hitter game against the Houston Astros in 1998 (and I think this was the impetus of BF's man-crush).
• He won a career-high 14 games in 2003 and led the Cubs to the playoffs, where he won the deciding Game 5 in Atlanta in the division series.
•  He started Game 7 of the National League Championship Series at home against the Florida Marlins and hit an early game-tying home run. But the Marlins rallied and advanced to the World Series, where they beat the Yankees.
• He turned down $3-$4 million contracts to play with Yankees and White Socks to play for the Cubs, who paid him only $1.5 million (See? He loves loves loves the Cubs, too!)

Ask BF next time you see him why he likes him so much. He'll tell you.

So goodbye Kerry Wood! Sorry I never got to see you play at Wrigley with my husband because I think that would have made him jump out of his skin with excitement. Have fun with your kids! Stay in Chicago!


And Happy 34th Birthday today to Boyfriend, Wylie Scott Atkinson, aka Wink, aka Uncle Wink, aka The Hairy One (that's what Spanky calls him) aka THE Boyfriend, aka Huzzzbin (that's what I call him). I love love love you more than air and oxygen and french fries and champagne, and I'm glad your mom begged for you!