Being Geek Chic is a blog for stylish geeks, sophisticated nerds and people who enjoy the musings of a complete dork. Join us as we dream of driving the TARDIS, cuddle with our eBooks and test out an iPad sleeve. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi and a team of brilliant lady nerds. Meet the team.
I have a really important announcement to make: Chanel’s new chunky clutch is not a certifiable LEGO handbag. They did not collaborate. Chanel did not ask to make a LEGO-esque bag. They may not even know they did.
I am totally in love with it and I too want to own one. But I think it’s important that people get the facts about these things. Proof here. If you’re going to spend your money, you should know that LEGO isn’t going to get a penny.
Also, it really is kind of a rip. I know, it’s not EXACTLY a LEGO shape, but it’s damn close. And the colors are damn close too. This is why everyone is calling it the LEGO handbag, but really, it’s not. It’s a Chanel bag inspired by LEGO… or so it seems. I feel better now.
i09 posed an important question this week: Could The Hunger Games get published today?
The reasoning is straight forward enough: dystopia is everywhere, YA has gotten less violent because of outside pressures and on and on. But not a single publisher said they disliked The Hunger Games books, so of course it would be published. And we’d all be obsessed all over again.
My favorite thing in life is seeing my name in print… did you know that? Probably makes me a narcissist.
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I’ve talked ALOT about The Unofficial Hunger Games cookbook. Like alot. For the most part, I’ve lavished praise on the book for assisting me in coming up with a menu for my Hunger Games party, but I wanted to give you an idea of what dishes were fantastic and which ones you can skip.
Crowd favorite:
No one could stop raving about Mr. Mellark’s Butter Cookies (page 172). They are really different from other butter cookies I’ve tried, in that these are a bit crunchier and have a very light texture. This was a fantastic surprise, because I typically don’t like butter cookies, but these were great. Another thing to take note of here is that the recipe works with both whole wheat and regular flour.
Most expensive:
I was very excited to make Katniss’s Favorite Lamb Stew with Dried Plums (page 57), because it seemed like an easy thing to throw in the crock-pot before work. The thing is: I never made lamb stew before and had NO IDEA how expensive it would be. We cut the recipe down to 3 pounds of lamb, because three pounds cost $40! If we had bough 5 pounds like the recipe calls for, this would have easily been a $75 stew. Also, please note that the recipe calls for 5 cups of dried plums. Most grocery stores carry this product, but it’s actually referred to as Prunes on most packages.
I will tell you this: the stew is delicious. I loved that there were SO many veggies and the lamb was incredibly tender.
Most healthy:
The Careers’ Quinoa Salad (page 64) was incredibly refreshing and oh-so-healthy. If anyone in your party is on a diet or just watching what they eat, be sure to direct them to this dish. It’s light and low on the calories. I also found that the dish was a nice palate cleanser between the heavier stew and cheese dishes.
Best leftovers:
The official “Boy with the Bread" loaf was a nice Raisin Bread (pages 24-25) that worked well with butter at dinner and I loved it the next morning with some fresh jam. I will tell you this: it’s a dense, dense bread. I wouldn’t try to eat it without a topping of some kind.
Biggest surprise:
I had never tried goat cheese before cracking open this cookbook, but I’m glad I kept an open mind. I can honestly say that MY FAVORITE thing about this cookbook was discovering that basil and goat cheese make the most perfect marriage. For the party, we had both Prim’s “Getting By" Goat Cheese Spread (page 86) and Prim’s Basil Wrapped Goat Cheese Balls (page 83). I think if you were going to make just one, I would tell you that the word “balls" is sort of deceptive, because it’s the easier dish to make.
Overall: It’s a great book and I recommend buying it with a friend and working through the dishes together. If I had to pick a couple things I would change, I would ask for nutritional facts on all the recipes and a separate section for cocktail or drinks.
I’m pretty much beyond excitement for tonight’s midnight premiere of The Hunger Games. It’s actually out of control.
To keep myself busy and prevent myself from watching ANY bonus clips on the web, I started making things. One of them is this Effie Trinket Meme.
I love Effie. She cares, but she just doesn’t realize that her pleasure is pain for others. So, it got me thinking about how her hopeful and joyous presentation of each and every word that comes from her mouth is utterly ridiculous when you consider the end result. Just think if she said it like it really was? That’s pretty much what this meme is all about.
I made quite a few, but the above was the funniest in my mind. Have a great idea for an Effie meme?
Download the template here and post your meme on the Being Geek Chic Facebook wall!
Happy Hunger Games!
Pretty much can’t get over the fact that we’re only a few days away from being able to finally see The Hunger Games. As I mentioned last week, I’m hosting a Hunger Games dinner party and I’ve been trying to think up a cocktail to serve. I’m not particularly inspired by Haymitch’s alcoholism, but I figured that other secondary characters would also be having a drink while they watched Peeta and Katniss battle it out in the 74th Hunger Games. That’s how I came up with a cocktail for Cinna.
Here’s what we know for sure:
Cinna is a smart strategist. He knows what his every move means and makes sure no moment goes wasted. (The currant is considered the smart berry, because for centuries people didn’t think the seeds were edible, so they left it alone to flourish.) He’s sweet and thoughtful, but he doesn’t always wear that sweetness on his sleeve. (Think oranges or lemons.) He’s fit and gorgeous, so he’s probably one of the few people in the Capitol who still bothers to count calories.
Here’s how it’s made.
Ingredients:
Kurant Vodka
Lemon or lemon juice
Orange flavored sparkling water
Fill your glass with ice. Cut your lemon in four slices. Put one shot of vodka in the glass and then fill the rest with orange flavored sparkling water. Use one of your slices and squeeze out the juice over the glass. Cut another small slice for the side of your glass.
This drink is about 80 calories.
Happy Hunger Games!
I set out to re-read The Hunger Games this week. It’s now Friday and I’m three chapters into Mockingjay. I didn’t intend to swallow Catching Fire and Mockingjay too… it just happened. I was as sucked into it this time as I was the first time. It’s not just lust anymore, it’s flat out love.
Here’s why:
1. I’m catching things I missed the first time. Subtle details in conversations have new meaning. Previously unnoticed character traits have much clearer meaning this time around.
2. I’m making notes about things to watch for in the movies. There’s always a certain anxiety about a favorite book being turned into movie, but with The Hunger Games, the pressure feels especially high. Now, my mind is fresh with things to watch out for.
3. It’s just freaking fun. Seriously, I’m having a blast reading these books again.
4. I’m motivated to read something new. In a way, falling in love with this series all over again motivates me to pick up another series. Sometimes, it can be intimidating to pick up a book that is part of a series, because it feels like a huge commitment. When you’ve basically inhaled three books in 7 days, it doesn’t seem as tough.
5. I’m not disappointed. On the converse side of picking up a new series is the very real possibility that a new book may not be great. I already know I loved The Hunger Games. I don’t have to worry about not loving it… or enjoying myself. I already know I will.
Twitter amazes me sometimes. Going on and on about The Hunger Games manages to make me happy with every single character I type…
So when things like this happen with fandom, I’m just fulfilled:
@jonmarcbauer Oh! That is such a great question… Maybe: ||| …. What do you think?
— Elizabeth Giorgi (@lizgiorgi) March 14, 2012
So I’m thinking… we got to make this happen. Here’s what I came up with:
Help me make this happen!
Not just because I think it’s awesome, but because we have to somehow survive until next Thursday at midnight… together!
