Giada At Home - General Discussion

[MsTree]

Thanks, grisgris!

[Pyewacket]

 

I do not know enough to state whether Giada and her siblings suffered at their father's hands or it was just their mother, or both or neither.

 

It was Giada. Honestly, I have no idea how someone who went through what she did has the strength to be a functioning adult. I understand that she doesn't want to talk about it in public and that's obviously her choice, but what's out there in court records and media accounts (her father's name being searchable) makes it clear that she dealt with a lot as a young girl.

[LiveenLetLive]

I understand, having read some of the court records, what a horrible ordeal Giada (and apparently her sister too) went through with their father, but Giada lacks warmth IMO and maybe that is why. I do hope that she is a loving mother to that beautiful little girl of hers, although I would not want to be the daughter of a woman as famous as Giada (and also one so well known for her physical charms, although it is clear that Jade will be an attractive adult too. Which is fortunate if you have ever read any of  Alexa Joel's interviews--being the daughter of a couple where the mother is a world famous beauty and model and strongly resembling the, er,

less attractive partner was hard on her psyche.)

[Lady Cassandra]

I think Jade looks just like Giada.  I remember seeing pictures of Giada as a baby after she had Jade, and they looked like the same child, and now that Jade is older, she looks EXACTLY like Giada did in middle/high school (pictures are available online), IMO.  

 

I think Giada and Jade are close, or as close as a mother and daughter can be when the mother travels a lot for work.  That said, I agree...I'm glad that no one in my family is famous.  I'm a very private person and have less than no desire for the spotlight.

[DkNNy79]

Which is fortunate if you have ever read any of  Alexa Joel's interviews--being the daughter of a couple where the mother is a world famous beauty and model and strongly resembling the, er,

less attractive partner was hard on her psyche.)

I fear that will be Blue Ivy's fate.

 

I did not know about the suffering that Giada faced at the hands of her father. 

[grisgris]

Anybody else tune in for Giada's "Holiday Handbook" series today?

 

I didn't think it was too bad. As usual, she was very light on the food, but that seemed OK for a pre-holiday open house for a few people. It fell a little short of an Ina cocktail party, but not an excessive table-groaning affair like Ree's hosted in the past. BTW, that pomegranate seed gremolata that she made to garnish her white velvet soup looked good and I'd like to try that on some leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.

 

The only thing I thought looked and sounded strange was the jam cocktail. (Even Aunt Sandy hasn't used condiments in cocktails before...) The jam mixture sat in the bottom of the glass and Giada even said that you have to keep stirring it.

 

Oh, yeah... the flavor profile of the day was "caraway has a slightly minty flavor."

 

I never noticed this, but as Giada's getting older, she's really starting to resemble Aunt Raffy. (I don't mean that as an insult. Just an observation. I think that Aunt Raffy looks great for her age!)

[vera charles]

I didn't see the Holiday Handbook series but now that I know it exists, I will try to catch it next weekend. Funny, I so seldom turn on FN anymore, I have to come here to find out when they are showing something of interest.

[chessiegal]

I just watched the first holiday show series. I really enjoyed it. She had recipes I want to try and some great ideas. I liked her Italy shows too. She seems much more relaxed and happy. Looks like divorce agrees with her.

[grisgris]

I agree. Giada looks great. I truly enjoyed today's "Holiday Handbook" show. Lots of great tips and all of the food looked delicious.

 

What a great idea to get a butterflied turkey. That would work for a small household/dinner party and with the reduced cooking time, you'd surely get a bird that was moist throughout.

 

Goodness, Julian is going to be a real lady-killer when he older. Is he handsome or what?

[winelover]

Am I the only one that wants to try to count how many time she says "GRAB" in each episode? She has to GRAB every thing! Now let's GRAB some flour. Then GRAB something from the fridge, GRAB this and GRAB that. It drives me crazy!. Like some of the others I'm thankful for Ina afterwards. 

[Lura]

I was perusing the internet today and happened upon this article about Giada.  I personally dislike Giada and now have one more reason to.  It  looks like Giada has been on the prowl, according to Page Six.

 

http://pagesix.com/2015/11/11/giadas-new-boyfriend-is-technically-still-married/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_774438

[3pwood]

Well at least she isn't shallow about her new guy's looks.  Hope he's got a great personality.

[chessiegal]

I don't give a flip about Giada's personal life. No one knows what goes on in a marriage except the 2 people in it. I love her new shows. She seems so happy, and the shows are very well done. I'm enjoying them.

[Tahitigirl]

I was perusing the internet today and happened upon this article about Giada. I personally dislike Giada and now have one more reason to. It looks like Giada has been on the prowl, according to Page Six.

http://pagesix.com/2015/11/11/giadas-new-boyfriend-is-technically-still-married/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_774438

Her eyes look vacant to me in that photo. (The Page Six link)

Edited November 23, 2015 by Tahitigirl

[grisgris]

I don't begrudge Giada for dating. It sounds like she and this guy didn't start going out until after they both had filed for divorce. I say go for it! Hopefully, Todd has found love again as well (if he's been looking for it.)

 

I'm really liking her "Holiday Handbook" series. I won't say that I've been crazy about everything Giada's made, but she has some interesting and creative ideas and tips. I think that the concept bodes well for her in her new role as single mom entertaining for the holidays.

[grisgris]

The food on today's episode looked yummy! I think I'll try that chocolate almond cheesecake for a holiday meal. I tried her dark chocolate-cherry tart last Christmas and it didn't disappoint. I also thought the lobster linguini looked delicious, but I'm hard pressed to figure out where I'd find cooked lobster around here. I wonder how it would work with some nice shrimp?

 

The only part I didn't care for was the obligatory "guess the ingredients." The show seemed to have backed off that, which I appreciated. If the viewers watch Giada prepare the ingredients, then why the need to recap during the meal? Unless there are food allergies, if it tastes good, who cares what went into the preparation?

 

Giada looked less then thrilled with her grab-bag ukulele. That must have been pegged for Jade or Julian.  Ooops!

[chessiegal]

I thought the food looked good too, especially the cheesecake. Good show, I enjoyed it.

[Happywatcher]

I just popped over and it is her show where is making a Father's Day meal. I just can't finish this.

 

Not only is she so bad the court gave custody to Todd, but she was cheating with Matt Lauer among all the others. That's like licking a gas station bathroom floor and then going home to kiss your daughter.

 

I understand her father raped her. But she is an adult and a mother and had the ability to do the right thing and she didn't.

[BW Manilowe]

Happywatcher: The court didn't give Todd custody of Jade; not Sole/Primary Custody anyway. Giada & Todd were awarded Joint Custody of her. But... The court also awarded Todd monthly Child Support payments from Giada, in an amount I don't remember right now. The reason why was explained in the Small Talk thread here. The reasoning is believed to be because, while neither Todd nor Giada are hurting financially, Todd apparently makes less, individually, than Giada & paying him Child Support will apparently allow Jade to continue to live in the manner to which she's become accustomed (as they say), from living with both parents together/Giada separately, when she's living at Todd's. Edited January 4, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[grisgris]

Did anybody catch Giada's new entertaining show yesterday?  It was OK, but I think now she's stretching to try to come up with ideas for these new niche shows.

 

Game night for the girls was a bust with Giada hogging the attention with the Pictionary and doing her rapid-fire recitation of ingredients in everything.

 

None of the food looked that interesting and I especially didn't like the idea of a chicken parm salad. That's one of those dishes that if you're going to indulge, then go big or go home. I guess she made the point by repeatedly stating that the girls liked it "light."

 

What bugged me the most were the endless commercials and pop-ups for Wayfair.com. Really, the entire show was like one informercial for Wayfair.

 

I'll give the series another chance though, because I usually find at least one nugget of a good idea or tip for something.

 

Regarding Todd, Giada, and Jade, that's water under the bridge now. Who cares? As long as everybody is happy, that's the main point!

[grisgris]

Today brought forth a new "Giada in Italy" episode, this time in Tuscany. The theme was to honor her grandfather Dino.  I was surprised to see new shows and was looking forward to it, but I was so distracted by the ongoing bickering between Giada and Aunt Raffy, that I couldn't follow what dishes they were making.

The first up was a mashup of pasta carbonara and something else and instead of making an eggy cheesy sauce, Giada used lots of cheese and pasta water. Then they steamed mussels in fennel (surprise! surprise!) and Italian beer. For dessert, Giada made an olive oil something (gelato? sherbet?) in an ice cream maker. It was clear that Raffy didn't like it and I don't think Giada cared much for it either. Her defense was that olive oil ice creams and gelatos are very popular in restaurants today, so it was OK to try it out.

/shrug Whatever. The Giada/Raffy rivalry has run its course. It was just too much today with Giada's ongoing eyerolling and mugging for the camera behind Raffy's back. Raffy more or less kept her nose to the grindstone and made her obligatory objections to the recipe tweaks. I really felt like she didn't GAF so whatever? Later. Rinse. Repeat.

I don't know if today's show was a once-only (I hope) or another series. If the latter, I certainly hope the upcoming episodes are better than today's.  I enjoyed the one that aired last year. 

Side note: I can't get over how skinny Giada looks. There were lots of old family photos in the episode and the contrast to how she looks today was dramatic.  It had nothing to do with her getting older, either.

[chessiegal]

Food Network Gossip reported that Giada in Italy is a new season.

Quote

New daytime episodes of Brunch @ Bobby's, Giada in Italy, The Kitchen, Patricia Heaton Parties, The Pioneer Woman, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen and Valerie’s Home Cooking. 

[MerBearHou]

I watched Giada in Italy today -- she's in Florence with Jade, her sister and nephew.  I just have to say that no one is a more annoying eater on TV than Giada.  What is the deal?  She's always bugged the hell out of me when she eats and talks at the same time.  Other chefs eat/talk but when Giada does it, I can HEAR the food still in her mouth -- it's so gross.

I totally concur with the Giada-Raffy bickering -- who wants to watch that over and over?  It's not relatable and endearing -- it's uncomfortable and seems fake/trumped up.  

Despite how much Giada annoys me, I will give her credit -- she can cook.

Edited September 4, 2016 by MerBearHou

[grisgris]

Oh, hell ... are those two back at it again today? I don't think I'll even bother to watch my recording of today's show.

Giada was always my go-to FN cook when I wanted to try recipes I saw on TV. However, in recent years, some of her bizarre Calitalian mashups have left me scratching my head. However, you can't beat her if you want something Italian-inspired.

[grisgris]

I just watched the most recent episode and it was like night and day from the first one. Giada's family was staying in an absolutely gorgeous villa in Tuscany. You should have seen that place. Giada explained that it had been used in the past to film movies. It was a good show and beautifully filmed. The bickering with Aunt Raffi was kept to a minimum and Jade and Julian were cute and endearing as usual. We also got to see Giada's mom and sister.

However, I did catch more than one glimpse of Jade slashing the patented shark smile of Mom's. She needs to check that early before it becomes an unattractive habit.

The best was saved for last, when we finally saw Giada's boyfriend, Shane. At first I thought maybe he was the SO of her sister, but when I heard Giada refer to him by name, I looked him up and sure enough, he was hers!

I was so taken by the scenery and clothes and the young cousins, that I really don't remember what cooked. LOL!

[grisgris]

For goodness sake, Giada, calm down. It's a kid's Halloween party. She was just driving me nuts by going on and on and on about how important it was to "make memories," blah blah blah. For starters, it looked like half of the kids in attendance would really be too young to attach much lasting significance to the event. Most likely, the other mothers were taking notes on how to try to out-do Giada at their parties.  I also got tired of her harping about "engaging all of the senses."

It looked like a fun party and as usual, she had some really cool ideas. Otherwise, all of the joy was sucked out of it by this intense feeling that you had to "make something happen" (as well as the checklist of all of the five senses that you had to make sure you marked off in order for the party to be a success.)

There was one shot of Jade towards the end and she's a dead-ringer for Giada's sister and mother.  I liked Giada's new haircut and color, but girlfriend needs to lay off the heavy eye makeup.  I had a hard time distinguishing her costume makeup from the everyday wear.

[Automne]

You've made me realize what exactly puts me off on Giada's parties. When I was talking about FN hosts and their entertaining styles in the Pioneer Woman forum, I wanted to mention Giada but couldn't articulate why, while on the surface looks great, I couldn't outright say I like it. It's too try-hard, like every gathering, get-together, party, shower, girls' night in, kiddie party, etc. has to be a total production. I feel like she would have a precise itinerary of the party down to the most minute detail and be a hard-ass about sticking to it instead of letting the party naturally progress. Not even an Ina Garten garden party would be like that, I imagine.

But Giada does have some good ideas and I do like how she made her own entertaining handbook. That seems to be a good idea for somebody who does a lot of entertaining and hosting.

[Mellowyellow]

Been watching her entertaining series and I really like her. She's very precise and plans down to the detail but she's got some great ideas and I like her presenting style. 

I love the stuff she does for the kids and her reasoning behind what she does. I have modified quite a few of her ideas and used them for my kid. She seems like a great mum! Very thoughtful! 

Jade is a beautiful child and looks so much like Giada.

[Aquarius]

Giada's parties don't seem like they'd be fun to me.  They seem like they'd be a chore.  She's got everything drawn and planned out to the gnat's ass of detail . . . I'd be exhausted being a party guest; the expectations are just too high.

[Chai]

 July 7 2016 http://blindgossip.com/?p=79589

Edited to add: this is pretty strong content. you can skip over descriptions of the pictures and scroll down to see who the popular guess is. Blindgossip has several different articles featuring "spicy girl" .

Edited January 4, 2017 by Chai
wanted to add disclaimer of content.

[grisgris]

Geez ... that doesn't surprise me.  She has some serious issues that probably stem from being abused in her earlier years. Very sad. I hope she gets help and that this doesn't bubble over and cause problems for her young daughter.

I rarely watch Giada's Sunday show any more.  I find it to be very boring.  It's difficult to watch her and take her seriously after reading stuff like the above. (If it is, indeed, true.)

[Aquarius]

I don't really go out of my way to watch Giada any more, either.  Not because what she might be doing in her sex life (although I do hope she's enjoying herself and not acting out because of some prior trauma).  I just find her so shrill and insufferable now.  Every now and then, her "Entertains" show slips in when I have FN on for background noise.  And, damn!  All the shouting for attention during the lame-ass party scenes.  "NANCY IS SO GOOD AT PICTIONARY!"  "THIS IS FOR YOU, PATTY!  I KNOW YOU LIKE CHOCOLATE!"  "ASHLEY TOOK TWO!!!  TWO!!!"  Ugh.  Even though these scenes are filmed and there's probably half a million breaks between takes, how these people don't just walk out because they can't take it anymore, I don't understand.

And I've mentioned "Giada's Feel Good Food," wherein I learned just how Giada manages to be so fabulous by washing her face and brushing her teeth (with helpful photos lest my unfabulous self have trouble with the concepts).  That pretty much did me in.

[grisgris]

That's hilarious, Aquarius!

I heard about her *lifestyle* book but never really sought it out.  Honestly, I think Giada's shelf life on FN has expired. I used to religiously watch "Everyday Italian," and I've prepared a lot of her recipes from that series and GAH.  I'm not knocking healthy cooking/eating, but in the past few years, her recipes have gotten so bizarre with her trying to fuse Italian/healthy, that I just lost interest.  Her daughter and nephew are adorable, but I also got tired of how the focus seemed to shift to creating menus for kids.  I really don't care if Jade "approves" certain foods or ingredients.

I guess we'll have to brace ourselves for another round of her in revealing outfits and flirting with Bobby Flay on FNS in a few short months.

Doesn't she have a restaurant somewhere that she needs to run?

[jcbrown]

I mostly agree with you, grisgris. I bought all of Giada's cookbooks up until the most recent one where she went all Gwyneth Paltrow. Not interested in being lectured at about my lifestyle; just want good recipes. I also agree that I never, ever watch the shows about creating menus for kids, whether Giada's or anyone else on FN.

[VioletNevermind]

I just watched Giada's spin-off show.  She prepared party foods for her guy friends to eat while they watched "the big game" on TV.  She was like a pig in shit, sitting there in the middle of the couch, flanked by her four guy besties.  She was a giggling, hollering, attention-seeking mess the entire time.  They played football-themed games during commercial breaks.  The prize?  A hollowed-out football filled with roses for the winner to take home to his wife.  That is so bizarre that I genuinely (and for once) have no words.  I would love to know why she keeps pushing this idea that every food-centered gathering of more than two people must include a take-home gift of some kind.  ("Sorry the meal wasn't enough; please accept this bullshit tchotchke that will end up in a drawer within a week.")

I wish someone would take this woman gently by the shoulders and quietly explain to her that 1. yes, we know she's attractive, 2. yes, we know she has breasts, and 3. yes, we know that many men think she's hot.  Maybe that would cool down some of her almost manic behavior in the presence of adult testicles.

Edited January 29, 2017 by SuzyLee

[grisgris]

28 minutes ago, SuzyLee said:

The prize?  A hollowed-out football filled with roses for the winner to take home to his wife.  That is so bizarre that I genuinely (and for once) have no words. 

Glad that I skipped this.  See, that's what bugs me. Why aren't the wives also invited?  She's easily accommodated groups larger than 8 before, so why not? And by the way, invite her new squeeze (he's been on other episodes) while she's at it.  That might calm her down.

I had FN on in the background and I swear when I passed by the other room, I thought I  heard Giada say she was making green goddess hummus. Seriously? The men are going to love that. She needs to have a conversation with The Pioneer Woman about what food pleases the menfolk.

[LiveenLetLive]

So I happened to catch Giada's latest (?) chocolate show, she made a meringue "cake" for a party of girlfriends---it was tiny as usual, I know that she only takes a bite of food and that she lives in weight conscious LA, but still, LOL. 

[imjagain]

I just watched the big game episode... That bearded guy next to her is or was her boyfriend Shane Farley.  Jeff who won the stupid football was from big brother he's to married the blonde girl he met on big brother. 

Giada is very pretty but she is annoying as hell. Her daughter is adorable and really is a mini Giada 

The the dips looked disgusting to me.  The idea of the cauliflower sub actually intrigued me,  it sounded delicious. 

[Westiepeach]

I learned something new today. Apparently walnuts taste ... "nutty." Who knew???

[VioletNevermind]

Has anyone seen this: 

Ellen and Nicole Kidman took Giada (and her five inches of visible cleavage) to school!  You can watch the tension building from the beginning of the segment, culminating in Nicole actually spitting out the "tough" flatbread pizza and going totally Mean Girls with Ellen.  I've always liked Nicole Kidman.

Edited May 24, 2017 by SuzyLee

[chessiegal]

Yep - saw it. Never seen anything like it. People are usually somewhat polite.

[grisgris]

Nicole's eyerolls were priceless. She seemed more adept during that segment than Giada because Giada was too busy fake laughing and baring her teeth.  (Not to mention putting in a plug for her restaurant and FNS was like an afterthought.) The whole segment was pretty OTT with the rudeness but rotten tomatoes to whomever chose those recipes to be demonstrated on a TV show. They were messy, ripe for innuendos and weren't going to hold up well under time and hot camera lights.

[Aquarius]

I have seen the clip of Nicole spitting out the foccacia before.  I'd never seen the whole thing, and now that I have, it's put a whole new spin on it.  Giada was awful, as usual, at one point shrieking, "And the woman who CAN'T COOK rolled a perfect ball!"  Maybe that's her way of being playful, but it comes across as shrill and not very nice.

And Ellen started jawing on that foccacia long before Nicole ever said anything about it being tough.  Seeing the whole thing, it comes across less that Nicole was mean girl and more that Nicole was riding a train that had long earlier gone off the rails (albeit a bit gleefully).

Edited May 25, 2017 by Aquarius

[chenoa333]

On 4/15/2017 at 10:52 AM, Westiepeach said:

I learned something new today. Apparently walnuts taste ... "nutty." Who knew???

I'm just catching up to the many very witty, hysterically funny remarks by all of Giadia "lovers" on this thread. but this one that I quoted......really? Giada actually described walnuts as "tasting nutty"? And that's one of the pet peeves she and Flay have with the Food Network Stars....they need to find unuque words to describe food instead of the usual "delicious", "yummy" etc. How original...nutty tasting nuts!

She's the gift that keeps on giving!

[3pwood]

She'll be appearing at the Gilroy Garlic Festival this year.  

[Westiepeach]

Ok. So I was watching her Italy show today. Sunday Supper with the fam in Italy. Giada, Jade, her mother and stepfather were the main attendees. I had it on in the background and I know she made some kind of lamb dish. BUT ... she said her mother is a vegetarian so she always adds another hearty dish so her mother could enjoy it.

So ... she makes a farro dish. She said the word like a hundred times. Whatever. She made it similar to risotto. She added CHICKEN BROTH while it was cooking. Chicken broth.

Then she gave it to her mother and said, "I know you don't eat lamb."

[chessiegal]

So is she filming the Italy shows in various locations? I caught the end of a show because I recorded Ina's newest show, and they were eating on a roof top terrace that was obviously in Florence (having just been there, the background was unmistakable).

[CherryAmes]

I've been watching the Giada Entertains shows and while they are mostly fun to watch I can't help feeling that most of her "friends" aren't friends of hers at all.  For one thing they seem, usually, much younger than she is. Am I offbase here?

[BlossomCulp]

I find that with a lot of the cooking shows!  Not so much  shows like Valerie, Pioneer Woman or Barefoot Contessa - the friends on those shows seem age appropriate and they have names and connections to the host! - but on other shows I do find myself wondering "who are all these beautiful young people and how do you know them?"

[ByTor]

I thought Giada seemed super pissy during her Iron Chef "make something out of cranberries" episode.  Spoiled brat much?

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/why-giada-de-laurentiis-didnt-speak-to-bobby-flay-for-8-months-i-thought-youre-a-jerk/ar-AAvMwK2?ocid=ientp