We drink because it's what men do. -Roger Sterling

My best friend was having a Mad Men themed dinner on Sunday the 25th, which was the night of the premiere of Mad Men, and invited me for some 60s themed dinner. Thinking that it was a themed dinner, I figured I'd dress appropriate for the occasion and wore a dress I could find that best matched from my closet. I own very few dresses, so a fitted blue and white polka dot dress was the best I could do.

I have a confession to make before I start. I've never watched Mad Men. (gasps, faints, and then gets back up). I didn't even know it existed till two years ago when I walked by Banana Republics and saw the Mad Men collection signs. Even then, I thought it was a huge fashion brand... I even searched up quotes for a creative title about Mad Men. I have no clue who Roger Sterling is at all. All I know is Jon Hamm is in it, and he is supposedly a playboy or something. But I couldn't ignore a steak dinner, along with the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful company of my friend, so I went, half ashamed, half careless.

Now my friend, she loves cooking. I call her my Julia Childs friend (tee hee). She and her friend meet up weekly to discuss ingredients and meals, and occasionally make their own. I recall one time she made her own ramen noodles and broth! It's actually wonderful to have a friend who has a huge interest in food, because I can finally buy someone the cute aprons or cookware I see at anthro without wondering if they will ever use it. Also, I get to eat homemade desserts and meals, which are so much better than store bought. It was delightful watching her and her two friends prepare the meals, making homemade mashed potatoes, steak, tiramisu, and ranch sauce. I had a taste of the sauce (I absolutely hate ranch), and it tasted delicious and smooth. 

Below are some pictures from the night. Unfortunately, I forgot about my camera so I only snapped these, without the tiramisu. I really wish I had because it my first tiramisu. The dessert literally melted in my mouth, although I occasionally breathed in the cocoa powder which led to uncontrollable coughs. 

The pictures are a bit saturated, just because I wanted to give it an old 60s feel haha. 

Salad. These were drizzled with homemade ranch. I thought this was clever to keep it in its form.

The steak. Sirloin. Topped with butter mixed in with garlic and parsley. 

The entire plate: steak, creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes. I helped mash the potatoes in with cream, parsley, and butter fyi :).  

A game of bananograms while waiting for Mad Men to premiere. I'm surprisingly good at this, but I don't recommend challenging me. I might lose haha.

The meal was splendid. I couldn't finish the steak unfortuantely but I loved the medium rareness. My friend's roommate gnawed on the leftover meat on her bone, and we commenced to talk about the Hunger Game movie. But that's another story. Here's a link to check out my friend's tumblr about food and their adventures: http://connieandflorie.tumblr.com

How was your Mad Men night?

Sincerely,

Annie

Happy Galentine's Day!

If anyone watches Parks and Recreation, you'll get me :)

Today I met up with a good friend of mine for brunch along with the hopes of making red velvet pop cakes for the fifth grade class I volunteer for. For brunch Suehee and I went to Coastal Restaurant where they served the fluffiest pancakes everrr. I ordered the blueberry pancakes, mimosa, and one little sad sausage patty while Suehee ordered something (I forgot the name) with spicy eggs and hashbrowns, along with tortillas.

Afterwards, we went two stores away to Victrola Coffee, where Suehee worked on her resume while I read 'Kitchen' by Banana Yoshimoto. It never ceases to amaze me whenever I see pretty foam art made by the baristas.

Once Suehee finished, we went to Pike Place, hoping to find desserts for some kids in my class who are allergic to gluten and soy but failed. While going to Le Panier for macarons, two band members asked us to check out their music which was surprisingly good. Then discovered decorative post-its on the wall of one building and learned the building was having a post-it war with the one across from it. The lighting wasn't great, but the second building (second picture) had great post-it arts too. There was a Krabby from pokemon, Mario, and Ghostbuster. I'd look forward to going to work if I had a post-it art war with the opposite building! How about you?

 Before heading home, I had to buy my favorite ice cream from Molly Moon's: Earl Grey. Woot.

Once we arrived back to my place, Suehee and I chatted while I made the cakepops. It took longer than expected, but I finally finished it. I'm so excited to give it away tomorrow! Thanks Suehee for a fun and wonderful day and taking the pictures with your awesome camera! Hope all of you girls had a great galentine's day and happy valentine's tomorrow!

via tumblr

Sincerely,

annie

Ripe Persimmons yumm

When I visited my grandparents as a child, they always had ripe persimmons for the family to eat in the winter.

I had a sudden urge to eat some this year so asked my mom if I could purchase any here. Unfortunately, ripe persimmons are hard to find in the states compared to Korea. But luckily for me, Paldo sells them every winter whoop whoop!

They're so orange; my favorite color! 

It might look a bit gooey (it taste slightly gooey) but delish nonetheless. My mom bought me so many, I don't know if I can eat all of them.. But it brought back so many old memories (sigh).