yong & i’s fifth anniversary is in two weeks. a few weeks ago we started going back and forth about gifts. we’ve never been the types to care about when we gift each other anything, dates are truly meaningless. so last week i surprised him with a nike fuel band. this week i received the beauties you see above. i’m slightly obsessed with them. the can’t stop staring type of obsessed. i’ve been searching high and low for an exposed metal heel. my favorite shoes can always easily double as a weapon. *swoon*

if you would’ve asked me 4 years ago how i’d be celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday i would’ve told you that we’d be half way around the world, drinking wine and shopping it up. shopping was my mom’s favorite past time. something she lovingly passed on to me. this past friday i had to settle for shopping for lots of comfy nighties, socks, and slippers. things to make her (elongated) stay at the nursing home a bit more comfortable. i had been hesitant to buy her such things because i kept telling myself she wouldn’t be staying for very long. recently, i was slapped in the face with the truth when i had to disenroll her from her daycare program. “you can enroll her again when she’s ready to come home…” they said. seems like nobody is willing or able to tell me when that will be.

uncertainty can be such a bitch.

happy birthday, mommy. come home soon.

steph was in town last week living the good life. we got to hang out all day saturday and i treated her to brunch at bottega louie since she was dying to visit. however, steph is anti-breakfast foods so she opted for a burger. i decided on french toast and turkey sausage. yummy in our tummies all around. we did a little walking and shopping in old town pasadena. ended the day with homemade flautas and some yummy drinks.

friends, food and fun.

I’ll take three, please. They’re $298 each you say? I see. Picture me walking away slowly.

It truly is the beverage dispenser of my dreams. Sexy, curvy, design-y, part glass/wood/steel. It’s glorious, so glorious. Gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Unfortunately, that price tag is giving me the cold shoulder. via BHLDN

Similar
1. Beehive Glass Beverage Dispenser, $31.99

2. Crystal Clear Beverage Dispenser, $20.00

It’s no secret we like to imbibe from time to time here at Casa de Yu. Recently we decided to experiment and see what else is out there. I’m convinced Yong just wants me to stop ordering Rum&Cokes. So we decided to document our little alcoholic safari. We’ll include recipes just in case you decide to partake.

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The Old Fashioned. Born in the late 1800s, according to legend, to a bartender at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. I can honestly say this is a man’s drink. I know that sounds funny when you’re staring at  glass garnished by orange slices and cherries. But seriously, need some hair on your chest? We’ve got the cure. Like most other girls, tasting the alcohol in my mixed drinks is something I like to avoid. If that’s also the case for you, I’d stay far away from this drink. The bourbon stays front and center throughout with any other ingredients simply making the ride slightly easier. Slightly.

If you’re sitting in a club in Hollywood and cringing at the idea of paying $15-20 for a single drink, you might want to order yourself one of these. Then again if you’re partying in Hollywood and didn’t know that you should’ve walked into that club already half-drunk… that’s your own fault.

Recipe (with our modifications)
- 1 sugar cube or 2 teaspoons sugar (we used 1 teaspoon of pre-made simple syrup)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 strip of lemon zest (we skipped)
- 1 orange slice
- 1 maraschino cherry
- 2½ ounces of bourbon
- 2 to 3 ounces of chilled club soda
- orange slice & maraschino cherry to garnish

In the bottom of a chilled old-fashioned glass, saturate the sugar cube with bitters. Add the lemon zest, orange slide, and cherry. Muddle together the sugar, bitters, and fruit. Fill the glass with ice, add the bourbon, and stir well. Top with club soda, if desired. Garnish with the orange slide and cherry. Recipe modified from: The Ultimate Bar Book

Enjoy.

Last night, I finally got to catch up with some old friends. We couldn’t put our finger on who, but someone decided we should go to the Border Grill in downtown L.A. Another someone also touted this place as having some of the “best Mexican food!” I should have known, when that statement was thrown out it wouldn’t even come close.

The night started off fairly well, we were seated quickly and given menus to mull over. However, it all went downhill from there. The server took about 10 minutes just to come over, introduce herself and ask if we wanted something to drink. She took our drink order and then proceeded to ask if we were ready to order. We asked for a couple minutes and somehow that translated into 20 minutes. Finally, we place our order and, I can’t be sure but, it took about a million years to come out. Once it did, the server looked confused as to why he was carrying 4 plates and there were only 3 of us.

I ordered the Carnitas plate on a bed of buttery corn grits and black bean sauce. Can’t remember what that shredded red stuff on top was but it was pretty yummy. The whole thing was yummy, down to the guacamole and pico de gallo. But this is L.A. and I’m Mexican, so I’ve definitely had better.

The whole time I couldn’t help but get more and more upset over how small the serving was. Was it enough to satisfy me? Yes. Was it worth $21.50? Hell no. For that price I could’ve purchased as bag of carnitas from the local grocery store (already cooked) and eaten carnitas for about two weeks, easily. The presentation was beautiful but I was hoping I would have at least had leftovers to nom on at work today.

Let’s just say I won’t be visiting this place again. Our server kept disappearing for 30 minutes at a time. At one point she dropped off the check, which had errors on it that I found immediately. Only it took her 20-25 minutes just to come back and ask if we were done. I would understand if it had been a really busy night but it wasn’t. Not even close. I won’t get into how many times she had to come back with questions because splitting the check was apparently too tall a task for her. Horrible, horrible experience.

We’re hosting a Drunken Mario Kart Grand Prix party this Saturday. Which means… we’ve been sort of cleaning up the house to prepare for guests. I’ve mostly been getting around to doing all the things I had planned and made purchases for but never actually did. Like hanging up art and arranging spaces. Friday and Saturday morning should be interesting. We always joke about how we only throw parties to get the house clean.

We’ve also been trying to eat healthier without giving up tasty food. So there’s a lot of experimental recipes floating around. This particular meal was Garlic Ginger Pork with a salsa&raspberry sauce, plus mashed taters and garlic&ginger baby carrots. Baby steps, people.

Speaking of baby carrots, did you know that the “baby carrots” we’re all used to seeing in the grocery store are actually mature regular-size carrots that have been widdled down to that size? I feel totally used.