Valentine's Day... On a Stick

Valentine's day involves a lot of stereotypes: the conversation hearts, drug store chocolates, red roses. I don't buy into those things. Yes, we've all had those moments in middle school when it meant so much to get a Hershey's kiss from a crush, but as an adult, I like to take it to the next level. 

This will be the third Valentine's day dinner I've prepared for Boyfriend. I usually make some kind of seafood dish to make it a special occasion, instead of making chicken. This time I wanted something a little more whimsical.

I took inspiration from a cocktail party, with easy to eat appetizers with lots of flavor and a fun theme. Every course of the meal will be on a stick. It's kind of silly, but it reminded me of that jalapeno skit from Jeff Dunham.

The menu consisted of cocktail, salad, pasta, shrimp, meatballs and dessert. Yummy on a stick.

Frozen blueberries on a stick with sparkling wine

Clockwise from top left

Pesto marinated grilled shrimp

Mozzarella, olive, grape tomato, cheese tortellini

Salami, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, basil and mozzarella

Lamb meatball

French bread, nutella, banana, bacon paninis from The Chew Book

Cheers!

Poppin' bottles

Nutella, banana, bacon nomz

Even puppydog got in on the V-day action. We're like many other pet-parents that love showering our animals with little gifts. Boyfriend was nice enough to carve a little heart out of dog treats for our large ball of fluff.

Boyfriend'd gift to me was very cute. He got me some artisan cheeses and meats to go with my new bathtub shelf. It even comes with a place to slide your wine glass and a stand to lean a book on. AMAZING! Now I get to eat my fancy snacks while taking a bubble bath. Does life get any better?

Prosciutto, cheeses, pepper sausage and wine

Black truffle mousse 

A great Valentine's day is not complete without watching some Comedy Central, listening to Macklemore's Thrift Shop and reminiscing of the past.

Tomorrow, I'll be on a flight to San Francisco to meet old friends for a weekend in the Bay Area. I haven't seen some of them in years, and a fun weekend of food, cocktails and dancing would be much appreciated. Hopefully we can all meet up for a fantastic weekend.

-Akemi-chan

Noah's Birthday Party

The day before Valentine's day, we had a small gathering at our house for our friend's birthday. It was a fun little excuse to take a break in the middle of the week and a fun excuse to make sweets and cocktails.

I bought about $20 worth of Girls Scouts Thin Mint cookies. That may sounds like a lot, but mint and chocolate is a combination that I can't resist. Yeah, I like some of the other cookies, but these are by far my favorite. 

To make things a little more festive, I used the cookies to make Thin Mint cupcakes. Here's how I was inspired.

Adult Thin Mint Cupcakes (Makes 24)

1-2 packages Thin Mints

1 box chocolate cake mix, I used Pillsbury Devil's food

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 container whipped cake frosting, I used Buttercream

3 oz creme de mint liquor

1 tbsp green sprinkles 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and mix cake mix with water, oil and eggs according to box instructions. Line muffin tin with paper/ foil liners. Add a Thin Mint cookie to the bottom of each liner. Evenly distribute the cake mix into the 24 liners. Bake according to box instructions.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the frosting, creme de mint and sprinkles. The alcohol will infuse the frosting with a slight mint flavor and the sprinkles will add a tint of green. Add more creme de mint for stronger flavor if desired.

Another friend came over with another great party idea: Adult Root Beer Birthday Floats. Take one part root beer float, one part birthday cake and a dash of cake flavored vodka. Makes you feel like a kid again, but with a little something special. 

Adult Root Beer Birthday Floats

Cake flavored vodka, we used UV
"Birthday cake" ice cream, we used Blue Bunny
Root Beer
Premade frosting
Sprinkles

Take a glass cup or mug and dip it into the can of frosting to coat the rim, or you could use a spoon or knife. Pour sprinkles into a small shallow dish. Dip the frosting-coated rim of glass into the sprinkles. Pour cake vodka into the sprinkle rimmed glass. I recommend an ounce since there will be ice cream. Add a scoop of Birthday Cake ice cream and fill the glass with  root beer.

Happy birthday Noah! Hope you had a sweet day.

-Akemi-chan

PINspiration: Booze Bouquet/ St Louis Mardi Gras

St Louis and I have a love/ hate relationship. I've had many an amazing time in this city, like my 25th birthday or the many house parties hosted by our friends the Schlosbergs. Then again, there were some other times when the city is a little too... um... rough for a girl like me, like the times we went to East St Louis. More or less, St Louis is a town that knows how to party and eat, except for that Imo's pizza, ew.

Last weekend, Boyfriend and I were attending a birthday party for our friend Adriana, also the weekend of Mardi Gras in St Louis. Apparently this unlikely city is the host of the 2nd largest Mardi Gras block party in the county, second only to New Orleans. I had never been to Mardi Gras and hadn't been to St Louis in a long time, so we had to make this party a good one. 

Step one: give a great gift to the birthday girl. I found an idea on Pinterest  for a 21st birthday/ bachelorette gift involving mini bottles of liquor combined into a bouquet. She's only 22, so why not, right? Take a hot glue gun, wooden dowls, foam for flower arranging, a vessel (like a large cognac glass), mini bottles of liquor and fillers (like candy). Ta-dah, you have a booze bouquet.

The birthday girl and her gift

Step 2: give the gift a purpose. In order to sweeten the deal, we incorporated a little game for the gift. The birthday girl had to look at all the bottles of liquor and then close her eyes or be blindfolded. Another party-goer selected a bottle from the bouquet and poured the liquor into 2 shot glasses. The birthday girl and selector will take the shots and the blindfolded person must guess which liquor they drank. Not sure what to name the game, but it was a good way to start the party. Inspired by a game we saw on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live.

Moose girls

Moose boys

Boys and their duckfaces

After some drinks, we took a cab to the block party. For the lack of a better word, it was interesting; crowded streets flooded with beads, bottles, cans, masks and parties. There was a lot going on, but at least we made it out alive, sort of.

I don't know if I could handle another Mardi Gras in St Louis, but I'm glad I went. It was definitely an experience I will remember for a long time. Happy birthday Adriana!

-Akemi-chan

It's Hard to Stay Neutral

It's Superbowl Sunday and I have a split shift to work. Boo hoo. In addition to working a 5am to 9:30am shift I have a 4:30pm to 11:00pm shift. During the in between stage, Boyfriend and I decided to enjoy the sunshine and snow.

Metal and ice

Terrifying

First, we started off with a trip to Art Mart, a boutique featuring housewares, clothing, and food. We got a delicious veggie bagel sandwich, cherry croissant and a grapefruit Italian soda.

My new favorite drink!

Spending a sunny day in the park is always relaxing. I think one of the reasons I love traveling is because I love walking around and looking at stuff. It doesn't matter if it's a museum, architecture, forests or a park. Taking pictures just captures the moment so I can remember those moments.

<3

Tree bark patterns

Scarf: Old Navy

Sweater: BCBG MaxAzria

Jeans: Express

Coat: Forever 21

Shoes: G by Guess

Bag: Aldo

His and Hers

To be honest, this photo session was partially inspired by the fact that it was Superbowl Sunday and I had to sport something red. Yes, football season is over and I failing in reaching any kind of fantasy glory.

However, I grew up in Hawaii, a state that has a San Francisco 49ers obsession. It may seem odd to some people that a state that is so far away from any professional sports team would have such a strong sense of loyalty to the 49ers. I don't know if it's because of the casual, hangout, eating culture or if it's due to the Joe Montana era, but Hawaii loves San Francisco.

So my red gloves are a shoutout to all my loved ones in Hawaii, my friends in the Bay Area and my fantasy QB Colin Kaepernick, or as I like to call him Cappy!

Snowball

LeBron!

Weeee!

Really bad dandruff

Our Winter Wonderland

As severe and hectic as Illinois' weather can be, I appreciate those days of sunshine that showcase the Midwest's beauty.

-Akemi-chan