annie katrina Lee

Miss Carolyn of the hsu closet always rockin’ the goods.

A couple of years ago, I broke my ankle while hiking.  In July.  It sucked.

To make things even worse, it pains me to wear stilettos to this day. The shorty in me grieves every time I see girls walk in their super cute heels, while I console myself in the comfort of my Frye boots. But I stumbled upon these Lanvin wedges on one of my favorite fashion blogs, and I have to weep no more. Wedges = comfort.

See more OMG shoes on Pinterest.

Screenshot of my Pinterest board. Also, social // potato chips recipes are now on Pinterest!

The weathermen of Seattle have a tough job.  No matter how much science is taken into consideration for weather forecasting, the OCD nature of this Emerald City does not go unaccounted for.  Who can forget the predicted snow storm that turned up as just rain, or the unforeseen “Snowmaggedon” leading to an unplanned city bumper car session?

Well folks, the weathermen of Seattle are celebrating somewhere today because today’s expected snow propelled their credibility to a new level.  Which means, I am enjoying the mesmerizing fall of huge snowflakes from indoors, folding seven loads of laundry (smh) and ready to spend endless hours on Pinterest.  What is Pinterest, you ask?

After all, I am a five year old at heart so let me explain through the eyes of analogies.

If Tumblr and Instagram had a baby, they would deliver you Pinterest.

Now, let’s make things a little more complicated, as life tends to be.

What really happened, is that Instagram had an affair with Twitter.

And Twitter’s been going steady with Facebook.

Pinterest is the latest social networking site to hit critical mass by storm.  Like Instagram, it encourages photo sharing, or “pinning“, with your followers and view photos or “pins” from people you follow.  Like Tumblr, these photos represent a collection of your right brain activities in blog-like format, or also known as your “board”.  Like Twitter, you have the ability to re-tweet or “repin” images from others that pinterest you.  Like Facebook, you don’t have to commit to repinning things to your board, because you can simply “like” images you… like.

Are you still with me?

I’m mostly impressed with Pinterest because of their ability to pro-create websites that have been historically monogamous, but also win the hearts of social media fiends who, like me, may have grown numb to content overkill in the past several months.  I tried my hardest to resist joining yet another social network, until I gave Pinterest for a quick spin and the rest is history.

Pinterest is targeting a myriad of audiences who happen to be the perfect user base.

1. Left-Brainers:  It didn’t take very long for my parents to realize I was left-handed.  I’d naturally pick up crayons and feed myself using my left hand.  Lefties aren’t easily accepted in Eastern cultures, particularly Asian, and they tried very hard to force me to switch and use my right hand.  Even after accustoming to using my right hand after having a car accident related cast on my left hand for a couple of months, I easily reverted back to my natural habits.  There are people in this world who are meant to read.  And, there are people in this world who are meant to visualize.  With Pinterest, the visual board is your oyster.

2. Females:  Despite what feminists have to say, it doesn’t change the fact that many females were raised to be caretakers (and for those who had parents to allow yourself to be whatever you wanted to be, they did well).  We were given Barbie dolls to make their hair and dress pretty, dollhouses to tidy with furnishings, and let’s not forget, to dream of growing up one day to marry Prince Charming.  The good intentions of our parents lead us to want or “need” things we can’t always afford, set expectations or definitions of the “perfect” man that is impossible to exist, and believe that a wedding is what every girl should attain to achieve in their adult life.  Whether you agree or disagree with this, I think, is a personal choice.  But it also doesn’t change the fact that building our fairy tale in the form of an online scrapbook is harmless fun, reliving an old pastime while bonding friendships with other pinteresting females in solidarity.  With Pinterest, you can plan for your planned or unplanned wedding, fill your non-existing house with furniture, and collect as many clothes and shoes you wish.

3. Foodies:  It’s rare to find a good cookbook without images.  Food is meant to target two main human senses: dishes that look delicious, and dishes that taste delicious.  Reading recipes hardly warrant hunger.  With Pinterest, cookbooks have another competition.

4. Fashionistas:  I generally hate the term fashionistas.  Because according to Urban Dictionary, a fashionista is considered as “A person devoted to fashion clothing, particularily unique or high fashion.  A person not to be called a fashionista would be someone who obsessively follows trends.”  Tell me, what is unique about fashion?  There are a handful of conglomerate fashion designers with an impeccable and creative eye who set the bar for rest of the fashion industry.  Each person’s style is still unique and devoted to fashion, but may or may not be considered as high fashion, because fashion itself is a subjective state of being.  With Pinterest, trends are created, and ideas are lead to inspirations that inevitably become adopted.  Imitation is a highest form of flattery, and I don’t see it as a bad thing.

5. Wedding Planners:  The wedding planners of the world are also celebrating somewhere because their credibility rose to a new level.  With Pinterest, it is virtually impossible to misinterpret your client’s dream wedding.

6. Photographers:  Photographers know that you can spend all day taking and viewing thousands of photos, and if you’re lucky, you might end up with one worth publishing. With Pinterest, you can now overdose yourself with inspiration on steroids.  Then, travel around the world like @kiendlam.

7. Martha Stewart Worshippers:  DIY (do-it-yourself) and craft ideas are exploding again like hipsters making a comeback from the 80s.  With Pinterest, Jo-Ann, Michaels, and Ben Frankin may last for an unforeseen amount of time.

8. Moms:  I am continually impressed the rise of online mom communities and their engagement in social networks.  With Pinterest, moms have another channel to show off their kids and collect creative ideas for playtime.

9. Brands:  Mashable recently published 5 Ways Brands Can Use Pinterest to Boose Consumer Engagement.  Facebook and Twitter have definitely paved the channel for creating online consumer engagement, while some brands continue to experiment with Instagram.  With Pinterest, brands have a gold-rush opportunity to lead engagement in the newest and hottest online space, before other brands jump on the bandwagon and create noise.  Kudos to Whole Foods, Nordstrom, and other top brands on Pinterest.

10. Men:  After all, women are not unique to the world of right brains.  @davidhuang writes Why Dudes Should Use Pinterest, because with Pinterest, walls of 16-year old teenage boys aren’t the only places filled with pictures of hot women.  It’s clear that women and men aren’t so different after all, as you build your fairy tale in the form of an online scrapbook in harmless fun, reliving an old pastime in our adulthood.

As I finish this post, the snow has stopped in Seattle (see picture here).  But, baby it’s still cold outside, so I’ll stay home and pin things on my Pinterest board.  And to dear Pinterest, I thank you.

Mason Jar, Amazon.com. Ribbon and über cute holiday gift tags, Target.

Happy, happiest new year!  I’ve been quite MIA for the past couple of months, but I’m happy to report that I’ve survived my first holiday season at Amazon. We brought you the Penny-Pincher Sale (thank you, Huffington Post!), Hotspot Holidays, and most recently, the opportunity to win a new cell phone and $2,000 from AmazonWireless through our New Year, New Phone Sweepstakes.   It’s been a super fun ride thus far, and the challenge has been rewarding.

However, I hate that I’ve neglected you.  I’ve been a terrible internet friend.  So, as a tribute to my Catholic upbringing, I will do my penance to repent my sin with… TWO DESSERT RECIPES!!  That’s right, kiddos.  I’m giving you a two for one offer you can’t refuse

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  This (past) holiday, I whipped up these tasty treats with help of General Mills and my best friend’s aunt.  You will not regret them.

Muddy Buddies (pictured above)
Makes ~12 one quart mason jars

+ 9 cups Chex cereal (honey, cinnamon, rice, corn, chocolate)
+ 4 tbsp. butter, softened
+ 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
+ 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
+ 1 1/2 powered sugar

Melt butter, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and vanilla into a microwavable bowl for one minute, or until ingredients are melted.

Pour mixture and cereal into a gallon size ziploc bag.  Shake, shake your booty.  Once you feel confident the mixture has covered every bit, add powered sugar.

Shake, shake your booty until your muddies are buddied.  Once cooled, pour them into one quart mason jars.  Then, make pretty with a bow and/or cute holiday gift tag.  Share with your friends and family, place them on your colleague’s desk, or like Steve, eat them while your girlfriend (or boyfriend) is still making them.  Because nothing is better than a gift made with love.

Now, onto one of the easiest and TASTIEST desserts of all time.

Pecan Pie Bars
Serves 6 happy sweet tooth

+ 1/2 cup butter, softened
+ 1/2 cup sugar
+  1 1/4 cup flour
+ 1 cup  brown sugar
+ 2 cups pecans
+ 2 eggs, beaten
+ 1/4 cup flour
+ 1/4 tsp baking powder
+ 1 tbsp. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350.  Blend flour, sugar, butter, then press evenly into a bottom of 9×13 pan.  Bake your crust for 15 minutes and start your filling.  Mix all remaining ingredients and pour onto crust.  Spread evenly and bake another 20-25 minutes.  Let the pecan pie bars cool in pan before cutting into bars.  I can’t promise they will help your new years resolutions, or will they??  Ten days into the new year, and I’m breaking the rules already.  Such is life!

Forgive me?

Any holiday that requires you to eat 10x more food than you normally eat… I’m a fan.

I love everything about Thanksgiving. The turkey. The stuffing. The casseroles. The football. The drinks. The desserts. The leftovers. You name it, I love it.

Turkey with Chicken Sausage, Herb, and Veggie Stuffing
Truffle Mac & Cheese
Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
Brussel Sprouts & Bacon Casserole
Crispy Green Bean Casserole
Ghirardelli Peppermint Patties

The smart thing would have been to post a recipe every day until Thanksgiving (which means, it’ll eventually be posted).  For now, I’m thankful for life, and you!

Taken with my iPhone, edited withAdobe Photoshop Express.  View more photos on Flickr.

Seattle Interactive Conference will be held on November 2-3, 2011 in Seattle, Washington

Wanting to attend #SIC next week, but can’t afford $350?  Sponsor AdReady has limited $100 full-access tickets available, available while they last!  For more details on these tickets, contact marketing@adready.com.

Watch the trailer here.  Hope to see you there, and thank you AdReady!

Who would have known a bachelor staple could turn into a full blown recipe?

Meet Steve, my boyfriend.  He is a lazy cook (rather, he’s not a cook at all), but he sure knows where to find the easiest ingredients without sacrificing cost, time, nor quality.  During his bachelor days, Steve was often and regularly found at your nearest Subway or sandwich shop.  But in the rare event he did grocery shop, he found the good ones.  Now, if I must introduce the secret ingredient that makes a simple chicken wrap and salad all sorts of interesting…

Cilantro salad dressing.  I kid you not (and it’s reduced fat).

First, select your favorite flatbread of choice.  Normally, I opt for all things whole grain or wheat, but the original Middle Eastern Flatbread by Trader Joe’s wins my vote.  I’d stay far away from the whole grain version unless you enjoy eating something distasteful.

Add hummus for flavor, not to mention a healthy source of protein for my vegan friends.  This round, I used Trader Joe’s Edamame Hummus, but the White Bean and Traditional flavors are common staples in our household.

Don’t forget your veggies, folks (arugula or spinach, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes & avocados – not shown).  And chicken breast strips for those who prefer extra protein.  Just Chicken by Trader Joe’s is perfect when you come home after a long day of work and the last thing you want to do is wait an awful long time to cook a piece of meat that is impossible to cook perfect.

Healthy, easy, and cost-friendly.  Three essential qualities that run through my mind after a long day of work, when I’m ravenous (which means I’m cranky as hell).

Also, if you know me well enough, this isn’t going to hold me down for the night.  Feel free to add some chips, or a toss a bag of Trader Joe’s Butter Lettuce Mix with your remaining Cilantro Salad Dressing and black pepper.  Sooooooo delish.

As I wrap up this post, he quotes “I came up with this recipe! I must be a good cook.”

I’ll let you decide.

Secret Chicken Wraps + Butter Lettuce Salad
Serves 2

+ 2 Middle Eastern Flatbreads
+ 4 tbsp. Edamame Hummus
+ 1/2 cup chicken breast (optional)
+ 1/8 onion, thinly sliced
+ 3/4 cup, cherry tomatoes, cut in half
+ 1/2 cucumber
+ 1/2 cup arugula or spinach
+ 1 avocado
+ 2 tbsp Trader Joe’s Cilantro Salad Dressing
+ 1 bag butter lettuce
+ pepper to taste

You can take the girl from the island, but never the island from the girl.

I’ve been feeling a bit homesick lately.  Maybe because we haven’t had much of a summer in Seattle this year, or perhaps I’m feeling a bit nostalgic after visiting my old high school teachers in May.  Whatever the reason, who wouldn’t be homesick of the island where many of us call home, a place of rainbows, papayas, and beach weather all year long?

In grad school, I traveled to Germany and Switzerland on a study tour, where I met Veena.  We recently reconnected over our love of food, especially given she launched an Indian food startup, Veena’s Market.  We decided to spend some time whipping up a traditional Hawaiian luau, which are often comprised of kalua pork, lomi lomi salmon, chicken long rice, and poi.

Veena took care of the kalua pork.  You can see the recipe on her blog here.  *Please credit Veena when using her photos, which are indicated by the watermark on bottom.  I forgot to bring my camera for the finished product(s) and she came to my rescue!

I took care of the lomi lomi salmon and chicken long rice.  First, salt the salmon by sprinkling Hawaiian sea salt on both sides of the filet.  Cover and let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight.

Chop the salmon into small cubes and add a little water.  Cover again and let it sit for a couple more hours.  You can place an ice pack below the bowl to keep it extra cool.

Throw chopped tomatoes, onions, green onions, and salmon into a large mixing bowl.  Start the “lomi lomi” process by mixing the ingredients with your hands.  Lomi lomi means “massage” in Hawaiian.

Add a couple of ice cubes to keep things cool, as lomi lomi salmon is best served extra cold.

Let the ingredients marinate for a few hours or overnight.  Enjoy this Hawaiian ceviche with kalua pork or poi (which we didn’t get around to making).

While the lomi lomi salmon is marinating, you can get stared on the chicken long rice.  Place the chicken thighs, ginger, garlic, and Hawaiian sea salt in a large pot and boil on medium for about 45 minutes.  Water should be almost covering the chicken.

Then, remove the chicken and let it cool before shredding the meat.  Pour the broth into a new pot for later use.

After shredding the meat, add them into the new pot along with chicken-bouillon cubes, black pepper, green onions, and mushrooms.  Let the ingredients boil, then add the noodles and stir occasionally.  Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the noodles are soft and expanded.

Oh, so ono, which means “delicious” in Hawaiian.

Perhaps I am not homesick as much after this meal.  We are trekking to check off the classic PNW Labor Day weekend off of our bucket list:  Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge (and The Roots).  What are your plans this holiday?

Happy Aloha Friday, everyone!

Lomi Lomi Salmon
Serves 6-8

+ 1lb. fresh salmon
+ 3 tomatoes, diced
+ 1 large onion, diced
+ 3 green onions, sliced
+ 2 tbsp. Hawaiian sea salt

Chicken Long Rice
Serves 6-8

+ 2 lbs. chicken thighs
+ 3 tsp. Hawaiian sea salt
+ 2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
+ 2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
+ 2 quart water
+ 1 large onion, chopped
+ 2 (Knorr) chicken-bouillon cubes
+ 4 small dried shiitake mushrooms
+ 6-8 oz. Chinese bean-thread (cellophane) noodles
+ 1 teaspoon black pepper

“No More soup for you!!” – The Soup Nazi (and me)

Remember the time I boycotted cable and internet for several months?  Well, those days are gone.  I’ve been watching Mad Men like… well, mad.  All the spare time in the world, albeit with an expiration date, and what do I do?  Catch up on the best series since Arrested Development.

Last night, Steve and I were running through our usual 2-3 episodes when hunger struck at midnight.  Now, I’m not a proponent of late night snacking on a school night, but we were feeling a bit snacky and I discovered a healthy compromise. 

I tried Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash soup a few weeks ago, and let’s just say it’s been sitting in my fridge since.  A fan of second chances, I gave it a creative spin and here’s the happy result.

Vintage Reserve Cheddar Cheese and chopped garlic (not shown).  It’s a surprise in the form of $3.99 and multi-use goodness.  Pour half the box and mix in olive oil, salt, garlic, and pepper.  Boil on medium heat until pieces of cheddar melts almost thoroughly – you won’t regret leaving little chunks left behind.  The texture will blow you away.  Garnish with cilantro and hot sauce of choice.

My mind is still spinning from Mad Men.  I am counting down the days until Season 5 is around the corner… what shows move your mind?

Butternut Squash (and then some) Soup
Serves 2

+ 1 Box of Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Soup
+ 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
+ 1 tbsp. EVOO
+ Salt and pepper to taste
+ Sprinkle of cilantro
+ Hot Sauce (optional, but not really)

Death is like a sunset.  It symbolizes the end of day, a day of life.  The colors are both serene and somber, yet beautiful.  It’s the celebration of life.

Today is the first day of my one week “unemployment”, or staycation as some would call it.  While I’ve taken two week vacations here and there, I’ve never really taken time off between jobs since I was 16.

So here I am, with nothing but also a million things to do on my checklist, I start my morning by reading the news on my Google Reader.  I came across several posts that hit close to home, including one from my friend Jenna.  I can’t help but join the effort to support Jennie, who recently lost her husband.

I normally don’t like sharing stories that are too personal, especially on social channels.  But I’ve learned over time, sharing is a part of the mourning process – a process that digests grief slowly, but surely.  Whether you like it or not, we are all human, born with same ability to feel.  We may be different in how we view life and experiences that make us unique, but at the end of the day, we are quite the same.

When I was 14, I lost my beloved grandfather suddenly and it was the biggest wake-up call of my life.  Flash forward four more years, my grandmother and father passed away within three months of each other, and I stood face to face with the real meaning of being lonely.  As Jenna mentioned in her post, it is “a very exclusive club you never ever want to belong to”, a club I would never want to wish on my worst enemy.  We can rely on our family, friends, prayer, God, whatever your support system may be, but it doesn’t relieve the pain in any way.

Fr. Roger Gillis aka Fr. Rog was a college mentor of mine who also passed before his time.  He taught me the meaning of love (for ourselves and others) and I’ll never forget his last words:

It is not always easy to love ourselves. On the other hand, it is easy for me to love all of you. It isn’t too tricky, because if you love other people, they’ll love you back! …but lovers don’t keep score. Take heed St. John’s call: Love one another. Take time to be with each other and to encourage each other. You can’t build community at a distance. We all get busy but take time for one another because this is how we know we are loved. -Fr. Rog, S.J. (1947 – 2010)

I was lucky I was too young to deal with the real world, because planning a funeral, dealing with insurance paperwork, and raising kids is a heavy load on its own.  I am so humbled by Jennie’s optimism and ability to deal, all while catering to her own mourning process, but let’s be honest, it can’t be easy.

As a human being, we are all the same.  Let’s join efforts and help one another in one of these ways:

+ Tell or remind someone you care about how much you love them. Forgive, love without limit.

+ Donate via Bloggers Without Borders through #AFundForJennie (even $5.00 helps)

+ Bid to purchase a custom WordPress blog design by Love & Olive Oil