Don and Peggy find themselves in a room together for the New York Ad Club Awards. While Megan runs over to chat with Peggy, Don avoids her. She’s officially an adversary now and her talents intimidate him. I predict that they will be friends once again at some point. The Peggy/Don relationship is the purest thing about this show.

Paul Newman steps onstage to introduce the program, but not before stating he supports McCarthy. His speech is quickly interrupted by the news of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. That sets the tone for the whole episode. What a sad, sad time.

There are discussions and hugs with all the black secretaries in the ad agencies. They seem taken aback by the sudden affection and my heart is warmed by the genuine concern these characters feel. Pete, especially, is devastated and practically kills Harry Crane when he suggests that this will be a financial loss for the agency. It’s good to see a kind, human side of Pete again.

Megan is so sad and troubled by the news and takes Don’s kids to a vigil in the park. Bobby, who is being a real pain in the ass these days feins a stomach ache. Don takes him to the movies to see Planet of the Apes. Bobby tells the usher that “everyone likes to go to the movies when they’re sad” and I start to feel bad for Bobby. Sure, he started peeling the wallpaper in his bedroom like a total brat, but he’s being raised by dysfunctional, broken parents. Poor kid. His stepfather is about to run for state senate, so life is about to get harder in the Francis household.

Peggy is looking to buy an apartment on the Upper East Side, but Abe talks her into a poorer area. He pictures them raising their kids in a more humble location. Peggy goes all googly-eyed when he mentions kids, so she’ll move into a slum in a heartbeat. Ugh. I am so over Abe. Break up already!

In the most light-hearted storyline, Michael Ginsberg’s father sets him up on a blind date. Without telling him. Surprise! She’s in the apartment and Michael has no time to shave or get ready. He takes her to a diner, orders soup and confesses his virginity. Then he asks the lady how much she makes. In short, the most awkward date ever. They end the night early when the MLK news comes out, and Michael’s father is pissed. He says you need a partner during times of crisis and recalls Noah’s Ark and the animals getting the boat with their partners. “You! You’ll be getting on the ark with your father!”

The episode ends with a drunk and depressed Don admitting he doesn’t love his kids. Ouch.

I am crazy about whitening my teeth. For a good portion of the year you’ll find me lisping my way through whitening strips. So when Influenster approached me with a Vox Box that included whitening products I did cartwheels all over my living room.

Influenster sends new products to trendsetters to try out. They encourage people to Tweet and Instagram their thoughts, generating a little buzz for these new products. I’m choosing to blog about it.

There wasn’t just teeth whitening stuff in my package. It was a whole bunch of goodies.

That’s a pretty awesome thing to get in the mail, right? So here’s my quick impressions of the contents.

• Colgate Optic White Toothpaste, Mouthwash and Toothbrush. I can definitely see the whitening effects. The taste of both the paste and mouthwash are fine, not overly strong. The toothbrush is of good quality and I imagine most people would love it. I’m an electric toothbrush user, so these old-fashioned manual brushes never leave me feeling quite as polished.
• Nectresse sweetener. Very pleasant. It’s made from monk fruit and has a light, pleasant taste. Not overly sweet. I normally use half a packet of stevia in my coffee, so this is not much different.
• Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer. I was unsure of this one. Lotion that you spray on? Turns out it was my favorite thing in the box. I will happily use up this can. I don’t know if I’ll buy it again, but it’s pretty convenient. That commercial where the girl sprays it on and gets dressed in ten seconds? Accurate.
• Dickinson’s Oil Controlling Towelettes. These are large sheets soaked in witch hazel. When I say large, I mean you could share one with three other people. They are HUGE. I think these will come in handy this summer. Like a mini-shower. Frankly, everyone in Texas should buy these because as soon as it gets hot out, y’all stink.
• BelVita Breakfast Biscuits. Somewhere between a cookie and a granola bar. Very tasty. Mr. Betty wants more!

Last weekend was the Alamo Drafthouse Off-Centered Film Festival, a celebration of film, hip-hop, and beer. So, pretty much all the best stuff in the world. What’s that? Cheese? Oh, yeah there was some cheese, too. At the VIP party at 400 Rabbits.

Antonelli’s Cheese provided the perfect cheese and chocolate pairings for the decadent Dogfish Head beers being passed around.

We sipped 75 Minute IPA, Burton Baton, and Theobroma while living it up with Dogfish Head founder and CEO, Sam Calagione. Now, Sam is American beer royalty and Mr. Betty and his sister were somewhat starstruck. (Watch Beer Wars to see Sam in all his brewing glory.)

He bought us each a Dogfish Head Indian Brown before heading into the theater to introduce the films. We opted to stay and party to the ill spins of Miss Manners. I am a huge Miss Manners fan and her Hip Hop Hooray show on KOOP. She provides thirst-quenching beats in the Austin hip hop desert and I love her. Haven’t listened yet? Get on it, yo.

While some of us rolled in all casual in our sweet kicks and massive hoop earrings, some attendees really got into the hip hop spirit.

Word.

I believe we have finally found our groove this season. Mad Men was fantastic last night. Let’s get into it.

Don is gunning for the Heinz Ketchup account. It was to be done in secret so that Heinz Sauces & Beans doesn’t find out. They create a shady little office that locks with a key and the windows are lined with foil. Stan is on the account and happily smokes pot while he works on “Project K.” The meetings are held in Pete’s apartment and then a hotel room. After pitching their work, they walk out to discover Peggy’s agency ready to pitch as well. The awkward encounter was awesome. No one does awkward as well as this show.

Peggy pitches exactly like she watched Don do for years. Looks like she might be surpassing her mentor. Then Sauces & Beans finds out and kicks SCDP to the curb. Ouch. This might be enough to put them all off ketchup and beans forever. Good thing they didn’t piss of any mustard or pickle people, as they are the superior condiments.  Stan gives Peggy the finger on the way out. I guess they won’t be having any more late night conversations on the phone.

Joan’s friend Kate is in town to interview at Avon. After giving Joan’s mom a Mary Kay makeover and discussing Joan’s successful career, they hit the town. I’m not sure what the hell kind of place they are in that has a phone on every table and no alcohol. Seriously. Can someone leave me a note in the comments and explain this to me? Anyway, they go to a psychedelic make-out bar and wake up crazy hungover. Fun storyline.

We get to know Don’s secretary Dawn a little better. We learn that she’s single and looking, she works long hours for Don, and her best friend is getting married. She keeps her head down at work and like everyone, fears for losing her job. (Psst! It’s still like this at ad agencies.) When Harry’s secretary, Scarlett, asks Dawn to punch her time card when she leaves so she can sneak out to a party, Dawn obliges. She doesn’t feel she can say no.

Joan catches Scarlett’s five-hour time theft and fires her on the spot. When Harry finds out he loses his shit on Joan and un-fires Scarlett. In the process, he storms into a partner meeting and demands to be made a partner. Um, that’s never gonna happen, Harry. They give him a check for $23k and he balks. Looks like Harry might jump ship soon.

Megan’s soap opera character is given a better storyline with a love affair. Her character is a maid, and I don’t know why, but I think that’s hilarious. She breaks the news to Don that she’ll be kissing an actor on screen and it seems like Don will be cool. But then he shows up for the filming of the scene and acts like a giant jerk. Hypocrite much? He’s still loving it up with neighbor Sylvia. She leaves a penny under the doormat when her husband isn’t home to tip him off. I am so grossed out by this affair. The only thing that would be worse would be Don and Megan taking up her coworkers offer to swing.

The demure early 60s are definitely behind us, folks. We are in yucky 1968.

Wow! Two posts in a row where Mad Betty is featured on podcasts. This was recorded several months ago, but ramen is hotter than ever in Austin so it went up at a good time.

Enjoy the Find Dining podcast, which is a national show featuring food news in various cities. My interview was over the phone and I discussed Ramen Tatsu-ya which was only open for about three months at the time. Since then the ramen scene has exploded and I was able to write a whole City Guide post on the trend. And already my guide is out of date since Daruma Ramen opened a few weeks ago. Quite the topical bowl of noodles!

So please enjoy the Find Dining show on Mystery Meet. And check out some other cities while you are there!

My friends over at When in Austin do a pretty badass podcast every week in addition to regular blog posts, highlighting what’s new and cool in Austin. I’ve been a fan for awhile and was honored that they asked to interview me for their show.

I answered all their burning questions about the local ramen scene, food trucks, and the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, and we got a few laughs in there as well. Once I got over the horror of listening to my own voice, I was able to sit back and enjoy the show. I hope you enjoy it as well!

Terry and Vickie Grier have interviewed lots of Austin notables, so you’ll want to poke around their site and marvel at all their hard work and creativity. Thanks, When in Austin!

Over the weekend Mr. Betty and I hightailed it over to Tamale House East for the Scrumptious Chef’s latest pop-up. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been intrigued by the Scrumptious Chef (or RL Reeves, as he’s known in real life) for quite a while. This talented chef and prolific writer is the Batman to the Food Blogger Alliance’s Gotham City. He’s alluded the group, preferring to be a loner in the Austin blogosphere. But he’s not shy about keeping the rest of us on track, calling out dormant blogs and procrastinators.

Well, I met the mighty Batman on the right night. Both he and Tamale House’s Carmen Valera were all smiles on this lovely evening. I guess serving up the finest food and coldest beers to a line of ecstatic customers will do that. So what did we order? Well, the best damn chicken boudin these yankees have ever tasted, for one thing.

I could have happily lived as a vegetarian that night as the sweet potatoes and rainbow chard were heavenly enough to be their own meal. But who has time for vegetarianism when there’s tonkotsu broth to be had? My steaming bowl of ramen was topped with wagyu beef sausage and the most perfectly cooked egg. Unlike some other broths, this one wasn’t overly salty, giving me ample room for sriracha.

As if the menu wasn’t fantastic enough, the crowd got to judge a dozen salsas and vote for the winner.

Leave it to Austin to vote for the most fiery blend. Truly, it was perfection and I was delighted to see local bloggers Julie and Ryan take home the prize. I’m a huge fan of their blog Foie Gras Hot Dog and gushed endlessly about their recipes, photos and overall classy blog. So nice when you get to meet people you admire in person and they end up being even cooler than you dreamed.

It was the best, and most delicious, night I’ve had in a long time!

Hello, friends. Mad Men kicked off at the Campbell’s house and everyone was flirting with everyone. Pete lures their lovely neighbor, Brenda, to his city apartment under the pretense of tickets to see Hair and the affair commences. (If there’s a God of Mad Men, please let Megan join the cast of Hair.) Turns out Brenda’s a bit of a clingy psycho. Her husband finds out and drops her off a bloody mess at Pete’s door. In my favorite Trudy moment ever, she yells at Pete. She knows all about his philandering and thought giving him the city apartment would be the most discreet way of handling it. But now she’s just mad and said they are OVER. “If you so much as open your fly to urinate, I will destroy you!”

Don seems completely immersed in his affair with his neighbor, Sylvia. Frankly, their living in the same building makes me nervous. I mean, this can’t end well.

It’s hard to watch Megan unknowingly confide in Sylvia about her marriage troubles and recent miscarriage. She’s guilty for feeling relieved. Her soap opera career is fulfilling enough for the time-being. I, for one, miss Megan’s cat eye liner from last season.

Remember when a sleaze at Jaguar gave SCDP their business in exchange for a night with Joan? Well, Sleazy Herb is back. He wants the agency to pull focus from the national ad campaign and instead shift messaging to regional sales support. Like radio spots. He wants the agency to pitch this idea to the higher ups at Jaguar. Don gives an intentionally terrible pitch so the campaign will remain as intended. I loved watching him sink that meeting.

In other agency news, there’s a departmental war at Heinz. No one respects the beans guy and the ketchup guy is an arrogant tool. “Beans” had forbidden they work on business for “Ketchup,” but Ketchup is maybe interested in switching agencies. Maybe. When Peggy gets wind, she blabs to her (awesome) boss and they are going to go for the ketchup. All of this makes me think, I could really go for a hotdog right now. Also, everyone hates Peggy at work. Except her (awesome) boss, who I love. I hope to see Kevin Rahm with a larger role this season.

We are treated to a couple flashbacks to Don’s childhood and they are devastating. I’m sure we’ll be treated to more scenes as he is a little boy living in a whorehouse with his pregnant mother. No wonder he’s so messed up.

I’ll leave you with one question to ponder. What’s the deal with Bob Benson?

As a regular maker of smoothies, I’m always looking for new ideas and recipes. One of my go-to sites is Let’s Talk Fitness by local blogger Allen Stern. His devotion to fitness and a healthy diet led to a 125 pound weight loss. I, along with countless others, found great inspiration through Allen’s journey, which he generously shared with his friends, both online and in real life. The news of his passing last week shocked and saddened the Austin blogging, tech, and foodie communities.

I’m dedicating my favorite smoothie recipe to Allen. There’s no kale or spinach. No green powder, protein powder, or flax. Just pure enjoyment and things that taste good. The happiest smoothie I make. Let’s drink it in good health.

Start with a Thai young coconut.

If you aren’t familiar with these, go buy one. It’ll change your life. They are far easier to work with than a traditional coconut. The soft meat scoops out easily and they are brimming with sweet, delicious coconut water. They are available at most health food stores as well as Asian groceries. Keep wrapped in plastic and store in fridge until ready to use.

Turn coconut on its side and cut off the top pointy part. Use a sharp knife to cut along a curve. There’s a round, brown coconut inside and you want to expose the top.

Once you have the round top exposed, using a hacking motion to drive the side of the knife into the coconut. You’ll need to use a bit of force. Be very careful! Better to take a few whacks than cut off your hand, okay?

Once you’re in, turn coconut upright so you don’t lose any water. Work the knife around in a circle and the top will pop right off. This is remarkably easy and can be done in under a minute. But if it’s your first time, be careful and watch your knife.

Reserve the water and take a spoon and scoop out the coconut. It’s a very thin layer, so use the whole thing and put it all in the blender. Mix with

• Two frozen bananas
• 1/2 cup mango (frozen or fresh)
• 1/2 cup pineapple (frozen or fresh)
• Reserved coconut water

Blend until smooth. Serves two. Enjoy!

Recently I was invited to check out Llama’s, a cool Peruvian food truck on the corner of 7th and Trinity. After stopping for a beer at The Chicago House, Mr. Betty and I walked over to Llama’s. They are right next to each other, and you can feel free to grab some food and bring it into the bar. I can tell you, I will definitely do that. Because this food was SPECTACULAR.

The colorful little trailer serves fresh and healthy dishes, unlike any I’ve ever tasted. All food is prepped from soup to nuts inside the trailer. Not in a separate kitchen. How impressive is that? In a space this small, there’s not a lot of room to stock things, so everything is truly very fresh.

I had little knowledge of Peruvian food, so I was surprised (and delighted) by the Chinese influence on street food. We tried two dishes, but it was a tough decision because everything on the menu was appealing. Arroz con Pollo is typically very hard to execute to perfection, so I immediately gravitated to that. Mr. Betty chose the Lomo Saltado, a stir fry of beef tenderloin, tomatoes and onions, thick cut french fries, scallions, soy sauce, and cilantro over garlic rice. The beef was so melt-in-your-mouth tender and every bite was an explosion of flavor.

The Arroz Con Pollo was equally good. The fragrant cilantro rice was the perfect background for the succulent braised chicken. My heart sings that I can get a Peruvian version of this classic home-cooked meal out of a truck.

We have so many food trucks in Austin, and more often than not, I walk away feeling meh about the whole experience. When you find a good one, it’s like winning the lottery. And this, my friends, is the jackpot. I can wholeheartedly recommend this truck! Go check it out!