I use a scale of 1-10 with 10 being "I would walk across a desert just to smell it again" and a 1 being "get it away from me!'
I recently took a trip to vegas with some guest and we ate at some great and not-so great places.
The first day
We arrived at our hotel (Luxor) and ate at Nathan's Fast Food Restaurant. Me and one of my guest had The Philly Cheese Steak with Fries and my other guest had Chicken Strips and Fries.
I would rate the Philly Cheese Steak and Fries as a 6 and the Chicken Strips were really dry so I would rate them as a 4. Both were about $10 each.
Later we had dinner at the Pyramid Cafe inside the Luxor. I ordered the Chicken Parmesian, one guest ordered and Hamburger and Fries, and one ordered the daily special, a Chicken Fried Steak.
My Chicken Parmesian was great, even though the said that the sauce was made of Roasted Red Peppers, I could not taste the peppers, just tomatoes. I would rate it a 7.
The Hamburger had a stale bun but the meat was wonderful. I would also rate it at a 7.
The Chicken Fried Steak was the weak point for us. I was breaded with bread crumbs instead of flour, but the mashed potatoes that it came with were outstanding. We would rate it a 6.
2nd Day
We decided to go downtown to see what was going on. We decided to try the Breakfast Buffet at The Golden Nugget. It was wonderful, my favorite was the French Toast. It seemed to be made of potatoe bread and topped with macerated strawberries. I rate the french toast as a 8.
For Dinner we decided to go to the Seafood Buffet at The Rio. OMG, this was by far my favorite spot for food of the whole trip. I had great lobster, fresh oysters, sushi (my personal fave), and all of the other seafood you can think of. It was a little pricey at $40 per person. IMHO it is still well worth it! I rate the entire buffet as a 8.
3rd Day
We were leaving this day so we decided to eat the MORE Buffet at the Luxor. It was wonderful! One thing we all got on our plate was Beef Strogenoff. It was tender and savory, I would rate it as a 7.
The best part of the whole buffet was the dessert bar. I went crazy. All the desserts were in tiny little 'shooter' bowls. I grabbed a strawberry whipped tart, taramisou, chocolate mousse, and caramel flan. All were wonderful! I would rate the dessert bar a 9 EASY!.
OMG = Oh My Gosh
IMHO = In My Honest Opinion
At the airport on the way home I stopped at Starbucks and had a Java Chip Frap with Whipped Cream, It hit the spot and was wonderful. I rate it a 6.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Bacon and Onion Dip
This is a quick dip to make but gets better if it sits in the fridge for about an hour before serving.
1 tablespoon Bacon Bits
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup Sour Cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a saucepan add butter and onions, when onions begin to turn translucent add the bacon bits, let bacon bits soak up most of the butter (about 1 minute) mix everything together and let stand in fridge for 1 hour for best results. Serve with Chips or your favorite veggies. Yum!
1 tablespoon Bacon Bits
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup Sour Cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a saucepan add butter and onions, when onions begin to turn translucent add the bacon bits, let bacon bits soak up most of the butter (about 1 minute) mix everything together and let stand in fridge for 1 hour for best results. Serve with Chips or your favorite veggies. Yum!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tarter Sauce
I made this recipe about 20 minutes ago to go with some Salmon that I pan seared.
Ingredients:
1/2 c Mayonnaise
2 TBSP Sweet Pickle Relish
2 TBSP Finely Chopped Onion (I prefer red onion)
1 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Combine all ingredients in bowl and serve alongside your fish dish.
TIP
Use this as a dip for veggies, just add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of soy sauce.
TIP
Some people like to add a teaspoon of fresh finely chopped Dill to the Tarted Sauce when serving with fish. I sometimes use Parsley.
Ingredients:
1/2 c Mayonnaise
2 TBSP Sweet Pickle Relish
2 TBSP Finely Chopped Onion (I prefer red onion)
1 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Combine all ingredients in bowl and serve alongside your fish dish.
TIP
Use this as a dip for veggies, just add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of soy sauce.
TIP
Some people like to add a teaspoon of fresh finely chopped Dill to the Tarted Sauce when serving with fish. I sometimes use Parsley.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Leftover Mashed Potatoes
Poor Man's Gnocci
This is a great little trick for using leftover mashed potatoes or baked potatoes.
In a bowl make sure that your potatoes are mashed very well (I used approx 2 cups of leftover potatoes) add 1 egg and mix well. Add any type of seasonings you prefer. I added approx 1/4 cup flour to the mixture to tighten it up to a dough. Yours may take more/less flour due to the moisture in your potatoes and the egg. In salted boiling water add teaspoon size dumpling to the water and wait 30 seconds after they float. Remove them and pat dry on a paper towel. You can sauce them with Pesto or Alfredo Sauce and Serve.
This is a great little trick for using leftover mashed potatoes or baked potatoes.
In a bowl make sure that your potatoes are mashed very well (I used approx 2 cups of leftover potatoes) add 1 egg and mix well. Add any type of seasonings you prefer. I added approx 1/4 cup flour to the mixture to tighten it up to a dough. Yours may take more/less flour due to the moisture in your potatoes and the egg. In salted boiling water add teaspoon size dumpling to the water and wait 30 seconds after they float. Remove them and pat dry on a paper towel. You can sauce them with Pesto or Alfredo Sauce and Serve.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
My Lunch Today
It is a New Year, I have a New Job, and I want a new Me. I plan on making a trip to Las Vegas this year and I want to lose weight so I will better about myself. Here is the lunch I made for myself today.
1 cup dried bowtie pasta
1 cup fresh spinach chopped finely
2 tablespoons roasted bell peppers chopped finely (from a jar)
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
S and P to taste
Cook your pasta according to directions on package and set aside. In a small skillet add olive oil and saute your spinach and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and S&P. Wait about 1 minute so the lemon juice can begin to concentrate. Add the bell peppers and butter and continue sauteing for about another 2 minutes. Pour over your cooked pasta and taste for seasoning before putting in container to take to work. Viola, simple and great tasting and HEALTHY!
1 cup dried bowtie pasta
1 cup fresh spinach chopped finely
2 tablespoons roasted bell peppers chopped finely (from a jar)
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
S and P to taste
Cook your pasta according to directions on package and set aside. In a small skillet add olive oil and saute your spinach and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and S&P. Wait about 1 minute so the lemon juice can begin to concentrate. Add the bell peppers and butter and continue sauteing for about another 2 minutes. Pour over your cooked pasta and taste for seasoning before putting in container to take to work. Viola, simple and great tasting and HEALTHY!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Beef Heart Stew
I made this stew using a portion of the beef heart that I had purchased. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup beef heart (chopped in small cubes)
1/4 cup flour
4 beef bullion cubes
8 cups water
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 cup chopped potato
1 small onion diced small
2 garlic cloves diced small
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
S&P to taste
Directions
Take the beef heart and lightly dredge in the flour. In pan on the stove, add the oil and butter and add the beef. Let brown on all sides. Add half of the water and the 4 bullion cubes, let simmer for 1 hour on low heat, (this helps tenderize the meat) Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until carrots and potatoes are fork tender.
If you prefer a thicker stew, you can add a mixture of 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water to the stew, bring to a boil and serve.
If you want to make this a little more upscale, you can replace 1/2 cup of the water with red wine.
I served this with crushed whole wheat crackers in a bottom of a bowl and poured the stew over the top, the juices trickle down and soak into the crackers. YUM!
Ingredients:
1 cup beef heart (chopped in small cubes)
1/4 cup flour
4 beef bullion cubes
8 cups water
1 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 cup chopped potato
1 small onion diced small
2 garlic cloves diced small
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
S&P to taste
Directions
Take the beef heart and lightly dredge in the flour. In pan on the stove, add the oil and butter and add the beef. Let brown on all sides. Add half of the water and the 4 bullion cubes, let simmer for 1 hour on low heat, (this helps tenderize the meat) Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until carrots and potatoes are fork tender.
If you prefer a thicker stew, you can add a mixture of 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water to the stew, bring to a boil and serve.
If you want to make this a little more upscale, you can replace 1/2 cup of the water with red wine.
I served this with crushed whole wheat crackers in a bottom of a bowl and poured the stew over the top, the juices trickle down and soak into the crackers. YUM!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Unlikely Foods
Okay, so I was walking through my favorite grocery store one day after work and decided that I was going to try different foods and write about them. Here is what I bought.
Beef liver
Beef Kidney
Black Pudding
Chicken Liver
Irish Bacon
Lemon Curd
Irish Toffee
Beef Heart
I have to admit that I have had Beef and Chicken Liver before and I realy like them, but I have never had Kidney before. It tasted like liver and gizzard mixed together. I will NEVER buy another kidney, but some people like it. The Black Pudding or Blood Sausage was interesting, at first I didnt know what to think, but the more I ate of it the better it got. It has an odd spice to it that I dont associate with sausage. It does not taste like blood. Irish bacon is pretty good, it reminded me of Canadian Bacon, it is not smoked like American Bacon. I cooked the Irish Bacon and added it to a homemade hamburger. MMMMMMM. The Lemon Curd was really tart but was perfect on some crackers, toast, and cookies. The Irish Toffee just tasted like candy, nothing special or different. I have yet to cook the Beef Heart but I am thinking about a stew or something. Let me know if you want me to try something new or different!
Beef liver
Beef Kidney
Black Pudding
Chicken Liver
Irish Bacon
Lemon Curd
Irish Toffee
Beef Heart
I have to admit that I have had Beef and Chicken Liver before and I realy like them, but I have never had Kidney before. It tasted like liver and gizzard mixed together. I will NEVER buy another kidney, but some people like it. The Black Pudding or Blood Sausage was interesting, at first I didnt know what to think, but the more I ate of it the better it got. It has an odd spice to it that I dont associate with sausage. It does not taste like blood. Irish bacon is pretty good, it reminded me of Canadian Bacon, it is not smoked like American Bacon. I cooked the Irish Bacon and added it to a homemade hamburger. MMMMMMM. The Lemon Curd was really tart but was perfect on some crackers, toast, and cookies. The Irish Toffee just tasted like candy, nothing special or different. I have yet to cook the Beef Heart but I am thinking about a stew or something. Let me know if you want me to try something new or different!
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