Let's eat!

As you can imagine, Vegas has a zillion places to eat. Every hotel has multiple restaurants within it along with "food courts" featuring everything from Starbucks, to Haagen-Dazs, to McDonald's. Considering dining out is one of my family's favorite activities, we were all in hog heaven!

I know that Hard Rock Cafes are terribly commercialized, but I really think they're a fun place to eat. What a nice surprise to find out they'd opened a new location right across the strip from our hotel! We had often eaten at the old location, but the new one is lighter and roomier (but still loud!).

My son and I are both fans of the Food Network. When we found out that Bobby Flay had a Mesa Grill location at Caesar's Palace, we knew we had to eat there whether anyone else in the group wanted to join us or not. After some hesitation, everyone agreed to go and it ended up being one of our best dining experiences!! Definitely a place I would go again!

There were a couple of "Griswold" moments on our vacation. One involved the night we planned to eat at a Mexican restaurant we loved and would make a point to visit on each trip to LV. Turns out the hotel it was in has been torn down and is being rebuilt. So, despite the fact it still exists on a Google Map, it's not really there!! Hopefully when the new hotel is completed it will once again include the restaurant. So.... we detoured to Margaritaville at our older daughter's recommendation. Here's a photo of our granddaughter with a balloon ladybug they made for her there.

Our final night we had a show booked and didn't want to go far for dinner so we opted for the Outback Steakhouse right across the strip. Although there's an Outback about 70 miles from where we live, only three of our group had ever eaten at one. We all enjoyed our meal, but debated whether the bloomin' onion was better there or at a local eatery in our hometown.

Another place that we debated the merits of was The Cupcakery located in our hotel. I'll agree that it was totally overpriced, but the variety I ordered (the "Bugsy") was soooo moist and delicious!!

Next up..... some of the attractions and shows we enjoyed.

Vegas Vacation

No.....not with Clark Griswold and his family, but with my OWN family!!

I made my first visit to Las Vegas when I was in college, a long time ago. My husband and I took our first vacation there together the year after we married, returning annually each summer. Our last trip was about ten years ago when we took the younger two kids with us.

Due to a variety of reasons I won't go into here, our entire family has never taken a vacation anywhere together. A few years ago my husband made the promise that once our youngest was 21, he would take everyone to Las Vegas. The plotting and planning began in earnest several months ago. Work schedules had to be situated, flights booked, hotel reservations made, show tickets purchased, and most important-- a 21st birthday celebrated in June.

The seven of us left hot, humid south Arkansas last Tuesday morning and arrived in even hotter, but not as humid, Las Vegas mid-afternoon. The temperature while we were there ranged from 104 to 113! Humidity, though, never got above 29%. I know hot is hot, but I still say dry heat is easier to bear. Our humidity here rarely gets below 50% and is quite often 80 or 90% . Stifling!

Amazing how much has changed on the strip in the past 10 years! Hotels have been torn down and rebuilt, others gone forever. We've stayed several places in the past, some more than once, but tried a new one this trip: the Monte Carlo. It was centrally located for the things we wanted to do and turned out to be a good choice.

Overall it was a great trip and everyone had fun. I'll share more in the next few days.

I'm back!

...and I mean that literally, not just online.

As I stated in my last post, our Internet went out on Saturday afternoon a week ago. Most times that would only be a minor inconvenience. However, we were preparing to go on vacation last week and I needed to get online Monday. If any of you have ever flown on Southwest, you know how important it is to be online with your finger poised over "confirm" exactly 24 hours before your flight in order to get good boarding passes! Fortunately some friends volunteered their computer and printer and I got to enjoy a nice visit with them in the process.

I posted a couple of times last fall (here & here) about troubles with our Internet provider, so I wasn't optimistic about getting things fixed quickly. Surprisingly, we were able to get it repaired late Monday afternoon! Not enough time to schedule any posts for while I was away, but what a relief to know we would have Internet when we returned home!

Anyway..... we got home shortly after midnight last night (this morning) and I'm still plowing through "stuff". Playing catch-up is always the down-side to returning from vacation. The up-side is that I should have plenty of post material for awhile! I would love to sit here and catch up on all the blogs I follow, but chores are calling me.

Internet Problems

I use to know how to blog from my cell phone. However, I got a new
phone not long ago and I'm not sure I can still do it the same way. I
figured I would give it a try.

We are having major Internet problems and I may not be posting for
awhile.

One of my favorite summer sandwiches!

Crisp bacon
"Jackby" cheese
Fresh guacamole
Homegrown yellow tomato
Shaved mesquite-smoked turkey breast
Piled on a bun with a little mayo & Dijon mustard

Squash Blossoms

It wasn't until I saw the photo of the squash blossom in the sidebar of Marion's blog that I really ever gave any thought to its beauty. I had never before considered it a "real" flower. It was just a means to the end, a precursor... necessary, but not necessarily noteworthy.

This morning I headed to our little garden spot and noticed that the blossoms were wide open and swarming with bees. I hurried back in for my camera so I could share some photos here.

I waited and waited for the bee to exit this flower. Perhaps he was drunk on nectar?

Not sure if this bee was arriving or departing.

I managed to find a blossom without a bee in it!

If you look in the background of this photo you will see blossoms becoming squash in varying stages.

Marion included a portion of a poem by Robert Francis under her photo. Here is the poem in its entirety.

Squash in Blossom
Robert Francis

How lush, how loose, the uninhibited squash is.
If ever hearts (and these immoderate leaves
Are vegetable hearts) were worn on sleeves,
The squash's are. In green the squash vine gushes.

The flowers are cornucopias of summer,
Briefly exuberant and cheaply golden.
And if they make a show of being hidden,
Are open promiscuously to every comer.

Let the squash be what it was doomed to be
By the old Gardener with the shrewd green thumb.
Let it expand and sprawl, defenceless, dumb.
But let me be the fiber-disciplined tree

Whose leaf (with something to say in wind) is small,
Reduced to the ingenuity of a green splinter
Sharp to defy or fraternize with winter,
Or if not that, prepared in fall to fall.

Corpses and Calzones

There are some very odd folks in this world. For example, there's the woman who dug up her late husband and twin sister and kept them in her home. You can read the full story here. Weird.

Last night we tried this recipe from Simple & Delicious magazine. (Contributed by Kourtney Williams of Mechanicsville, VA.) Two out of three of us liked it. The only change I made was to add some purple onion while browning the pork.

Sausage & Spinach Calzones

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 tube (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2-2/3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Meanwhile, unroll pizza crust; pat into a 15-in. x 11-in. rectangle. Cut into four rectangles. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over half of each rectangle to within 1 in. of edges.

Drain sausage. Add spinach; cook and stir over medium heat until spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat. Stir in the ricotta cheese, salt and pepper; spread over mozzarella cheese. Fold dough over filling; press edges with a fork to seal.

Transfer to a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 4 servings.

Tres Leches Cake

Okay...so I picked a traditionally Mexican dessert to make for American Independence Day. Maybe I should have served it with some fresh strawberries and blueberries. Then it would have at least looked like a dessert for the 4th of July!

I clipped this recipe from a newspaper supplement several months ago. Every time I've considered making it I've thought about how terribly fattening it is and changed my mind. (sliced into 16 pieces, each has 440 calories!!) I finally decided to give it a whirl yesterday and here are my thoughts:

Very dense, moist, and sweet. Very, very rich!! Too rich, in fact. I only had a small piece yesterday and I think I've had my fill. Wish I could share it with some of you!


Tres Leches Cake

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
5 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (24 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon of rum or liqueur
Fresh berries for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9-in. baking dish.

2. Combine butter and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well.

3. Combine flour, baking powder and cream of tartar. Add to butter mixture slowly and beat well. Spread batter in pan. Bake 24 to 30 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

4. Stir together milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Pour 3 cups over cake. Reserve remaining milk mixture to serve with cake. Refrigerate cake.

5. Combine heavy cream, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and run. Beat until think and spread over cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

6. Pour leftover milk mixture onto dessert plates. Sliced chilled cake into squares and place on dessert plates. Garnish with fresh berries, if using.


Okay.....I have to be honest here. It wasn't until I was typing out the recipe that I realized I left out the baking powder when making mine!!! No wonder it seemed like such a flat cake!! However, fluffier wouldn't change the fact it was entirely too calorie-laden for my taste.

The Walk (and some slaw)

Younger daughter and I decided we'd better take an extra long walk this morning to counteract some of the good stuff we've eaten lately. We set out before 7:00 a.m. and you'd think with temperatures in the mid 70s it would be pleasant. Factor in humidity of more than 90% and it quickly becomes a sweaty experience. Let's just say after walking close to five miles at a fairly good pace we felt like we'd gotten quite a workout!

We live in a rural area with no leash law, so we always hope that none of the dogs along the route bite..... and believe me, there are LOTS of dogs in our area! Many barked at us, a few came to the edge of their yards, and one came up to give us a sniff or two. Some of you might remember that two years ago we sold Debby to some friends up the road. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a little girl they named Bella. Evidently Bella's new family gives her lots of attention. As we walked past her pasture she started plodding her way towards us, clearly expecting something. She tuned up and gave a little bray as we passed her by. I sort of felt bad that we didn't stop and pet her! On the return trip she didn't come to the fence, but kept a close eye on us until we were out of sight. I think the most disconcerting part of the walk was when we passed under a high-voltage powerline. You could actually hear the surge of electricity coming from the wires!! Maybe next time we walk I'll take the camera along so I can illustrate my narrative.

My family isn't much on slaw, especially when it's not the mayonnaise variety. The vinegar types are healthier, though, and I really like this version I put together this morning.

Colorful Coleslaw

1 pkg. (10 oz.) angel hair coleslaw mix
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red (purple) onion
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

Combine first five ingredients in a serving bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables in serving bowl and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least a half hour before serving.

A pretty good dinner

It's been a busy week, but not too busy to try a few new recipes (although some of them aren't worth mentioning here). Tonight's were pretty good. Both were adapted from recipes I clipped out of Simple & Delicious magazine. The entire meal was ready within half an hour. Great for when you don't have much time!

Potatoes with Feta Cheese

1 pound small red potatoes, halved
1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon dill weed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender, approximately 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a serving bowl. Drain potatoes and add to serving bowl. Toss gently to coat.


Ranch Chicken

1 box (8-1/2 oz.) Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 envelope buttermilk recipe ranch salad dressing mix
milk
boneless, skinless chicken tenders

vegetable oil

Combine corn muffin mix and ranch dressing mix in a resealable plastic bag. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. Dip chicken tenders in milk, drop into plastic bag, then shake to coat.

In a large skillet pour a thin coating of vegetable oil (approx. 2 Tbs.). Cook chicken tenders, uncovered, over medium heat, turning several times until juices run clear. (approx. 15 minutes)