Ask me if that dog woke me up again this morning?
Yes. Yes it did.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A Typical Night
A typical night for me goes something like this:
10 - 11 PM
Go to bed
4 AM
Achy back wakes me up, toss and turn.
6 AM
Downstairs neighbors open their window to let their dog stick it's head out the window to bark at every car that drives by. Still tossing and turning.
7 AM
Dog STILL barking, a very tired Ginger gives up and gets out of bed.
I hate that dog's people.
10 - 11 PM
Go to bed
4 AM
Achy back wakes me up, toss and turn.
6 AM
Downstairs neighbors open their window to let their dog stick it's head out the window to bark at every car that drives by. Still tossing and turning.
7 AM
Dog STILL barking, a very tired Ginger gives up and gets out of bed.
I hate that dog's people.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Dinner Ideas!
Do you ever find yourself thinking "What in the world should I make for dinner?", or "I always make the same things for dinner ... what else could I make?"
Well I think these things pretty much every day. My staples for dinner tend to be chicken fajitas, grilled chicken, and chicken and potatoes.
So! Today I brainstormed dinner ideas and put them on a google document that I shared with Kent. My hope is that I can ask Kent what he wants for dinner and he can pick something from the list. (Note: Yes, I do make dinner every night, but I need to give Kent credit that he'll clean up and do the dishes after dinner. We prefer it this way ... we've both tasted Kent's cooking.)
Anyway, I wanted to share my list with you and would LOVE some ideas in return (recipes are good too)!!!
Happy cooking!
Main Dishes:
Sloppy joes
Philly cheesesteak sandwiches
Paninis
Spaghetti
Manicotti
Lasagna
Lasanga Rolls
Tacos
Mexican Lasagna
Baked salmon
crockpot chicken
crockpot pot roast
crockpot turkey
crockpot stroganoff *Kent's recipe
Hamburgers/sliders
Chicken teriyaki stirfry
Pork chops
Enchiladas
Beef tacos
Chicken & broccoli casserole
Chicken cordon bleu casserole
Baked potato bar
Chili
Haystacks
Chicken quesadillas
Omelettes
Potato/egg skillet fry
Side Dishes
Garden veggie pasta salad
Frog eye salad
Fruit salad
Caesar salad
Baked beans
Rice & beans
Oven baked potato wedges
Mashed potatoes
Baked potatoes
Green salad
Green beans
Steamed veggies
Potato salad
Cheesy broccoli
Zuchinni gratin
Baked sweet potatoes
Stuffing
7 layer salad
Candied yams
Chips & salsa
Corn on the cob
Roasted root veggies
Watermelon
Fried eggplant
Fried green tomatos
Noodles
Rice
Well I think these things pretty much every day. My staples for dinner tend to be chicken fajitas, grilled chicken, and chicken and potatoes.
So! Today I brainstormed dinner ideas and put them on a google document that I shared with Kent. My hope is that I can ask Kent what he wants for dinner and he can pick something from the list. (Note: Yes, I do make dinner every night, but I need to give Kent credit that he'll clean up and do the dishes after dinner. We prefer it this way ... we've both tasted Kent's cooking.)
Anyway, I wanted to share my list with you and would LOVE some ideas in return (recipes are good too)!!!
Happy cooking!
Main Dishes:
Sloppy joes
Philly cheesesteak sandwiches
Paninis
Spaghetti
Manicotti
Lasagna
Lasanga Rolls
Tacos
Mexican Lasagna
Baked salmon
crockpot chicken
crockpot pot roast
crockpot turkey
crockpot stroganoff *Kent's recipe
Hamburgers/sliders
Chicken teriyaki stirfry
Pork chops
Enchiladas
Beef tacos
Chicken & broccoli casserole
Chicken cordon bleu casserole
Baked potato bar
Chili
Haystacks
Chicken quesadillas
Omelettes
Potato/egg skillet fry
Side Dishes
Garden veggie pasta salad
Frog eye salad
Fruit salad
Caesar salad
Baked beans
Rice & beans
Oven baked potato wedges
Mashed potatoes
Baked potatoes
Green salad
Green beans
Steamed veggies
Potato salad
Cheesy broccoli
Zuchinni gratin
Baked sweet potatoes
Stuffing
7 layer salad
Candied yams
Chips & salsa
Corn on the cob
Roasted root veggies
Watermelon
Fried eggplant
Fried green tomatos
Noodles
Rice
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Las Vegas Trip Overview & Restaurant Reviews!
We had a fun (and full) culinary experience on our trip to Las Vegas, St. George, and Cedar City. I’ll blog later about our activities, but first things first … restaurant reviews!
Mesa Grill – Caesar’s Palace 4 stars
Atmosphere:
Spacious, upscale restaurant with a sophisticated southwestern flair. The theme colors were burnt orange, gem blue, yellow, and burnt red.
Food:
Blue Corn Pancake with Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce
The presentation was fabo, but the bite was all bbq sauce -- all the time. I got the consistency of the blue corn pancake, but the flavor of the pancake was completely overwhelmed by the bbq sauce. I didn't get any duck flavor either. C’mon Bobby!
Pulled Pork Sandwich with Chipotle-Molasses BBQ Sauce, Cole Slaw +Bread and Butter Pickles
The pulled pork itself was pretty standard (albeit a little dry), but it was on really great ciabatta bread that was crusty and crackly on the outside, but soft and airy on the inside. The cole slaw was quite bitter, but it worked with the sweetness of the pork. Well played Bobby.
Kent got the Mesa Burger with Double Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Vidalia Onion + Horseradish Mustard served with Southwestern Fries.
The burger was probably 1-1/2" thick and was SO tender. I've never tasted a burger so tender! I was extremely impressed with the smoky, right-off-the-grill flavor that worked itself through the entire burger, from the meat, to the onions. Kent ate the entire thing and loved every minute of it. I’m sorry to report that the fries were somewhat lackluster, and lacked sufficient crispiness.
Coconut Cake
One word: wow! 4 layers of coconut cake between the most heavenly coconut cream. The bottom was soaked in coconut milk, and topped with a crunchy coconut cookie type crust and toasted coconut. The creamy consistency was reminiscent of Tres Leches. YUM!
Tacos & Tequila – Luxor 3.5 stars
We stumbled on this restaurant out of pure desperation. We had gone and seen the Lion King at Mandalay Bay, and by the time the show got out, nothing was open (surprisingly).
Atmosphere:
This restaurant was just a cordoned off section of the Luxor, so you looked up and the ceiling was the angled ceiling of the Luxor with hotel rooms lining the walls. They had speakers with music blaring (you could hardly talk across the table). The menu cover was 2 women in bikinis and I wasn’t too thrilled this was the only place open, but that was the only scandal around (yes – the waiters were fully clothed in black slacks and tees).
Food:
The star of the show at Tacos & Tequila was hands down the homemade tortilla chips and the two kinds of salsa (tomatillo and roasted tomato). Wow – honestly the best tortilla chips either of us has had, and Kent said he was tempted to drink the salsa. We ordered fajitas. I’ve actually had better presentation, (I’ve grown accustomed to my fajitas coming out on a sizzling skillet, which they didn’t do), but the flavor was impressive with a zing of lime. If I’m being completely honest here, the beans were a bit (dare I say) gluey, and the rice could have used some heat, but the chicken and tortilla chips made up for it.
Bellagio Buffet
Atmosphere:
Food:
Monte Carlo Buffet
Atmosphere:
Food:
Al Fornio – New York New York
Atmosphere:
Food:
Anazasi Steakhouse & Art Gallery – St. George
Atmosphere:
Food:
Sullivan’s Café – Cedar City
Atmosphere:
Food:
Mesa Grill – Caesar’s Palace 4 stars
Atmosphere:
Spacious, upscale restaurant with a sophisticated southwestern flair. The theme colors were burnt orange, gem blue, yellow, and burnt red.
Food:
Blue Corn Pancake with Barbecued Duck + Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce
The presentation was fabo, but the bite was all bbq sauce -- all the time. I got the consistency of the blue corn pancake, but the flavor of the pancake was completely overwhelmed by the bbq sauce. I didn't get any duck flavor either. C’mon Bobby!
Pulled Pork Sandwich with Chipotle-Molasses BBQ Sauce, Cole Slaw +Bread and Butter Pickles
The pulled pork itself was pretty standard (albeit a little dry), but it was on really great ciabatta bread that was crusty and crackly on the outside, but soft and airy on the inside. The cole slaw was quite bitter, but it worked with the sweetness of the pork. Well played Bobby.
Kent got the Mesa Burger with Double Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Vidalia Onion + Horseradish Mustard served with Southwestern Fries.
The burger was probably 1-1/2" thick and was SO tender. I've never tasted a burger so tender! I was extremely impressed with the smoky, right-off-the-grill flavor that worked itself through the entire burger, from the meat, to the onions. Kent ate the entire thing and loved every minute of it. I’m sorry to report that the fries were somewhat lackluster, and lacked sufficient crispiness.
Coconut Cake
One word: wow! 4 layers of coconut cake between the most heavenly coconut cream. The bottom was soaked in coconut milk, and topped with a crunchy coconut cookie type crust and toasted coconut. The creamy consistency was reminiscent of Tres Leches. YUM!
Tacos & Tequila – Luxor 3.5 stars
We stumbled on this restaurant out of pure desperation. We had gone and seen the Lion King at Mandalay Bay, and by the time the show got out, nothing was open (surprisingly).
Atmosphere:
This restaurant was just a cordoned off section of the Luxor, so you looked up and the ceiling was the angled ceiling of the Luxor with hotel rooms lining the walls. They had speakers with music blaring (you could hardly talk across the table). The menu cover was 2 women in bikinis and I wasn’t too thrilled this was the only place open, but that was the only scandal around (yes – the waiters were fully clothed in black slacks and tees).
Food:
The star of the show at Tacos & Tequila was hands down the homemade tortilla chips and the two kinds of salsa (tomatillo and roasted tomato). Wow – honestly the best tortilla chips either of us has had, and Kent said he was tempted to drink the salsa. We ordered fajitas. I’ve actually had better presentation, (I’ve grown accustomed to my fajitas coming out on a sizzling skillet, which they didn’t do), but the flavor was impressive with a zing of lime. If I’m being completely honest here, the beans were a bit (dare I say) gluey, and the rice could have used some heat, but the chicken and tortilla chips made up for it.
Bellagio Buffet
Atmosphere:
Food:
Monte Carlo Buffet
Atmosphere:
Food:
Al Fornio – New York New York
Atmosphere:
Food:
Anazasi Steakhouse & Art Gallery – St. George
Atmosphere:
Food:
Sullivan’s Café – Cedar City
Atmosphere:
Food:
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