Las Vegas

Las Vegas has certainly got to be one of the best culinary destinations in the USA. You can eat whatever you just about whenever you want. A huge range of cuisines to sample and arguable the best selection of US and World acclaimed chefs you'll find anywhere. But you won't be seeing any reviews for those restaurants here. As I've said before I'm a very fussy eater and my brother, who is joining me on this trip, is a simple burgers and bbq kinda guy. So thats what we ate, low cost everyday food. But that doesn't mean it wasn't good, it was great food, just the way we like it. This was not my first trip to Vegas, but I still managed to eat at a few new places, and if you've ever been to vegas you know that this place changes very often, so there is always something new.

You really can't avoid the Harley Davidson Cafe, its right on the strip with a huge sign and plenty of bikes out the front. My brother is a big fan of Hard Rock Cafe, but he thought this would be a better place on our first night, seeing as you can go to Hard Rock anywhere. We started off with an apetizer of chicken tenders coated in cornflake crumbs. G had a huge steak with a ton of sides. I had the fried chicken with fries, corn and biscuit. We also ordered a side of garlic bread, but with all this food our eyes really were bigger then our stomachs.

Vegas is all about buffets. I tend to avoid them in most places, but in Vegas it is just done so well (usually) and is an experience. We went to the Spice Market Buffet inside Plant Hollywood Casino (formally the Aladdin). It's considered the best buffet in Las Vegas and for good reason. Its divided into 6 stations of different cuisines, Seafood, Italian, Middle Easters, Asian, American and Mexican, plus soup and salad. We ate a fair amount from each station but it was really all about the dessert. There was a wide selection of cakes, pastries and pies as well as chocolate mousse and ice cream (with all the toppings!). I had three servings of dessert, more then what I ate of the mains. Amazingly good food, definitely how all buffets should be.

The next morning, despite still being full from the night before, I was determined to have a sit down breakfast. There was a Denny's across the road, and while not by any means gourmet food, I wanted my brother to have the Denny's experience. He ordered a Lumberjack Grand Slam (with extra bacon) while I stuck to some pancakes. It may be run of the mill, but it does keep you happy.

For dinner on our last night we went to Diablo's Cantina, situated next to the New York, New York casino (where we were staying). I love Mexican food and struggle to find decent Mexican back in Australia (there is one really great place near home, but it took me a long time to find it) so I was definitely determined to have some on this trip. My brother isn't a huge fan though so I knew it would only happen once or twice. We had walked past this place a couple times and liked the look of the menu and enjoyed the atmosphere. I had a Chicken Quesadilla and G had sizzling combination Fajitas which were both great dishes. G is definitely liking Mexican food more and more.

Next stop San Francisco

*and yes I realise its been a while between posts, I'm actually back in Australia already, just trying to find time between unpacking and cleaning to post. Plus having a cold doesn't help either*

New York City - Part 2

Well I'm not in New York anymore but I will catch you up on my time there. We've had some more great meals (and some quite boring ones) and been to some great little food markets as well. The above picture is from Chelsea Market, an amazing collection of little food stores and restaurants. While I didn't purchase anything I had a very difficult time leaving. It's such a shame that I can't take any food back into Australia with me (besides chocolate and other processed, packaged food). There was also a kitchen supply store that couldn't resist. I love kitchen supplies about as much as I love cooking (maybe even more!), it's so tempting to get a second suitcase just for cake tins and utensils!

Our forth day in New York was freezing! Colder then any other day (I'm sure I said that everyday). We started the morning with a quick breakfast of hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls from Angela's Rock and Roll Deli, a tiny little place right near central park.

Lunch was even better. We had seen this place full of people the day before and when we ended up near it again at lunch time we had to go in. Silver Spurs Diner is a great local diner with huge character and huge meals. It seems like the burgers are their signature dish, G had the cheeseburger with bacon. I had a grilled cheese that was perfectly cooked with the just the right amount of cheese and butter. One of the best things about this place was the people. We were sitting next to two men, who judging by their very interesting conversation seemed to be medical researchers, perhaps professors at the local NYU. Such a New York moment.

The next day was New Years Eve, and not very foodie at all. This was the

morning I went to chelsea market but the rest of the day was pretty uneventful food wise. The evening however was an experience. Like true tourists we decided to do the Times Square thing. While I'm glad we did it, because I would have regretted it if we didn't, I don't recommend it. We stood in the freezing cold, rain and snow for 6 hours. From our location we could see the Times Square ball, but we couldn't see or hear any of the entertainment so it made for a boring evening really. But we survived and welcomed 2010 with about a million other people.

New Years day was a very late start. It was our last day in New York but we were too exhausted to really do much at all. We went to Heartland Brewery near Rockerfeller for dinner. I had been to a Heartland on a previous trip and thought my brother would enjoy it but it didn't measure up to my expectations. The service was not great and the food was pretty average. We ordered an appetizer which never arrived, and waited about 40 minutes for our mains. Not the best end to our time in New York, but I'm sure it was just a bad night for them.

Next stop is Las Vegas for 3 nights. I love Las Vegas for its shopping and endless choice of great places to eat. Stay tuned!

Good Bye 2009

I am SO glad to get to the end of this year. It has been quite a year with a lot happening in my life behind this blog. It hasn't been the greatest year, so I'm looking forward to moving on and starting a bigger and better new year. It hasn't all been bad though this year, I've worked slowly on my blog and think its time to celebrate.

Thank you for visiting and please look out for even more bigger and better recipes in 2010. Happy New Year!

My Top Five Recipes

Lamingtons

Apple Custard Tea Cakes

Cloud Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Crispy Slice

Most Viewed Recipe

Chocolate Crunch Slice (Mars Bar Slice)

Post with the Most Comments

Apple Donut Muffins

Favourite Comment Recipe

Low-fat Chocolate Brownies

My favourite comment was actually an email from a lovely mother who wanted to thank me for providing recipes that her daughter, recovering from anorexia, had found and loved. I was so grateful to receive such a great email and hope I can continue to help.

Favourite Picture

Cloud Cupcakes

Best Unpublished Recipe

Tiramisu Cupcakes

So that is just some of what I did accomplish in 2009, but I really did fail with the goals I set myself last January. I didn't do any of them. So for 2010, I'm taking it as it comes. I'll bake and cook when I feel like it, no pressure. Let the new year begin

New York City

Here I am coming live from New York which is just a little far from home. I am over here for a two week trip with my brother. We will be in New York for 6 days (including new years eve) and then move on to Las Vegas and San Francisco.

Since I won't be baking for a few weeks I thought instead I would share with you some of the meals, snacks and food related stores we encounter. Please don't expect lavish restaurants and exciting discoveries. We are simple (sometimes very fussy) eaters and are trying to experience as much 'american' food as we can . So that include chain restaurants, fast food and what many might see as a little boring and everyday. We also don't have a huge budget so 5 star restaurants are definitely out of the question. Another thing, because lighting is often so bad in restaurants, and mostly I'm too busy eating to take pictures, most of the photos posted will come form the establishments own website. Although that isn't authentic blogging, my aim is more to share the places we visit, rather then my personal photos.

So what are our food highlights from the last three days?

At the end of our first full day in NYC which I filled with shopping and my brother went to a giants game, we decided to check out the local restaurants near our hotel (The Pod Hotel). We decided on a nice local bar, The Pig and Whistle. I had Chicken Tenders and Fries (which will be a common choice for me) and my brother G had The Real McCoy Burger . It was great food, great atmosphere and what seemed very authentic. This was an experience quite different from the touristy times square.

By the time we had lunch on our second day we were starving! We ran into a deli-cafe downtown, just near Wall St. I have no idea what the place was called but I had an amazing Chicken Parmigana Panini. It was shredded chicken mixed with marinara sauce and basic, grilled with a slice of mozzarella. It was incredible.

The next night told a very different story. It was times square, and chain restaurant goodness at Dave and Busters. I had been to Dave and Busters in St Louis on a previous trip and knew it was a place my brother would love. You get what is expected here, menu favourites that are well made and taste good. I had The Mac and Cheese (with bacon and chicken!). G had the Island Grilled Trifecta, skewers of sirloin steak, chicken and shrimp with a variety of dipping sauces, served with rice.

On our walk back to the hotel I couldn't resist this GIANT black and white cookie from Hot and Crusty bakery in Grand Central Station. It took me two days to finish but was so very worth it. The cookie was soft and crumbly, the frosting just the right thickness, and it seriously was huge.

By the third day, the coldest yet, we were exhausted and needed an early night. We had pizza for dinner, I had cheese, G had pepperoni. We couldn't resist the garlic knots either. You really can't go wrong with pizza, the slices are huge, the prices are great. You can get good pizza just about anywhere in New York, we got ours from Red Stone Pizzeria Cafe near the hotel.

So far the food has been good, but I know it's only just begun. I can't wait to try out even more, check out some markets and food halls and then get back to Australia to cook it all for myself. But for now its into my nice warm bed out of this cold.

Christmas Cookies

So the other week I blogged about how I would love to be able to give away some cookies and other baked good for christmas. I wasn't feeling too optimistic about it but miracles do happen. I finally got into the kitchen and made cookies, Chirstmas cookies!! then I wrapped, decorated, tagged and delivered this lovely little parcels of joy. I made two varieties, a basic butter cookie cut into stars (The recipe was from the cookie cutter box) and basic shortbread.

It wasn't all success though. As well as the little parcels, I also made a cookie christmas tree. Sure it all went together ok, and looks good. But fast forward a day to when it was supposed to be delivered and its not such a pretty store. It fell apart, and an emergency gift was needed instead. I'll just leave you with pretty pictures and spare you the future horror.

So I missed it....

Well my blog anniversary came and went yesterday and I missed it. I do have an excuse, I've been out of town for the last 4 days, so I guess I kinda have a reason. If I was one of those super-bloggers I would have pre-planned and had a a post ready to go. But if you have looked at my blog, you should clearly know that I am not one of those super-bloggers! I might whip up a cake in the next few days, but honestly I wouldn't hold my breath! Anyway, thank you to those of you who have joined me even if just for a little while in the last year, and I hope I can continue to slowly slowly get better at this blogging thing, or at least better at baking. Please, keep coming back, and say hi as well!!

Simple Chocolate Slice

Simple. Such a delightful word. Its what I strive for. Nothing complicated, easy to understand. But the annoying thing about keeping it simple, is that its not. Some things will always be complicated, no matter how hard we try to make it otherwise. Sometimes we make things more complicated then they are. But there is always something that makes it all better, for me anyway. Time spent in the kitchen is therapeutic, its my time to just be. And then you get the sweet rewards, there real is no better way to keep it real. And simple.

This slice really does live up to its name. Throw the ingredients into the bowl, mix and bake. Expect what the recipe looks like, its not a rich decadent slice, but a great one to have on hand for afternoon snacks.

Simple Chocolate Slice

http://au.food.yahoo.com/recipes/recipe/-/5708736/simple-chocolate-slices/

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour

395g condensed milk

1/2 cup choc chips

1/2 cup coconut

20g butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, condensed milk, choco chips, coconut and butter.

2. Pour into pan, bake for 15-18 minutes. When cool, ice with chocolate icing.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

I have been thinking lately about how the art of baking is being lost. No one seems to give baked goods as gifts, there isn't an endless supply of home made cakes or biscuits on hand in the kitchen. Maybe it disappeared a long time ago, maybe it was never that prevalent in Australia. I read all the blogs from US bakers posting their favourite cookies and how to pack goods to send to loved ones. Why don't we do that here? Why don't I start?

This was my thinking before Saturday, I was starting to plan all the great recipes I could bake over the next few weeks to give away as gifts. Then I remembered. Its summer. That means its hot, really hot. On Saturday it was 43C, that's almost 110F for those of you in the North. Who is gonna turn the oven on in that heat?!!! So I might not do as much baking as I would like before Christmas, but I'm going to do as much as the weather lets me.

For those of you that are in cooler climates, try out this Double Chocolate Banana Bread I made a couple of weeks ago, you really can't go wrong with this one.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Recipe from dlynz.com

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarb

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)

1 cup plain yoghurt (I used banana flavour)

2 medium bananas, cut into a medium dice

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl beat together egg, oil and yoghurt.

2. Combine egg mixture, banana and chocolate chips and dry ingredients.

3. Spread batter in greased loaf pan. Bake at 180C for 60-70 minutes.

Strawberry Jam Tarts

Ahhh peace and quiet. I'm not sure what I did but I've finally found some quiet time. This weekend has been full of a whole lot of nothing and I'm loving it. Not only does it mean I have a clean house, and I've had time to just be calm it also means I can bake. Oh how great it is to bake without being rushed, no deadlines, no racing out the door before its cooled. I have been waiting for this opportunity to make these beautiful jam tarts. It also meant I got to pull out my mini muffin pan, and that always means good things. These did take me a little time, but only because I only have a 12-hole mini muffin pan, and this makes about 24-30 mini tarts. Otherwise its alot simpler then it looks. Great cookie dough base and simple jam filling. My mind is already full of other possible fillings. Stay tuned for that!!

Strawberry Jam Tarts

Recipe from http://www.evilshenanigans.com/2009/07/strawberry-jam-tarts/

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 cup salted butter (I think I used unsalted and added some salt)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup strawberry jam, seedless (I ended up using the whole jar)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, sugar, milk, vanilla and butter. Pulse until the mixture forms a ball.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and form into a log. Divide the log in half and divide each half into 15 pieces.

4. Place a ball of dough in the cup of a mini muffin pan and using a dough tamper or your fingers, press down until the dough reaches the top of the cup.

5. Spoon about one tablespoon of jam into each tart shell, making sure the tart shells are not too full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tarts are golden and jam is bubbling. Cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing to a rack to cool the rest of the way. You can dust with icing sugar before serving.

Favourite Chocolate Pudding

There are some foods that always taste better when made by someone special. No matter how hard you try it just isn't as good when made by someone else. I think that its got nothing to do with taste or cooking skill, its just about the feeling you get knowing someone has made that special dish you love. This recipe falls into that category for my boyfriend. This is his mum's chocolate pudding recipe, his favourite dessert. Almost as soon as we started dating this recipe was on the list, but even though I did a great job its just wasn't as good as mums, as he continues to tell me! I guess I'll just have to settle for that and find another a special dish of my own. But this pudding certainly isn't disappearing from the menu.

So, next time its cold and rainy, and all you want to do is curl up under a blanket and watch movies, put this pudding in the oven and enjoy the comfort. A beautiful vanilla cake smothered in warm chocolate sauce, there is nothing better than that.

Favourite Chocolate Pudding

recipe from boyfriends mum

Ingredients

2oz butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

tsp vanilla

2 spoons cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups boiling water

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and stir in remaining ingredients. Mix until batter is smooth.

2. Pour mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle cocoa and sugar mixture over mixture. Pour boiling water over top and bake in moderate over (180C) for 35-40 minutes.