Cornbread, Ain't Nothing Wrong With That...

A phrase which can be credited to the always funny Chris Rock but it is so true - there is nothing wrong with cornbread. I enjoy cornbread just straight up but you want to know what else I enjoy? A little chicken potpie. Especially on a rainy fall day. So when I stumbled upon a recipe that combines cornbread and chicken pot pie, I thought - Bingo.

This recipe is great because it's simple and healthy - no heavy sauces or creams here. I added mushrooms because C likes them and - heck yes we are getting in another serving of veggies. woo hoo. I think green beans would work nicely in these dish too.

Cornbread Chicken Potpie 

(adapted from Can You Stay For Dinner?) 

Yields: 5 Servings

Ingredients:


Filling: 

• 1 medium onion, diced 
• about 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 2 gloves garlic, chopped or minced 
• about 3 stalks of celery, chopped 
• 12 oz. mushrooms sliced 
• 1/3 cup chopped carrots 
• 1 can sweet corn 
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper (or more if you like) 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (more to taste) Penzy's Northwoods seasoning (or you can choose a mixture of your own favorite seasonings to use in poultry dishes) 
• 1/4 cup flour 

Crust: 

• 3/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoons canola oil

Directions: 

• To Make Filling: First, you need to poach the chicken breasts. To poach, set chicken breasts in a large pot, cover with two inches of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the chicken for about 12 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center. Cut up chicken into small cubes. 
• Preheat oven to 350.  Coat an 8” square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat EVOO in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms and corn, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir until it coats the vegetables, about 30 seconds. Slowly stir in 2 cups of chicken stock, whisking well so that the flour begins to de-clump and thicken the stock. Cook mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Stir in cooked chicken, thyme, sage,  salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture into your prepared dish and spread mixture evenly.
• To make crust: In a large bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir milk, egg and canola oil until well combined in a separate bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Spoon the batter evenly over the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

If I were to really get on a cornbread kick, I'd want to make this and then this. And binge eat corn bread. And there ain't nothing wrong with that. (until I try to fit into my jeans that is...)


ps- C and I are off to a wedding this weekend! Yay! And Rosh Hashanah started at sundown on the 28th. Wishing on my Jewish lovelies a mazelevous New Year! xoxo 

Obsessed with: Zara (Online!)

Apparently I didn't get the memo. So for some of you this may be old news. Too bad. I'm excited and I'm sharing. Today I made maybe the greatest discovery of my lifetime: Zara online shopping is now available in the US!!! This just tickles my sequined delight. For those of you not as familiar with Zara as others, Zara is an international clothing company specializing in affordable and fairly trendy (think sequins, skinny paints, over-sized shades, and the occasional obnoxious print) clothing + accessories. Think of Zara as H &M's big sister. Much prettier and more fun big sister. 

Previously, Zara did not offer an online shopping option with shipping to the US. To further put a limp in my strut, there are very few brick & mortar Zara locations in the US making it very difficult for me to get my Zara on. Although, I'm hoping as more Canadians invade and the rise of the metro area of Torontoalo becomes more real and less fantasy, we will one day see the doors of a Zara open here. 

So what is a girl to do to get her Zara fix? Besides binge shop when she visits Chicago or Vegas (not like I've ever done that....no...no waaaayyyy....) I guess just sadly admire from a far all the cool garments, chucky bracelets, and black leather booties that she can't have....until now!!!

So here are a few of my must haves/ favs from the website. And yes I can add them to my shopping cart. And have them shipped here to the good 'ole USA. Mazel! 

A sequined ballet flat? What's not to love. 

Ruffles make this tough looking bootie so sweet

I love everything about this outfit - the bold wide leg pant looks great with this feminine coat

I actually bought a very similar sweater from Zara last year. Apparently faux fur is still in and I'm happy about it.  The collar on this open shawled "jumper" just shouts cuddle.

A skirt in black lace: so classy it hurts 

What every girl should own: A black sequined blazer. My personal LBD. 

A cross-body mini bag made extra chic with spots! 

Pumpkin Face

I've already gushed on and on about all the reasons I love fall. One recent addition to why I love fall: pumpkin. More specifically, pumpkin in food. Just click on any given foodie blog or recipe website nowadays and you can find delish pumpkin inspired recipes. Pumpkin is totes in, ya heard?

So here is a pumpkin-centric baked good that I'd like to add to the mix. A pumpkin bar with ooey gooey yummy peanut butter frosting. I love love love the pairing of pumpkin and peanut butter. And I think you will too if you give these bars a try.

I took a basic bar recipe that I have had tucked away for a few years and jazzed it up by adding canned pumpkin. The original recipe called for layering chocolate chips on top of the prepared batter, but I felt like mixing them right in. I think you could go either way and end up with some deliciousness. Also- I think butterscotch or milk chocolate chips would be totes fantastic substitutions for classic semi-sweet chips.

Pumpkin Vanilla Bars with Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp 
• 1/2 sugar
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1 can pumpkin 
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 cup quick cook oats
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Frosting: 

• 1 cup confectionery sugar 
• 1/4 cups creamy reduced fat peanut butter
• 3 tbsp (and more to mix to desired consistency) skim milk 

Directions: 

• Preheat over 350 degrees
• Spray 13x9x2 pan with cooking spray 
• In large bowl beat butters, sugars, pumpkin and vanilla until mixed and creamy
• In second bowl, mix together dry ingredients 
• On low speed, add dry mixture to large bowl in batches until just combined 
• Mix in chocolate chips 
• Pour batter into pan 
• Bake for about 20-22 minutes or golden brown and center is set 
• To Make Frosting:  Mix together confectioners sugar, peanut butter and milk until smooth. Pour icing over the bars while they are still warm from the oven, and swirl the chips with the icing.
• Let bars cool until cutting into squares. You may even wanted to place them in the fridge for a few hours to set even more. 

Chewy Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I played around with the name of these cookies for a while. I'm still not totally happy with the result. Chocolate white chocolate chip cookies. I think it is a mouthful. It doesn't exactly roll off your tongue but it's the only name I think that aptly describes these cookies.

I baked these yesterday for C to take to the office. I was especially excited to make these because (1) I had a reason to use up my open bag of white chocolate chips (I hate having half a bag of something like that.) and (2) Because I got to use my new ice cream scoop!

Ice cream scoops are the best in my opinion for dishing out cookie dough. Zeroll makes fantastic ice cream scoops - in 13 different sizes! The sizes are color coded and the pink one (.53 oz) is the perfect size for making small cookies.

This recipe yields of a ton of dough. I think I managed to get out about 40 small cookies which is ideal for an office like setting where there are likely to be a bunch of hungry co-workers. I imagine the dough will bake up just as nice if you make fewer cookies which are larger in size.

Chewy Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies 

(adapted from Keep It Sweet)


Yields: about 40 small cookies


Ingredients: 

• ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Dash of salt
• 1 ¼ cup (2 ½ stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated Sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips 

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 375
• Mix together cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside
• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy
• Beat in the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla
• Gradually add dry ingredients with mixer on low; then mix at medium speed until well-combined
• Stir in chocolate chips
• Drop dough in heaping tablespoons on baking sheets lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart
• Bake at 375 for 8 minutes or until cookies are slightly puffy
• Let cool on cooling rack

I hope these cookies help jump start your weekend (the first weekend of fall!) Enjoy! 

Office Baked Goods, Babe

Sometime last week C announced, "Babe, I need you to bake something for me to take to the office on Friday morning. I'm the new guy and the new guy has to do that kind of stuff." Awesome. Now I have an excuse to bake even more AND C and I won't suffer the caloric intake as a result. Perf.

But what do I bake? Cookies? Always a safe go to. Or, do I dare take a risk, and try something new in an attempt to impress C's co-workers. Are ya feelin' lucky?

I decided, and I'm not sure how, on muffins. Muffins are a pretty sure bet. I like muffins. Most people like muffins. And they can serve a dual purpose of both a breakfast and a snack food. Also, they travel nicely and are individually "wrapped" which suits well for a communal environment. Well there. I guess I do know how I arrived at making muffins.

These are a whole grain muffin jazzed up with yummy toffee bits. Similar to the way sequins add a little party to a little black dress. Insert spirit fingers here. So I guess I took a bit of a risk with the toffee bits.

Toffee Honey Oat Muffins

(adapted from an issue of Food & Wine magazine)

Ingredients: 

• 3/4 cup(s) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup(s) whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground baking spice
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 cup(s) plus 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup(s) buttermilk
• 1/2 cup(s) canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 bag (or about 4 oz) Toffee pieces

Directions:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 12 muffin pan with cupcake/muffins liners. In a large bowl, mix the oats with the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, coriander and salt.
• 2. In another bowl, whisk the honey with the buttermilk, canola oil and eggs. Pour the honey mixture into the dry ingredients; mix just until combined. Add toffee pieces.
• 3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake for about 18 minutes, until they're golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.

So what was the finally verdict on the muffins? C says "They were a huge hit!" He assures me they were gone in a matter of minutes. Ahhh yessss. I am patting myself on the back. And looking forward to next week's episode of Office Baked Goods.

Dynamite Quesadillas

I still remember when the movie Napoleon Dynamite came out. It was my junior year of college and lets just say that was a different era of my life. I loved Napoleon Dynamite. I watched it over and over again. With or without people. Daytime. Nighttime. Any time really. I loved to quote it and actually tried to use the quotes in everyday conversations. AND I came up with a pretty sweet bo staff routine.

Moving on. One of my new current go-to meals for C and I is quesadillas. Fairly quick. Fairly easy and loads of fun. Almost as fun as Napoleon Dynamite. So what's the connection between my fond memories of this now cult classic cinematic dream and my daily dinner menu? Very little....except this.

Napoleon Dynamite: Well, what is there to eat? 

Grandma: Knock it off, Napoleon! Just make yourself a dang quesa-dilluh!

Now, for most likely the rest of my life, I always associate Napoleon Dynamite with quesadillas. And I almost always pronounce it incorrectly. Just cause.

Usually, I switch up the quesadillas fillings - peppers, chicken, shrimp, beans you name it - I've stuffed it in between two tortillas and called it delish. But this chicken and mushroom combo is a real winner. The accompanying BBQ sauce is perfectly tangy and oh so good.

got a pic post bite...

BBQ Chicken and Mushroom Quesadillas

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon cider or rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 pound mushrooms, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced 
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced or cubed
• 1 tablespoon Arizona Dreaming spice from Penzey Spices (but any southwestern spice mix will do)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 8- to 10-inch whole-wheat tortillas
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions: 

• Combine barbecue sauce, ketchup, vinegar and spices in a medium bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and red peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring, until the onion and mushrooms are beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Brown chicken in pan until cooked through. Wipe out pan again.
• Transfer the vegetables and chicken to the bowl with the barbecue sauce; stir to combine. Wipe out the pan.
• Place tortillas on a work surface. Spread 3 tablespoons cheese on half of each tortilla and top with one-fourth (about 1/2 cup) of the filling. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 2 quesadillas and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve.

I always serve mine up with low fat sour cream (if allowed, I could eat sour cream by the spoonful just fyi). And just to get in another veggie, I blanched some fresh green + yellow beans from my mom's garden to serve with the quesadillas. Heck yes! 

Mazel of a Weekend

Hello! Let me start off by saying that Chris and I had an amazing weekend. We spent Saturday morning volunteering at the Music is Art Festival (we even got to meet Robby Takac from the Goo Goo Dolls #starstruck). Music is Art is a non-profit founded by Robby in 2004 which "seeks to explore and reshape music’s cultural, social, and educational impact on the community." The Festival is an all-day music and art extravaganza which showcases over 50 performing arts acts plus many more local artists, photographers, sculptors and painters from the WNY area. 

amazing graffiti 

We were assigned to help out at the beer + wine tent. Now while this may initially sounds like the fun spot to be, we were there for the morning shift at 9:30am and, shocking I know, there was not a line of people waiting to get their booze on bright and early. Luckily, we were working with some great people who let us take off early and enjoy the festivities. 

C was happy listening to this bluegrass band

Oh and guess what?!? Llyod's Taco Truck was there! I was so excited because I have yet to participate in the food truck phenom and Llyod's is supposedly the best in Buffalo. So for lunch both C and I munched on a delish chicken burrito with rice, beans, lettuce, cheese, and a out of this world taco sauce that tasty somewhat like...umm...wing sauce. Big thumbs up all around. 

We spent the afternoon in Ashford Hollow NY were my parents have a second home and lots of acreage - 200 + acres. Check out this view....

Sunday morning I ran the Shea's 5K with my mom. The weather was perfect for a race - sun, no wind, around 63 degrees....couldn't ask for anything more. My time clocked in at 26:35 which put me at 12 out of 34 in my age group. 


My mom and I weren't able to really enjoy the post-race party because I had to race back (ha no pun intended) to get ready for our engagement photo shoot! The weather got even more perfect as the day went on so by 5pm, as the afternoon sun began to set, we were able to take advantage of some fantastic natural lighting. 


For the location of the shoot, C and I choose Delaware Lake and the Bidwell Parkway area (right around Buff Sem, where I went to high school). We incorporated some fun (nerdy) elements into the shoot and I can't wait to see how everything turned out. I'll make sure to share the results with you all! 


ps- And the icing on cake/ what really made this great weekend a totes awesome weekend....the Buffalo Bills beat the Oakland Raiders 38-35 in what ESPN was calling the "best game of the day." The Bills are now 2-0 and are tied for 1st place in the AFC East. Never mind they play New England next week, just you never mind. Let's Go Buffalo! 

Fall Bucket List

The first day of autumn (autumn sounds so much more sophisticated than plain fall doesn't it?) is fast approaching. I love fall. It's my favorite. Back to school time (I was a nerd and loved school. Heck I'm still a nerd and would love to go back. Everyone needs a doctorate right?)...the leaves start to change, turning beautiful warm shades of color and the weather turns cooler, but not too cool. Halloween. Football. ahhh fall.

So with the change of seasons, lets reflect. Awhile back, I wrote a post about all the things I wanted to get accomplished this summer. And I didn't do half bad in getting those things completed.I don't think...

Our wedding entertainment is booked! We couldn't quite decide on whether we wanted a band or a DJ. We both love the sound/ feel of live entertainment. But, because both C and I (and our family/ friends) have, um for the lack of a better word, eclectic music styles, we had trouble finding a band that played more than just the usual wedding party tunes - i.e. "Brown Eyed Girl," "Sweet Caroline" and anything by KC and the Sunshine Band. So, we found a DJ that we really like AND...perhaps most importantly, he also does karaoke. Zing. Boom. Done.

C singing karaoke in Vegas (sorry the pic is so blurry...I think I was shaking when I took it because I kept cheering)

But we still wanted a live music element. Therefore, we are also in the midst of booking a jazz trio for the cocktail hour. So, if you don't like any of the music at our wedding, you are deaf.

How'd I do on the rest of the list? Well, we attended and enjoyed the Garden Walk. I didn't make it to any wineries but, fall is a fabulous time to get a tour or two in.

Our guest bedroom/ office returned to its normal neat self on July 29th. I even hung a picture. But that's as far far as the finishing of the decorating has gone. oops. Although, I've mentally selected the window treatments. Now, I just need to find out if they exist in the real world.

Lots of Flea + Farmer's Market-ing was had by all during these summer months.

And, sadly, I did not get around to making my homemade poptarts. But I will! I will! I promise.

So, with the coming of a new season, there comes a new bucket list. A list of must-dos for autumn.

(1) Find the perfect pie crust recipe. And make loads of pies.

I've got my eye on this one from Martha- Cheddar Crusted Apple Pie! 

Pretty self-explanatory. A pie can be made (or broken) by its crust. I have a few go-to recipes (like my mom's and aunts) but I'd really like to find a pie crust recipe that I feel comfortable executing in my sleep. Figuratively speaking. obvi.

(2) Host a Spooktacular Halloween Mitzvah 

When I was a little girl, my mom use to throw the most amazing Halloween parties. My brother and I would get to invite our friends over for a night full of Halloween games, costumes, and treats. I'm excited to throw a more grown-up version this year and hope to share all the details with you guys.

(3) Design my wedding invitations/ suite

Loving the formal yet modern feel of this invitation suite 

I'm not sure exactly which direction I'm going to go yet for my invitations but I've got some ideas. I really do believe that an invitation sets the mood of your wedding - it's a first impression after all.

(4) Improve my running. 

Right before I headed out for my first 10 miler...I've got loads of water!

Back at the end of June I decided to get serious about my running and start training for a marathon. I even signed up for one. Unfortunately, I think I jumped the gun and I'm not going to be ready for the marathon in November. I hit a major mental and physical road block between the 11 and 12 mile point and have been having a hard time getting past this point in my training. My legs just don't want to move! I welcome any sort of advice/ encouragement you runners out there (Oh heeey, Prossers...) might have to offer. I've backed off my mileage at this point and I'm trying to focus on building up my lower body in order to better condition it for those longer runs. On a positive note, I'm having fun running 5ks (at least 1 a month) and I'm working on improving my time. At this point, I'm thinking a half marathon is much more feasible in the near future. But fear not...I will run a marathon in my lifetime.

(5) Cook my first Thanksgiving Turkey

This is true milestone as my life as a cook. Everyone remembers the first turkey they try to make. I'm going to be leaning on my mom for lots of help I'm sure but, with a little patience and a lot of prayer, hopefully we have some yummy gobble gobble come November.

Plum Phyllo Tart

I don't know why but for some reason I was in a baking mood. On a Monday. I did my running in the morning yesterday and C was coming home late so I had some extra time on my hands after work. So, why not bake a nice rustic dessert using the plums I recently picked up? (Ps- With my extra free time, I also got to enjoy a nice long catch-up phone chat with one of my MOHs. totes awesome)

I recently picked up Martha's Pies + Tarts cookbook which I consider a must in any baker's cookbook collection. Most of the treats in the book are classics but she also gets creative with a little puff pastry and/or phyllo dough every now and then. Oh and there is a section devoted to what are called dream pies. Think chocolate, creamy, coconut, stuffed deliciousness.

This tart is the product of me combining two of Martha's tarts- one was a rather traditional apple tart and the other used phyllo dough. Oh, and like I said, I used plums as my fruit of choice. I took a bit of a risk but this tart turned out so simple and good. And it looks so deconstructed chic. Apparently I'm a trendy baker now.

A somewhat blurry (sorry) pic of egg washed phyllo sheets

Plum Phyllo Tart 

(adapted from various Martha Stewart recipes)

Ingredients: 

• 3 to 4 plums, sliced 
• 1 package phyllo sheets - thawed if frozen 
• 2 to 3 egg whites, whisked 
• 1/4 cup no sugar added apple sauce 
• 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar (for sprinkling) 

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Un package and lay flat phyllo sheets. Start with a base of two to three phyllo sheets and lay flat on ungreased cookie sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly (and the key is lightly because if the super thing phyllo becomes too soggy it will start to fall apart) coat dough with egg white. 
• Take one sheet of phyllo and lay on top of sheets brushed with egg white. Lightly coat this sheet with egg white. Repeat process until all sheets of phyllo are coated with egg whites. 
• Spoon apple sauce on top of sheets and carefully spread to lightly coat. 
• Take plum slices and position in neat rows across the dough. 
• Sprinkle with brown sugar 
• Bake for 15 minutes until phyllo is a light brown color and crispy around the edges. Allow to cool before slicing in to squares. 

I have to say....I like kicking of the week with a knock out dessert.

The final product :)

Las Vegas Recap

I'm so terrible. It's been weeks since our Vegas Workcay (work +vacay) and I have only shared a few snapshots of our adventures. Now it's time for me to fill you in on the rest.

We started off the trip with a bang. And by bang I mean we wasted no time in finding some delish eats. When we landed in Vegas, it was only 10:30 am but our bodies thought it was well past lunch time. After checking in (we stayed at Caesar's Palace) and pumping a initiatory $20 bucks into the slots, we settled on doing lunch at Trevi, located inside the Forum Shops for lunch.

In true Vegas style, we started our lunch off right - with ice cold Peronis. ahhh so refreshing. We also munched on the bruchetta as a starter. Such a great choice. The tomatoes were so fresh. and the toast underneath was perfectly crunchy.

We both opted for salads as our main course. Although we were pretty much starving, we didn't want to be too filled up for dinner later that night. (Keep reading to hear me gush about our amazing dinner!) C chose the Chopped Italian Salad -"Roasted chicken, salami, marinated artichokes, provolone cheese, garbanzo beans, sun-dried and roma tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions, pepperoncini and romaine tossed in Caesar dressing" and I went for the Tuscan Tuna salad.

I pretty much died and went to tuna heaven with the first bite of this salad. I think it's safe to say that this was the best salad AND the best tuna dish I've ever had. The menu described it perfectly - "Italian style tuna, cannellini beans, kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and olive oil." There was so much yummy on the plate. I couldn't eat it all but sure wanted to. In fact, I loved this salad so much, I came back for a second helping two days later while C was off hitting the links. 


We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the forum shops and just enjoying our surroundings. We also rested up a bit because we had a big night ahead of us...

Dinner at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill and a nice little stand-up from David Spade! To tell you the truth, I was a little concerned about our dinner after reading Emily at Daily Garnish's experience there. But, luckily we had an amazing amazing (did I mention it was amazing) meal.

According to its website, Mesa Grill is where Bobby Flay "brings his passion for bold and innovative Southwestern fare." And the menu is certainly filled with choices that marry the flavor of Southwestern cuisine with Bobby's love of the grill.  Ps- Not being vegan is almost an absolute is you really want to dig into BF's menu. So I can see where Emily was coming from.

We started out the meal by ordering a great bottle of red wine and an appetizer recommended to us by our waiter- the tiger shrimp and roasted garlic tamale served with corn and cilantro sauce . Ps again- Our waiter, who's name escapes me now, was super helpful and we order almost our entire meal based on his recommendations. I love that. And I loved the tamale. It was different - a little pouch filled with shrimp and a delicate southwestern zest of flavor. There was some sort of cornbread mixture packed in there too. Cornbread. ain't nothing wrong with that.

Entree time. C ordered the rib-eye and I ordered the salmon. We both loved them! My big pet peeve with salmon is when it taste...well like salmon. Ha. You know what I mean though? That yucky too fishy obviously not fresh taste that often accompanies ill prepared salmon? Well Bobby's salmon was anything but yucky. The accompanying chile-honey glaze was perfectly sweet.

And C loved his steak. I wish I could tell you more about it but, alas, I lack in the carnivore department.

One of the best parts of the meal was our side (see above photo and below. The one below- which is much prettier - is borrowed from Daily Garnish) - Roasted corn with chipolte aioli, lime, and cotija ( a type of cheese). so yum. and I'm not a corn fan. I've already tracked down the recipe and plan to recreate it sometime soon for C.

Oh sidenote: we were seated in an elevated area that had a great sight line into the kitchen (the kitchen, or at least the grill area, is designed with an open concept allow guests to watch their dinner as it's being cooked). We enjoyed watching the controlled chaos occur behind that grill.

And what about dessert? Because you know we def had to order it no matter how full we were! All desserts, we were told, are prepared in house by Mesa Grills very own pastry chef. Perf. I ordered the toasted coconut layer cake. Lovely. toasted. and coconutty in every way. A swell cake all around but not the best I've ever had.

C finished off his meal with a slice of mango buttermilk upside down cake. I failed to get a pic of it (I was too busy scarfing down cake to get to the camera, duh) but it was pretty and tasty all at the same time. For sure a different twist on what I would normally think of when I hear buttermilk. And while the pairing of mango and buttermilk may initially seem questionable...here it worked.

After dinner, we headed over to the Venetian to see David Spade do a little stand up. (No pics allowed, sorry). We had amazing seats in a not too big and kinda cozy theater. Kevin Farley, brother and look alike of the late Chris Farley, opened up for David. He was funny but I think it was more because he looked so much and sounded so much like his brother than his actual comedic abilities. David Spade himself was prob on stage for no more than 45 minutes but he def rocked it during that time. Oh and yes he is that tiny in real life.

The rest of our time in Vegas was pretty much filled with work-related stuff. I was there for our buying group's, Brandsource, semi-annual convention. Interested? I bet not. But here are some pics from the showroom floor.

Checking out the Caddy of High-Efficiency laundry

Celebrating its 100 year anniversary, Whirlpool had some oldies but goodies on display. Here is one of the first Kitchen-Aid dishwashers ever! It's pink! 

New Whirlpool french-door

So that was pretty much Vegas - a perfect combo of work and play. Oh wait! I forgot one tiny little thing...thanks to our friends at Bosch, we saw Rod Stewart!! To my dismay, Cher left Vegas earlier this year but Rod did not disappoint and we were treated to an amazing show. Thanks Bosch!