What Happens in Vegas...

So tired... Spend the long weekend in Las Vegas with Matt. It was pretty busy Saturday and Sunday, as it was a triple holiday weekend (Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, President's Day). All the hotels totally decked out for Chinese New Year-- it was almost too much.

Got intoVegas Friday night without much of a problem, and to my surprise, when we got picked up (Matt had reserved a car) there was free bubbly and a red rose in lieu of Valentine's Day! So, a pretty good start to the weekend, no?

Our first full day (Saturday) was pretty eventful. We woke up early (9:30-10am) to go to Bellagio's spa. I had scheduled a couple's massage and then I had a 50-minute facial (which was awesome), while Matt went in for a haircut and shave. Plans that night included going to Le Rêve and dinner at Joel Rubichon. I loved the show and the restaurant was awesome.

Sunday, we walked around and looked at the shops, and later that night went to a Valentine's dinner at Fleur du Lys. The food was pretty good, but I would love to go back on a non-holiday. The restaurant was totally packed and based on the layout it was obvious they had set up a bunch of extra tables and were trying to turn around as many tables as they could that night. So while our server was really great and friendly, you could tell they were really busy. They were also offering a "special" prix-fixe menu, which had tasty options, but again, I think it could have been better. I definitely would like to go back for a regular dinner experience. Other than it feeling really busy, I can't complain. The food was decent and they gave me a pink rose to take home before we left.

Monday, we walked down the strip and looked at some of the other shops and hotels. We also met up with my cousin Kathy and her boyfriend for dinner at Mix. It has AMAZING views of the strip and the food is really great. The highlight of the restaurant is it's bathroom, where the toilet is facing floor to ceiling windows. A little creepy that you are looking at all that scenery while peeing, but interesting none-the-less.

Of course there was tons of degenerate gambling on this trip too...

Now, I'm back in cold (slushy) New York and am feeling too lazy to post pictures, so I'm just going to offer up this link with some highlights of the trip. (Fleur de Lys pics here... I screwed the upload up, sorry!)

Be My (Forbidden) Valentine

So back when New Moon came out, two of my co-workers and I went to watch the film together opening day. Ever since then, it's been back and forth finding Twilight-themed gag gifts. 

It all started when Holly gave me a wooden wolf pin from the Union Square holiday market. In turn, I bought her an Edward Barbie/Ken doll for our Secret Holiday Exchange/her birthday. She followed this up with burger king New Moon cups... yes, I know, we are like two adolescent children.

The most recent addition to our collection is a box of New Moon "Forbidden Fruits" Sweethearts. 

Apparently, she just "couldn't resist!"

Anyway, Happy (early) Valentine's Day everyone!

Blustery Weather

Well, it seems NYC can't get out of a blizzard twice in a row (the storm from the weekend totally missed us).

Currently, working from home (aka being unproductive and staring out the window every 5 minutes)

Italian Asian

I was in the mood for some Italian so I made some Chicken Parmigiana and Linguine. Unfortunately my skill set does not yet include making sauce yet, so my marinara was store bought... gasp. I know, I know. I'll try eventually.

 Chicken Parmigiana and Linguine with Marinara

Making Chicken Parmigiana exactly the same as the Veal Scallopini recipe I posted with a few differences.

Right before you actually start cooking and you have everything set and ready to go (make sure you have sliced mozzarella set aside), set a pot of water on the stove to boil and preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cooking the chicken is the same exact method as the veal... changes in the recipe as follows:

No need to tenderize the chicken before cooking. 

Cook time: instead of 1-2 minutes, cook for 2-3 minutes on each side and place chicken on a baking sheet.

When all the chicken is on the baking sheet, ladle some sauce on the chicken, and place mozzarella on top. Pop into the oven for 7-10 minutes or until cheese looks thoroughly melted. 

Your water should be boiling at this point, so add your pasta to the water to cook. Time varies depending on what pasta you use, I used linguine which took about 9 minutes to al dente.

Since I used store bought marinara I needed to heat it up, before serving. I emptied the sauce into an oven-safe container and put it in the oven to warm up while the cheese melted on the chicken.