The Wedding is in 6 MONTHS!!

My sister is getting married!!! They are getting married in July at The Solage in Calistoga. I’m so excited to celebrate their union and shake my tail-feather a little! It will be a very small ceremony, with only family in attendance. Did I mention I am the Matron of Honor? (Who thought of such an awful name?!) Wanna know how cool my sister is? I get to wear whatever I want! Any color, length, designer… None of that conformist bullshit. With all do respect some people don’t have the ability to pick out an appropriate yet flattering dress for any event let alone for one that will be photographed to death… But I don’t have that problem. We have been reading magazines and scouring the Internet to see what we can do to make it original, romantic and a little bit of whimsy. Did I mention the Lioness will be the flower girl? Its going to be so much fun I can’t WAIT!!! We are going to drive up and spend half the week in SF and then head over for the festivities. The countdown has begun!

Best. Menu. Ever.

I have felt quite inspired by my favorite chef Rick Bayless these days. With the arrival of my loved ones this holiday season I felt as though I had to make a menu that would make him proud! Since I had to work on Thanksgiving… I figured to seize the day and roast my first turkey! We stayed true to my obsession with Mexican food but stepped it up a notch. Our dinner consisted of this: Adobo Turkey with Red Chili Gravy, Spiced Sweet potatoes, my famous creamed corn and finally Apple Pie with Mexican Brown Sugar. I let the turkey sit almost an hour after taking it out of the oven to keep it moist and I was so glad I did- It was juicy and flavorful and EVERYONE went back for seconds! I may not do everything right in life but I sure can cook!

December!!

Sorry its been so long but being gainfully employed an all, its been difficult to manage my time!! As you ALL know I have to make room to cook and workout so I have neglected you all and I beg for your forgiveness!! Auntie B and Nerd Love were both here visiting which made my soul dance! But- here is some documentation of the fun we had: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrapstar/sets/72157623119847107/

Dia de los Muertos

Every year I cook and decorate not only for Halloween but also for Dia de los Muertos. I believe the idea of celebrating those who have passed is a wonderful practice and I want my family to feel as though death is not a sad unfortunate occurrence, but a part of the circle of life. We can remember those who are no longer with us by remembering the life they lived instead ofthe day they died. Although Las Vegas is a major city, we tend to be behind the times in regards to cultural activites. This year, with the opening of the Spring Preserve, we had our first annual Dia de los Muertos celebration! When we arrived there were already hundreds of people and dancers in beautiful costumes from the Mexico Vivo Dance Company were performing “La Llorona” and “La Leyenda de Muerto” which were both stunning. The Lioness was dancing to the drums and laughing with the other children. We walked around and saw another dance company perform in the dark which was actually quite spiritual.  We saw the alters and the art displays all for the price of $10! The food carts were all sold out but we did manage to grab a beer and see the children get their face painted and decorate their own sugar skulls. It was a magical night and I can’t wait to go back next year!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrapstar/sets/72157622719665202/

Halloween!

Oh how I LOVE this time of year! We figured the Lioness should be a LION! She did seem to enjoy her mane more playing around the house than out on Halloween but perhaps being carried around by her favorite person in the world was a little distracting. Let me just say that I was the most jealous of the love DJ Lance received when we went out. It was AWESOME! Kids wanted to take their pictures with him and would yell out, “LOOK! IT’S YO GABBA GABBA!!”. Not to mention the look on the Lioness’ face as her Daddy carried her most of the night… My West Side Story costume was cute but in no way a comparison to my crew. I have already vowed, next year I’m gonna bring it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrapstar/sets/72157622719551886/

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Since Antie K’s birthday falls in October we thought it was the perfect time for a girls getaway! Being that there was a birthday to celebrate… why not go to DISNEYLAND?! So off we went – the Lioness did great on the car ride down but on the way back decided it was the perfect opportunity to open her bottle and dump her milk all over herself as well as her car seat (many tears were shed). We wandered around LA eating yummy deliciousness and looking at beautiful things. The Lioness seemed to find the giant Hello Kitty at Opening Ceremony quite captivating! But nothing compared to DISNEYLAND! We didn’t buy mouse ears and take lots of pictures with Mickey as it would have broken Daddy’s heart to miss it, we’ll save those rights of passage for later. She did make a friend, Sophia, who decided The Lioness should try on her Peter Pan hat! The Lioness adored every minute of it. I will say that she had a great time on the rides and wasn’t scared of a single thing! Wonder where she gets her fearless nature from? Hmmm… http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrapstar/sets/72157622595097721/

Holiday Traditions

This year it looks like I will be cooking ALL holiday meals… Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day. I want to begin traditions my family can look forward to each year and remember for the rest of their lives. No pressure though!!!

So I want to know what YOU did/do with YOUR family that gives you the warm fuzzies. Help a new mama out and comment away!!!

Fall Seasonal Shopping

So the fall is upon us and please forgive me for being a little late with this post but here in Las Vegas, we JUST COOLED DOWN! One day it was 94 degrees and the next 74. That’s how we roll in the desert! So through November, here is my list of seasonal super fresh ingredients: (items with a link are my go to super foods!)

Apples, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery Root, Chicory, Cranberries, Cucumbers, Dates, Fennel, Grapes, Greens, Head or Iceberg Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce, Mushrooms, Nuts, Okra, Mandarin Oranges, Pears, Chile Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Persimmons, Pomegranates, Pumpkins, Quince, Shallots, Spinach, Winter Squash, Star Fruit, Sweet Potatoes

Now let me warn all of you that simply because the season has changed, it doesn’t give you a pass to eat horribly. I’ve found most of my friends that get sick in the winter months drastically change their diet to include lots of ‘comfort foods’ that have little to no nutritional value, not to mention are loaded with fat. Its the little things that make a difference, for example, we eat our Sweet Potatoes mashed with chili powder instead of butter and brown sugar. Have a salad and add apples and pomegranate seeds to give it crunch! Then you won’t feel so bad eating macaroni and cheese!

I ♥ our Home!!

As many of you know I have been in the process of redecorating for what feels like forever! But for those who are new to to this trip down the rabbit hole, I will provide you with some background information: Nerd Love and I bought a little townhouse almost 5 years ago. At that time it was so dirty every single contractor/vendor we had over to give estimates was shocked we were actually living in the house while renovating. But we are tough as nails, and since we couldn’t play in a pile of money while learning the lessons of home ownership, we had to grin and bear it. We ripped out the disgusting carpet, old broken appliances, dated light fixtures and painted the walls. Our first choices for wall colors was, well, quite off… we had a terrible time making the space feel larger. As money ran out we had to live with some of our choices but went for round two in a couple rooms. Still too small… So we gave up – we’re only human! Third time’s a charm though! Our trusty handyman Leroy said he could make it all better… AND HE DID! I’ve only posted pictures of areas that are done but I will add more as it evolves! http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrapstar/sets/72157622266089399/

Restaurant Week!

So when my Bestie Auntie K mentioned Restaurant Week was upon us, I was elated! There is no one is this whole world I would rather get fat with than K. During restaurant week, the menus are pre-fixed, but more importantly, Restaurant Week benefits Three Square, a charity that feeds the hungry right here in the Las Vegas Valley. I was shocked to read on the Three Square website that over 140,000 children in the Clark County School District receive “Free and Reduced Meals”. If you’re interested in events that benefit Three Square, they do a great job and its a wonderful cause.

So… On to the food!!! Our schedule of gluttony was as follows: Monday – Morel’s French Steakhouse; Tuesday – Postrio; Wednesday – Simon’s; Thursday – CraftSteak; Friday – Bradley Ogden; Saturday – Olives. Highlights? The bread at Bradley Ogden was amazing, Olives’ Calamari was delightful and CraftSteak has fantastic sides. Simon’s was probably my favorite entire meal, the lobster sushi roll was made with tempura sweet corn which were little bursts of yumminess!!

The Lioness did quite well, I must admit, she had her moments but she did seem to enjoy her beautiful surroundings. Even Trouble felt like a king the couple times he ate with us. It was also a great opportunity to explain to him how lucky he is to have three meals a day, every day. Unfortunately, not every child has the same. I would also like to give a shout out to all the restaurants who participated in this event, it shows a dedication to our community and a soft spot in their heart, two things I truly respect.