According to EVERYONE on the internet Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers are by far the best that any home cook can buy. I had mine around 15 or so years and noticed that it seems to make noises and gets so hot I think it might catch on fire. I read that the average age for a Ktchen Aid Mixer to last is about 15 years so maybe I’m due to replace it.
Recently I noticed that Kitchen Aid Mixers were on sale at Costco so I picked out a new one. When I picked it up I noticed that it isn’t as heavy as my old one……..?
I made a batch of dough and I wanted it to mix for ten minutes.
Then after 4 minutes it stopped.
I tried a few more times to start it up.
I returned it back to Costco. I still have my old Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Maybe it will work a few more times?
Sushi Neko is an all you can eat sushi restaurant in Chinatown in Las Vegas Nevada. It might be confusing to some to find this particular restaurant because they also have Neko Sushi Supreme a few doors down that opens an hour latter. They also have Neko Ramen next door and a new Neko (I think called Neko Snack) is opening up next to Neko Sushi Supreme. They are similar to the other all-you-can-eat sushi places but do offer a larger variety of fish than the all-you-can-eats outside of Chinatown.
Anyways –
We started out with –
Red Snapper Nigiri
Salmon Belly, Tuna, and Yellow Tail Nigiri
Fish was reasonably good in all the nigiri but the rice is over seasoned and loose and wet.
Chicken Karaage – unseasoned and hard chicken and tough like a car tire.
Just Showing off some food I made. The recipes or variations of the recipes can be found here just use the search.
Not everything but most were for gatherings.
Mini Cheese Pizza Buns and Cheese Blintzes with Mixed Fruit Sauce
Curing Pastrami
Smoking the pastrami
Pastrami
My Pastrami on my homemade Rye Roll…(the next rye rolls came out better because I made them in an oven that didn’t suck)
Pizza Buns & Macerated Strawberry Hamentashen with Chocolate Drizzle
Had a bag of potatoes I had to use.
Made savory potato pies called knishes.
Roasted off some potatoes and filled them with the savory potato filling.
Potatoes with savory potato filling.
After making the pastrami I needed more rye rolls so-
Rye Rolls
Made deviled eggs with Peruvian Sweety Drop Peppers.
Pate a Choux, Chocolate, Chocolate Mascarpone, Lightly Macerated Strawberry
These look much prettier that what my photo shows. The Pastry (Pate a Choux was piped and looks like the Deviled Egg Swirls. I thought a light dip of chocolate would be good (and it was) The Chocolate Mascarpone was being given away at my supermarket yesterday. It seemed a little dry to me but I didn’t want to change it and added strawberries that I lightly macerated. People went NUTS over them.
Everyone likes pizza or just about everyone. I made pizza and pizza rolls. They really are the same just put together different. To my surprise the pizza rolls went first. I guess they are easier to just pick up and take.
Corned Beef & Cabbage Hand Pies
Corned Beef & Cabbage Hand Pies
For one gathering I brought this –
Chipotle rice corn cheddar with potato string wrapped peppers
Smashed red mini potatoes topped with duchess potatoes
Corned beef and Cabbage hand pies
Cherry filled cookies with chocolate drizzle
It was a morning group so the cookies and potato bites went first followed by the stuffed peppers but it all eventually went
The next day had a St Patrick’s Party and brought a big box of corned beef and cabbage hand pies and a small tray of smashed mini red potatoes topped with duchess potatoes. They went like lightning there.
This next one coming isn’t for a gathering but is worth showing off. Just starting out a pastrami.
This gets cooked up with water to cure the brisket.
This needs to sit in the refrigerator and cure for give or take a week and then it gets smoked.
Sprouts Farmers Markets Grocery Stores are a chain of food markets with Phoenix Arizona Headquarters. They offer a wide selection of natural and organic foods.. They also offer vitamins, bulk items, frozen foods, a deli, pet foods, health, beauty, and more.
Often I buy the organic ground turkey for making meatballs or meatloaves.
I buy mostly produce here for two reasons.
One reason is that certain things like carrots, radishes, and broccoli taste noticeably better than from my big grocery stores.
The other reason is because of the tremendous sales they periodically have.
Anyways below are just a few of the dishes I made with Sprouts Produce.
Stem Broccoli with Peanut Gojogang Sauce
Butternut Squash with Apple Salsa
Carrots with oranges and pistachios
Brussels Sprouts are often a managers special…..I don’t mind.
One day they had farmers cheese for only 99cents a tub so I made blintzes
But sometimes I see strange things here.
I also think that it is strange that they put kosher foods next to pork crumbs
That was a little taste of my local Sprouts Farmers Market Grocery.
Showing Off is just showing mostly just food that I make for gatherings or somethings that are special.
Up above is pizza with burrata and balsamic, sweet potato pies with cumin seeds, allspice, cinnamon, and nigella seeds, and fresh mozzarella and parmesan pizza.
cocktail sized pastrami sandwiches….(yes I brined and smoked the pastrami and yes I baked the rye rolls.
Here was the pastrami. Brag BRAG brag brag!!!!
I’m just showing off!
People and DOGS are CRAZY about potato and cheese pierogi that were fried in butter.
Above are potato & cheese pierogi and some pistachio and chocolate fudge.
Made pickled beets and topped them with Maple Bourbon goat cheese
Made Bread Crisps and topped them with taleggio cheese and home made pesto
Made lemon topped short breads
Eggplant Parms
My Famous – Chipotle Rice Corn Cheddar Stuffed Peppers with Potato String Crust
Spice Custard stuffed Squash with Spiced Walnuts
Yotam Ottolenghi Style – Sesame Date Banana Cupcakes
That was some showing off and all the recipes or variations of the recipes can be found on my site.
My local supermarket (Smith’s) is always a mess. Not only are they a mess they also mess with you too. Below are a few of the examples of them being a mess and after a few photos I will tell you how they mess with customers.
No carts and the ones that stick together are there.
Aisles are always jammed up.
Spills on the floor.
Instead of mopping they just throw pads on the floor.
Sale items are often NOT available.
Customer service is rarely available.
Not as clean as it should be.
I love dogs but I know this is wrong.
Purchased a Home Depot Gift Card here and the receiver told me a used Target Card was inside and it was a long hard batter to get my money back.
You also can’t buy a lot of non food items like tooth paste and alcohol because they are locked up until 9am or until someone comes in to unlock them.
But maybe the biggest problem is that this is mainly a self check out store. Not everything is keyed into the system correctly and that can be very frustrating.
Then someone from above messes with you while you are swiping bar codes.
Yesterday maybe FOUR TIMES my register said that I didn’t scan my last item and froze and I had to stand there for someone to check to see if I scanned my items….
I HATE THIS FORKING Store.
A few time they also locked my shopping cart wheels as I was leaving.
My local supermarket (SMITH’S) is always a MESS and also MESSES with customers too!
Monzu Italian Oven is Located not to far from the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. The Chef recently has been awarded Chef of the Year from the Nevada Restaurant Association. They offer a traditional Italian Menu, bar drinks, and wines. They also offer a variety of Sharing Menus. We always go for the $62. (subject to change) Chefs Table Sharing Menu.
It always differs some but they always start you off with their amazing five day crafted natural bread made with a 300 year old family apricot starter. It comes embellished with house made ricotta cheese and olive oil.
Next was a board filled with meats, cheeses, sage wrapped anchovies and other goodies.
Then come a variety of salads.
You always get some of their amazing pizza with embellishments of mascarpone cream and Calabrian Chiles.
Two pasta courses- Tonight it was pillowy gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce with walnuts
and Crepe Bolognese Lasagna
Next it is two main courses.
Tonight it was Crispy Skin Sea bream with leek potatoes
and Hanger Steak with Roasted Potatoes and Salsa Verde
The Sweet Ending was Cannoli and an Italian Doughnut with Citrus Cream
Monzu Italian Oven’s $62. Chefs Table Sharing Menu is Worth a Fork!
I recently read a local article stating the authors favorite salads in Las Vegas. I don’t think they’ve tasted what I’ve tasted and here is my take on best salads from what I’ve tried so far.
A really great salad that is really near the top is the Smoked Salmon Salad from Yoshiya Kitchen.
Romaine, REAL anchovy dressing, parmesan, toasted crumbs, black pepper (I once worked in a fine dining restaurant and made Caesar Salads Table-side so I really do know how a Caesar should taste) This Caesar I have to rate as #1 for Caesar.
For another traditional Caesar. The one from Rang’s Cocina Moderne is also one of the best.
This salad is very good and very close to Ferraro’s Ristorante’s Caesar. It’s just slightly a thinner dressing and is slightly light with black pepper for a Caesar Salad but still is very good and up there above nearly all the Caesars I tried..
The other Caesar that needs to be mentioned is the NON-TRADITIONAL Caesar from Soulbelly BBQ.
This one is very unique and DECONSTRUCTED. If you taste a green by its self flavors are missing……..Then there are these SURPRISE and amazing cornbread croutons that contain all the missing flavors from the dressing and the salad POPS! (I added the very good BBQ turkey to make this salad a complete meal)
Below is the cucumber salad from Din Tai Fung.
It’s the best Asian Cucumber Salad that I have ever tasted.
The Insalata Nizzarda from Matteo’s (in the Venetian Hotel/Casino)
The Salad from Namu Korean Tapas and BBQ was amazing.
It was this scrumptious mix of sweet, cheesy, lettuce, tomatoes, nuts, and their spectacular house made ricotta cheese. It was super delicious!
One of the most exciting salads was the Sandiada Salad from Aroma Latin American Cocina.
Watermelon, soft greens, jicama, cashews, …….just magical…TOMATOES NIXTAMALAS and Chamoy Vin. I’m speechless. Really delicious and I never had anything like this before.
Food News – The BEST Salads I’ve tried in Vegas So Far…….
