Nights In

I have more or less worn out the Vegas scene of partying all the time at nightclubs. When I'm here in Vegas and staying at the vacation house, I prefer staying in to enjoy the house.

All Day Happy Hour
I used to feel awkward drinking alone. I would wait until I was with my friends or my parentsto drink. For the past couple of years, I've grown out of that awkwardness. Once my work is done, a glass or so is more than welcome to wind down the day.
A cocktail while watching Bobby Flay's Throwdown. I love martinis, both gin and vodka. I lean towards the non-sweet drinks when I have the option. I love olives, too. So a Dirty Martini is naturally one of my favorite cocktails.

Thai Curry with Shrimp
When it comes to cooking at home, I try to use what's in the pantry before going to the grocery. I found a Green Curry Sauce bottle from Trader Joe's in the pantry. The taste right from the bottle was already great. I just sauteed some onions and yellow peppers to give an element of freshness. I then added super fresh shrimps for a couple of minutes. Delicious!

Corn & Ham Pasta in a Cream Sauce
This is once of my favorite homemade pastas. The sweetness of the corn is a fantastic contrast to the ham - usually bacon or pancetta.

Mushroom Risotto
I found some dried mushrooms and arborio rice in the pantry. I used low sodium chicken brother, dry Sherry, and the mushroom broth (from hydrating the dried mushrooms). All these liquids blended so well together to create a great mushroom taste. I'm inspired to work on this recipe to match it to the best mushroom risotto I had in Paris.

Cheese Omelette
It's been said that if you can cook an egg well, you can cook well. I've taken this to heart. So far, my egg specialties are my scrambled eggs and my omelettes. Both dishes are made without the use of milk. It's just eggs, butter, and seasonings.
For this particular omelette, I used Gouda cheese and red pepper flakes, topped with Parmesan.

Belgian Waffle
This is a house specialty. The batter is made the night before so it can rise. It took us years to find the perfect wafflemaker. The result is a light, fluffy, and crispy waffle. It's the best.

Banana Banana Pudding
After eating at Magnolia and Buttercup in NYC, my mom was inspired to recreate the delicious banana pudding. She made two varieties. This uses banana pudding as the custard base. It was very delicious, smooth, and creamy.

Vanilla Banana Pudding
This is the second variety, using vanilla pudding as the custard base. I preferred this. The banana taste was just as intense, and it was creamier. I love the chunks of Nilla wafers and fresh slices of bananas. So delicious!