What happens in Vegas....stays in Vegas...sort of

Well what a time, a week in Las Vegas is not a relaxing holiday I have to say, I think this should be the city they say never sleeps not New York!

We arrived on Saturday after a long drive to the airport in London from Wales, then a 10 hour flight, we checked into the hotel (The Luxor) and made the fatal error of pretending to unpack but actually falling asleep for 2 hours! I forced myself to get up, get showered and go out to dinner, small problem we had arrived in Vegas at the same time as 144,000 delegates for the worlds biggest construction Expo! no tables to be had at any restaurant without a reservation, so burger and chips it was. Sarah and I managed to stay awake long enough to eat, have one drink and try our luck on the slots, Sarah obviously had beginners luck and turned $2 into $64, I on the other hand didn't do quite so well!

Sunday we walked the entire length of the strip, it took four hours, I slipped into the Apple shop and spent half my weeks budget on a new IPOD (well you can't take it with you) then we walked all the way back to NewYork NewYork Casino and went to the bar called Nine Fine Irishmen, now I don't know who they were but they run a great bar. We met a lovely man called Bill who was a pilot for a famous Basket Ball Player and chatted for ages, they also had a really good singer there who asked where we were from, when we said Wales I was expected the usual reply of "where? oh England" but no he launched straight into The Green Green grass of Home for us. Five Jameson's and ginger later we weren't good for much else but the buffet table, now I have found out from trial an error that there is a fine art to buffet eating, I made the mistake of going up and getting a small salad, coming back and eating it, then getting up again to get something but by the time I had looked, chosen and got back to the table I was too full to eat anything else, the major league buffeters on the other hand I noticed had at least three plates in their hands, got everything at once, salad, main course, dessert and wolfed them all down before they realised they were full, so there's the trick get everything in one go and then you don't get chance to fill up.

On Monday we did the "Miracle Mile of Shops" again it took us hours, but we did keep stopping to look in shops where we couldn't afford to buy anything, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Gucci, you know the ones with no prices on anything!

We stopped for lunch at the Paris Casino they have a scaled down working version of the Eiffel Tower, and the restaurant is half way up with fabulous views of the Bellagio Hotel as you can see. They call the restaurant "The Eiffel Tower Experience" and you can see why, we were led past the kitchens and given some steak tartare appetisers on arrival, then we were led to our table by the window, the waiter took our order and then gave us a tiny chestnut flan, it tasted divine. Sarah and I both chose the butternut squash soup (gorgeous) and I had chicken Parmesan with cabbage and bacon, while Sarah had an asparagus souffle omelette. Luckily we decided to share a creme brulee, as when it arrived it was enormous. Coffee was served in individual silver coffee pots, and had the fountains gone off at the Bellagio it would have been perfect. We did have a really boring waiter though, and kept listening to the waiter on the table opposite who was charming, witty and helpful, we couldn't help wishing he was our waiter too. After lunch we walked back to the Luxor and spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. After a few hours we went back to our room showered and walked up to Caesars Palace for a few drinks, we took two nice seats at the bar ordered some drinks and then discussed what we were going to do the next day, just then some loud music started up and two scantily clad girls got up on the bar in front of us, with their feet about two inches from our drinks and started gyrating, I though Sarah was going to choke neither of us knew where to look, we finished our drinks a bit sharpish and left!

Still jet lagged so will finish up tomorrow ....keep smiling

Marmite xx

HOT BOTTLE

When it comes to choosing wine I know what I like, and always tend to stick to the same old thing to be safe - Marlborough County Sav Blanc, any Pinot Grigio, Riesling when I’m in a “white mood” or a Pinot Noir, or CabSav if the “red mood” has me. So If like me, you are not that knowledgeable on the wine choosing front ( or you buy whatever is on offer at 3 for £10 at the local supermarket), then I have stumbled across a brilliant way to help you.

It is written by the fabulous Olly Smith, who should be well known to all foodies from his stellar work on the much missed Great Food Live, Richard & Judy’s Wine Club, Taste, Food Uncut and of course Saturday Kitchen. I have to admit I’ve always had a soft spot for him, as his enthusiasm is actually catching.

It is called Hot Bottle, the e-mail newsletter he sends contains vast information about the new and exciting wines of the moment, and the great news is they are often very inexpensive so you won't have any excuses for not giving them a try.

Here is a small excerpt from the January 2008 mailing

The first Hot Bottle of the year comes from a serious winery to watch – Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards in South Africa. Their website http://www.tmv.co.za/ will tell you all you need to know about their approach of minimal intervention, but if you buy a bottle of their TMV Swartland Syrah 2006 from Waitrose for £12.99 you’ll get a glimpse of why it’s sometimes worth tugging open the wallet for a special occasion. This wine is made from 100% Syrah (same grape as Shiraz but usually produced in a less obviously fruity style) with 100% native yeast and no added acids, enzymes or other chemicals. Goodness in a glass. If you’re a fan of smokey bacon or indeed smokey flavours in general, this is the wine for you. It’s also laced with intriguing aromas of violets and a gorgeous long finish that surfs along your tongue like an eco-friendly slick of deep delight. Big wine, big price, big smile."

So you can go out buy the wine and then amaze your friends with your intimate knowledge of the wine you are drinking!

Now for the important bit - how do you get this invaluable information? simply send a blank email to subscribe@hotbottle.co.uk and wait for the marvellous Olly Smith to send you the newsletter.

Thanks to Olly for giving me permission (all the way from South America I might add) to put this on the blog!

Keep Smiling
Marmite Girl xx

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus

I'm very proud of being Welsh (as you can probably tell) so Happy St David's Day to you all, I thought seen as it was St David's Day and all, I would stick on my recipe for Welsh Cakes (every one has their own recipe!) and a nice lamb recipe so you could all join in with the celebration of our Saints Day.


Welsh Cakes (puritans look away now!)

1lb self-raising flour.
8oz butter
8oz granulated sugar, and a small amount of caster sugar to serve
8oz sultanas (chopped - you're supposed to use currants but I find them gritty)
1 tsp of mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 large eggs and a drop of milk

Rub the fat and flour together until crumbly and then add all the other ingredients except the eggs and milk and vanilla. Mix thoroughly, and then add the eggs and vanilla. Add the milk slowly while mixing, to get the right consistency. The mix should not be too sticky..
Roll out - to about a quarter of an inch - and cut into rounds about 2" across. Cook on a bakestone (or griddle or hot plate) and turn once when brown. Dust with a little caster sugar mixed with cinnamon while they are still warm to serve.

My fave lamb recipe is this one

Oen Cymreig a Mel (Welsh Lamb with cider and honey)

4lb leg of Welsh Lamb
2 sprigs of rosemary
6-tbsp. Welsh honey (the clover honey is the best)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ pint cider

Set oven to 400 F. Place the leg of lamb on foil in a roasting pan (or the honey will ruin your pan!) . Brush with 4 tbsp. of warm honey and season with salt and pepper. Place the sprigs of rosemary on top of the joint. Draw up the foil to form a tent and roast for l5 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 F and continue roasting for l ½ hrs. until the juice just runs pink or longer if preferred well done (I hope not!!!!). Open the foil to crisp and brown the skin for the last 20 minutes of cooking time. Remove the lamb from the oven and keep warm. 2.Pour off the fat from the pan and make the gravy from the meat residue, adding half a pint of cider and 2 TBS of honey. Reduce to two thirds volume by boiling. Serve with roast potatoes, vegetables of your choice and mint jelly.

Enjoy, and if you can put a vase of gorgeous daffodils on the table, all the better.

Love
Marmite xx