A little orange in the tortilla.

Things got a little "cray cray" in the kitchen during our last Sunday Funday. Denise allowed me to use her camera to document that night's shindig, so naturally I put on my creative cap and started shooting random things at random angles - you know, in an attempt to be artsy. No, I am in no way expressing a desire to be a photographer; I just like to capture the little moments that make my life so rich, even if it's just using my dingy little Blackberry camera. 

Yeah. Cray.

  Thankfully for you, you won't have to endure any Blackberry camera quality in this particular post (I can't promise that for the next one, though). In the theme of "cray cray," Denise discovered a recipe that combined two very yummy types of food into one shell - one taco shell, that is. Yes, we had a little Mexican-Asian feast of Orange Chicken Tacos. No, we didn't decide to just throw the two together to mix things up. When opened our wallets, avoiding the dust and moths that shot out at us unpleasantly, and found a yummy recipe that matched our college student budget. If you haven't figured out the general theme of my food blog posts so far, it's that you can be poor and eat like a king at the same time! How cool is that? All that is required to accomplish this is the research, the right kind of friends and loads of cheap wine from one's local Albertson's ... which was absolutely fantastic, by the way. 

That's right, keep it comin', peasant.

Our dinner consisted of orange flavored chicken, which slow cooked itself on the stove in an easy recipe our master chef Denise tweaked just a tad, making the chicken even more flavorful. I'm not going to lie, when I think of orange chicken, my mind directly goes to the stuff sitting in the tubs at Panda Express. I was trying desperately to divert my feelings away from that route, even though I find Panda Express to be delicious - but in tacos? Really? How could that even work? Well, I'm clearly not a cook for a reason, and the chicken came out nothing even remotely like your typical orange chicken dish. It came out juicy and begging to be snuggled into its own flour tortilla, complete with tomato and avocado chunks as a security blanket. With a splash of lime and our sidekicks, Spanish rice and a red wine from Spain, our table was a delicious Mexi-asian feast of surprising deliciousness. One of the lessons I've been learning in this whole Sunday Funday experience is that tastes, regardless of their origins or how it seems virtually impossible that they should fit together, can be brought together in an artsy culinary way. I suppose it is like painting; a counter of different tastes is like a palate of different colors, all waiting anxiously to be blended together to create something fresh and new.

Panda ain't got nothin' on Denise.

A taco's best friends.

         

Oh, the love.

.

I'm sexy and I know it.

It would not be Sunday Funday without an all American, heart attack-in-a-pan type dessert. Thanks to The Help, we decided to indulge in a caramel cake again, although this time the general consensus was to change out the yellow cake to chocolate. While the cake was an excellent ending to the meal, yellow caramel cake definitely takes the ... cake. Yeah. Something like that

To add to the "cray cray" atmosphere and the fact that I was wielding an expensive camera around like I was the paparazzi at a royal wedding, we had to throw in some random nerdiness. Hope you enjoy the rest of the evening in pictures ...

Viva espana.

Tortilla strip goodness.

Our fancy new dinnerware ... because we're rich peasants with Target credit cards.

And for the main event ...

Orange chicken tacos ... take that Taco Bell!

Well, that about covers our last Sunday Funday. I'll leave you with the more random part of the evening, involving a dining room chair and Harry Potter. Yeah, we went there. Until next time ...

Cesar is so over it.

That's her cooking face.

Because nothing says sexy like HP, dirty dishes and a fork.

Staying hungry for life, 
Rae.

Okay, and these cray crays, too.

food and the city.

While making food with friends is a fun and insightful way to spend a day like Sunday Funday, there is always the curious joy of stepping out into the unknown and enduring the sights and unique dining experiences of a city in which one is still quite new. Having only lived in Las Vegas since the end of August, I am still at glorified tourist status. I drive around only knowing how to get to certain places more so by sights rather than actual street names; I still have to ask if Vegas houses certain restaurant chains - and no, there are no Black Angus's or Chik-Fil-A's out here :[ - and the only way I know in which direction I'm headed is by using the Strip as a compass. So it is a bit intimidating when I want to try a new place to dine but really don't have any clue as to where a good place to go would be. It's also less congenial when one's palate has become accustom to equating fine dining with the French experience and one is definitely not in France (and yes, I often refer to France because of how much that vacation has influenced my life, so I apologize if the reference gets old ... but then again I don't as it has forced me to be a lot more brave and even pretentious in many ways that I will not get into at the present time).


Thankfully for me, I live with a woman with a passion for cooking and a knack for finding fresh places to eat; I also have a friend who has lived here for six years and knows of a few yummy local spots. The three of us combined share a passion for foreign foods and experiences. For those of you who crave something a little different in your own dining experiences, here are a few places we've enjoyed, complete with a delectable menu and the savory atmosphere highlighted with European shazam ;)


The first is from a place called Patisserie Manon, a French bakery on Charleston.

a latté, a tart, two élcairs, an espresso and a cup of black coffee.

Secondly, my dear friend Denise found this awesome Caribbean style restaurant called DW Bistro, located on Fort Apache, and of course we had to have a meal there. Thanks to Anthony Bourdain, we were inspired to have a plate of jerk chicken - or rather, she had the jerk chicken. 

Finger lickin' fun.

My plate went a little something like this:

Nicoise - tuna and the fixins. 

And you can't enjoy a Caribbean brunch without the following - mimosas and Merlot :) (*disclaimer: who wants to find me that wine glass? Because I'll give you my right kidney for it ...)

I guess you could include me to that list.

The third place was recommended to us by Cesar after we took a trip to Total Wine ... and left with three bottles of that liquid gold (or red). This place is called Leoné Café, and it is an Italian style joint located in Tivoli Village. The entire center is enclosed like its own little section of an Italian town, complete with cobblestone walkway and plenty of outdoor seating - perfect for relaxing with a cup of Joe, a pastry, light conversation and a bit of people watching.

Warning: sugar coma eminent. 

Rich environment.

Even the bathrooms reminded us of our peasantry. 

Even among the bright city lights and hustle and bustle of Las Vegas, it is possible to find those hidden gems where life slows down, the company is perfect and every bite is a reminder that even a place as barren as the desert can deliver a jackpot of culinary bliss. See you in the next post!

Staying hungry for life,

Rae.

food, friends, and food - a beginning.

Hello, 2012 - I've been expecting you. 

Funny thing, really, as the beginning of this year has been different from anything I could have ever expected; it has been unique and full of adventures that have allowed me to build an excitement for things yet to come. I won't bore you with too many irrelevant details, but I've been a busy human being as of late. The first part of the adventure, and what I will hit upon solely for today's post, comes in the form of something very near and dear to my ... stomach. Yes. Food. Like any other sane human being, I very much adore food; but what I really adore is trying new types of foods. However, the absolute best thing about food (that I have come to recognize and treasure) is the experience of cooking and eating delicious new foods with friends.


So to begin this blog, I will introduce you to the little idea that started the tradition that I hope will carry on for the remainder of the year and the rest of my Vegas-living experience: Sunday Fundy. Or as we like to call it on BBM and Twitter, #SundayFunday.


Sunday Funday started out as a hang out between my best friend and roomie, Denise, and our friend Cesar. Cesar and I enjoy wine; Cesar and Denise enjoy cooking; and Cesar, Denise and I enjoy eating, so we arrived at the conclusion that hanging out together should consist of wine, laughter, Julia Child and a kitchen filled with delectably foreign smells to get our palates watering for something fresh. This enlightenment of culinary feats has also sparked the desire to find some relaxing hang-outs for different meal choices as well, especially with my personal want to find a place to sit down, people watch and enjoy something light - having been inspired by mine and Denise's summer escapades in France. Thankfully, we have been able to secure a few locations in our Las Vegas area that is far enough away from the lights and dazzle of the Strip to give us a vague re-connection with our time in France.


Okay, with all of that said, nothing is more stimulating than actually seeing what it is I'm talking about. Food lovers, travel enthusiasts and those who simply need an excuse to spend time doing something different, fun and generally economical with those you love, here are some highlights of our first three Sunday Fundays. There will be many more blogs to come about this topic and I anxiously await every week like a child anticipating Santa on Christmas Eve to know what kind of yummy shenanigans we will subject ourselves to.

Introducing: (with our sexiest cooking faces while preparing the cacio epepe and garlic and herb chicken)

     Denise, the Julia Child

Cesar, the wine-induced Cook

And your host, blogger and "professional eating and wine connoisseur": Me.

Here are some of the culinary feats thus created from our crazy, French-inspired way of "life":

Tarte Aux Pomme

Cacio epepe and cabernet sauvignon

Our other three best friends.

Denise takes a delicious stab at a caramel cake, inspired by the movie The Help.

What is our "French way of life"? This:

Pray no butts end up in the pan.

And this:

The burdens of being a penniless writer in Las Vegas.

This is the beginning of our Sunday Fundays. In the next post I will show you some of the yummy things we've consumed at some yummy new places, so stay tuned!

Staying hungry for life,

Rae.