JRoc and I used to grab these super yummy, toasted cheese ravioli from a local pasta place. Unfortunately, it was one of those “for a limited time” deals, and after only a few weeks, they no longer carried them on the menu *saaad face*.

“So… make your own!” you say? That’s exactly what I did… and my first try at it turned out pretty darn good.

Ingredients

• 1 package refrigerated cheese ravioli
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

1. Pour enough oil (I used vegetable oil) into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. While the oil is heating, lightly beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.  Put the bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl.
3. Dip ravioli in egg and coat completely. Allow the excess to drip back into the bowl.
4. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.
5. When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.
6. Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warm marinara sauce!

Mmmmm… YUMMMMA! 

We decided to take a quickie getaway to New York…
New York Hotel on the Strip. (My first time there!)

After “investing” a bit into the… ummmm… Bank of Blackjack, we decided it was time to have dinner, and chose the Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant…

So, I guess I was hungrier than I thought because I failed to take pictures of our appetizer (Bruschetta Calda: Grilled Il Fornaio ciabatta bread rubbed with garlic, warm chopped tomatoes, basil and kalamata olives… deeeelicious!!) and the big-guy’s main dish, which I cannot recall… gah!

I had the Red Snapper.. which seems to be no longer on their menu (what a shame!! ). Good thing I snapped a picture of it It was el yumma!!

The place was so good, we went back the next morning for breakfast But, again, I only took a picture of what *I* ordered… because you know, it’s all about me and what I eat. Pffft….

I ordered the Tosto Francese (French toast, mascarpone cheese,
pure New England maple syrup)… Ohhhh-Emmmm-Geeee! It was so incredibly deeelish, I’m gonna have to find the recipe…

We enjoyed our delightful dinner & breakfast at…

Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant

JRoc and I shared our very first “Fatburger”…
we had the second to *smallest* burger…

Good stuff! But, I don’t even want to imagine
how ginormous the 24oz burger is.

Fatburger
http://www.fatburger.com

We stopped at the Bellagio Hotel to watch the “dancing water show” for a break from our walk on the strip… “Are you hungry?” “Ummm… yeah.” “Any good place inside?” “Ummm… yeah!”

So, we stopped at “Olives” (a Todd English restaurant situated in the beautiful Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas) is a Mediterranean-style experience set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lake Bellagio. House-made pastas, steaks, rotisserie dishes, and brick oven pizzas…

JRoc ordered his favorite… Fat Spaghetti …
I normally buy “thick” spaghetti when doing our grocery shopping… but, these babies were FAT! Almost like the Japanese udon noodles…

Matt chose the Porterhouse Steak… served with fingerling potato,
bbq onion ragu, shiraz reduction, and roasted baby shitake…
I stole a bite, and wow, it was tender… very flavorful… soooo good!

… and I enjoyed the Cast Iron Norwegian Salmon…
served with smoked tomatoes, roasted fingerling potatoes, port wine gastrique, and asparagus hollandaise… as usual, I think I ordered the best dish… Mmmmm <3

The portions were pretty large and we were stuffed… but, we just wouldn’t be “us” if we left without washing it all down with… dessert (altho Matt decided against ordering one for himself…).

JRoc already knew exacty what he wanted:
Vanilla Bean Soufflé with Ice Cream…
so very creamy… not too sweet… not too heavy… it… was… delicious <3

I wanted something “custard-y and crunchy” so, I got the…
Butterscotch Creme Brulee served with two black cookies!
The custard was perfection… and the crunchy topping… scrumptious!!
(so, scrumptious that Matt couldn’t resist stealing a few bites )

We enjoyed this wonderful meal at…

OLIVES
Within the Via Bellagio shopping promenade.
3600 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/olives.aspx

Reservations suggested by calling:
866.259.7111 or 702.693.7223

So, we decided (after over an hour of Religious Ed with ten, 7/year olds) that we were hungry for Italian.

But, being a sushi-chick myself, I wasn’t familiar with any Italian restaurants in my area… so, we drove around and there it appeared before our tired eyes… Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Our server, “Carmen” (what a beautiful name…),
started us off with their warm bread with herb & olive oil… mmmmm….

Matt’s meal came with a side of salad… with crumbled blue cheese (I think)

I shared my bowl of Minestrone with JRoc…

After scarfing down our soup and salad, I was instructed to down some grappa (aka. fire water) in one shot. Seriously, this stuff is sooooo strong… it completely burned my throat and killed all nerves that ran through my face.

They were bringing out the food even before I got any feeling back to my face…

Joshua immediately started enjoying his Spaghetti and Meatballs

And this is my Lobster Ravioli… gosh, this was sooooo creamy and tasty, it helped me recover from my “grappa incident” in record time…

And Matt ordered… pasta. I cannot, for the life of me, recall what it was called (because I was focusing on my Lobster Ravioli… can you blame me? Look above… see how deeeelicious it looks!). I think it was served with… chicken.

After I finished inhaling my most scrumptious entrée (and my boys with their pasta dishes), it was time for… DESSERT!

The man ordered Cannoli… I stole a bite out of it and it was Super YUMMY!

… and my little bambini chose the… Bambini Sundae

… and once again, I had the best dessert of them all… the most glorious, Bacino Dessert Rosa… it’s butter cake topped with a layer of strawberries & bananas, a layer of vanilla pudding, fresh whipped cream and decorated with a slice of strawberry. Mmmmmmm….

We ended our meal with espresso….

and cappuccino…

We enjoyed this most Delizioso meal at…

Carrabba’s Italian Grill
8771 West Charleston Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89117
(702) 304-2345
http://www.carrabbas.com

It’s been a while since our last visit to Panera Bread, but that’s where JRoc and I decided to go on our Sunday Lunch Date…

J ordered the Broccoli Cheddar Soup served in a bread bowl…
(my poor child… patiently waiting as mommy takes pictures of his food…)

… This is his favorite item on the menu

I got the Steak Chili with Cornbread…
I’m not a fan of chili, but, this was YUMMMM-YYY! Pleasantly hearty and made my tummy feel soooo good… oh, plus the sweet cornbread = happy taste buds! Perfect for a chilly afternoon in Vegas. Mmmmm!

… and washed it all down with a Low-fat Strawberry Smoothie
(*gasp* did she say “low-fat”? – yep, I sure did. But, this stuff is so delicious,
I didn’t mind that it was healthy!)

We enjoyed our Lunch Date at…

Panera Bread
5130 South Fort Apache Road
Las Vegas, NV 89148
(702) 871-5999 – Phone
(702) 871-6722 – Fax
www.panera-lasvegas.com

Alright, this was my first try in making home-made onion rings.

I first experimented with instant mashed potato flakes (for the bread crumbs), and did not like it one bit… I kept hearing good things about it (I think I saw it on Food Network), so, I’ll probably give it another try another time.

Then, I used panko bread crumbs (my favorite) and oh, wow…

ta-daaaa! crispy, crunchy, juicy… mmmmm!

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365° F
2. Separate the onion slices into rings and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated and set aside.
5. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a separate plate.
6. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs and coat completely.
7. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.
8. Season to taste!

Enjoy the sweet, crunchy, deliciousness!

I normally Stress-Bake, but, because I’ve been feeling beyond stressed the past few days, I had to do something different… so, I decided to Stress-Deep-Fry…

Stuffed Fried Wontons
(filled with cream cheese, chopped crab meat, & green onions)

And with the extra wonton wrappers, we made…
Fried Wonton Chips!

Mmmmm… all the deep fried crunchy goodness
somehow drove the stress away

Enjoy!

There’s no denying it… if I’m addicted to anything, it’s CHOCOLATE.  And as many ways you can enjoy chocolate, one of my favorite chocolate desserts comes from Morton’s Steak House.

Behold… the Chocolate Soufflé

Anyway… I once posted on twitter how I was craving for some of their delicious chocolate dessert… and low and behold… Morton’s Restaurant just happened to be following my marketing account And immediately sent me their recipe… thank goodness for social networking!

And now I share it with you…

Morton’s Chocolate Soufflé Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons…

Download the COMPLETE RECIPE for FREE at the
GirlPlusFood Facebook Fan Page!

Served with chocolate sauce
& vanilla ice cream… heaven!

J asked if we can stop for In-N-Out after our first night back at Religious Ed. I thought that was a fabulous idea…

and there it was… In-N-Out…

welcoming us with its warm and comforting ways…
(granted, it wa 95 degrees out, but, still!)

I’d like a Double-Double with grilled onions…

… with Extra Well-Done Animal Fries, please!

Cheeseburger, Double-Double, Extra Well-Done Fries,
Extra Well-Done Animal Fries, and a Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Shake!

Enjoy!!