I’m just about to leave my hotel and head out on day two of our Las Vegas shoots but before I go here is a quick recap from yesterday.
First stop was Emeril’s new restaurant Table 10 at the Palazzo Hotel . This restaurant opened in February and is definitely worth a visit. Chef Jean Paul Labadie’s cooked up classics such as Lobster Pot Pie, Sea Bass with Tomato Fondue and Beurre Blanc, all of these recipes will be coming soon.

Next it was off to The Country Club at the Wynn Hotel. Chef Rene Lenger let us ito the secrets of slicing Kobe Beef Carpaccio and show cased on of his seaonal summer dishes currently on the Country Club Menu, Seared Scallops with yellow tomato sauce and roasted artichokes.

Then it was off to dinner at Brasserie Daniel Boulud, more about this meal later and tomorrow’s shoot with Chef Wesley Holton.

So if you read the previous entry you will know it was my 28th birthday last week. I was a very lucky lady and received some really fun food related gifts.
Chimena, Jeff and Chloe got me a really unusual gift, a Pink Lemonade Tree . It is a dwarf citrus tree which produces lemons with a pink hew. I’m really excited to taste the fruit from this unusual tree.

Joy and Chimena also brought me an ‘Irish Beauty’ a Baileys flavored mini chocolate cake from Just Fabulous Pastries. It was really light and moist with a really rich chocolate flavor and like me it was petite, yet big enough to share.
My sister Lynda back in Ireland without fail always gives me a cookbook with some Percy Pigs (my favorite candy or sweets as we call them at home). I always love her selections, this year it was the Ottolenghi Cookbook from a well known chain of cafes of the same name in London. I had not heard of it before but after browsing through the pages I cannot wait to make some of their recipes and desserts when I am in London next month.

Lara and Liz can up with the goods in the form of X Rated Fusion Liqueur a French Vodka based pink liqueur with a passion fruit flavor. I first tried it icy cold on an In Your Kitchen shoot at Nic’s Beverly Hills (yes my job is very hard, tasting vodka is a part of it), look out for the video coming soon. I’ve tried it since mixed with orange juice and Sky 90 vodka and straight up and it tastes so good either way….good job Lara and Liz!

Lisa and Paul sent me some wine, I had not tried either bottles and I am eager to try them this weekend. The white was a Minter Californian Viognier and the red a Darioush Cab from Napa.

Yeah with fun and interesting gifts like these it makes turning a year older a little easier.
Oh and Amy and Adam thank you for the food related birthday cards both of a similar theme a chicken and a cock!!

Last week was my birthday and to celebrate my 28 years I meet up with some friends at Lei Lounge in San Diego. As the name suggests they do use leis to decorate the restaurant but thet also have a beautiful and unexpected outdoor patio which is furnished with fun Cabanas, beds and firepits for you to lay beside. My friends arrived one by one straight from work and held up in traffic. I sipped on the great cocktails there to pass the time. There signature drink menu features over 28 different cocktails and lets just say I tried a few. Some of my favorites were the pomegranate martini, simple,sweet, you can’t go wrong, the Hawaiian mojito, along with the expected lime and mint was hibiscus juice and a splash of Champagne and the Georgeous Geisha a mix of strawberry liquer and lychee juice, topped with Champagne. All signature drinks were half price during happy hour and their collins cocktails, the lemongrass and aloe vera were half price all night on Wednesday night, the night we were there.
I did also sample the food, Lei Lounge offers a large menu of small plates, perfect for sharing. We tried the the hummus plate, the spring roll sampler and mahi mahi among others. It all tasted good but it was the cocktails that I remember…or not as the night progressed. Overall it was a really fun night but when your surrounded by great friends on your birthday how could you go wrong?

Looking for the perfect gift for the cooking enthusiast that seems to have everything….the great knives, the emersion blender and every kitchen gadget you can think of? Why not make a personalized gift? No I’m not talking about homemade cookies or a jar of last year’s pickles. How about a chopping board with a picture of Dad on it for Father’s Day next week or a bottle of bubbly with a picture of the bride and groom on it for a bridal shower gift?
Recently I just couldn’t decide what to get my friend that seemed to have everything and so I ordered her a chopping board from Snapfish.com with a picture of some cupcakes she made and a few fridge magnets with pictures taken a party she hosted. They were original, gratefully received and you can be assured that they won’t end up with two of the same gift. Check out all the different cooking related gifts you can get at snapfish gifts. The chopping board below was $24.99.

So finally the day has come, www.inyourkitchen.com is live! An idea over dinner with a friend just over a year ago has materialized and inyourkitchen.com is launched.

There are over 100 videos of top chefs, wine makers and food purveyors filmed on location in their kitchens, vineyards, stores and warehouses.
So far we have filmed in San Diego and Napa Valley but we are already planning our next locations. If you have any ideas for our next shoot or know a really great chef or food fanatic that should be featured on the site just let me know. Don’t forget that you can become a member and share your own food videos with other members.

This month we have partnered with Parade magazine to bring you Parade In Your Kitchen. You will find all the recipes featured in Parade magazine’s ‘What America Eats’ issue on the Parade In Your Kitchen pages and videos to accompany each recipe. This month features some great guilt free desserts. I’ve tried them all, they tasted great and I have to say there were no feelings of guilt after!

We hope that www.inyourkitchen.com will be a fun, interactive and entertaining way to cook,

Enjoy!

Diane