Cars You Want: The Lotus Exige Sport 410
Of course you want this. The new Exige Sport 410 is designed to be the ultimate road drive, if you’re lucky enough to get one.
LA Celeb Lisa Vanderpump opens Vanderpump Cocktail Garden in Vegas
If you like Lisa Vanderpump‘s style and taste at her bars & restaurants in Los Angeles, or on Bravo TV’s “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Vanderpump Rules,” then you’re going to love her new place in Las Vegas.
Lisa Vanderpump and Caesars Palace have partnered to open Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, to bring a taste of Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
THE CONCEPT
The cocktail garden takes a page from Vanderpump’s highly successful restaurants and lounges, Villa Blanca, SUR, Pump and Tom Tom. “I have always loved Las Vegas –it has always been a dream of mine to see our brand in lights at the iconic Caesars Palace,” said Lisa Vanderpump. “Vanderpump Cocktail Garden combines the sexy atmosphere of our other establishments injected with the Vegas energy that brings millions of guests who visit year after year.”
“Caesars Palace has a long history of working with notable names; from renowned chefs to legendary music icons—we’re proud to now partner with Lisa Vanderpump to bring her first venture to Las Vegas,” said Caesars Palace regional president, Gary Selesner. “We look forward to Vanderpump bringing Los Angeles flair combined with the extravagance of the Strip.”
THE DESIGN
Marrying natural elements with industrial touches, Vanderpump Cocktail Garden has an indoor patio welcoming guests upon arrival, transporting them to an al fresco-style garden with towering trees and romantic lighting. Inside, the romantic elements continue, including Lisa’s signature touches of pink, with contrasting masculine details. The lounge area will feature booths as well as a full bar that focuses on craft cocktails, Vanderpump branded Sangria and Rosé as well as a carefully selected wine list. Small bites will be available to be shared or perfectly paired with libations.
Vanderpump Cocktail Garden‘s design inspiration for the space comes from Lisa, husband Ken Todd and creative director Nick Alain, who collaborated on their newest LA hit, Tom Tom. Vanderpump is located in between The Colosseum and the entrance to The Forum Shops (starting in 2019).
ABOUT LISA VANDERPUMP
Businesswoman, TV personality, author, and philanthropist, Lisa Vanderpump hails from London, England. Lisa and her husband Ken Todd have been entrenched in the restaurant and nightclub industry since they started their partnership over 30 years ago. Their four very successful restaurants and bars in Los Angeles (SUR, Villa Blanca, PUMP and Tom Tom Restaurant and Bar) are just a peek into their joint ventures; Vanderpump Cocktail Garden will mark their 35th restaurant and bar. Vanderpump has most recently become known for the hit Bravo TV series, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, as well as her spinoff show Vanderpump Rules, of which she is an Executive Producer. Her unique mix of sparkling glamour and down-to-earth style has appealed to thousands of viewers. Additional endeavors include: “Vanderpump Beverly Hills” tabletop collection, the “Vanderpump Estate Jewelry” Collection, a pet accessories line at VanderpumpPets.com and a soon to be released fine jewelry collection. Vanderpump also has her family’s signature Vanderpump Vodka, Vanderpump Rosé and LVP Sangria. In 2017, Lisa and Ken launched The Vanderpump Dog Foundation to help end animal abuse on both an international and domestic level, which opened the doors to its first rescue and adoption center last year.
Herzog’s Wines aren’t just for Holidays, Desserts or After Meals
At certain times of the year such as during Holidays or summer vacations, sweet foods and wines are often on everyone’s minds. TasteTV recently had the opportunity to review two wines of this genre from Herzog Cellars:
Italian Desert Roses Cookies Recipe
If you’re looking for a special occasion dessert, try this recipe by author and expert Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn for Rose Del Deserto (Desert Roses) cookies. It includes healthy options based on Paola’s improved version of the classic Mediterranean diet in her cookbook, which she calls The Mamma Mia! Diet.
ROSE DEL DESERTO (DESERT ROSES)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10 minutes
Yield: about 35-40 cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 130 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 120 g (4.3 oz ) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 240 g (1 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 5 g (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 180 g (1 cup) chocolate chips
- 200 g (7 oz) approx., cornflakes (like Special K) or similar
Powdered sugar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350 °F). Cream the butter and sugar in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and the vanilla extract. Then mix the flour and the baking powder together in a small bowl. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and stir in the chocolate chips. Roll teaspoon-sized balls of dough in a bowl of cornflakes. Place the cookies, well-spaced (about 3-4 cm), on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar on top, just before serving.
Note: This recipe makes about 35-40 cookies. If the dough is too sticky, add one or two spoons of flour. You can substitute chocolate chips with other ingredients such as raisins, for an even healthier snack. Store in a airtight container. You can also store the baked cookies in the freezer; before serving, let them thaw at room temperature and then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
ABOUT THE COOKBOOK AUTHORS
Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn is an Italian pharmacist, researcher and food writer. Cooking, eating healthy food and staying active have always been her life-long passions. She has a cooking blog Passion and Cooking, and contributes to several international magazines. She has previously published in Italy Love is Eating, focusing on Italian culinary culture.
Paola Palestini is a biochemistry professor at the Medical School of the University Milano-Bicocca, Italy. Recently, Paola has been actively involved in the promotion of the principles of a healthy diet through conferences and in collaboration with several magazines. She is the author of seventy-six scientific articles published in international journals.
THE MAMMA MIA! DIET
Written by Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn and Paola Palestini
Published by Hatherleigh Press.
Chicken Sausage, Feta and Kale Frittata Recipe
If you’re looking for a fast and easy meal, you can’t go wrong with a tasty and organic-sourced frittata.
Chicken Sausage, Feta and Kale Frittata
Recipe provided by True Story
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
- 8 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups trimmed and thinly sliced kale
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
- 2 Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage links, cut in bite-size slices
How to Make Frittatas:
- Heat broiler to high.
- Combine eggs, salt, and feta, and stir with a whisk. Set aside.
- In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add kale and sauté for 4 minutes, or until starting to wilt. Add pepper and sliced chicken sausage and stir 2 minutes, or until heated through.
- Add egg mixture. Cook over medium heat until eggs are partially set, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet to the broiler and cook about 3 minutes, or until the top is set.
About True Story:
Founded in San Francisco in 2011, True Story Foods believes in a future of food that is a return to what is real and true. True Story believes in a future of food that is a return to what is real and true. A future that is respectful of the source of our food – the soil, the animals, and the farmers. True Story is nurturing a community of family farmers, artisan producers, progressive retailers, and food lovers who are dedicated to this future.
True Story is available nationally in select natural and traditional grocery retailers and Costco. For more information, visit www.truestoryfoods.com.
2 Things You have to Eat in Barcelona
Barcelona is a great place to visit. It is a wonderful city, and most people love it. And even if they don’t love it, they still like it quite a bit more than other places.
Of course there is great food and great drink in this town on the edge of the Mediterranean in northern Spain. The selections range from seafood, cheese, rice, and wine, to beer, cocktails, meats, and breads.
This means that you have a lot of options on the menu to enjoy. But we say that when you are in Barcelona, unless you are a vegetarian or a vegan, you must always have these two dishes at least once.
Patatas Bravas
The first is a delicious serving of patatas bravas, a local potato diced dish in a red sauce. Most people look at it and think it might be quite hot and spicy, but when eaten they realize that it is actually quite flavorful and savory, as the basic ingredients are olive oil, red pepper, paprika, chili, and vinegar.
Patatas bravas are one of the traditional tapas of the Catalan region.
The Cone of Meat (Cono Mixto)
The other item is what we like to call, the Cone of Meat. Often it is composed different of meats, but it can also include a mix of seafood such fried fish or calamari as well. The basic concept is that it is a paper cone filled with slices and dices of a selection of tasty morsels. If it’s made of meat then this could be a combination of sliced sausages, Serrano ham, manchego cheese, or chorizo.
It could be anything really, even just a mix of local artisan cheeses. It’s essentially a cone of mixed delights: “cono mixto” (aka cono de mini fuets, cono de jamon y queso, etc.). In addition, what bumps this particular dish up to a higher level of desire is that it is mobile friendly. The choice is up to you. You can either stroll the streets or markets while munching on this, or sit at a table and enjoy it with a delicious glass of red vino or a taste of cava.
Ah, Barcelona!
