Celebrating getting a degree in Sin City

Writing this and seeing all of the pictures really makes me want to book another girl’s trip to Vegas, I had the best time with my bestie (Suzie). We went the summer after we had both finished our 3 years at University before I got a proper job and she started her masters. We were both finally 21 and we thought we deserved a holiday after finishing university life. Let me fill you in on our weekend of fun in Sin City.

I’m going to just put this out there, Vegas was expensive. We managed to get our accommodation fairly cheap (we stayed at the Excalibur) and the location was absolutely perfect as we were on the strip; but everything else came with a pretty hefty price tag so book it knowing you will be taking a lot of spending money!

Hopefully that hasn’t put you off because Vegas is such a good laugh especially when you go for a girls holiday. We went in June and it was pretty hot but the majority of hotels have pools and there are lots of pool parties to go to!

One of my favourite parts of the holiday was visiting the different hotels on the strip, we were really close to the New York hotel but my personal favourite was the Paris hotel. We had this amazing guide who showed us how to take some incredible photos from the top with a birds eye view and was incredibly knowledgeable about Vegas in general. Oh and the pancakes are unbeatable here...obvs.

Of course Vegas wouldn't be Vegas without playing on the slot machines and at the tables. To be honest we had a bit of fun playing on the slots but as soon as we went on the tables we were rubbish and ended up losing straight away. It was enjoyable for a bit but we soon got bored and headed to the bars!

I’d also recommend heading out to the Stratosphere which is right at the end of the strip (don’t worry there is a type of train which runs to all hotels on the strip so you don’t have to do the really long walk. This provides something a little different in Vegas as it has some amazing rollercoasters! Now I am a huge adrenaline seeker, I love going to a theme park but even my palms were sweating when we went on the insanity rollercoaster. The ride moves out so it is above the sights and sounds of Vegas with nothing underneath, you are then tilted in your seat so that you are essentially looking down at the drop, it is definitely one of the scariest rides I’ve been on but I would highly recommend if you are a bit of an adrenaline junkie!

My final recommendation is to get your dancing shoes on and go to the Coyote Ugly bar in the New York New York hotel, I love the film and getting to experience something similar was amazing, a must see in Vegas!

Last but most certainly not least, the fooood! Vegas is full of dining halls with unlimited buffets, I recommend getting a big lunch, it is far cheaper and just as good quality as the evening meals.

Have you been to Vegas? What were your favourite spots? Let me know.

Indulgent Brownies with Lotus Biscoff

This recipe is perfect for those days when you feel like treating yourself, I like to eat healthy don’t get me wrong but I also have a massive sweet tooth and this is the perfect recipe for when you feel like really indulging.

Featuring Lotus Biscoff spread (best spread in the world if you ask me), the brownies are decadent and fudgy with just the right amount of biscuit spread. Plus they are pretty damn easy to make, what more could you ask for!

What you’ll need:

100g white caster sugar

200g brown sugar

100g butter (softened)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

120g plain flour

200g Lotus Biscoff spread (I like crunchy for texture)

15g cocoa powder

150g chocolate chips

How to create them:

1.       Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking dish with parchment paper.

2.       Place the white and brown sugar into a mixing bowl and set aside.

3.       In a microwave proof bowl melt the chocolate chips and the butter together. Once melted and combined pour the melted chocolate mixture in with the sugars. Mix to combine.

4.       Once mixed add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix.

5.       Add 60g of flour into the mix and combine. Once fully mixed, add the remaining flour and mix until combine.

.       Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Melt the Biscoff spread in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. Pour half of the spread into the batter mix in the pan and use a butter knife to mix the spread into the batter.

7.     Add the remaining brownie batter into the pan, then repeat the same step with the rest of the spread, adding dollops and swirling into the mix.

 Bake the brownies for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Czeching out the views in Prague

So I have to be honest and say that Prague has never been on my bucket list to visit, I’ve always heard good things but there were always other places that I wanted to visit more. So what changed? Well my best friend in America was going to Prague for a trip and as it is a lot more accessible than Colorado I thought I’d take a trip out to see her. It turned out to be one of my favourite weekends away!

Unlike other city breaks, Prague is a more chilled destination where we were able to explore the local area at a more leisurely pace. One of the must do attractions is the Prague castle, not only is the castle itself beautiful and full of history, it also gives the most amazing views of the city and the perfect Instagram picture…

The Charles Bridge is also a popular tourist destination and it is easy to see why, we preferred to go during the evening when it wasn’t so busy and it was beautiful. The architecture is outstanding and it gives views of both sides of Prague, it is a must see that you shouldn’t miss.

I would also recommend spending time in the Old Town Square which has lots of restaurants, horse and carriage rides, and the infamous Astronomical Clock (which was sadly under construction when we went). 

It was where we had our first taste of the trdelníks, also known as chimney cakes: a hollow cyclindrical Czech pastry that is lined with Nutella or berry compote and topped with soft serve ice cream, it was the dessert of dreams.

This was the first of many amazing foods, we weren’t too adventurous and similarly to England there are plenty of other cuisines in Prague which we were more tempted by. My favourite was served to us on a boat which was stationed on the river and had the most amazing views.

 It is called Marina and is definitely somewhere that needs to be booked in advance. A converted riverboat, it offers some of the best Italian food I have ever eaten, we saved this for our last night as it is a little more expensive than most restaurants in Prague. I had homemade pasta which melted in the mouth with an arrabiata style topping and we shared a side dish of risotto (also incredible).

We also had a tasty meal at Kobe restaurant, it is a steak and grill sushi restaurant and the chicken teriyaki sushi is a must get! Both of these restaurants were a small walk out of the centre square and I would recommend trying a little further out as you get a much better deal for your money, Old Town Square restaurants are a bit of a rip off!

We also had some incredible breakfasts at a couple of local cafés, the pastries were to die for!

If you're looking for drinks, Prague has plenty of clubs and bars but the iconic Absintherie was a favourite for me. (Located in Old Town Square).

I would also say the best thing about venturing out a little bit is that you find great things completely by accident! We found a food festival in a park which we happened to walk past. As you can see from the picture we took complete advantage and stuffed our faces with some tasty street food!

If you visit in the summer (or it happens to be warm when you are there) take a pedalo out on the river, we saw quite a few sights that we had completely missed on foot and it is just really fun and a great way to get a tan!

Finally I couldn't write this without mentioning the most amazing sweet shop called Captain Candy, there were about four in the area we were staying in and I have the biggest sweet tooth so I was in candy heaven - well worth checking out.

Hopefully I’ve convinced you to take a trip, for me it truly was a jewel in the heart of Europe.

Bluegrass BBQ

Reading is my go-to place for food, I absolutely love London but it is a bit of a trek when you just fancy a good brunch so I usually end up in Reading.

I’ve been to Bluegrass a few times for both the lunch/dinner menu and the brunch menu. This review is going to be about the brunch menu, usually I'm boring and always go for the same choice: Chocolate Chip pancake stack, but I decided to change it up and go for one of their savoury options. 

I went for the Smokehouse plate and Greg went for the Ultimate place, both of which come with unlimited tea and coffee.

Mine included Texas toast, baked eggs, mushrooms, homemade hash browns, bacon, sausages and BBQ beans. Normally I love the pancakes but I have to say I was a little disappointed by the savoury offering, the BBQ beans were definitely a favourite and I would order those again with the Texas toast as a side. They can be ordered with meat or vegetarian, I chose meat and it came with chunks of pulled pork in a bbq tasting sauce – really delicious. 

Sadly the rest of it did not live up to expectation, the bacon was a little overdone, as were the baked eggs and there was only one little mushroom!

Greg's included Texas toast, baked eggs, mushrooms, homemade hash browns, bacon, sausages, BBQ beans, pulled pork, grilled tomatoes and a side of buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup.

Greg’s was also not too great with the pancakes being the only part he enjoyed. His pancakes came with a mini pot of maple syrup and were light and fluffy – I was a little jealous. I think next time I will just stick to the usual pancakes!

Qcumber Gin Cocktail

I love going to food shows as they give me the chance to see food and drink products that aren’t always available at your local supermarket. One of my favourite finds was Qcumber water which I found at the BBC Good Food Show a couple of years ago.

There are so many types of water available now but I have to say this one is very refreshing. I decided to play around with it and see what else I could add in to make it more exciting, a splash of gin turned out to be one of the best combinations and now you have the Qcumber gin cocktail.

This recipe makes one cocktail. The Qcumber water is available in Ocado.

What you’ll need:

·         Gin

·         Qcumber water

·         Cucumber

·         Ice

·         Shot measure

·         Jam Jars

How to create it:

1.       Fill a jam jar to the top with ice and set aside.

2.       Cut cucumber into chunks and add into the jam jar.

3.       Add two shots of gin into the jam jar and top with the Qcumber water.

4.       Give everything a stir and enjoy!