date night: vegas edition

Howdy folks!

Since the freakin' weekend is about to grace us with its presence once again, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite date night destinations with you guys!

Most of our weekend evenings consist of chipotle, an intense game of cards while listening to some tunes, or binge watching New Girl. However, every once in a while we will bust out our fancy pants and have a night on the town. When that phenomenon occurs, these are a few of our favorite places to go: (these are not in any kind of order, just so ya know)

1. Hugo's Cellar, Downtown Las Vegas

If you want to experience a whole lotta old school Vegas charm, this is the place to go. You are waited on by the most charming and adorable old men who look and dress as though they used to hang out with Frank Sinatra all the time and the food is absolutely delicious. Every lovely lady that walks through the door is given a single rose and the atmosphere is very intimate with candle lit tables, dim lighting, and brick walls. It's the perfect spot for a romantic night out. 

2. Park on Fremont, Downtown Las Vegas

Park on Fremont is a must for a sunny, warm day/evening. We love sitting outside in their patio area and they have really good beer. It's also a great spot if you're not in the mood to get really dressed up. Which is almost always the case for me. Jeans and a t-shirt are totally acceptable for this date night destination. 

3. The Velveteen Rabbit, Downtown Las Vegas

I love this sexy little bar. They don't serve food so eating before or after is a must. Their cocktails are absolutely delicious and the decor is to die for. It's a bit of a hipsters paradise but if you can look past the weird guy reading alone at the bar, it's a great place to cozy up to your date and sip on some gin and juice ... laaaiiiid back ... sorry. I'll stop there. withmymindonmymoneyandmymoneyonmymind. 

4. Don't Tell Mama, Piano Bar, Downtown Las Vegas

I'm a sucker for live music of any kind and I really love piano bars. In fact, I've never met a piano bar I didn't like. This one was voted the best in Las Vegas and it's conveniently located right next to a bunch of really fun restaurants and bars. It's a small bar so finding a seat can be challenging but it's worth checking out!

5. Cirque Du Soleil - The Beatles, LOVE

If you want to see a show, this is the show I would recommend. We saw it on a group date with close friends and it was so much fun! I have seen a few Cirque shows on the strip and this is by far my favorite. 

6. Serendipity 3, Ceasars Palace

Every once in a while Joel and I make our way to The Strip. It usually only occurs when friends are in town. When we are playing tourists on The Strip, Serendipity is a must. I know you've probably heard it a million times (especially if you live here) but their frozen hot chocolate is SO GOOD.

*Other little stops we try and make when we are hanging out on the strip include: Sprinkles Cupcakes, Pub 1842 (MGM - their nachos are amazing), The Fountains at Bellagio (duh), and now that we have one ... Shake Shack! 

7. View Wine Bar and Kitchen, Tivoli Village

This is another great spot for a romantic little meal. I really love Tivoli Village and so far I have loved all of the restaurants we have been to, so if you don't want to try this one, just pick one of the others. You can't go wrong! 

8. Vintner Grill, Summerlin

Super chic and trendy. My first time at Vintner Grill was for a day date with one of my gal pals and it was fantastic. I didn't know what to expect because it's literally tucked away in the corner of a bunch of office buildings, but the food is so good and the atmosphere is lovely. They also have outdoor seating, which is always a plus in my opinion. 

9. Commonwealth, Downtown Las Vegas

I feel like I am riiiiiight on the cusp of being a little too old to go to Commonwealth. Okay, so that's totally not true but it does start to feel like a nightclub if you are there past 10 o'clock on a weekend. However, if you're in the mood to shake your tail feather, the roof top deck/dance floor is awesome. 

10. Herbs and Rye, West Las Vegas

We went here for the first time to celebrate the end of another long semester and we fell in love. They are known for their extensive list of classic cocktails and the food is realllly, really good. Go during their happy hour and make a reservation if you can!

A few of our other, less exciting, go to's: Yardhouse, Frank & Fina's (one of my favorite local mexican restaurants), Samba Latte (great spot for a day date), Chicago Brewing Company (my favorite chicken tenders everrrrr), Banger Brewery and Archie's Thai Bistro.

I hope this list was helpful for my fellow desert rats and at least inspiring to those of you who don't live here. 

Get out there this weekend and date your honey! 

Oh and if you have a favorite spot that didn't make my list, please share! We are always looking for new places to try.

Bye now!

a few good reads

I have a really long list of stuff I should be getting done for class but I don't want to do a single thing on that list, so here I am ... sharing some blog joy with all of you. 

I hope everyone had a great weekend! This weekend was an emotional roller coaster for me so I over indulged in sweets and did some serious spring cleaning. My house looks spectacular and my pants don't fit. Success? Maybe.

Anyway, here are some fun reads for you from me. 

Happy Hump Day!

This engagement made me smile! Her faces are so funny.

As someone who deals with a little bit of anxiety from time to time, I thought this article was insightful.

I'm a proud taker of naps. Here are some thoughts on stepping up your nap game. 

A long list of how to's ... 

This winter has been more like spring for all of us in Vegas. While the temperatures have been wonderful, the air is still really dry and it has been terrible on my skin and hair. This coconut oil hair mask is on my list of things to try this weekend. I'm really hoping it helps! 

How to fight with your spouse in 9 steps and not destroy your marriage.

For all of you tea drinkers: what a cup of tea looks like in 22 different countries.

 I made this on Monday and it was delish! Comfort food for the win.

to my valentine ...

I love you today and every day. Cheers to our first Valentine's Day as Mr. & Mrs. and the many, many more to come. Xo

 pc: pamela ruby photography

a story about poo

Yesterday I shared with everyone how excited I am to jump back into blogging and keep anyone who cares up to date on my little family and our adventures, experiences, ups and downs, etc. Today I am sharing a story about poop with all of you. I'm so sorry, but these are the stories of my life. 

Ready? I'll keep this short and sweet.

This morning while making my way to Starbucks for my every.single.day iced latte, Monk was kickin' it in the back seat, I was on the phone with my little sister, and everything was a-okay. That was until I smelled something foul yet all too familiar coming from the back seat ... I glanced back and realized that my darling (and supposedly potty trained) pup had pooped ALL OVER THE BACKSEAT. Now, before any of you suggest that I burn my car and refuse to ever sit in the backseat again, I had laid down a blanket and no poo actually got on my seat. So relax about it! 

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. We made it home safely and my car is once again, poop free. Monk, however, is grounded and lost his car privileges for two weeks. 

The end. You're welcome. 

This was taken last weekend, when he didn't poop in the car. 

Look at that face!

back at it

Hi friends!

Boy has it been a while. Since writing last life has been a little bit crazy and really wonderful!

Joel and I are enjoying married life and have been on lots of adventures since tying the knot, Monk is doing better than ever (and by better than ever, I mean he literally just chewed up all of the toilet paper in the bathroom), and I am in my last semester at UNLV and will be graduating in May. Yaass!

I stopped posting on here shortly after my grandma passed away last year, because if I'm being honest with myself, she was the only person reading this blog ... hah. :) She would call me every day that I posted to talk about what I wrote, rave about how much she loved seeing my pictures and thank me for keeping her posted on what was going on in my life. She was seriously the best ever. Miss you, grams.

Anyway, I've been really itching to write again and share recipes, stories, things I've learned about life and myself since getting married and whatever else pops in my head and decided it was time to jump back into it. Hopefully my mom or sisters will feel the need to fill in for my grandma! ;) Hint, hint family.

So yeah man, I'm back!

Xo

Taken while we were in New York last month for my birthday. We finally made it over to the 9/11 fountains.
They were breathtakingly beautiful.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Summer is right around the corner! Unless you live here in Las Vegas, then Summer started about two weeks ago. Ugh. 

This is, of course, the time of year when everyone starts worrying more about their diet and working out so they can fit into that itty bitty bikini (which I know nothing about, you'll find me in a full length poncho at the pool). However, I do like to feel really good this time of year and kick up my health routine since it's not as easy to cover up a bad weekend with a cozy sweatshirt when it's 100 degrees outside, although I've tried. 

I found this recipe on one of the many blogs I follow (simplyrealhealth.com) and my first time making it was a total disaster. I thought I could substitute wax paper for parchment paper (you can't, so don't), the smoke alarm was going off because the wax paper was literally burning in the oven, I couldn't get the pizza off of the wax paper so we were forced to eat a little with almost every bite, and I didn't cook it long enough at all.. To make a long story short, it fell apart, I was pissed off, threw a temper tantrum, possibly cried a little ... all while my amazing husband choked down every waxy bite and kept saying "it's not that bad babe!". What a guy. :) 
Side note: I totally realize that I may have overreacted a little. Leave me alone about it. #roughday

My second time making it was much more successful. I made sure to use parchment paper and kept it in the oven for about 5 minutes longer. We were thrilled with the results! My point? If you fail the first time, get back on the cow and try again ... or something like that. 

This is definitely a new staple in the Hiatt household. 

Bonus points: it's gluten free! But that only matters if you have celiac disease. Seriously. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza 

Makes approx 2 servings

Notes: You will need a clean dish towel to make this crust, as well as a powerful blender or food processor. If you don’t have one, no problem—just boil the cauliflower florets before you blend them.

Crust:

1 medium head cauliflower, with the base stem and leaves removed (just the florets and some smaller stems needed)

½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 TB almond flour (or brown rice flour - I used brown rice flour because almond flour is much more expensive)

1 egg

1 tsp sea salt + 1 tsp pepper

*A pinch of dried oregano, red pepper flakes, or basil if desired! I use all three.

To top:

Clean ingredient tomato sauce (I love the Delallo brand but there are a lot of good options), homemade tomato sauce or clean pesto.

Other toppings of your choice: roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes, pre-cooked organic sausage, organic mozzarella, parmesan, feta or goat cheese, olives, etc. Using all pre-cooked toppings will keep the cooking time shorter. 

*For the pizza in the photo, I used roasted red peppers, all natural/organic turkey sausage, fresh parmesan cheese and a little fresh goat cheese.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER!). In a powerful blender or food processor, add cauliflower florets and blend until smooth. Don’t over process it, but blend enough so that you no longer have any big pieces visible.

Place the pulsed cauliflower in the middle of a clean dish towel. Wrap it up, and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can. There will be a lot! *The more moisture you can squeeze out the better, it may take a few minutes so just be patient. It also helps to do little bits of the cauliflower at a time. 

Then, open the towel and place the cauliflower in a mixing bowl. Add parmesan, almond flour, egg and spices and mix together. Combine it into a ball. With your hands, flatten into an even crust on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 min (depending on your oven), until it starts to brown. 

Remove from heat, add your sauce and toppings, and place back in the oven until done (approx 5 minutes if you pick topping that are already pre-cooked). Broil at the end to brown the cheese for a great presentation.

*While this is definitely a pizza, I find that this is better eaten with a fork. The crust is absolutely delicious but it does fall apart easier than regular pizza crust.

Serve with a delicious side salad and you're ready to go!

Xo

*Recipe by simplyrealhealth.com - I won't lie, I was to lazy to retype this recipe so these are her words, I just added in a few of my own tips and favorite ingredients!