We Went Away.
On a plane.
To Las Vegas!!
We went to visit my baby brother Bryan and his wife Sarah and their kids Travis (14) and Beth (11) And their dogs Jack, Belle and Tattoo. And oh my goodness, we had such a great time!!
It started out with Bryan and Sarah buying our tickets as a graduation present for Larry AND then using their points to bump us up to first class on the long Charlotte to Las Vegas leg of the trip.
After being in first class, I don't know how I've ever flown before. or will ever fly again. Sigh. It was SOOOOO sweet.... they treat you like humans and serve you food and drink and smile at you. We sat down and they offered us ice water before the plane even left! Then the steward came around and asked us what we'd like to drink. Larry said Bourbon. All they had was Jack Daniels, and Larry said that's fine. The steward asked if he wanted it with ice or water and Larry said no, I'll take it neat. "Ooohh...you are hardcore!!" the steward said. "I'll have to keep my eye on youuuu!!!
On Weds Larry went along on a dog walk.
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| Bryan, Sarah and Travis |
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| I had to ask Sarah what it was like - living in an area where the sun shines and the sky is relentlessly blue!!! |
On Thanksgiving Day we had wonderful dinner with my dad and Sarah's parents Mary and Walt.
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| Family Portrait! |
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| Our dad. |
Then on Friday morning we got up at 3:30 in the AM and took off for Universal Studios in Los Angeles.
(My dad stayed behind to catch up on his sleep, watch the dogs and try to figure out Bryan's TV.)
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| 8am. Just before our VIP Tour started. |
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| The gas station from Back to the Future! |
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| the bates home from Psycho!! |
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| Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds |
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| The whole lot of us!!! |
After we left universal Studios, we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory and met with Susan, Sarah's twin for dinner. Yummo!!!
Here is one of the dishes that we had there and which I made for dinner tonight. Simple and tasty!!
I'll write more later about the Strip and Bingo and more cool stuff we did!!
So try out this spaghetti!! Easy and SOOOO good!!!
Old Spaghetti Factory's Spaghetti with Brown Butter
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Serves/Makes: 4 | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: < 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup Mizithra cheese
pasta of choice
Directions:
Browned Butter Procedure: Cut butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a 2-quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes).
Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.
Once the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.
Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.
Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan.
The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.
Boil the pasta of choice until Al Dente. Drain pasta and divide into four servings. Spread 1/4 cup of Mizithra over each pasta serving. Top with 1/4 cup of hot brown butter.
Cook's Notes: There is a terrific dish served by The Old Spaghetti Factory chain, called Spaghetti with Browned Butter,. It is served topped with shredded Mizithra cheese (a Greek hard cheese). If mizithra is not available (I am able to easily locate it St. Louis at cheese shops and some supermarkets), a blend of ricotta salata and romano is suggested.
Wow, epic trip! I remember this spaghetti from visits to the OSF in San Diego. There's also one in Lexington, KY, as you probably know. At least there was several years ago when I lived in Hoosier land. Glad to have you back among us regular folks, flying coach, living little, loving the rain & snow.
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