 Ahhh finally another recipe to share! So my last recipe I planned to share with y’all, omg. It was something I have literally made 1,000 times in my life and when I went to make it for you? Total fail moment photography-wise. I had to think of a recipe to re-claim my wannabe chef status so I came up with Fig and Cardamom Scones! No possible way I could mess this up! I will be honest, figs are usually not my thing! Actually, this is the only way you will ever see me eat one. In a scone! I don’t know what it is, but these scones make you forget that a fig is this really weird food and somehow turns it into total deliciousness! Enjoy!!  INGREDIENTS• 3 cups flour, spooned and leveled • ½ cup granulated sugar • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground cardamom • ¾ teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon baking powder • ½ teaspoon baking soda • 10 tablespoons butter, cube then freeze for 15 minutes • 1 cup buttermilk • 2 large eggs, room temperature • 2 teaspoons vanilla • 3 tablespoons figs, chopped into small pieces  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2. Use a prepared cast iron skillet or other desired pan. If using a pan other than cast iron, grease and flour the pan. 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cardamom, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. 4. Cut butter into the flour mixture, leaving chunks of butter. 5. In a separate bowl, beat together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.  6. Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture, and stir until just combined. 7. Gently fold in figs.  8. Once mixed, take out of bowl.  9. Pour into pan or skillet, spread evenly, then bake for 22-25 minutes.  10. Allow to cool, cut into eighths.  11.Serve & enjoy!
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 A little fact about me. All things musical & artsy put a huge smile on my face!!!! I can’t sing. I won’t even attempt unless I’m drunk at karaoke night. If you ever witness such a travesty, please take me home. Your girl can’t hang and that only means I’ve been hanging too long and my chaperone must be tipsy too lol..... however, I do love playing instruments (jam sessions!!) and I love to dance. I played flute and trumpet in school and I cheered and danced as well. So you best believe I’ve been obsessed with Cirque Du Soleil since I was I first discovered it in high school. At one point it was my goal in life to see them all. A girl can dream ;-) When we spotted a Facebook ad stating Cirque Du Soleil Crystal was headed to Erie, you best believe we scooped up tickets. My daughter had a blast at Mystre in Las Vegas over Spring Break & Crystal looked just as entertaining and very family friendly!!! We just had to see it!!!  Cirque Du Soleil CrystalCrystal is not just an ice show, it’s the very first experience on ice from Cirque du Soleil. Watch world-class ice skaters and acrobats claim their new frozen playground with speed and fluidity as they challenge the laws of gravity with never-before-seen acrobatics. Discover a new kind of performance as Cirque du Soleil meets the ice to defy all expectations. Directed by Shana Carroll and Sebastien Soldevila, Crystal, our misfit heroine, takes you on an exhilarating tale of self-discovery as she dives into a world of her own imagination. Feel the adrenaline as she soars through this surreal world to become what she was always destined to be: confident, curious, and creative. CRYSTAL invites you to suspend reality and glide into a world that springs to colorful life with astounding visual projections and a soundtrack that seamlessly blends popular music with the signature sound ofCirque du Soleil.  OpinionCirque Du Soleil Crystal is definitely one fabulous show!! So much talent goes into the production of Cirque shows, that they are all enjoyable and very entertaining regardless of the plots!!!! However..... Since I’m brutally honest with you guys all the time, I thought I would be real. While this show is amazing to watch, I would not head to this particular show if music and theater aren’t your thing OR you are childless. I personally would love it if my hubby would take me to a show like this for date night, but I’m going to assume, most people would find this particular show a tad bit too family friendly. I don’t think this show was ment to be geared to the kiddos, but the whole show just gave me Stars on Ice and Disney on Ice vibes the whole time. Lots of talent. Cool plot! Just a tad bit on the kiddie side. If you have kids, definitely take them. It will be all they talk about for weeks. If you love theater, go!!! You will enjoy the talent behind the production. If you are looking for some entertainment and you have watched several Vegas shows hoping for Vegas epicness in your hometown, I would wait for the next show to hit town! This show is nothing like those productions. Let’s ChatHave you been to a Cirque Du Soleil show? Literally my new favorite spot on Chautauqua Lake! Harbor Hotel Carousel Bar! It’s so pretty!!! I just can’t get over how Insta-worthy this spot is. Definitely not the norm here in WNY that’s for sure. The best part?! Chautauqua Harbor Hotel Carousel Bar is just a few minutes away from my house. If I ever get bit by the wanderlust bug and I don’t have a fabulous trip planned for awhile, all I need to do is drive down the road and pretend I’m on vacation all I want!!!  Carousel BarA lakeside Carousel Bar, paying tribute to the grand carousels of yesteryear. The Carousel Bar promises a one-of-kind experience whether for lunch, dinner or sipping cocktails while taking in the spectacular sunsets for which Chautauqua Lake has become famous.  HoursCarousel Bar Summer Hours (July 1-Labor Day weekend): Mon-Thur.: 4pm-Close Fri-Sun: 11am-Close  ThoughtsI thought this would be a fabulous spot to really give you the reasons why I love this spot so much! 1. Champagne Lakeside ~ I didn’t have to purchase a bottle and I wasn’t handed a mini-bottle to pour myself. Legit glasses by the glass! 2. Atmosphere ~ Just look at that view?!? I can just stare off into the lake for hours. I almost feel bad for those drinking with me. I daze off into those water views. 3. Food ~ You can dine at Harbor Hotel without paying for the 5 star dining experience inside. Enjoy pizzas(very flatbread like), wings, and other yummy smaller plates for half the cost of inside! 4. Fire Pits ~ When it starts to get dark, take your beverage fireside!!! 5. Insta-Worthy Photo Opts ~ Nothing better than snapping those pics and having your backdrop look inst-worthy! 6. Not Too Crowded ~ we have yet to experience large crowds, which is super nice. We were just there Friday and while yes, there are people everywhere, you can still snag a seat with ease! 7. Dock Your Boat ~ Have a boat?! Lucky you and we should totally be besties. I am lacking a boat bestie lol.... anyway, you can dock your boat for free and walk right in for a drink. While this is legit my new summer spot, I will add that drink prices are high. This is a resort after all, so expect to pay resort prices for things like a beer. This is always the one drawback when I bring newbies. Totally worth the extra cost for the views alone if you ask me! Can’t wait for another chance to sip a cocktail at the Carousel Bar.  Let’s Chat!Do you have any local spots in your neck of the woods that make you feel like you’re on vacation? Howdy y’all!! Did you miss me?!? I took a tiny blogging break last week to spend the holiday week with the family. We usually do something epic for the 4th since hubby gets the whole week off from work. He has off of work, I plan my online break that exact week and bam! Family time! Unfortunately, our fabulous vacation to Punta Cana sorta got canceled since we were too chicken to go. I didn’t want to be the next article in the news. So an end of summer Disney Food & Wine trip and Turks & Caicos in October will take it’s place and a week of relaxation it was during the 4th. The best part about taking a break from the internet is when I return, I’m so excited to be back that I go insane pumping out bomb content for y’all!!! My first recipe to kick off my “I’m back” week? Crab Salad Avocado Halves! Enjoy!  Ingredients • 2 large avocados • 8 ounces crab meat (imitation or otherwise) • Juice from half a lemon • ¼ cup mayonnaise • ¼ teaspoon salt • ¼ teaspoon white pepper • ¼ teaspoon paprika (additional to sprinkle as garnish) • Cilantro, to garnish Makes (4) avocado halves with 1/3 cup shrimp salad in each.  1. Halve avocados and remove the pit. 2. Combine remaining ingredients, except garnish, in a bowl and mix together.  3. Scoop 1/3 cup mixture into each avocado halve.  4. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and cilantro.  5. Serve & Enjoy.
 Something ridiculously neat and totally unplanned happened when we were in Las Vegas! Haylie and I were headed to Mandalay Bay for a little aquarium fun. We grabbed my phone to book a Lyft since we were feeling pretty lazy. We did too much walking the day before. It was Lyfts everywhere we went for the second half of our trip since our legs were beat! Las Vegas Strip 1 Storms Family 0 While clicking away on the app, I was given an option! I could book a self driving car!!! Of course the adventurous part of me squealed with excitement and was like hell yeah!!! It sounded so futuristic. Like the stuff you see in movies!!! After a 10 minute wait for our Self Driving car to arrive, it was time to find out exactly what all of this Self Driving Lyft stuff was about since it was totally new to me!  Lyft Self-driving Ride ServiceI apparently have been living under a rock because Lyft's self-driving cars powered by Aptiv have apparently been picking up passengers around Las Vegas for the past year! The program launched in May 2018 and over 55,000 people have been adventurous enough to book a ride. If you’re a world traveler, this is probably old news, but I figured it’s a share-worthy story since I can’t be the only globetrotter to never hear of this. The cars are self driving, but arrive with two engineers on board in the front two seats. Lyft is on stage 4 out of 5 when it comes to self-driving testing, so engineers on board are legally required to make sure everything goes smoothly. These two individuals basically take notes about the ride and will even spill all the details on these rides. Basically they are the cars babysitters just Incase anything goes wrong. One of the engineers even pointed out to me that their self-driving cars average a 4.97 star rating and 92 percent of riders gave feedback that they felt safe during the ride. I will have to agree that I too felt very safe. The cars are very aware of their surroundings that’s for sure.  OpinionThe entire self/driving car experience took about five minutes since we were only headed to Mandalay Bay which is pretty close to where we started, MGM Grand. Honestly, this makes for a really neat story to tell folks, but the ride felt uneventful. Not going to lie, I had hoped for a car that chatted with us, on its own, and drove us, on its own, the presence of two people in the front with screens took a bit of fun from the ride. For the thrill seeker, that's let down. For the self-driving industry, it's a giant win.
It was still neat to take part in what I expect to be the future of the Taxi industry. We aren’t too far away from self driving cars! So glad I had the chance to experience it at the beginning. Can’t wait to see where Lyft is in a year when we head back to Vegas. You bet I will be checking the app constantly for a Self-driving ride for an updated review. Maybe by then we will be close to stage 5 and zero engineers on board! How neat would that be?!?! |
welcomeCourtneyLynne is former model turned mommy & wifey! When not blogging all things foodie, fashion, travel, mom life & straight up fabulousness to the masses, she can be found chasing her toddler around in 6in stilettos & laughing at her own jokes her glass of wine told her to tell. Categories
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