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Family Travel: Kids Activities in Las Vegas

ROAM, USA By March 19, 2015 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

For many families, Las Vegas is an inexpensive and easy destination for travel, but are there enough kids activities in Las Vegas? I believe that kids can learn and have fun in any destination as long as parents are attentive to their needs and do a bit of homework. While smoky casinos and shooting ranges may be off the activity lists, there are loads of kids activities in Las Vegas that are thrilling for the whole family.

Here are a few Sin City activities that I’ve experienced that make me itch for a family trip!

1. Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay features tropical fish, sharks and turtles.

Bellagio Fountains with Kids
2. The fountains with lights and music at Bellagio (you may want to watch Oceans 11 first!) Image: Flickr via Tim Parkinson

Gondola rides at Venetian
3. A gondola ride at the Venetian is way less expensive than a trip to Italy.

M and M World Vegas
4. M&M’s World encompasses four floors – just make sure you set candy limits!

Duelling Pianos Times Square
5. Duelling Pianos at the bar at Times Square at New York, New York if a favourite of mine and any little budding musician is sure to love it.

Mob Museum Vegas
6. The Mob Museum is a gorgeous building filled with gangster lore.

New York New York Roller Coaster
7. The Big Apple Coaster at New York New York, and hop over to the arcade while you are there. Photo credit: Roig61 on Flickr
8. Big Shot at the Stratosphere

North Las Vegas outlet mall
9. North Premium Outlet Mall – With loads of kids stores from Strasburg Kids to Juicy Couture, I never miss the outlet mall.

Shark Pool Golden Nugget
10. Live shark tank pool and slide at the Golden Nugget

Tournament of Kings Vegas
11. Tournament of Kings, Excalibur

Circus acts for Kids Circus Circus
12. Circus shows at Circus Circus – free shows begin daily at 11am and run every half hour

CSI Experience MGM Grand
13. CSI: The Experience at MGM Grand
14. Go to a Vegas Golden Knights hockey game!

We stayed at the Cromwell, which was well worth the trip!

 

 

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Creamy BC Spot Prawn Chowder With poached egg and Smokey Chicharon

EAT, family meals By December 26, 2012 Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments
On 22nd Nov, the Vancouver Aquarium was transformed into a culinary battleground as 12 of Vancouver’s top chefs competed to create the best sustainable chowder before a crowd of hungry seafood lovers. After the last bowls of chowder were sampled, a panel of esteemed judges crowned Chef Chris Whittaker of Forage Restaurant the 2012 Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown Champion. In a surprising sweep, Chef Whittaker’s chowder was also chosen as the winner of the People’s Choice Award.
Chef Whittaker won over the celebrity judges and the crowd with his irresistible recipe for Creamy Spot Prawn Chowder with Poached Egg and Smokey Chicharon, featuring white wine, leeks and bacon.

And here is the recipe Creamy BC Spot Prawn Chowder With poached egg and Smokey Chicharon:

1/3 cup Salted Butter
¾ cup bacon (cut into batons)
2 cups Diced Celeriac
2 cups Diced Tomato
2 cups Diced Onion
1 cup Diced Carrots
1 cup Diced Leeks
¼ cup Flour
½ cup White Wine
3 cups Spot Prawn Stock
1 ½ cups Cream
1 ¼ cups Diced German Butter Potato
1 tsp Finely Chopped Italian Parsley
1 tsp Finely Chopped Thyme
½ tsp Riesling Vinegar
20 piece Wild BC Spot Prawns (split in half)
Salt and White Pepper to taste

Heat sauce pan over medium heat and add bacon and butter. Once melted and bacon has begun to render, add celeriac, onion, leeks and carrots. Saute until vegetables become translucent and add flour and mix until incorporated. Cook for about five minutes on low hear and then deglaze with white wine. Once alcohol is cooked off (about 1 minute) add prawn stock and turn heat back up to medium. Add heavy cream and diced tomatoes and potatoes. Cook for an additional 30 minutes on a gentle simmer and then add riesling vinegar, parsley and thyme. Stir in the raw prawns and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.

Serves 4 – 6

For the Chicharon

1 pound pork skin (fat removed and diced)
3 cups water
1 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in pot and bring to boil. Cook for at least 30 minutes. Strain and dry in 180f oven for 6 hours or until completely dry. Place in 350f frying oil until they puff nicely. Remove and season with salt. At this point we lightly smoke with applewood chips for 10-15 minutes.(optional)

Place chowder in bowl of your choice and garnish with soft poached egg and chicharon.

Try these salmon chowder bread bowls next.

Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise™ Program

The Ocean Wise symbol next to a seafood item is the Vancouver Aquarium’s assurance of an ocean-friendly seafood choice. With over 3,100 Ocean Wise partner locations across Canada, Ocean Wise makes it easy for consumers to make sustainable seafood choices that ensure the health of our oceans for generations to come. www.oceanwise.ca
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