2 Top Interests: Turquoise and Wontons

Tom and I just returned from a weekend trip to Vegas. It's always nice to get away, just the two of us, for a few days. We were able to see a show, play some Texas Hold'em, shop, and eat at some great restaurants on the strip. We stayed at the Monte Carlo down by the MGM and New York, New York. We were able to check out some of the new buildings (Aria, Cosmopolitan, City Center) and we ended up getting some free meals and cash since we let someone try and sell us a time share (ugh...never again). We also caught the Nebraska game early Saturday morning and took a trip to see the old strip at Freemont Street, which I had never seen before. 

                   Walking on the strip                      Golden Nugget at the old strip

At Beatles "LOVE" by Cirque du Soleil in the Mirage

Since we got home on Saturday, I had all of Sunday to try out some new things that have been on my to-do list. I have recently been obsessed with the color turquoise...I love everything ever made in that color, I swear. I really wanted to replace the old gross chair that I have in my guest room in front of the vanity where I do my hair and makeup in the mornings. I had a vision for what I was going for, and I knew turquoise had to be involved, so I went to a flea market around 30th and Gillham a few weeks ago and picked up this gem for $10:

 
I wanted to get one that had a padded seat so that I could replace the fabric with some of my own. I ordered some that was on sale from fabric.com. 

I made sure to use good primer, or else I knew that the paint would wear off with time. I removed the pad from the base, took out the old staples and removed the old cloth. I used the old square of cloth to measure how much of the new fabric I needed to cut. Once it was cut, I used a staple gun to put it in place nice and tight (the trick is to do the corners last!).

 And...voila!! 

 So on to my next top interest: wonton  wrappers. Have you ever used these for anything?? They are the bomb.com!! There are so many filling ideas on the web that are way outside the Asian box. You can find them in the produce refrigerator by the tofu.

Tonight I tried Chicken Parmesan Wraps that I found on Pinterest and they were delish! Basically, you just mix up some grilled chicken pieces with marinara sauce, spoon the mixture into the middle of the wonton wrapper, and sprinkle on some fresh spinache, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. To press the wrappers together, you can wet the edges a bit with water. I sprayed some olive oil spray on them before I baked them at 400 degrees for 12 minutes just to ensure the wrappers came out crispy. I also decided to flip them halfway, but you wouldn't need to if you have a wire rack to bake them on.

Next I'm going to try buffalo chicken wraps!!