Hello Kitty Waffles

Supercute Hello Kitty Brunch

Hello Kitty Tramezzini

Hello Kitty High Tea

Hello Kitty Pancakes

Adorable Hello Kitty Cookie

How cute and delicious are these?!  All of these are exclusive Hello Kitty desserts/edible goodies from the Royal/T Cafe in Los Angeles for Sanrio’s Three Apples Exhibit.  These are only available Oct 23 – Nov 15!  Check out the menu below:

Hello Kitty’s Kawaii High Tea $25

An assortment of sweets, savory canapé, and mini sandwiches, including a pot of tea

mmm Delicious Mixed Mushroom & Cheese Tramezzini $8

Toasted white bread pockets filled with mushrooms and cheese, served with organic mixed greens 

Say Hello Chicken & Artichoke Tramezzini $8

Toasted white bread pockets filled with artichoke hearts and chicken, served with organic mixed greens

School is Fun Ham & Cheese Tramezzini $8

Toasted white bread pockets filled with ham and cheese, served with organic mixed greens

Super Yummy Waffles $7

Waffles, mixed berries, whipped cream, and syrup

I ♥ Pancakes $7

Pancakes, bananas, whipped cream, and syrup

Individually wrapped, hand-decorated Sweet Happy Cookies $6

The Three Apples Exhibit is a multi-media celebration of all things Hello Kitty for her 35th anniversary.  For more information on this unique Hello Kitty event click here.  For more information on Hello Kitty food from Royal/T click here.

Too cute to eat?  I can’t decide! 

Oh, who am I kidding?!  Of course I am going to go and eat everything!

Images courtesy of Wagstaff Worldwide

Let’s continue on my Las Vegas Dessert Tour with a stop at the delicious Jean Philippe Patisserie inside the Bellagio:

Berry Crepe

Chocolate Crepe with Dark Chocolate Fudge

Not only is the Jean Philippe Patisserie famous for their Chocolate Waterfall, they are also known for their French style crepes.  There are all sorts of crepes – sweet, indulgent, fruity, and savory – to satisfy everyone.  We tried three different crepes:

Veggie Crepe: Crepe filled with Mediterrenean vegetable mix and a side of field greens.  Good, but not amazing.  Tasted a little bit like marinara pasta and salad.

Chocolate Crepe: Crepe with chocolate syrup, intense chocolate fudge, brownie bites, chocolate shavings, powdered sugar and mint garnish (comes with whipped cream if you like).  I LOVED this crepe – Very indulgent and SO delicious!  Extremely chocolate-y; a must for chocoholics! 

Berry Crepe: Crepe with berry (strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry) compote, powdered sugar, and whipped cream – my favorite one of the three!  Sweet and berry delicious!  I loved the chunks of fruit and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy fruit.  Very light and leaves you craving more.

Pastries

The dessert paradise that is Jean Philippe Patiserrie has a never-ending supply of pastries, candy, cakes, and gelato.  There are giant almond brioches, fancy eclaires, a variety of sandwhiches, baguettes, hazelnut spread, opera cake, slabs of chocolate from the chocolate fountain, Sponge Bob birthday cakes, Hello Kitty cupcakes… you name it!  I could barely take it all in with my eyes.  Can’t wait to go back!

Jean Philippe Gelato

… not really but totally kind of!  Well I didn’t meet her but I know she’s out there!  PROOF BELOW:
 

Bakery owned by my Future Self in Korea

THAT photo above is a shot of the entrance to the Dorothy Ann bakery in Korea!! DOROTHY.  ANN.  BAKERY. in KOREA.

and its HOT PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe someone beat me to it and opened a hot pink bakery in korea named after myself.  I have forever been wanting to open a hot pink bakery named Dorothy Ann!! And I’ve always wanted my bakery to be in Korea because I wish I was Korean!  Absolutely cannot believe that there can be another person SO similar to moi but so much more accomplished.

Then I realized it has to be ME from the future!!  I mean, that’s the only explanation for the existence of this bakery.  It looks exactly like the one that’s been sitting in my head!  It IS the one that’s been sitting in my head.

I hope she’s married to a korean pop star.

Dorothy Ann Sandwich
Seoul, Korea

Las Vegas, the epicenter of sin.  Of course, that would include gluttony, which goes hand in hand with gourging on decadent desserts.  So put on your most loose-fitting clothing, and get ready to sin.  After all, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Mind you, I was only in Sin City for the weekend so this is a shorter dessert tour.  First stop, the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio:

 With a whimsical name like that, who doesn’t want to eat at Carnival World?  Praised time and time again as one of Vegas’ best buffets, Carnival World Buffet offers over 300 dishes prepared on the spot.  The buffet includes steak, teppanyaki, sushi, barbeque, and a wide range of international cuisine.  And of those 300 dishes, more than 70 of them are desserts.

Chocolate Manicotti

The first thing you notice when you walk through the Carnival World entrance is the dessert section, as it is located right by the entrance.  Perfect for those like me, who only eat dessert – we can start eating right away!  Every dessert is made fresh by Chef Randy Sebastian, one of the top pastry chefs in the nation, and his team. 

The moment I stepped into Carnival World, I made a beeline for the gelato bar.  There are ten different flavors of gelato and sorbetti.  I tried coconut (superdelicious), peach (okay), strawberry (yummy), vanilla bean (not as vanilla-y as I like), chocolate, coffee (bitter), and cookies and cream (I had 3 servings of this!).  There is also a fun topping bar with all your favorite toppings including syrups, candies, cookies, and fruits. 

Gelato Bar

Besides the wonderful gelato, Carnival World also has quite a few cakes and pies.  There are plenty of the usual fruit and pudding pies, but there are also sugar-free versions.  I had a bite of apple pie, and it tasted pretty generic.  There were three different cakes the day I went: chocolate with chocolate frosting, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.  All three of them were really moist and yummy, but my favorite was the red velvet.  It was a perfect red velvet!  Wish I could eat that everyday.

Amazing Peanut Bars

And like every dessert buffet, there were plenty of cookies, bars, and biscottis.  None of the biscottis or cookies interested me; I don’t like hard or crispy sweets.  But I did try the brownies (mediocre), chocolate manicotti thingys (superdelicious), and my favorite of the entire night: the peanut bars.  I don’t know what their official name is, but they are peanutty and baklava-y, sticky, gooey, teeth rotting, and absolutely perfect.  I am willing to go to Carnival World Buffet again JUST so I can eat these!!!  I want to eat them!  I want to make them!  I want them!  If anyone knows of a recipe for a good sticky gooey peanut bar, let me know!

"Secret" Dessert Card from Bus Driver

Carnival World Buffet also has a “secret” dessert which you have to specially ask for – the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake.  I took the shuttle from the Rio to the Strip, and at the end of the bus ride the bus driver gave everyone a card for a secret dessert at the buffet.  The cake is assembled for you on the spot and then topped with powdered sugar and vanilla gelato – I put chocolate syrup from the toppings bar all over mine.  Not every bus driver will give you one of those cards, but if you really want a chocolate lava cake when you visit the Carnival World Buffet, you can also find a coupon here.

Warm Chocolate Lava Cake

Note of advice: the wait for this buffet is extremely long, as it is with almost all buffets around the Strip.  I arrived Saturday at 1pm, only to be told there was a 2 hour wait.  There was no way I was waiting for 2 hours, so I left and came back at 4pm, and only waited for 30 minutes.  So get there early!

Carnival World Buffet at the Rio

3700 W Flamingo Rd

Las Vegas, NV 89103

Breakfast $14.99 plus tax, 7am-11am Mon-Fri

Lunch $16.99 plus tax, 11am-3:30pm Mon-Fri

Dinner $23.99 plus tax, 3:30pm-10pm Mon-Fri

Saturday & Sunday Champagne Brunch $23.99 plus tax, 8am – 3:30pm

Breakfast & lunch children  4 – 8  $4 off adult price

Dinner and brunch children $7 off adult price

I will be posting the rest of my Las Vegas Dessert Tour featuring the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain and Serendipity later this week, so get excited!

Fall is my favorite season for picnics and outdoor eating, even though most people tend to prefer summer or spring for picnicking. But I just like sitting under golden leaves and breathing crisp air while enjoying a Vanilla Banana Cupcake.

Vanilla Banana Cupcakes

Here is a supermoist cupcake recipe which makes me happy to have way overripe bananas lying around the kitchen. And I’ve reduced the amount of sugar and fat here (since I used so many bananas) so enjoy without guilt! Delightful topped with Vanilla Frosting or unfrosted as a warm muffin with some butter.

Vanilla Banana Cupcakes (makes 12)

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c butter (1/2 of a stick of butter)

 1/4 c applesauce

2 large eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 c mashed bananas (about 5 medium sized bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.  In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a large bowl, mix together butter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Mix in mashed bananas.  Fill muffin cups until 2/3 full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 20-24 minutes.

Vanilla Frosting

1 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1/2 c butter (1 stick)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 – 2 Tbsp milk

Beat butter with mixer until very soft and fluffy.  Add sugar and combine.  Mix in vanilla and milk until the frosting is light and fluffy.

By the way, these cupcakes are quite the hit, with both humans and squirrels:

Squirrel skulking towards the remains of our picnic

Enjoying our picnic...

Squirrel devouring Vanilla Banana Cupcake