My Great American Road Trip – Nebraska, Nevada

I’ve never been to Nebraska. I did have a boyfriend from Omaha once though. He was very tall and sturdy, like a farmer, although he was an artist. He was so nice and dependable and sort of uninteresting.

The other thing I know about Nebraska is Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. I was older than I want to admit when I realized that Mutual of Omaha was sponsoring the program. It was a great lesson in the power of good sponsorship!

Nevada though, I’ve been to Nevada many times and almost always with my friends Nic and Tif from the UK and some combination of others from the US. Their friends Mike and Jill who are married, but have joined us individually, and my sister, who is a very good blackjack player. I’ve also been with other folks as well. I spent a New Year’s eve there many years ago with my friend Leslie and Lionel Ritchie, and I’ve been there at least once for work purposes, but maybe even more than that.

My most recent trip was with Nic, Tif, and Jill. The hotel was so high tech, that I spent the first night with the lights on because I couldn’t turn them off. We (Nicola) tried to embarrass the folks at Starbucks and ended up just embarrassing ourselves. And we got dressed up to see Lady Gaga!

So when I think of Nevada, I think of Las Vegas. The most indulgent city in the world. There are nearly 100 buffets to chose from, but they all have some staples – prime rib, cheap champagne, and shrimp cocktail.

Shrimp cocktail was the most elegant thing I could imagine as a kid and I ordered it every time my parents would indulge me. It is very easy to make.

Boil some shrimp for a couple minutes – til they turn pink. Then serve them with cocktail sauce. Cocktail sauce is ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, hot sauce, and lemon. A little vodka and you’ve got a bloody mary. Because this is Vegas, I served mine in a martini glass and felt very special as I nibbled away while I worked.

At dinner time, I turned back to Nebraska. Besides my old beau and Wild Kingdom, there is one other thing I know about Nebraska – Omaha Steaks. Every list I looked at about food in Nebraska was very steak heavy and in particular – the bone in rib-eye. I’ve never cooked a steak before. It seems like a lot of money for me to ruin, so I avoid it. But in for a penny and in for a pound. So a bone in rib-eye it would be.

Nebraska’s favorite marinate, so the internet tells me, is also my mothers. Worcestershire sauce, a little red pepper flakes, and some garlic. I bagged up my steak with this magical combination and felt it in the fridge for a while.

The only thing wrong with this meal is that I didn’t have a good red wine. I’m totally cooking steak again though. YUM.