Day 1269: Macaroons

Since I'm lucky enough to not have an extra summer job this summer aside from working on Everyday Disney and making YouTube videos, I've definitely paid attention to the odd collection of goals I'd like to accomplish. I made what I call a "Very Doable Bucket List," which is going pretty well, but aside from that, there's a few projects that have gained my attention.

One of those projects was the crazy idea I had not long ago that I'd like to learn how to make macaroons. Up until this past January, I don't think I'd ever had a macaroon before, and then, of course, I ended up trying one at Epcot and my whole life seemed to change. Suddenly cupcakes seemed much easier than normal, and I felt like I wanted a new challenge. I wanted to learn how to make macaroons.

Honestly, these little cookies seem like they'd be a lot harder to make than they actually are. Over the past couple of weeks I gathered recipes on Pinterest, learning about the two ways to make Macaroons - French and Italian - and contemplated what kind I'd like to make. Of course, because I was inspired by Disney to make these in the first place, it only seemed fair that I took that inspiration one step further.

What you have here is are Strawberries and Cream Macaroons, as is inspired by the Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream Macaroon Sandwich from the France Pavilion. They're much smaller than the ones filled with Ice Cream, but they're definitely delicious and honestly remind me a lot of the ones they serve there. These actually came out pretty perfect for a first try, and I was really keeping my expectations low just in case they burned or completely fell apart or something. Obviously, they didn't, and even my fresh strawberry jam and vanilla bean buttercream came together quickly and easily.

I'd share my recipe, but really I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to figure out exactly what all went into it because I mixed a bunch of recipes and then also changed things to make it my own, meaning that I don't remember precisely what I did. I'm positive this isn't the last time I'll be making macaroons though, so I'll try to include a recipe next time! Now it's off to work on the next project, which I'm sure will appear on the blog soon!

Have a magical day!

Day 1261: Flavorful

In going through my pictures, I've come to realize that I take a lot of pictures of food. I also spend ridiculous amounts of time watching Food Network (every piece of canvas art I've ever made was created while watching Food Network...and that barely touches the surface of my viewing time), and the highest priority when planning for our townhouse, and now, apartment, was the kitchen. We wanted a full stocked kitchen with everything we might ever need, and while things are definitely still being added, like the EVOO container I finally broke down and bought, we can make pretty much anything in our little kitchen.

And I really do love cooking and baking. Like doing the dishes, which I also normally don't mind doing, cooking is like scheduled free time. If I'm planning on making stir fry, I can set aside a half hour to make it and a half hour to eat it. That's an hour break from whatever I'm working on that's probably much needed in the first place.

I've also been made aware recently though that I'm apparently fairly decent at cooking. I just kind of know what pairs well together and what's going to taste good. Because I'm lactose intolerant and have active food allergies, I'm always making an effort to find flavors and meals that will be healthy for me, which often meals dairy free. I look for a balance of meat and vegetables, and lately I've been loving rice as a side and a base for a dish. In fact, stir fry in general has been my go to these past couple of weeks. And of course, as we all know, I'm pretty decent at making desserts, especially cupcakes, although I actually haven't made any in months. That's strange. I should probably fix that.

Either way though, the point here is this: I got to thinking about where my own inspiration for cooking came from. I cooked a lot with my mom when I was younger, and aside for things I've picked up from Alton Brown and other TV Chefs, most of what I know I learned from her. We absolutely have different tastes in food, as I'm more like my Dad in that regard, but she still will correct me if she sees me doing something wrong and we love going to cooking classes at a local cooking store.

Beyond that though, I'm absolutely certain that a lot of my experience comes not from cooking the food itself, but from eating it, and there's no where in the world I eat more food than Walt Disney World...or at least in a very short about of time. We're talking volume per day here, not overall. Obviously I eat more food at home than I do in Florida, but after growing up trying various flavors, cuisines, and foods, I'm more adventurous and confident in my cooking here at home. I know for a fact that if I throw some cut up steak ready for stir frying in a pan and, over time, cook it with rice vinegar, soy sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a blend of other vegetables and then serve it over rice that it's going to taste good. Sometimes the balance will get off, but that's all part of the game. I highly doubt whoever came up with Zebra Domes did it right the first time, and I'm positive the salad in the top picture, which is from Skipper Canteen at the Magic Kingdom, took more than one try to perfect. I will say though, the light dressing on that salad (the "A Lot at Steak Salad") is spectacular.

Have a magical day!

Day 1183: Cherpumple

It was a completely harmless meal in the caf that started the conversation. At some point during the spring semester we ended up gathered a group of us that ate together all the time, and it was really nice after a semester that felt completely off. Anyway, during one of our meals my friend Brian brought up this thing called a Cherpumple. What is a Cherpumple you ask? Well, it's basically three pies baked into three cakes stacked on top of one another and covered in a ton of frosting. Got it? No? Alright, maybe the creator will be better at explaining than I will:

Well, once this video had been seared into my brain, it didn't take long for us to attempt one of our own. It took most of a day, and really it started out pretty good. The pies all baked perfectly, and they even went into the cakes pretty well. 

And then we started the frosting. The first layer went well. 

And then we had to figure out how to get the next later onto the first one, which was pretty difficult if I do say so myself...

Ultimately, we did get everything on top...but then things started to go downhill...literally...

In the end, we managed to salvage a good part of the Cherpumple, and as Charles Phoenix says, there is no such thing as a bad cherpumple. You just have to sort of go with it and not let the Cherpumple control you. And in the end, it really was pretty fun too. 

How does this relate back to Disney? Well, considering this is basically the cake/pie version of a kitchen sink, I don't think we need any further questioning. 

Have a magical day (and go make a Cherpumple of your own)!

Day 808: Tiana Style

There might just be one thing I didn't mention in the last post when considering the things that I've done over break, but this one just felt like a topic for a whole post.

I love food, like most people, and I definitely love Disney food, so when you put them together it's a match made in heaven. Granted, 99% of the time I can't really get my hands on Disney food, so I have to come up with a homemade solution. And that's the thing...I can make a lot more than just cupcakes, although that is my specialty. Oh no, I can make plenty of other stuff too (and in fact, while I love baking, I love cooking just as much)!

Which means that when my mom approached me a week or so ago about making beignets over break, I was 1. A bit confused, because I've made them before and it wasn't like it was something new and 2. All for it. After a number of busy days that meant no making beignets for me this past week, I finally got around to it, and the results were certainly delicious:

You know, I think Tiana's onto something here with these Man-Catching Beignets. All my friends loved them, and I think there's a great possibility for a special treat with these every once and a while. Now...if only I could figure out how to send them to my favorite actors...

Regardless, these beignets were absolutely delicious, and pretty darn easy to make, especially if you already know your way around a stand mixer, a rolling pin and a pot full of hot oil. The whole thing took me around two hours to make, and that's including sprinkling on that generous helping of honey and powdered sugar. The other great part about this delicacy? Most recipes make a TON of them. This one happened to make around 50 beignets, meaning I took some to three different friends and my family had plenty to snack on around our house too. So they're definitely a good choice for an easy dessert at a party or something. If you're curious as to what recipe I used, this particular time I used THIS recipe, but I change it up every so often. Last time I made pumpkin spice beignets, but that was years ago so don't get any ideas about asking me for the recipe there.

And yes, I do prefer powdered sugar and honey on my beignets, although most just stick with the sugar. I don't know why, but I just feel like it adds something extra to them!

Let me know if you make beignets yourself, and yes, I have been using the hashtag on my social media: #TianaStyle. So how does your #DisneySide Tiana Style show through? Cooking up some Gumbo? Whipping up a batch of Man-Catching Beignets like me? Let me know!

Have a magical day!

Day 774: Alton Brown

I have this list of the top 10 people I'd like to meet in my lifetime. It's got, of course, 10 people on it (actually 11, but I'll explain that in a minute), and there's only one rule: they have to be alive. I mean, after all, there's just no way I could meet Walt Disney, so even though he's the number one person I wish I could meet, it's just not plausible.

So, after much thought and deliberation I have this list, from 1-10: Colin O'Donoghue, Harrison Ford, Jennifer Morrison, Neil Patrick Harris, Candace Cameron Bure, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Horowitz/Eddy Kitsis, Alton Brown, John Stamos, & Josh Dallas.

I'm sure, if you know me well enough, you're wondering why Harrison Ford is second, and there's a very simple reason. I figure the chances of me meeting Harrison Ford are pretty low, but the chances of Colin O'Donoghue are already higher, so in an attempt to push that higher chance further, I list Colin as #1. You see, regardless, if I do meet Colin, HF will be pushed into that #1 spot, but in reality, they're actually probably tied. It's just a weird logical thing I'm trying to pull, which honestly, at this point, doesn't even make sense to me. Regardless, I'm too lazy to change it now. From there, everyone is pretty equal on the list, although Adam and Eddy are listed together because I figure that if I meet one, the other will be there too. It just made sense to put them together.

It's not everyday that I get to meet someone from my list though. They're all on there for a reason, but when the opportunity to meet #8: Alton Brown came up, I couldn't let it pass by. Alton Brown, for those of you that don't know, hosted a cooking show on the Food Network called Good Eats for 14 years. I remember my mom showing me an episode or two when I was fairly young, and since then it's provided a lot of inspiration to cook and bake myself, which is obviously a pretty avid hobby in my life today.

It just so happened that Alton Brown was making a stop in Green Bay for a performance of his new live show, Alton Brown Live, which, by the way, was AMAZING. My parents were kind enough to grant my wish for VIP passes, meaning that we had a meet and greet before the show. My face was actually shaking:

He was super nice and literally I hope to see the show again because it was THAT GOOD. I was laughing for pretty much the entire time and left with a serious craving for cheese curds (which...although lactose intolerant, I ended up giving into). This does raise a couple of questions though: 

1. How in the world does this relate to Disney? 

To be honest, I'm not really sure aside from the fact that two things inspired my cooking: Alton Brown and Disney. Also, think about how many connections the rest of my "People I Want to Meet" list has to Disney. 

2. Who replaces Alton Brown on the list? 

It took me over a week to figure out the replacement for my cooking inspiration on the list, because, well, after I've met the person, they can't really be on the list any longer. After watching The Oscars last night, however, it finally occurred to me that months ago there was one person missing from the list that I guess I had just forgotten about, even though they really should be on it: Julie Andrews. So she actually took Alton Brown's exact spot at #8, since as much as I want to meet Josh Dallas and John Stamos, I just couldn't put her under them. 

3. What in the world will happen if I meet Colin...or...Harrison Ford!?! 

I'm not joking when I say my face was shaking. You literally have no idea what that feels like, and I'm generally pretty good in front of large crowds and people. Yeah, I don't even know how to describe it other than one of the weirdest feelings I've experienced. Regardless, we're now taking bets in the "Will I faint meeting Colin" debate. 

And so, that's one person checked off of my list. Only another 9 from that original list, plus an additional 10th to go! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on February 23).

Day 762: More Little Things

In high school I remember our English teachers basically making us swear to never use the word "thing" in a paper. I'm pretty sure we all lived in fear of the possibility of slipping up and using the word without realizing it, and yet, here I am, years later, using it not only in the contents of a blog post, but in the title...time after time. Oh the irony.

However, I do find it difficult to come up with another word that works quite as well for this situation. I guess I could call it "Little References" in relation to this series of posts, but that just doesn't have the same ring to it. There's millions of other words out there, but you know what? I'm just going to use the word "thing."

Despite the fact that it's only been a few days since the last "Little Things" post, I realized that there wasn't really a better way to describe the Disney in my day. After all, Disney is one of those things that makes such small appearances throughout your life that sometimes you hardly even notice them! And that's why we're back here talking about the little things again!

This Speaker:

I was out shopping yesterday, picking up a few things here and there for my dorm room or to throw on my desk in the music building so I don't have to continuously run back and forth all the time, when I saw this:

I too have a little wireless speaker, but mine looks nothing like this. I did, however, have to stop and take a picture because I can't be the only one who things that, as odd as this thing looks, it sure resembles Spaceship Earth. 

Baking Up A Storm: 

Another roommate birthday means more cupcakes, and I'm always trying new things. However, this past trip I got my hands on the most adorable new apron for when I'm in the kitchen baking, and it definitely has a bit of Disney spirit! 

Now, I do believe there was another thing that was supposed to make it's appearance on this post, but I literally cannot for the life of me remember what it was, so I guess we'll just save it for another day! 

So now then, what little Disney things can you find in your day? 

Have a magical day!

Day 656: Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off

Because I live in a Dorm Room, I don't get to cook very often. It's sort of nice because you just don't have to worry about actually making the food you're going to eat for dinner. You just go to the caf instead and hope that there's something that you like there (although it seems to me that this year we have hamburgers more than we would really want). Regardless, I don't spend a lot of my time cooking and baking, which really makes me sad.

So when I go home on the weekends, or at least when I have a rare completely free weekend at home, I actually get a chance to work in my kitchen. It doesn't really make my mom super happy though because I probably leave more dishes in the sink than she thought possible, but there are always great cupcakes that come out of it in the end!

This particular weekend I was in charge of making cupcakes for our church's annual Chili Dump, where everyone brings a pot of chili and they dump it all together. It ends up tasting really great, despite what you might think. So I set about making cupcakes, specifically brownie batter and dole whip cupcakes, but that's another blog post. I also made spaghetti and meatballs (Which was CaptainSwan inspired and absolutely delicious), meaning I literally spent the entire day in the kitchen.

A few hours into this day-long adventure I finally decided that since I couldn't technically leave the kitchen, I would find my laptop and pull up a movie I haven't seen in a really, really, long time: Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off. This is one of those old Disney Channel Original Movies, back when they were actually really really good and you wanted to rewatch them. Like the SmartHouse age, or The Luck of the Irish. Gosh I miss those films (and will probably end up rewatching a ton of them sooner than later now that I've started with Eddie's).

But Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off, of all the Disney Channel Original Movies, really holds a special place in my heart. If you don't remember the film or have never seen it, basically it's about a kid named Eddie who's father really wants him to play baseball but in reality he really loves cooking. Bobby Flay is in it and it's just a wonderful film, especially if you love cooking like I do. In fact, it occurred to me while watching it that this movie is probably one of the reasons I do love cooking and baking, and it's most certainly the reason I learned how to crack an egg with one hand.

There's more though. It turns out my life is basically one giant circle. I'm watching the movie and all of a sudden I come across a familiar face: Rose McIver! She plays Tinkerbell on Once Upon A Time, meaning that I was basically meant to love cooking and baking and OUAT. I mean, at least, I'm going to take it as a sign.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 19).

Day 655: Dole Whip Cupcakes

The space time continuum of my blog is seriously out of wack, but let's just pretend that these all fit in order and seem like they move along a sensible timeline. Why do I bring this up you may ask? Well you see, I'm blogging about cupcakes on October 17 (this blog post), when technically on October 17 those cupcakes weren't even made yet.

Regardless, let's talk about Dole Whip Cupcakes. I've been meaning to make these for quite some time, but I haven't really had the opportunity to get around to actually making them. That's the thing about cupcakes. In my house dessert just kind of sits there, so you can't just make dessert all the time. There has to be a legitimate reason for making the cupcakes. Alright, so maybe not. I make cupcakes all the time, but I still haven't had time (or the energy) to try these. 

Dole Whip Cupcakes are sort of weird to be honest. I mean, the majority of the population does not understand the amazingness of the Dole Whip. I don't understand why, other than the fact that there are very few places in this world to find one, a real one, and therefore that same majority of the population probably has no clue what a dole whip even is and instead just looks at me like I'm crazy when I explain that it's a pineapple cupcake. 

Regardless, they were/are really delicious, although according to my resources, all my cupcakes are. Plus, they were pretty darn adorable with the little cherries on top. The frosting was ridiculous to make and I'll probably change the recipe if/when I make them again, just to make life easier. Because let's be honest, I'll be making Dole Whip cupcakes again. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 19).

Day 597: Churro Cupcakes

It would seem that my summer cupcake project is one of the few projects I intended to work on at the beginning of the summer and didn't let go on. Everyone seems to ask me WHY I'm suddenly all about cupcakes, but to tell the truth, I have no idea why. It's probably a mix of the fact that I know Colin O'Donoghue's favorite kind of cupcake and then I just love baking, but there's also the fact that people never stop telling me I'm good at it. Way to feed my ego guys.

But my cupcake collection wouldn't be complete without this little beauty, a fast favorite of my brother and, it seems, Instagram. Then again, how WOULDN'T Churro cupcakes be a fast favorite.

I made these for the first time a couple of weeks ago and my brother took one bite before taking a second cupcake and then informing me that I'd be making them for his birthday. That is how much he loved these cupcakes. 

So for the second time in like two weeks, I made churro cupcakes. I think the first batch was gone within about a day or two, which has to be a record for this house. I guess that makes sense though because these are literally like a Disney themed cupcake. Who doesn't love churros? The answer? NO ONE. 

If you want to make your own churro cupcakes, HERE is the recipe I used!

Wait...we have Grey Stuff Cupcakes and Churro Cupcakes? What's next?!? Dole Whip Cupcakes. Oh yeah. 

Have a magical day!

Day 581: Dole Whips (Of the Homemade Type)

We all love dole whips...or at least a large majority of the population loves them. Yep, they're delicious and I'm pretty sure we all wish we could eat one just about every single day (not that that would be healthy at all). But sadly, dole whips are, for the most part, an "At-Disney" kind of thing. Or so we thought.

Turns out, you can actually make dole whips at home. Now, I made some and while they weren't the park dole whip, it was still delicious, and I'm totally going to try making another one sometime soon just because I feel like I did something a bit wrong, causing it to be thicker and creamier than usual. 

But that's perfectly ok. In between our Disney vacations, we don't really get to have much in the Disney food department, and that's something that I spend a lot of my time trying to change. After all, if I can have Disney food, I'm going to have Disney food, even if I have to make it myself. That's probably why I spend a good amount of my time working on finding those new Disney recipes and then trying them out for myself. College kind of puts a damper on it though, since I have much less kitchen to work with...meaning I have to go home to do anything (like tomorrow's adventure to make cupcakes because I just plain can't do it here). 

That's not what we're talking about though. We're talking about dole whips, and how much I really, REALLY, want one right about now. 

I shouldn't have even brought it up. 

Now we're all hungry. 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on August 23).