Day 894: Cupcake Crazy

For those of you that may just be joining us here at Everyday Disney, I really, really, really like to make cupcakes, and not to feed my ego or anything, but apparently I'm good at making them too. I've made cupcakes for most of my friends, each with a different flavor that they pick, so when Ashley asked me to make cupcakes for her graduation party, of course I said yes!

Little did I know what I had in store. 100 cupcakes. Well, 200 actually, but 100 for her party. Four flavors were made and one entire day spent making cupcakes like a crazy person. I'm pretty proud of the final product though, some of which was most certainly inspired by Disney!

We'll start with the non-Disney cupcakes, like this carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting and candied carrots on the top. These were actually pretty easy to make, and to be honest I didn't even get to try one so I have absolutely no idea how they were....

These Lemon Meringue  cupcakes were definitely a fan-favorite and I'm sure they'll be back in the future. Even my friends who said they normally don't like lemon told me they liked these little guys, although I'm sure some of them picked one up simply because it had the torched top. Because yes, I sat with a culinary torch and roasted the top of each and every little lemon meringue cupcake. 

And now we get into the Disney cupcakes. Long-time followers might remember these Grey Stuff Cupcakes, which are definitely one of my most requested...and one of the first specialty cupcakes I made about a year ago. They're actually Ashley's favorite, so of course they had to be at the party, and let me tell you...it's been over a week since her party and we just finished the last of the grey stuff the other day. 

Finally we have my personal favorite, the Butterfinger Cupcake. I've blogged time and time again about these cupcakes and how I find inspiriation from those served at Hollywood Studios pretty much every time it's frost your own cupcake night on campus. Oh yes, I love my butterfinger cupcakes, so when we decided to add them on as the fourth flavor for her party, I spent a good portion of time debating whether to make the legitimate version or a more regular version. As you can see, Disney won out. These aren't HARD to make, but they just take a LONG time. I made 24 of them and it probably took me at leats 3 hours to finish them all. Just as at Disney, it's a chocolate cupcake, the center is taken out and filled with a chocolate fudge, the center is placed back on, a thick buttercream is piped around it and upwards, they're frozen for around 20 minutes to let the frosting harden, then dipped in chocolate and covered with crushed butterfingers. Yeah...not so simple, and not for the basic cupcake maker either. However, once you've had one of these on a smaller scale, you'll be making them forever. The Butterfinger Cupcakes at Disney are huge, but these you can make whatever size you want...which also means you can eat two instead of just the one at Disney. 

If you're interested in any of the recipes, let me know below! The grey stuff cupcakes don't have a specific recipe, and the others I just found online and modified as needed, but I can do my best to help you towards your own cupcake dreams! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This Blog Post Was Written on June 24 due to travel).

Day 889: InstaDisney Food

One of the things I'm most grateful for, especially in the past year or so, is the spectacular group of Instagrammers I've gotten the chance to know. Honestly these are some of the greatest people, and it's wonderful because we all get to share our love of Disney together, growing excited when one of us heads to the parks, and sad again when they return home.

But let's take a step back for a second so I can explain. Normally when we travel to Walt Disney World we arrange for one table service meal a day, leaving us with roughly one counter service meal a day. However, on this trip we had fewer reservations (I only had the Rebel Hangar), opening up plenty of time to try new treats from throughout the parks. The only problem was that I eat at the same places every time, and with increased opportunity, I didn't know where to go. So I went to the best people to find the answer: Instagram!

So on my first day of the trip, I posted the above picture with a call for my followers to share some of their favorite Magic Kingdom treats with me and I would try as many as possible throughout my trip! Luckily, I got several of them...

First, Stephanie (seashoresweets) recommended a Citrus Swirl, which I'd never actually had before! Normally I'm not a huge ice cream person, but this was delicious, at least it was one I got it to stop melting long enough to take a picture! 

Next Monica (DailyPrincessLife) clued me in on the Sweet Cream Cheese Pretzel from the Lunching Pad, which honestly was like heaven. I love cream cheese, I love pretzels, I love Disney, and boy was it ever a perfect match! 

My good friend Scott (Disneyscott98) told me I had to test out the Mac & Cheese with Breadcrumbs from the Friar's Nook in Fantasyland. I wasn't dissapointed. This is easily some of the best mac and cheese I've had, and I can't wait to return to try the other flavors too!

Paul (paulyvs) reommended a classic, which was already on my list as it's my personal favorite Magic Kingdom treat: The Dole Whip! I can't eat fresh pineapple due to an allergy so the dole whip is actually one of the greatest things in the world. It's lactose free AND it doesn't set off my pineapple allergy. When I've got one in hand, especially when sporting my Dole Whip bow from Magic Ribbons, I'm just about the happiest girl in all of Disney World. 

And while not technically a reccomendation on Instagram and not techncially at Magic Kingdom, I have to mention the S'mores Cupcake from Wilderness Lodge. I was a little afraid that I wasn't going to get one, but I managed to find one the day before I left. For a cupcake lover like myself, this little thing was absolutely a win. I've had s'mores cupcakes before, but nothing like this! You can bet I'll be trying it at home ASAP! 

Thanks to everyone on Instagram who suggested treats for me to try out! I have a couple left for the next trip that I'm saving too!

Before we finish up here though, I have to ask my blog readers for my next trip! What are some of your favorite Magic Kingdom treats or snacks? What about at Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom! Leave your suggestion in the comments and you never know, you might end up with a mention in one of my vlogs or here on Everyday Disney! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on June 23 due to travel).

Day 720: That's On A Cake?

This is one of those short little posts where Disney just sort of popped up in a random place and I felt the need to blog about it!

This time it was at our local Dairy Queen. We don't have a ton of food joints here in little old Seymour, aside from a McDonalds, Subway, a Chinese Restaurant called China Garden and Dairy Queen. That's just about it. Of these, we frequent everything except McDonalds, and in the past (such as my senior year of High School), Dairy Queen was almost a daily figure in our lives. I personally love the Orange Julius smoothies so don't worry, I'm not eating ice cream every day of my life.

However, when we were there the other night, I happened to look at the catalog of ice cream cake designs, and there wasn't just one Disney cake, there was a whole Disney section. In fact, there might have been two.

To save space on my phone (since it was getting pretty full of pictures. I'd better delete some before Disney...) I only took a picture of one, a Frozen design, but you get the idea.

Now personally, aside from the fact that I really should never touch an Ice Cream cake again in my life due to my lactose intolerance, I don't think I'd get one of these things. They're cute and everything, but there are just better cakes out there. I mean, take a look at this:

HERE's the link to that cake, and check out some of the other fabulous designs on the site while you're there! This Snow White one is absolutely beautiful as well!

So let's be honest here. Those second two cakes are way more beautiful than the first, although I seriously also love some Dairy Queen ice cream cake (even if I shouldn't eat it). Something tells me I need to up my cupcake skills. Frozen inspired cupcakes sound like my next project. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 29 due to Holidays and Computer Issues).

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 592: Grey Stuff Cupcakes

This summer I've really been loving cupcakes. I have no real idea why it is that I've been so inspired to make cupcakes, but I have, and for some reason, I'm actually pretty darn good at it. I've been trying to compile a list of cupcake recipes that everyone loves, while asking all of my friends and family their favorite cupcake flavor to give me new challenges.

And boy have a few people stepped up and given me some.

My friend Charlie suggested something earlier in the summer that really got me thinking: pudding filled cupcakes. I mean, everyone loves pudding, and everyone loves cupcakes, and they probably taste amazing together, so why isn't that a thing? Well, actually it is, and even if it wasn't, it would be now because I've gotten pretty darn good at filling the center of my cupcakes. A fact that makes some of my friends very happy indeed.

But in my quest to come up with the perfect pudding filled cupcake I actually stumbled upon a different cupcake entirely, and now I have people requesting it. That's certainly a new one.

And so I present to you, the Grey Stuff Cupcake:

This one was actually specifically for my friend's birthday, since she's the one who wanted them for her birthday very specifically. My brother's choice will come later in the week, which is just as Disney themed as this one is. Of course, we had to complete it with a Once Upon A Time candle, only her's is green. Not everyone can have a blue one, after all. I haven't. I'm saving it. For like...my 28th birthday. 

Anyways, as you can see, it's a chocolate cupcake topped with delicious real, actual grey stuff. Homemade of course, but hey, I have my resources! And then there's little pearls on top just like at Be Our Guest. I think that was her favorite part to be honest. They're not the exact ones, but they look right and still taste amazing. 

Oh, and I didn't even tell you the best part! Not only is the cupcake TOPPED with Grey Stuff, but it's filled with it too! DELICIOUS! Plus, I've experimented with putting an oreo in the bottom. It's sort of a 50/50 vote on whether or not people like it with the oreo or not though. They're certainly harder to eat with it than without, but even without a cookie on the bottom these things are seriously delicious. 

Any other Disney inspired cupcake ideas for me out there? 

Have a magical day! 

(Note: This blog post was written on August 18). 

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).

Day 532: Coffee with Character

I always make attempts to educate my friends about Disney, and sometimes that comes out at the most random of times.

In the midst of a blogging spree last night, with attempts to finally make up the last of the blog posts (including this one) from this past summer, two of my roommates and I decided that a trip to our college coffee shop was in order. It was getting late and we all still had work to do and we needed a pick-me-up. Plus, our room gets pretty warm now that the heat is on and some fresh air sounded like a grand idea.

Off we went, and while walking over to the library to get said coffee, Megan suggested a topic for my blog post: Coffee with Character. Earlier in the evening, at dinner as a matter of fact, we had been talking about the same thing. It was a long train of how we got there, but long story short I made maple bacon cupcakes this past weekend and everyone thought I was crazy. I wasn't, of course, because seriously...I've had this before. I had a maple bacon pretzel cupcake at Epcot back in March...

It was delicious, by the way, and that's where I initially got the idea from.

Anyway, the picture right next to that one on my Instagram just happens to be some coffee with character: 

Yes, as in Emma Swan. The reasoning here? It's a chai latte, which happens to be Jennifer Morrison's favorite beverage at Starbucks, and therefore the official drink of Emma Swan fans, called Ugly Ducklings. I figured it was appropriate to, therefore, have Emma as my coffee with character name. Of course, my friends all gave me that look that 100% said "really?" and I had to explain why it wasn't my name on the cup. 

Coffee with character, for those of you who don't know, is this awesome thing where, when they ask you for your name at Starbucks, instead of saying your own name you say the name of a fictional character or something. Popular options always include Disney Princesses and Villains, although it ranges all over the place, and it doesn't always stick just to Disney. Search #CoffeeWithCharacter on Instagram sometime and you'll come up with all kinds of results. 

I can't wait to participate in more coffee with character when I go in January, especially since I'll actually have time to enjoy my coffee instead of rushing around. Regardless, you can bet that at least once Captain Hook will show up...and I wonldn't put it past me to include another Emma Swan somewhere in that too...

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 30).

Day 252: Butterfinger Cupcakes

College is a great place. I mean, you live in a dorm room, which I actually really enjoy, and you don't have class ALL day, although you do have to spend a lot of time studying. You get to meet new people, and then spend lots of time with those new people. There's a beautiful campus, and freedom waiting outside your door. Oh, and you get to have cupcakes.

Yes, that's right, cupcakes. I will, in time, talk about the food service here at my college, because, in many ways, it does relate to Disney. But that's not the point here. Today when I walked into the caf for dinner, I noticed there was a frost your own cupcake bar. Now, I'm not kidding, there were cupcakes, and a bunch of different frostings and then toppings. Seriously awesome. Look:

So I'm going through and grab a chocolate cupcake and put on some chocolate frosting, and my friend Emily commented that no one puts whipped cream on a cupcake, so I threw on some of that, and then butterfinger crumbs, because who doesn't love that. Now, I get to the end of the line and look at the cupcake on my plate. Can you guess what my realization was? 

Ok, it's the title of this post, so it'd be kind of ridiculous if you didn't figure it out. I realized that I had just created myself a butterfinger cupcake. Now, obviously those of you who have never been to Disney will not understand this (unless you know me...then you may have heard me talk about this). In fact, even if you HAVE been to Disney there's a good chance that you won't know what I'm talking about. You see, at Disney's Hollywood Studios there's this little shop, called Starring Rolls, and inside of it is one of the greatest things on this planet: the butterfinger cupcake. 

What is it, you ask? Well, basically it's a chocolate cupcake covered in delicious chocolate frosting (and there's like this chocolate filling too), and then it's covered in butterfinger crumbs. Or something like that. It's been a while since I've had one. These things are giant and seriously amazing. I know that when my band goes (OH MY GOODNESS! I CAN SAY THAT FOR SURE NOW!), I shall be recruiting some people to share one with me. 

Either way, that was my dessert tonight. It may not have been anywhere near as amazing as the Disney version, but it did remind me and obviously stand out as "DISNEY!" in my life today...and that meant that I had to blog about it, of course! 

Today for #Frumpstagram, the prompt was "Iconic," so I went through some of my old pictures in search of, not Spaceship Earth, but actually the Chinese Theater at Hollywood Studios. I didn't find a picture of it, so instead I just did the Spaceship Earth one because one can never have too much Spaceship Earth on their Instagram feed! 

Here's today's Disney History: 1966: Comedian, actor, writer and film producer Adam Sandler is born Adam Richard Sandler in Brooklyn, New York (though he was raised in Manchester, New Hampshire).

Have a magical day!

Day 151: Star Wars Month

Alright, it's the last day of Star Wars month...which means that I need to get some Star Wars out of my system before the month turns over...because that will totally work...NOT!

Either way, I'm still going to take this time to put more Star Wars into this blog, because I can do that now, because it's Disney now.

Anyway, I was having trouble trying to figure out what to do with today's blog post, so I again turned to Pinterest and found a few of my favorite Pins on my Star Wars board. I didn't go through the whole thing, which ironically has 365 pins on it (get it? I have a blog called Everyday Disney...nevermind).

This is probably my favorite joke of all time, and I love telling it to people when they're like, "You like Star Wars?" Sometimes they don't get it though, because they, in fact, haven't seen Star Wars. Still...I think it's punny. 

And this one is probably the truest thing ever. Is it strange that the main characters are vastly outnumbered and yet the never get hit? (Ok, Leia gets hit once...but that was just a stray shot if you ask me). Yeah...Stormtroopers have terrible aim, which honestly makes me wonder how Boba Fett turned out so awesome. 

Han and Leia. 'Nuff said.

And this one...I just couldn't not share this one. It's too awesome. I still don't understand it, but it's pretty funny. 

Here's today's Disney History: 2008: Toy Story Midway Mania opens at Disney's Hollywood Studios. A carnival-inspired 4-D interactive attraction, it is based on the Toy Story films. Park guests wear 3-D glasses, or Carnival Games Goggles, as they ride spinning vehicles that travel through virtual environments based on classic carnival Midway games. The following month, a second version will open at Disney California Adventure. 

Have a magical day!