Day 1467: Grilled Cheese

A shorter post today, but one of my favorite social media events is finally back! 

A couple of years ago, Jennifer Morrison started a social media "event" called 101 Smiles, where she, along with her fans, would post a picture a day of something that made them smile for 101 days. Being the huge Once Upon A Time fan I was (and still am), I of course jumped on the train, and participated in both the inaugural 101 Smiles and the sequel in late 2015. When the smiles didn't return for the fall of 2016, I had to admit that I was disappointed, so when I logged on Twitter today and found that the campaign was beginning again, I couldn't have been more excited! 

The idea is simple. Every day you post a picture on Twitter of something that made you smile that day and tag it with #101Smiles. That's it. It's simple, and after two years of participating, I know for a fact that posting just one thing that made you smile each day greatly increases your overall positivity, and that means it's a great way to start out 2017! 

For today's smile, I happened to go for lunch at Culver's with one of my best friends, and she suggested that we have Grilled Cheese and Onion Rings, which just happens to be Emma Swan's favorite meal on Once Upon A Time. I agreed and we chatted over our food, taking pictures to tag on Twitter for our first smile! Jennifer Morrison herself even favorited Frank's picture on Twitter! As for my picture, I think you'll all recognize the bit of Disney I threw in just to create an extra smile! 

I can't wait to see what kinds of smiles the next 100 days will bring, and you can follow along with my smile journey on both my Instagram and Twitter accounts! Otherwise, I encourage you to join in! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1374: Food & Wine - Part 2

The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is filled with glorious food all around World Showcase and throughout part of Future World, but the fun doesn't stop there. In the festival headquarters, located within the old Wonders of Life Pavilion, you can find all sorts of seminars, merchandise, and information...not to mention the wide alcohol selection that you can bring back home. 

On our first day at the festival, we made time to attend not one, but two workshops in the Festival Center. The first was a wine tasting, which was a spectacular way to help me understand the wide arrays of wine that are now available to me. Having just turned 21 in July, wine is a pretty wide spectrum, and as I learn what I prefer in the bottle through a process of trial and error, the tasting was really educational. 

In the matter of an hour or so, we tasted three wines from a Vineyard in California and learned about not only how the wine is made, but about the uniqueness of each variety. In fact, beyond the basic idea that "old wine is better wine," I had no idea why, or that there's actually a sort of "best by" date on each kind of wine. I can't remember all the details off the top of my head, but basically one wine might be best within two or three years of the bottling date, while another might be best after eight. 

Our second workshop was all about crafting mason jar meals, a prominent concern in my everyday college life. We started out the seminar by learning how to create a delicious salmon salad with goat cheese and onions, which I didn't get to eat a lot of because of my allergy to to salmon. Don't fret though, because after that we made Mason Jar salads of our own with fresh strawberries, some more goat cheese, almonds, and plenty of greens, and I must say, it was one of the most delicious Mason Jar salads I've ever had, and it was pretty neat to make it myself at Epcot! 

These workshops and seminars are available throughout the festival for varying costs, but I highly recommend them! They also vary on topic, but there's usually something that might interest you, and some come with food (or wine!), and who doesn't love that? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1373: Food & Wine - Part 1

If there's one thing I've wanted to do for years, it's attend the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Seriously, I've been pleading to go for years, which meant that when we made the decision to add a trip in October, Food and Wine was at the top of our list for things to do (along with the Halloween Party and everything else fall at Walt Disney World has to offer). 

And if you think I can sum it all up in one post, you'd be wrong! 

In this first edition of Food and Wine, let's take a closer look at some of the food we tried on our first day at the festival, all of which was amazing. Prior to our trip, we went through the full list of food at Food and Wine to get an idea of what we each might want to try. Ultimately, we knew we wouldn't be able to try everything on our lists, but it gave us a place to start and was actually really helpful as we made our way part way around World Showcase. 

First up on our list: Australia! In the picture above, you'll see the three selections from the country, all of which we wanted to try. First, there's the Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with Pineapple, Pepper, Onion and Snap Peas, which I thought was pretty great aside from the peas (my least favorite food). The Lamington Yellow Cake Dipped in Chocolate and Shredded Coconut was good, although I also felt like it was something I'd had before, so I didn't find it particularly special. The Grilled Lamp Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies, on the other hand, was a favorite of ours from the entire festival! We actually got another one because we liked it so much! 

From New Zealand we got the Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney, which I definitely enjoyed. I was the one who wanted it, and let me tell you, the tomato chutney was delicious. We also went for the Seared Venison Loin with Wild Mushroom Marsala Sauce and Kumara Dumpling, which was also great! 

From the Islands of the Caribbean kiosk, we settled on everything except for dessert, starting with the Jamaican Beef Patty. That's those little yellow things, which took us forever to figure out. They tasted great, but were definitely one of the more interesting things we ate at Food and Wine. My dad really loved the Pescado con Coco, a Seared Grouper with Pigeon Peas and Rice with Coconut Sauce, which was good, although I preferred the Mojo Pork with Black Beans, Cilantro Rice, and Pickled Red Onions. There was just something about the combo of the pork, beans, and rice that I loved! 

From the Wine & Dine Studio (which got Hamilton stuck in my head more than a few times), we tried the Seared Scallop with Truffled Celery Root Puree, Brussels Sprouts, and Wild Mushrooms as well as the Trio of Artisan Cheese. The cheeses featured a goat cheese with dried cranberry bread, a Karst Cave-aged Cheddar Cheese with Fig Compote and a Blue Cheese served with Spiced Candied Walnuts. Both places were excellent! 

I may have forgotten to take a picture of our plates from the Chocolate Studio until after I started eating them, but pictured above are the Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel and the Ghiradelli Chocolate Raspberry Torte. As you can imagine, both were pretty sweet (literally and figuratively)! 

A Favorite of my mom and I from the Flower and Garden Festival in the Spring, we had to have the Taco de Camaron from Mexico again. It's Battered Shrimp served over a flour tortilla with Crispy Purple Cabbage and a Chipolte Mayonnaise. I don't know what it is about this taco, but it's absolutely one of the best things I've ever eaten. 

But my all time favorite dishes from the entirety of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival have to be the ones from Hawaii. The Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise was my all time favorite dish we had, and I'm looking forward to trying to make it for myself at home just because I would eat it every day for the rest of my life. And the Spicy Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad and Nori Rice was brilliant as well - definitely something I would love to have for lunch back home! 

And that's what we ate on our first day. We learned very quickly how fast you fill up at this festival, even sharing dishes like we did. Honestly, I feel like it would take weeks to do the whole thing right, since even after a few days like this one, we still only got maybe a third of the way around World Showcase, and we didn't even try every dish from the kiosks we visited! 

Stay tuned for more Food and Wine though, because there's so much more yet to come! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1363: World Market

When one of my friends suggested that we go to World Market on our Saturday off, I agreed right away, despite the fact that 1. I'd never been to World Market before and 2. I really had no idea what World Market even was. She was in Italy last semester though, and from the sounds of a store called "World Market," I figured she knew what she was talking about and that whatever was in the walls of the store, it would be great. 

And it was. 

Basically, the idea of World Market is exactly what it sounds like. It's a store filled with items that are found internationally, and according to my friends recently back from Italy, there are definitely some things you can't find elsewhere. 

Of course, me being me, I took it upon myself to photograph anything that I typically have found at Disney, since that would be the obvious comparison with never having been to Europe (or anywhere else really) before. You can find so many wonderful foods all around World Showcase, and it seems that I can find several of them right in my own backyard! 

The Marzipan is what I found first, and I soon after picked up some to bring home. They actually sell this same brand in the Germany Pavilion at Epcot, and it's been one of my favorite treats to bring home! 

It's not really hard to find Pocky, but I still took a picture of it, and the Green Tea Kit Kats were also something I found in the Japan Pavilion to bring home for my World Showcase Chocolate challenge! 

Those that have been to the Germany Pavilion know that it's riddled with chocolate though. The Milka bars are famous for being simply amazing, and I've brought home chocolates like these for people more than once in the past! 

Even though Germany has a ton of chocolate, some of my favorite treats come from the Tea Store in the United Kingdom Pavilion, including the Aero chocolate, and of course, Twinnings Tea! 

Finally, there was a display of various Japanese items that simply reminded me of the wonderful store in the Japan Pavilion. There were plenty of items like this, that weren't food at all, throughout the store, but it was this one that brought me right back to World Showcase. There were even various different sets of chopsticks! 

So now I've been introduced to World Market, and while I certainly won't be going there all the time, it'll be nice for when I need a pick-me-up in between Disney trips. Whether or not that's the intention of a store like World Market - to provide things I can find at Disney World - I'm not entirely sure, but I'm definitely excited about the prospect! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1301: Dole Whips in Wisconsin

I may have to drive two hours to get it, but I finally got my Dole Whip outside of Disney! 

I may have mentioned a while back about how there are a couple of locations throughout the country where you can locate a real, authentic dole whip without ever stepping foot on Disney property, but for those like me, these locations are few and far between. The closest Orange Leaf to my home used to be about 20 minutes, but when they still existed in Green Bay and Appleton, I didn't know what was awaiting me there. Now, I have to travel two hours to Waukesha to find the closest store, and that's not exactly worth it...even if I could get all the dole whip I ever wanted. 

Still, when you happen to be passing through the area on your way home from a week and a half long road trip, it makes perfect sense to stop on the way and pick up an extra special treat. Granted, I'll be eating a dole whip at Disney in about week, but the fact that I got it in Wisconsin made the entire experience even more special. 

Will I make the trip all the way to Waukesha just for a dole whip in the future? Probably not. But the next time I'm in the area you'd better believe I'll spend plenty of time at the local Orange Leaf. 

Have a magical day! 

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 1258: Banana Bread Pudding

One of my all time favorite Disney restaurants is Boma, and I'll be completely honest in saying that I go more for the dessert than anything else. Since my first trip to the restaurant years ago, I've been a huge fan of the Zebra Domes, which I try to pick up as often as possible since they also sell them at Mara. However, that's not the only dessert that's top notch at Boma, because there's a whole slew of amazing treats to try out, including the Banana Bread Pudding.

My brother made this for a 4-H Foods Review a while back, but I liked the recipe so much that I picked it up while I was at home this weekend and spent part of my afternoon today making the dessert, despite the fact that I'm the only one home. Oh well, more for me! It's actually a really simple recipe, which doesn't always happen when Disney food is involved (the recipe for School Bread actually scares me a little), and aside from misreading the recipe and having to return to the store for more heavy cream, everything else was a breeze!

And yes, you can indeed find the recipe on AllEars!

So after a sort of frustrating start to my day, I returned to my apartment at college to watch Cars, eat sushi, and make Banana Bread Pudding. It's definitely lightened my mood and made me ready to spend some time working on Everyday Disney before the day is through. Leave it to Disney movies and Disney desserts to make a day better.

Have a magical day!

Day 1097: Raw Fish

I mentioned in my last post that one of the things I really hope to do this year is to revisit old blog posts, especially those from 2013, and revamp them for a new, 2016 world. Apparently, that's going to happen faster than anticipated thanks to my brother.

"What do you want for dinner" is probably the most common question around my house other than "what do you want for lunch," and today's answer from my brother brought us to the world of sushi once more, and since I'm on hiatus from social media, I had no where to post the pictures from tonight's dinner adventure. Back on Day 161, I discussed briefly how I tried sushi for the first time at Disney, and I go on to talk about how I influence my friends and their growing love of Disney, but I didn't go much into detail, which is really a shame. After all, I'm not lying when I say that Disney is the reason I love sushi, and Disney is the reason I love a lot of things. 

I first tried a number of years ago when my family decided to head into the counter service restaurant in the Japan Pavilion at Epcot, which, at that point, was yet to be renamed to Katsura Grill. My brother seemed more interest in trying the sushi than I was, but I'm never one to turn down from a challenge, so I tried it right along with him. A few minutes later, we were hooked and from there on out we've tried sushi from all over the Walt Disney World Resort. In addition, we took two classes on the art of making sushi when we got back home, and now making sushi in our own kitchen is a rather regular occurrence. 

In addition to sushi, Disney has brought a lot of other new foods and experiences into my life. Cobb Salad, and actually salad in general, became a favorite of mine thanks to the Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios, among other various Disney dining locations (I once had a salad at Pecos that was SPECTACULAR). I used to absolutely despise roller-coasters, but this past summer I went on several with very big drops and quick turns while at ValleyFair Amusement Park in the Twin Cities, and I credit every bit of the courage it took to get on those coasters to Expedition Everest. Even my love of just traveling in general has a lot to do with the fact that I grew up traveling to Walt Disney World. 

All of these thoughts just from making sushi for dinner. Although I suppose that if your dinner was inspired by Disney, it's kind of hard not to think about the other things that have been inspired by Disney. Which leaves the question of the day for you: what in your life has been inspired by Disney? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 1045: Hungry

Oddly enough, as I write this I'm hardly hungry at all, considering the fact that I just ate my lunch, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't go for a dole whip (or two). The truth is, when we leave Disney, there are few things we miss as much as the food we eat there. From the Cobb Salad at the Brown Derby to Churros, Disney food is something special, and as I grow closer to my trip, I find myself craving only Disney foods. What are those foods you ask? Well, lucky for you, I have a list!

1. Dole Whips

Plain and simple, this one ranks in at number one, because Dole Whips are such a Disney thing and I could literally live on them for the rest of my days. I have the feeling that many of my fellow Disney fans will agree, as it's commonly cited as one of the most loved Disney treats, regardless of which coast you're on!

2. School Bread

This is actually the thing that inspired this post, as the other day I had such a want for some school bread after a friend tweeted about eating some. Now I'm counting down the days until it's in my hands again, and gosh that day can't come fast enough.

3. Cobb Salad

I mentioned this salad from The Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios a moment ago, but just a mention doesn't do it justice. I had it last when I was down in Florida in June, and I realized what I'd been missing out on. Needless to say, I made sure we were taking a trip to Brown Derby just so I can eat this salad in January. Wow...I'm excited about a salad guys.

4. Churros

You can't go to a Disney park and not want a churro these days. What used to be a Disneyland treat has spread to both coasts, and now you can find multiple flavors out in California in addition to the classic flavor that's now made it's way to Disney World.

5. Turkey Legs

I'm not always up for a turkey leg, mostly because it's just too big for me to eat all on my own (my brother, on the other hand...). Still though, the turkey leg is such a classic Disney food that I always sort of wish was on my plate, especially during the holiday season. I mean really, how awesome would it be to have Disney Smoked Turkey Legs for Thanksgiving dinner instead of a whole turkey. I'd be perfectly fine with that.

6. Matterhorn Macaroon

I may be going to Disney World, but that doesn't mean I don't miss the Matterhorn Macaroons that are out at Disney World. I don't know what that little bundle of heaven was, and honestly I don't think I care all that much because it was delicious.

Now, do you think there's a way to get this all delivered to my house?

Have a magical day!

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

Day 824: Disney Food Night

There's been numerous occurrences throughout the 800 days that make up Everyday Disney where I have had what we like to call a "Disney Food Night." The basis is simple: you make a meal entirely out of food from the Disney Parks, at at least that's how it works for us. I know there are definitely ways out there to do food inspired by a movie, and then you eat while watching that movie, but because we're at the parks so often, any sort of food from Disney World or even Disneyland just feels more right. We all have our favorites too; Jonny likes the Grey Stuff, my personal favorite is Strawberry Soup from 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, and Mom (I believe) enjoys the Honey Sesame Chicken found throughout the parks, but specifically Nine Dragons at Epcot. As for Dad, I'm not really sure, but he seems to like whatever we make, so it all works out in the end. 

For a number of reasons, we decided that it was about time for a Disney Food Night, and Ashley and I set out to figure out what Disney foods we'd be making this time. Like pretty much every other time we make Disney food, we ended up with the same dishes: Strawberry Soup, Monte Cristo Sandwiches, and, for dessert, Grey Stuff. That just seems to be how it works. All three are relatively easy to make, and as far as the Grey Stuff goes...you really can't mess it up. It's that easy. So here's how ours turned out, and I've included the recipes for you to try at home as well!

The Monte Cristo Sandwiches have become a staple around here, although we also definitely have a lot of Croque Monsieur. Either way, French food, or in this case, food from New Orleans Square at Disneyland, is one of my favorites. After all, I'm a huge beignets fan and these sandwiches are basically deep fried ham and cheese. Absolutely delicious. The recipe for this one came from HERE, although I've used several others over the years.

I don't have a specific picture of the Strawberry Soup just because by the time we finished it, the light wasn't great for taking photos anymore. I remember trying the Strawberry Soup on a whim because it's featured in one of my Disney cookbooks. After all, I like Strawberries! I like soup! And I certainly like Disney, so it sounds like a match made in heaven. Of course, it actually is, and when I had it at 1900 Park Faire a while later, I was hooked for eternity.

Strawberry Soup, Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort
Yield 4-6 Servings
Ingredients: 
2 1/2 lbs frozen strawberries
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup yogurt
Fresh Strawberries - For Garnish
Method:
1. Thaw the frozen berries, keep the juices as well.
2. Blend all of the ingredients (minus the fresh strawberries) on low until smooth (I use my ninja and it works brilliantly).
3. Chill, shake well (or stir well) before serving.
4. Add Fresh strawberry halves as a garnish. 

And finally, my brother special requested that we make Grey Stuff, which I actually make all the time. It's literally delicious and one of the easiest Disney recipes you could ever make. There are several recipes out there, but over time I'm come to find that THIS recipe works really well. I always add a bit extra whipped topping though, just to make it a bit lighter, but you can make it any consistency you'd like.

I'd say that, in the end, the Honey Sesame Chicken from Nine Dragons is probably the Disney food made the most around here, but these three are all up there as well. Next, I'm definitely up for making some Hoop Dee Doo inspired food (Straw...Strawberry...Strawberry Shot...Strawberry Shortcake anyone!?!), and who knows what I'll want to try either before or after Disneyland! Plus, I figure I'll be making dole whips at some point, but that's all in the future. For now, I've got a whole container of leftover grey stuff in the fridge with my name on it.

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 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 535: $10000

Generic Blog Post Topic Ideas are easy to come by. The hard part is still associating them to Disney in a way that both makes sense and is something I haven't yet really talked about. Some of these topics lend themselves rather well, while others simply just don't even make it onto the list of possible ideas. This, however, is one of the ideas that made it straight onto the list of blog post topics: What would you do with $10,000.

Actually, the original prompt had $1000, but considering the fact that I just calculated how much money it would take to eat everything in Epcot and that adds up to over $8,000, I upped it a little bit, making for a longer stay and a more realistic vacation.

Base Rules: Let's say I already have an annual pass, just to get that out of the way. Let's also say I'm paying for my hotel room, not using DVC points. I can use any of the money, but cannot go over $10,000. I'm also not including airline fees since that just takes time to figure out and calculate.

Let's start from the basics: Hotel.

As much as I'd love to stay at the Grand Floridian, I picked the Contemporary Resort instead, with a Theme Park View. I figured why not, if I had $10,000 to spend of course I'd go for that option. I also picked some random dates: November 9 - November 17, 2015, for 4 adults. For the hotel room it was $5,604.78, meaning I have $4,395.22 left.

Why not take out $500 for shopping right away, huh? $3,895.22.

Let's add in some prospective meals. I have approximately 8 meals that I would have to plan in for reservations, or at least that I'd want to plan in for reservations. After much deliberation I chose the following 8 restaurants:

1. Brown Derby (Hollywood Studios)
2. Chefs de France (Epcot)
3. Be Our Guest (Magic Kingdom)
4. California Grill (Contemporary)
5. Yak & Yeti (Animal Kingdom)
6. Paradiso 37 (Downtown Disney)
7. Todd English's bluezoo (Dolphin)
8. Liberty Tree Tavern (Magic Kingdom)

I went through and picked out dishes from each restaurant for myself. I figure that those traveling with me can pay for their own food, right? With those emails I estimated about $300 for everything I would eat. Of course, this is probably a low-ball number, so let's up it to $350, just to be safe. Then let's add in approximately $15 for the other 9-10 meals I would eat without reservations: $150, with snacks, let's say $200. Total for food? $550 for the trip. Remaining cash: $3,345.22.

Other than that, I'm not really sure what I'd need to buy. Even if you did add on food for other people, totaling it at the same as me, it brings it down to $1,695.22. Plenty leftover.

Now, we're still not including anything like airfare, and if we flew down there's a significant possibility that we'd have a rental car. Unless we drove, then some of that money would go towards gas and the possible night in Nashville on the way down.

But could I do it? Yes. Yes I could. Anyone have $10,000?

Have a magical day!

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

Day 504: The Most Magical Food

Sometimes Shovell and I just sit and surf the web, and sometimes one of us finds an awesome new Disney video that I just have to share on my blog. This is one of those times. This weekend she found a video about Disneyland Foods that you just have to try when visiting, so let's just stop and have some Disney food in our day...if only we could reach out and grab the food from our computer and eat it.

There's 11 different foods on this video, and I can honestly say that I haven't had all of them. In fact, the first three I haven't tried (I think I get off on the third one, the pickles though, because that was introduced after I was there!) But I also haven't had the corndogs or the Macaroon or the Gumbo or the Tigger Tails. But in my defense I've been to Disneyland for 6 days of my entire life, but I sense a challenge coming on here, right? I mean, it would certainly be fun to try them all on my next trip out to California (the Corndog is happening FOR SURE). Don't worry, I won't eat them all in one day, but it's going to happen, and as always, I'll have the vlog right along with me! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 21 due to Finals).

Day 493: Little Bites

Day 12 of the Disney Photo Challenge: A picture of your favorite Disney food item. 

Blast from the Past: 

Oh no, not this again. 

Actually, this one is a bit easier. Not easy, but easier than the restaurant itself. 

I really...REALLY...love Turkey Legs. 

If you haven't had a Disney Turkey Leg, you haven't lived...sorry, but that's how it is. Well, maybe you've lived, you just haven't eaten. These things are as famous as the classic Disney Mickey Bar (Produced right here in Wisconsin!). The Turkey Legs are giant...and fatty..but DELICIOUS! It's a food that you can't eat yourself...so I have my brother. We're Turkey Leg buddies and share our turkey, often while watching a parade or sitting taking a break from the heat of the day. 

They're not cheap, but I do suggest, if you go to Disney, find a friend and bite into one of these Turkey Legs. They're so good. 

Back to the Future: 

Right now? Dole Whips. After the dream I had last night about dole whips I've wanted one ever since. Too bad I'm too far away to find one.

For real though, you just can't beat a dole whip. Cold, creamy, pineapple goodness that I can actually eat...and gosh, I'm just making myself want one more, aren't I?

Have a magical day!

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