Honeymoon Eats Part 1: Disney's Animal Kingdom Sunset Margarita

Ahh, nothing like a margarita at noon.  And this wasn't your ordinary margarita.  Thanks to reading up on a Disney blog, I was advised to hit up the Dawa Bar in Africa, inside Disney's Animal Kingdom resort and order a Sunset Margarita.  Usually I'm not one for needing alcohol to get through a disney park, but the day was hot and the reviews were amazing, so we had to see what the fuss was about.  When we sat down we were immediately excited- this outdoor bar was nestled in the back of a restaurant, and we had a view of the park perimeter, the restaurant, the African designed streets, and the live entertainment that was grabbing park guests to dance to a tribal drum.  We ordered our drinks and were told that we must be veterans- these drinks are now only available on request and have not been on their menu in years.  They were worth the wait.  Fruity, salty, refreshing and delicious.  Our bartender woudn't tell us what was in it, but we guessed a bit of Chambord was one of their secret ingredients.  We stayed for a while and enjoyed the music, had a second just to beat the heat, and left with the agreement that we could not enjoy a day at Animal Kingdom from now on without having a Sunset Margarita.

If You Can't Cook, Eat

After throwing a wonderful soiree for our wedding party attendants this past weekend, (all appetizers, entrees and dessets were homemade by yours truly and my wonderful aspiring chef and hubby to be), I decided that cooking is quite exhausting. As much fun as it was, stressing over keeping a watchful eye on the pasta boiling, and the food processer containing the wondeful vinagrette dressing, while marinating chicken and coordinating baking a pretzal/jello dessert, I realized how much I envied the guests consuming (and thoroughly enjoying) the food, while I was inside on clean-up duty.  A thought came to mind.  How wonderful would it be to just EAT the food, rather than cook it!?

Now, I am still going to maintain this blog to support one of my goals, which is to, at some point in my life, form some semblance of a homemade cookbook, both to prove to myself I can, and also to not dissapoint anyone who has always told me to finish what I started.  But it will definately be taking on a new twist.  I am now leaning towards a more food-critic oriented approach to blogging, starting with......our Honeymoon in Disney World.  While we will not be taking this most magical of vacations until October, I have, as is consistent with my personality, already begun planning.  And for anyone who knows anything about Disney, you need to have ADR (advanced dining reservations) for most places that don't serve as quick stop or snack spots.  That being said, I have begun to compile a list of our Not-To-Be-Missed Restaurant/ Culinary Adventures during our nearly 2 week stay (trust me, its still not enough time).

It's our very own Culinary Cabaret!

Ariel's Restaurant- Yacht & Beach Club Resort

Biergarten- Germany in Epcot (no ADR)
Boma- Animal Kingdom

The Brown Derby- Hollywood Studios

California Grill- Contemporary Resort
Cape May Cafe- Yacht & Beach Club Resort (for breakfast AND dinner)

Captain Cooks- Downtown Disney

Flame Tree BBQ- Animal Kingdom (no ADR)

Fulton's Crab House- Downtown Disney

Jellyrolls- Boardwalk

Jiko- Animal Kingdom
Kona Cafe- Polynesian Resort

La Cellier- Canada in Epcot (who knew this was even there?!)

Liberty Corner- Magic Kingdom (lunch & desser only)

O'hana- Polynesian Resort (breakfast and dinner)
Portobello's- Downtown Disney
Rose & Crown- England in Epcot
San Angel Inn- Mexico in Epcot
Wolfgang Puck Express- Downtown Disney West & Marketplace

That concludes my tour of Disney's finest dinest experiences.  Some we have already exprienced, most we have not.  After a bit more research, later blogs will detail what is on the proposed menu for these amazing dining finds, and after our *amazing* honeymoon, if after consuming all this food we are able to make it out of the park, on the plane and back home, I will share the results!

Happy Disney Eating!

Just remembering how delicious the pina coladas are at O'hana!

Potato Cheddar Casserole

(Great recipe to make ahead and heat up)

Yields: 6

6 cups Russet/Idaho potatoes; shredded or chopped
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp yellow onion, minced
1 tsp paprika
Sprinkle salt & pepper.

Sprinkle garlic powder
1/2 c 1% milk
1 c shredded extra sharp cheddar (use a less processed cheese than Kraft)

Preheat oven to 400. Peel & chop potatoes, combine in medium bowl with eggs, paprika, onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper. Stir together, then mix into greased 3 qt baking casserole dish. Pour milk on top, bake for 40-45 min.  Once the top is slightly browned, broil on LOW for 5 min. Remove from oven, top with shredded cheese. Return to oven (no broil) for additional 5 min. Let cool shortly before serving.

Mmmm! Warm, cheesy and crunchy comfort food!  I'm thinking this may be a perfect addition for large breakfasts, maybe for Christmas or Easter morning!  I would throw in an extra egg, and some chopped, cooked bacon. Maybe that will be my next endeavor.   :)

Nutella Peanut Butter Swirl Cookie Recipe

These cookies are for peanut butter lovers and chocolate lovers-not for those with nut allergies! Inspiration came from watching the "dessert" episodes on Ultimate Recipe Showdown, and having a craving for one of my favorite Italian desserts, Nutella! The amount of nutella can be varied depending on how chocolately you are feeling....enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter (smooth works better)
1/2 granulated sugar
1/2 packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup Nutella (use more to taste)


Yields: 36 cookies

Prep:
Preheat oven to 350F

1. Combine butter, PB, sugars, egg, & vanilla. Blend well with mixer.

2. Add in flour, baking soda & salt. Blend again with mixer.

3. Drizzle in nutella over the top of the mixture, and swirl into pb dough with butter knife

.
Chill dough 15-20 min in refrigerator. Roll into balls by hand.

4. Place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten out slightly to ensure even cooking. Bake until edges lightly browned, roughly 7-9 min.

Enjoy the chocolatey & nutty delicious-ness :)