Disney Dining Reviews, Part 1

Last week my family and our good friends vacationed at Disney World. In addition to the rides and attractions, we always enjoy good food. In the past we have always booked the dining plan, which allows you to prepay for your meals prior to your trip. We received one table service meal, one counter service meal, and one snack (such as a Mickey ice cream bar or pretzel) per person per day. This time we took advantage of a free dining plan offer, so basically we ate for free!

Because Mr. Lego was over the age of 9, he could order from the adults menu, which opened up a new vista of food for him. But it also presented a few problems as sometimes the items included didn't appeal to him as much as the kids menu. But we overcame the pickiness and no one went hungry.

One of our favorite meal experiences is breakfast at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. We always book an early reservation so we can enter the park before it officially opens. It's peaceful and quiet, a huge contrast from later in the day when the park fills with guests rushing here and there.

Some of the items included were pancakes, Mickey waffles, an omelet station, and hubby's favorite, Pooh's breakfast lasagna. It's a layered concoction with fruit, cream, pancakes and waffles. There was also bacon, sausage, potatoes, fruit, yogurt, cereal, biscuits, sausage gravy, and bagels.

This is a character meal with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. Each character comes to your table and stops for pictures and fun. We really enjoyed the interaction and food. We'd give this restaurant 4 out of 5 stars. We did have some wait time for the characters that slowed us down, but the food was very good and there was plenty of variety.


Another character meal we liked was Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway pavilion at Epcot. A cold buffet with various kinds of fish, cheese, bread, salads, and fruit starts off the meal. You then order from a selection of Norwegian favorites. I ordered the seared salmon cakes with cauliflower soup on the side. Yummy! The best part of the meal was dessert, which is served family style. We had a choice of fruit tart, chocolate mousse, or the always delightful rice cream.

This meal featured princesses, which of course, the Princess loved. Belle greeted us as we arrived, then four more princesses stopped by our table. Ariel wanted a picture of the Princess since the Princess was wearing a picture of her (Ariel). Very sweet! This restaurant gets 4 out of 5 stars, mainly because the tables are close together and there isn't much room to get around. The food, however, is excellent, though I can see people not enjoying Norwegian dishes.


At Hollywood Studios, we ate dinner at the 50's PrimeTime Cafe. As you can tell by the name, the theme of this restaurant is the 50's. The tables are laminate with small TV's playing clips of black and white television show at each one. The servers pretend to be your brothers and sisters, threatening to tell "Mom" if you don't eat your veggies. The whole atmosphere is fun and light-hearted.

I chose the salmon with mushroom ragout. I loved the mushroom ragout, but the salmon was a little bland. Charles got the chicken pot pie and he raved over it.



The desserts were served in large sundae glasses reminiscent of a soda shop. I don't think anyone was able to finish theirs because the portions were so huge! But it was fun trying.


Out of 5 stars, we'd give this a 4. Nearly every dish had a sauce component which Mr. Lego didn't care for. But we were able to finagle it so he could eat something by sharing with his sister, who could still order from the kids menu.

I've got some more table service meals to review, then I'll post our favorite quick service meals, too. Maybe the next time you go to Disney, you can try some of our faves.

Menu Plan February 20-26

I didn't post a menu plan last week because I was here:


And I was eating things like this:


Not to mention desserts like this:


I won't, however, be cooking anything like that this week. It's quick and simple as we all recover from our wonderful vacation. I'll be posting some dining reviews from our trip later this week, so come back if you're interested.

Now on to this week's menu plan:

Monday
Pepperoni carbonara, garlic bread

Tuesday
Feel Better Chicken Stew, homemade bread

Wednesday
Hot dogs with West Virginia hot dog sauce

Thursday
Oatmeal pancakes, bacon and eggs

Friday
Chicken shawarma, flatbread

Saturday
Pizza soup, breadsticks

Sunday
Roast beef and potatoes in the crockpot

For more meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. You'll find tons of menu plans shared by everyday cooks like me and you.

Home Again

We're finally home after a fun-filled week at Walt Disney World! I'm going to post some dining reviews later this week, so stay tuned for that. Charles laughed at me as I took pictures of our food, but hey...this is primarily a cooking blog, right? By Wednesday, I had him trained NOT to take a bite until I had photographed his plate! Ha ha!

My feet are glad to be home, let me tell you. We had "trained" for Disney by walking on the treadmill, but my feet still weren't adjusted to walking on concrete for hours. I can tell a difference already and we've not been home 24 hours!

I think I'll post some Disney tips, too, if anyone is interested. This was our third trip with kids, and we've learned a few things along the way. I'll be happy to share if you'd like.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Easy Breadsticks Kitchen Tip

I make ugly bread sticks. There I said it.

I want to make pretty, perfectly proportioned bread sticks, but apparently I don't have the gift for it. Or maybe I don't have the patience for it! Who wants to take the time to shape a dozen bread sticks, anyway?

So I've made it easier on myself. And maybe a little bit prettier. Or maybe a little less ugly would be more accurate. Instead of shaping each bread stick individually, I roll the dough out into a rectangle and use my pizza cutter to slice it.


The bread sticks may still not be absolutely perfect, but they look more like bread sticks and less like alien arms.

Since we're talking about bread sticks, how about an easy recipe? I adapted this one from SnoWhite at Finding Joy in My Kitchen. It's a recipe similar to Olive Garden's breadsticks, the ones they used to serve. Not the tasteless, frozen-then-reheated ones they serve now. These yummy bread sticks are soft on the inside with a slightly crunchy crust on the bottom.

Here's what you need:

3/4 cup warm water
1 1/8 teas yeast
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP olive oil
2 1/4 cup flour (I use half white, half white-wheat)
1 teas sea salt

In a mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Let sit about 5 minutes or until the mixture is puffy. Add the oil, then the flour and salt. Mix well. Allow to rest for about 40 minutes.

Then roll out the dough into a rectangle until it's about an 1/2 inch thick. Slice with a pizza cutter into 8-10 breadsticks.

Bake at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. While the bread sticks are baking, combine 2 TBSP melted butter with 1 teas garlic powder and 1/2 teas salt. After 7 minutes, remove from the oven and brush with the butter mixture. Return to the oven for another 7 minutes. Brush the remaining butter over the bread sticks. Serve warm.

Menu Plan February 6-12

We are knee deep in packing for Disney World, so this week is going to be full of simple meals. Last week I had the foresight to have the kids try on some of their warm weather clothes to see if we needed to make any vacation clothing purchases. Considering that nearly everything they had worn just a few months ago is now too small, I guess it's fortunate I did.

I mean it! Both of them have grown so much since fall that I had to buy them both new clothes. I was thinking maybe I'd have to buy a shirt or two, but oh no. They've got new pants, shirts, and shoes! How in the world did they grow so much and I didn't notice?

Anyway, the final vacation countdown is on and the anticipation is growing by leaps and bounds! Just a few more days!

In the meantime, here's the plan for this week:

Monday
Chicken tacos, corn

Tuesday
Sausage lentil soup

Wednesday
Cheeseburger rice, green beans

Thursday
Spaghetti

Friday
Leftovers

Saturday
Earl of Sandwich

Sunday
The Crystal Palace

For more meal planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Cheesy Chicken Nachos

After making a batch of Chicken Taco Filling in my crockpot, I wanted to make chicken nachos for a light meal. This would also be the perfect snack to serve at a Super Bowl party or other gathering.

The wonderful homemade cheese sauce makes these unique and super yummy. It's easy to make and tastes so much better than Velveeta or other jarred cheese sauces.

I want to add, if you prefer beef nachos over chicken, just substitute a pound of ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning for the chicken filling.

Here's what you need:

2 cups Chicken Taco filling
1 bag tortilla chips
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Additional toppings of your choice - jalapenos, tomatoes, scallions
Sour cream, if desired

For the cheese sauce:
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 TBSP corn starch
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 teas paprika
dash of cayenne pepper

In a saucepan, combine the cheese and cornstarch. Toss to coat. Add the evaporated milk, paprika and cayenne. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the cheese is completely melted. Keep stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes.

On a large baking sheet, layer half the tortilla chips, chicken, monterey jack cheese and beans. Pour about half the cheese sauce over top. Repeat layers.


Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.


Scoop onto individual plates and add additional toppings if desired.

Chocolate Pie

I love pies of all sorts. But chocolate pie is one of my favorites. I set out to make one like my grandmother used to make - not the gritty kind you find in the frozen food section or in restaurants. But smooth, rich, chocolatey, creamy goodness.

This pie is it.

It doesn't take long to prepare. The hardest part was allowing it to chill overnight! And the raves from family and friends who tasted it convinced me this is a keeper.

Here's what you need:

1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled
1/4 cup water
2 TBSP cornstarch
3 eggs
1 teas vanilla
2/3 cup milk
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 TBSP melted butter

In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until it starts to bubble around the edges. Stir in the chocolate until melted.


Add the sweetened condensed milk and whisk until combined. Stir in the egg mixture. While stirring constantly, bring the chocolate mixture to a boil. Cook and stir for several minutes, until the mixture is very thick. When it no longer drips off the whisk and you have to shake it off, it's thick enough



Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared pie shell. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.


Garnish with whipped cream if desired. And get ready for the squeals of delight that will come your way from those lucky enough to share this with you!


For more yummy recipes, head over to Miz Helen's Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday.