When we were at Disney World last year, I briefly touched on our experience getting Ronto Wraps from Ronto Roasters at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, and I’ve even made Ronto Wraps at home…today, I’m going to take a closer look at the Disneyland restaurant itself, because it’s a really fun place to grab a bite to eat!
Can you think of any other place in the galaxy where you can have a droid roast your dinner for you?
I’m still not entirely clear on what a Ronto actually is, but it appears to be a fairly large animal, and is certainly delicious!
Here’s a look at the counter where you order:
And the finished product, exactly as we had it at Disney World, minus the plantain chips, which was a shame, because we’ve discovered we really like them!
This is such a fun and different restaurant, and the food is absolutely amazing…I’m already looking forward to the next time I make Ronto Wraps at home!
Once I perfected my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake recipe, I started wondering what other kinds of cheesecakes I could make following the same basic recipe. For my first attempt, I went with one of my favorite flavor combinations, blueberry-lemon. It turned out just as well (although maybe not quite as pretty coming out of the cheesecake pan), and the flavor is amazing…I think I like it even better! The real star of the recipe is the sauce, which would also be good on pancakes and waffles, ice cream, and anything else you can think of!
Blueberry Lemon Sauce:
10 oz. frozen blueberries
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
Combine blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until sauce is thick, about 5 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer. Refrigerate overnight.
Graham Cracker Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. melted butter
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all three ingredients together, then press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool to room temperature. When cool, place in freezer for at least an hour.
Cheesecake:
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half
24 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
Preheat oven to 325. Melt white chocolate chips and half-and-half in double boiler; cool slightly. Mix cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add lemon zest, lemon extract, and melted white chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour half of the batter over frozen crust. Spoon 3 Tbsp. blueberry sauce over batter. Slowly pour in remaining cheesecake batter. Spoon 3 Tbsp. blueberry sauce over top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect. Bake in the preheated oven until top is set, 60-75 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes. Cool cheesecake to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serve with remaining blueberry sauce
I’ve been tinkering with this cheesecake recipe for a while, and I have it to a point where it’s the single best cheesecake I’ve ever made!
Raspberry Sauce:
10 oz. frozen raspberries
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
Combine raspberries, water, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until sauce is thick, about 5 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer to remove seeds. Refrigerate overnight.
Graham Cracker Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. melted butter
Preheat oven to 350. Mix all three ingredients together, then press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool to room temperature. When cool, place in freezer for at least an hour.
Cheesecake:
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half
24 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325. Melt white chocolate chips and half-and-half in double boiler; cool slightly. Mix cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and melted white chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour half of the batter over frozen crust. Spoon 3 Tbsp. raspberry sauce over batter. Slowly pour in remaining cheesecake batter. Spoon 3 Tbsp. raspberry sauce over top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect. Bake in the preheated oven until top is set, 60-75 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes. Cool cheesecake to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.
Ladybug has been wanting to prepare a meal (or two!) using recipes from The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Online Cookbook, and we decided that spring break was the perfect opportunity. So last Wednesday, we had a day of Final Fantasy XIV-themed foods, starting with a “Sandwich Basket” for lunch. It included egg salad, roast beef with horseradish sauce, and lettuce, tomato, and avocado varieties:
For dinner, she choose “Deep-Fried Okeanis,” which was pretty much a schnitzel that would also work well for pork katsu sandwiches. It was served with some herb roasted potatoes that were really good.
Every good themed meal needs a special drink, so we made “The Black Shroud Lemonade,” which had a simple syrup made of honey and sugar…that gave it a unique flavor that I really enjoyed!
And for dessert, we made a “Rolanberry Cheesecake,” which had a combination of cherries, strawberries, and raspberries in the sauce. It was really delicious, and it didn’t crack at all!
I’m not really familiar with the game itself, but it certainly did provide us with a lot of good food!
You may have noticed that I like to take a theme and run with it, whether the celebration is big or small. MAR10 Day is no exception, and I had a fun time coming up with something special for our dinner on Friday. Last year, MAR10 Day fell during our “Markel Family Tour di Pizza,” but in previous years, I’ve chosen something Italian for dinner. I decided to do that again this year, but I wanted to make something new, so I found a recipe for beef ragu with pappardelle. It was excellent, and I will definitely make it again. I also found clementine Italian soda to serve with it.
For dessert, Ladybug and I made an Italian lemon cream cake, which was amazing:
I love finding fun reasons to prepare special meals!
Last year, I cooked a whole series of “Disney Dinners,” using Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World as one of my primary inspirations for Disney-themed meals and desserts. Well, Delicious Disney has a new offering this year…The Official Disney Parks Cookbook, so I’m back at it. Here’s a look at one of the first recipes I made from the book: Shrimp boil tacos with andouille sausage and corn from the On the Cob Marketplace stand at Disney California Adventure’s Food & Wine Festival:
No Disney Dinner is complete without a Disney Dessert, so Ladybug and I also made a Honey Crunch Cake from the California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort:
Both of these recipes were amazing, and I’m looking forward to trying more recipes from the cookbook in the future!
Everybody knows and loves lemon bars, but I started wondering, what other flavors would work. I came up with this recipe for pineapple bars (with a hint of coconut), and they taste just like summer!
Shortbread Crust
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. coconut extract
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray. Blend flour, softened butter, sugar, and coconut extract in a medium bowl until well combined; press into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden.
Pineapple Filling
4 eggs
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
Powdered sugar for dusting
While crust is baking, whisk together eggs and pineapple juice. Whisk in sugar and flour until smooth. Pour over hot crust, then return to oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until set. Cool completely before cutting into squares and dusting with powdered sugar.
I’m not a big casserole person (I actually hate most of them!), but there is an exception, and I don’t just tolerate Reuben casserole, it’s one of my favorite dinners! I even like it better than the more traditional Reuben sandwich…I think it’s at least partly because the toasty Rye bread on top is so delicious!
1 lb. deli corned beef, chopped
1000 Island dressing
14 oz. canned sauerkraut, drained well
8 oz. Swiss cheese (you can use shredded or sliced)
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
8 slices Rye bread, chopped
Preheat oven to 350. Spread chopped corned beef on bottom of 9×13 pan. Drizzle about 1/2 cup 1000 Island on top. Sprinkle with sauerkraut. Top with Swiss cheese. Toss chopped bread with melted butter, and place over cheese. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the bread is toasty.
Perhaps “Kitchen Sink” is a bit of a misnomer, because I’m not suggesting you put ALL the things in the blondies at once. But what makes these blondies great is that you can add whatever mix-ins you want in whatever ratio you want (I did half dark chocolate and half dried cranberries here), and you can even frost them (cinnamon frosting is especially good!), and not only will they turn out great every time, but it seems like you’re never making the same blondies twice!
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
1 lb. dark brown sugar (you can use light, but I think the dark gives it a better flavor!)
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups of mix-ins (baking chips, nuts, dried fruit…you name it!)
Frosting of your choice (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 and grease (or cover with parchment paper) a cookie sheet with sides (about 15×10 inches…if your pan is a different size, you’ll have to adjust the cooking time).
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. When it’s completely melted, remove from heat and stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Let cool slightly, then stir in the eggs. Stir in flour mixture and mix-ins until just blended. Spread into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes (don’t overbake!)
Let cool completely before frosting (if desired) and slicing…make about 2 dozen blondies.
