Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday–Dole Whip Day

One of the things I was most looking forward to when we went to Disney World last year (and again when we went to Disneyland in June) was having a Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve if you’ve never had the opportunity to indulge), and I was also excited to discover that “Dole Whip Day” (which fell on July 20th) was a thing!

My love of all things Dole Whip, from the treats at the park to handbags to frozen treats at home, is fairly obvious:

I was really excited to recreate the treat at home last summer according to the recipe in Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World:

I was also excited to discover that the recipe for “Growth Potion” in Alice In Wonderland: The Official Cookbook, which featured pineapple juice and cream soda, was the perfect drink for this year’s Dole Whip Day:

But the thing I was most excited about was that the Disney Parks blog “Disney Eats” section shared a recipe in the for Pineapple Cupcakes inspired by Dole Whips (yellow cupcakes filled with pineapple mousse and topped with pineapple buttercream frosting), like the ones they serve at the Contempo Café at Disney World’s Contemporary Resort! I was already planning on trying to recreate the recipe (without ever having actually tried one myself), but they made it so much easier for me! I am not exaggerating when I say these are the best cupcakes I’ve ever made…I don’t know how they compare to the ones served at the Contempo Café, but they’re amazing on their own!

This was such fun and delicious way to celebrate Dole Whip Day, and I’m looking forward to making them again!

Tasty Tuesday–Kewpee Hamburgers

Here’s a look at one last place we stopped to eat on our summer road trip…Kewpee Hamburgers in Lima, Ohio.

Kewpee is the second-oldest fast-food hamburger chain in the country. The company was founded in Flint, Michigan in 1923, and is thought to be what inspired Dave Thomas in his creation of Wendy’s. The first Kewpee restaurant came to Lima in 1928. The Art Deco streamline moderne style of the 1939 building is very evident inside, with lots of chrome and curved lines.

The make a “mity nice” burger and fries! Yes, it’s a square patty, just like the ones at Wendy’s.

Their slogan made me laugh!

This was a fun, historic place to stop for a meal on our way to Toledo!

Tasty Tuesday–Tony Packo’s

“Incidentally, if you’re ever in Toledo, Ohio, on the Hungarian side of town, Tony Packo’s, greatest Hungarian hot dogs with chili peppers, 35 cents.” Jamie Farr as Klinger on M*A*S*H

One of the major highlights of going on our trip to Toledo was finally getting to eat at Tony Packo’s!

We went to the original location in the Hungarian neighborhood, and I’m not going to lie…walking in the door felt like going home. It had that great pub feel, but with a Hungarian twist!

OK, a neighborhood pub with a Hungarian twist and lots of M*A*S*H memorabilia!

I wasn’t going to leave there without trying the speciality of the house, the Hungarian hot dog, with mustard, onions, and hot dog sauce:

We tried some other things, too…fried pickles, pierogis, cabbage rolls, chili, and the German potato salad recommended by our waitress. It was all delicious, and again, felt like coming home. It’s not often I get to go to a place that serves the food of my people!

We also grabbed a piece of cherry strudel to go:

My understanding is that thanks to M*A*S*H, the restaurant is quite the tourist trap (they even have a gift shop in the restaurant, and yes, we did pick up a few things, including a jar of paprika to use at home), but I didn’t know it “back in the day,” so that doesn’t matter to me…the food was good, I loved the atmosphere, and the Jamie Farr/Klinger/M*A*S*H connection made me happy!

If I ever have the opportunity to go back to Toledo, I’m definitely going to stop at Packo’s again, and next time, I might try the chicken paprikas served over Hungarian dumplings (which around here we call spaetzle!).

“I’d give anything to be back in Toledo. Sitting in Packo’s with the guys, having a beer and eating a dog while the chili sauce drips down your arm.” Jamie Farr as Klinger on M*A*S*H

Tasty Tuesday–Goofy’s Kitchen

We only had one truly sit-down meal when we were at Disneyland, but it was a very special meal, prepared in Goofy’s Kitchen!

The restaurant is located in the iconic Disneyland Hotel, and I was very excited to have an excuse to stop by there.

The highlight of our dinner was probably getting the chance to pay our compliments to the chef!

We really loved that Goofy’s distinctive profile is prominently displayed on the tables!

It’s a buffet restaurant, but it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Of course their were kid favorites like mac ‘n’ cheese and chicken nuggets, but there were also some pretty high-end foods, including international options and even a carving station with steak!

Did I mention there’s also a huge dessert section? There were endless options of cakes, cookies, brownies, and also a soft-serve ice cream bar with all the toppings! (One of the dessert offerings is the specialty of the house, peanut butter and jelly pizza, which I’m sure that Goofy created for Max, good dad that he is).

I had quite an eclectic plate, and it was all delicious! Seriously, I wasn’t expecting buffet food at a family-style restaurant to be so good, but it really was! In addition to the steak, I especially enjoyed the fennel salad (I went back for seconds!) as well as the salmon with artichokes. (Not pictured is the carrot cake I had for dessert, which was also delicious!)

Another highlight of the dining experience were the character interactions. We saw Minnie, Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale (why does Goofy employ so many rodents in his establishment?!?), and in addition to going table to table, greeting the diners, they also entertain with dances on a regular schedule. While they’re performing, the diners are encouraged to wave their napkins in the air (which I did with gusto!), which just adds to the fun atmosphere!

This was such a great dining experience…I’m so glad we had the opportunity to eat at Goofy’s!

Tasty Tuesday–Stitch Day!

Yesterday was a most anticipated day…it was Stitch Day!

In case you’re unfamiliar with this holiday, it’s a day in celebration of Experiment 626 (which is why it is celebrated on June 26), otherwise known as Stitch, of Lilo and Stitch fame. Last year, we just happened to be at the Magic Kingdom on Stitch Day, and it’s hard to top that, but Disney did just release Lilo & Stitch: The Official Cookbook last month, so I planned a special day of meals to celebrate our favorite alien-dog.

We started with ‘Ohana Fruit Salad, which had pineapple, lychees, pear, green apples, strawberries, and tangerines, and was tossed with coconut yogurt and served in a hollowed-out pineapple. It was really delicious!

Next was Kaua’i Sugarloaf Pineapple Salsa, served with plantain chips…I can’t wait to serve this with our next Mexican dinner, because it too was delicious!

Funny story about the drink I made…it’s called the Blue Hawaiian. Does it look blue to you? No matter how much of the blue vanilla syrup I added, I couldn’t get the pineapple and lemon juice based drink to change colors, not even to green! Even though the color wasn’t right, the drink itself was tropical and refreshing!

For dinner, I made Dawn Patrol Loco Moco. I’ve been wanting to try this Hawaiian dish of a hamburger patty served on rice and topped with gravy and a fried egg for a while, and we weren’t disappointed!

For dessert, we had the Pā’ina Haupia Cake, which had a lovely coconut filling. Bunny drew an outline of Stitch, and Ladybug copied it in royal icing to make the decoration for the top of the cake…they did a fantastic job!

We had a really fun time celebrating Stitch Day, and I can’t wait to try more recipes from the cookbook!

Tasty Tuesday–Ronto Roasters

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!

Tasty Tuesday–White Chocolate Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecake

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

Tasty Tuesday–White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

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.

Tasty Tuesday–A Day Inspired by Final Fantasy XIV

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!

Tasty Tuesday–Food for MAR10 Day

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!