T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – The Most Important Meal Of The Day!

Walt Disney World has some of the BEST FOOD I have ever had the privelege of tasting – everything is prepared fresh using the best ingredients, and it really shows in the final product.

Breakfast is no exception, they really go above and beyond at the Parks and Resorts to make sure you have plenty of options to choose from so you can start your day off right and fuel up for a day at the Parks!

One of my personal fave breakfast spots is the Crystal Palace – a character breakfast spot in the Magic Kingdom featuring Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. The food is amazing here – especially “Pooh’s Breakfast Lasagna” – which is essentially a warm berry bread pudding, and they also serve anything and everything breakfast-related – my fave are the Mickey waffles!

I tried Tusker House for the first time last year, and I have to say, I was impressed! Hosted by Donald and friends (decked out in their safari gear!), this African inspired meal serves up the classics as well as unique items like their bobotie (a spiced egg based casserole which is also served at Boma!)

If you’re not in the mood for a sit down meal that early in the day, you can always grab something at your WDW Resort, like this freshly made waffle and bacon from the POP Century Resort

If the Magic Kingdom is your early morning Park of choice (it is for me!) then let your nose lead you over to the amazing smells coming from the Main Street Bakery, and grab a coffee and one of these bad boys – a warm, soft, gooey cinnamon roll

….Ok now not only do I miss Disney, but I’m starving. Breakfast time!

TGIF!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Going “Under The Sea” With The Little Mermaid

There have been a lot of changes around Walt Disney World lately – many of them can be seen in the New Fantasyland, where you will find Ariel and her friends come to life on the ride “Under The Sea – Journey Of The Little Mermaid“

  

  

You enter the ride through Prince Eric’s Castle, and board a “shell” to take your journey

Where else but WDW can you ride through the sea and see mermaid, a prince, and dancing fish all in one place?

 

After you are done with your voyage, head over to Ariel’s Grotto and meet the Mermaid herself!

I personally cannot WAIT to check out this area and the ride when I head to WDW in December – The Little Mermaid is a classic from my childhood that I watched over and over – and seeing it come to life would be a dream come true!

TGIF!

WDW – Where To Start?

So you have made it to Walt Disney World – hooray! Now the question is – where do I start? Which Park do I visit first? Well, maybe this can help you make that decision…

 

So what’s the verdict? Personally, I am a Magic Kingdom girl all the way, which is confirmed with this chart!

(I borrowed this image from the Disney Parks Blog – it was too fun not to share!)

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – What A View!

There are so many amazing things about Walt Disney World – The Parks The Rides, The Food…..etc…that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the experience of it all!

Sometimes it’s worthwhile just to step back and take a look at your surroundings – you’ll find there’s really a LOT to see:

 

If you choose to stay at WDW’s Animal Kingdom Lodge -this could be the view off your balcony of the savannah, where you can watch the animal roam about (yep, those are giraffes out there!)

The Tree Of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is really something – its amazing to gaze at, but I also suggest that you get up close and personal with it and check out all the amazing animal engravings and designs – it’s a real work of art

The view from the balcony at California Grill at the top of the Contemporary Resort – you can really see it all, and it’s quite the spot for firework viewing too!

And my all time personal favorite view – standing at the base of Main Street, where you can get a great view of Cinderella’s Castle. Standing here makes me feel like I have come home

Talk about some great views!

TGIF!

In The Kitchen – Recreating The Butterfinger Cupcake

I am a HUGE baking fan – I love it so much that I even have a blog dedicated to my baking adventures. I am also a huge fan of Food Network, Top Chef, and basically anything food related – and I know there are a lot of foodies out there like me who love recreating dishes from their favorite resturants at home.

And since Disney has some of the best food in the world, it’s only natural that there are people out there trying to recreate those amazing tastes at home!

One of my personal faves? The Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Roles Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios – this thing is EPIC – a moist chocolate cake with a gooey fudge center, vanilla frosting, a chocolate shell, and butterfinger pieces – who wouldn’t to make these at home?

You want some of that goodness? Here’s the recipe, give it a try!

 

Starring Rolls Butterfinger Cupcakes
(Recipe courtesy of Plain Chicken)

Ingredients

1 box Devil’s Food Cake mix, plus ingredients to make cake
1 can fudge frosting

4 cups chocolate chips
6 Tbsp canola oil

3 (3.7 oz) King Size Butterfingers

Quick Buttercream Frosting
18 Tbsp butter, softened
6 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
6 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Prepare cupcakes according to directions on cake mix package. Let cupcakes cool completely.

Using a sharp knife, cut a circle out on top of the cupcake. Make your cut go about halfway into the cupcake. Remove the cake chunk and fill the hole will fudge frosting (I used two spoons to scoop the frosting into the hole). Invert the cupcake chunk on top of the fudge frosting – you want the extra cake to be sticking up.

Prepare the buttercream frosting. Mix together all the ingredients and beat on medium for 3 minutes, until fluffy. Transfer frosting into a piping bag and pipe frosting on top of the cupcakes, covering the cake chunk. Let the frosting set up for 30 minutes.

While the frosting is setting up, crush the Butterfingers in the food processor until completely pulverized. **I froze the Butterfingers and crushed them frozen.**

Combine chocolate chips and oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir and continue to heat at 30 second intervals until completely melted. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before using. (You might want to do this in two batches so the chocolate doesn’t harden while you dip the cupcakes) Dip the frosted cupcakes into the chocolate – I used a spoon to hold the frosting into place to make sure it didn’t fall off the cupcake. Immediately coat the cupcake with the pulverized Butterfingers – just smash it all over the chocolate. Repeat until all cupcakes are dipped and covered. Refrigerate approximately 1 hour to allow the chocolate to set up.

 

There are plenty of Disney recipes out there, available online or in Disney cookbooks, so check some out and recreate that “Disney Magic” at your dinner table tonight!

T.G.I.F. Pic Of The Week – Staying Warm In Style – WDW Style!

You never know quite what to expect when it comes to Florida weather – it could rain, pour, hail, be sunny, hot, cool – it’s ever changing to say the least!

One thing that people usually assume is that it will be warm while they are on vacation at Walt Disney World – which is probably true some of the time, but it tends to get cooler at night, and the mornings can be chilly too. I recommend you bring along a hoodie, but if you forget yours, you can always check out some of these great hoodies available at the Parks:

From a classic logo sweatshirt

To a preppy-cute cardigan

Or this foodie favorite

And my personal fave – this bright retro-inspired style

 

You can shop online for great Disney outerwear too – Check out all the options for women and men

TGIF!