Category Archives: Recipe

Disney at Home: Potato Leek Soup

Posted on April 19, 2013 | 2 Comments

This recipe is from the 2007 Food & Wine Festival recipe book “Tastefully Inspired.” While the recipe from the Ireland kiosk is technically called “Chilled Potato Leek Soup,” I’m not crazy about chilled soups, and I’m dangerously close to the very end of “soup season” here in Central Florida. This is my last hurrah to enjoy it before the humidity starts creeping up on the near-90 degree days we’re already having.

The recipe is simple, and the amount of time tending to the dish while it’s on the stove is relatively light. I’ll mention a few tips and tweaks along the way (there really weren’t many at all!). Below are all the ingredients you need to make the soup. Chopped chives are used for garnish, which I skipped, and instead topped with a bit of crumbled bacon which I had on hand. Otherwise, this is an easy and filling vegetarian soup that, despite the use of heavy cream, feels light.

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Posted in Epcot, Food, Food & Wine Festival, Recipe

Tagged Disney at Home, Food & Wine, Ireland, Potato Leek Soup, Tastefully Inspired

Disney Food at Home: Spanakopita

Posted on February 20, 2013 | 7 Comments

I love Spanakopita. I enjoy it during Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival at the Greece kiosk, and I recently visited a place near Downtown Orlando, Mediterranean Blue, that serves up a HUGE and delicious piece of the savory pie. It’s a dish I’ve never attempted at home, so while flipping through cookbooks of Food & Wine Festivals past (this recipe is from 2009), Greece’s recipe for Spanakopita definitely stood out.

Here’s what the Spanakopita looked like at the 2012 Festival:

I went out and bought the ingredients to make the dish, and gathered what I had on hand. I’ll have some notes at the bottom of the post with things I tweaked beforehand and would change on my next batch. Yes, I will be making it again!

I’m not going to go through each and every cooking step, but merely point out some before and afters for reference.

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Posted in Epcot, Food, Food & Wine Festival, Recipe

Tagged Greece, Spanakopita

Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival

Posted on October 9, 2012 | 10 Comments

2011 marked the debut of Discover the Cranberry, the Festival Cranberry Bog, sponsored by Ocean Spray Craisins. The bog has returned for 2012, and during opening weekend of the festival, Ocean Spray growers were on hand to answer questions and educate guests on the amazing little fruit.

The bog is over 1,300 square feet and is home to over 1,500 pounds of cranberries.

Cranberry growers as well as cast members engage guests with facts and information on how the fruit is not only grown but also used. Every part of the plant has a purpose: greens are reused in compost, juice is pressed, and the skins become Craisins. Be sure to pick up a free sample at the nearby booth if you’ve never tried Craisins before! To find out how the fruit’s health benefits, read more over at CranberryHealth.com.

Advances in technology even over the last few years has made growing easier. Manual temperature monitoring, for example, no longer requires a drive out to the bog; sensors can now send text notifications when the temperature gets too low. Since there is only one harvest a year, these notifications are crucial so the growers can take the proper actions to prevent the crop from freezing.

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Posted in Attraction, Drinks, Epcot, Food, Food & Wine Festival, Menu, Recipe

Tagged Apple Blossom, Artisan Cheese Stuffed Mini Craisins Brioche, Cape Cod, Craisins, Craisins Infused Five Spice Char Kobe Beef with Fire Roasted Corn, Cranberry and Sea Salt Cured Wild Salmon with Citrus Sugar Crystals, Cranberry Bog, Cranberry Bomber, Cranberry Marinated Gold Beets with Kumquat Jalapeno Marmalade, Cranberry Martini, Midori Cranberry, O FIzz, Ocean Spray, Rock Seared Free Range Chicken with Craisins Vodka Caviar

House of Blues: Bay Shrimp and Avocado Street Tacos

Posted on August 27, 2012 | 6 Comments

Since revamping its menu to “Crossroads” by Aaron Sanchez last year, House of Blues has returned to our good graces after a few not-so-great experiences. I stopped in recently for a quick bite and grabbed a seat at the bar. I was asked if I wanted a drink and ordered a water and bottle of beer.

Bar seating

Dining Hall

While looking over the menu, I also spotted these specialty cocktails on a container holding hot sauce. I might have been upsold on one of these had they been mentioned before I ordered a beer. The Spiced Tiki definitely piqued my interest, despite it no longer being served in a souvenir mason jar. Maybe next time.

Here are the recipes if you want to make either at home:

For my meal, I ordered the Bay Shrimp and Avocado Street Tacos. They are described as “Street style corn tortillas, green cabbage, fresh pico de gallo, roasted tomatillo salsa, Cotija cheese and Avocado lime Crème.”

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Posted in Dining, Downtown Disney, Drinks, Food, Menu, Recipe, Restaurants

Tagged Bay Shrimp and Avocado Street Tacos, Cherry Noir Cosmo, House of Blues, Spiced Tiki

Cape Malay Chicken Curry

Posted on June 16, 2012 | 2 Comments

I was very much looking forward to Sundowner Celebration. I was hoping it would be as delicious as Taste of Africa was in 2010. What was once contained to Harambe Village in Africa was expanded to be even larger, and for me, filled with more promise. Overall, the event to me was a perfect example of bigger doesn’t always equal better. Sure, there was stuff going on all over Africa and through Asia. Attractions were open to be enjoyed. But both the selection and quality of food offered was sorely disappointing. Why is this post titled Cape Malay Chicken Curry? Read on, my friends.