Adventures by Disney San Francisco from an Admitted Foodie- Christine Battista

If you think that your dinners on group travel don’t matter, then you have never been on an Adventures by Disney trip. Of course, this is coming from a person who plans their Disney World trips around where they can find their dinner reservations. 

The Adventures by Disney San Francisco Long Weekend Tour covers everything from walking over the Golden Gate Bridge to Napa Valley, but not surprisingly to those who know me, the food was the absolute highlight!

The best food on the whole trip was at My China in San Francisco. Now I have eaten a few places in my life, including the South of France, and this restaurant has to be in my top three.

Every Adventures by Disney meal starts with a specialized menu. The food came out family style and I tried everything on the list. It was absolutely amazing! The Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp melted in my mouth.

Honey Glazed Walnut Shrimp

Spicy Seafood Dumplings

The My China Chef came out mid-meal and gave us a private show that involved music and noodle making! That was just for the Adventures by Disney guests.

On our last night in San Francisco, we were treated to another great meal at One Market Restaurant.

The place was packed, so I was sure it was a great restaurant. Once again we started with a personalized menu.

This time, we got to choose from each section. I can tell you that I don’t normally like Cheesecake, but this cheesecake melted in my mouth.

Natural Angus New York Steak

We were served wine with this meal and were seated in a private room.

Adventures by Disney is the only way I would group travel. You never even handle your own bag the entire trip. As a matter of fact, I was on the same flight as another family on my Adventures by Disney Southern California trip and they still sent me my own private SUV to take me to the airport. But I digress…the food will NOT disappoint on any adventure.

I can’t wait to see what food I will get to try on my next adventure to Costa Rica. Hi Ho Vacations is taking a group next summer; June 30-July 6, 2018. I hope you will consider joining us…..I know that one thing that we will have is fresh pineapple picked straight from the farm that we visit.

Until the next adventure…..

Marceline : Uptown Theatre in Walt's Hometown

Marceline : Uptown Theatre in Walt's Hometown

We had the pleasure of visiting Marceline, MO last fall. You can find the Uptown Theatre on the original Main street in Marceline, MO. 

 I cannot begin to tell you how warm & welcoming the people of Marceline are! We took an hour or so to tour the Main Street area. This is a TINY theatre that sadly is run down. There were cracks all over the ceiling & the inside theatre had major rain damage on one side of the main theatre. They do still have Free Friday Family movie Night. 

Painted in lobby area

We thought that the theatre was closed & were bummed that we wouldn't get to tour it but a man who lived upstairs asked us if we were tourists & asked if we'd like to see the theatre. I admit we were a little creeped out about it. I'm from DC & if someone asks you if you are a tourist that means you are getting mugged etc... LOL After he let us in lobby he said the main theatre electricity didn't work & he had to go get a flash light to show us. We were thinking ummmmm is this guy going to mug us? We ALMOST left but decided to stay & voila he showed up with a flashlight to show us the theatre! It is the same theatre that little Walt used to see movies at. It has a small stage but there was water damage on the far left. It was way too dark to take any pictures sadly. I really wish that the Walt Disney company would pool some $$ into Marceline & especially the theatre. These Marceline natives are especially proud of Walt & the history behind it. They deserve the perk. We learned on our Hometown Museum Tour that when Walt released the movie " The Great Locomotive Chase" they played it for 24 hours straight for free so EVERYONE in town had a chance to see it! Walt & Roy greeted every child & before the movie & talked on the stage on how much the town meant to them. When Walt & Roy walked on stage the whole theatre of children started singing the MICKEY MOUSE Club song! They didn't get that channel in town so had to especially learn that for Walt's visit. ;) 

Pic Courtesy of yesterland.com 

Pic courtesy of yesterland.com

 

Behind the concession stand there was a ladder that went up 6 feet high & the man offered to let me go up but it was pitch black & I was still a little sketched out by the whole thing. He was a super sweet man & we very much appreciated the V.I.P. Tour we were given! 

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Guest Blog: Cooking with Character- Three Caballeros Popcorn Seasoning Recipe...

 Cooking with Character- Three Caballeros Popcorn Seasoning 

First, many thanks for allowing me to take over the blog today! Hopefully you’ll enjoy the recipe I’ve made for you today – Three Caballeros Popcorn Seasoning!

How many of you remember the Three Caballeros? The cigar smoking parrot? Donald in a sombrero? I always enjoyed that movie, and when I came up with this recipe, with its spicy, peppery flavors, I thought it had some flavors they might have encountered in their adventures in South America.

This one is pretty spicy, so if you’re a fan of a little tingle on your taste buds, then this would be a good seasoning to try. And in case you’re worried – it’s not too hot. I am not a big fan of things that make my mouth burn, and even I thought this was pretty good.  

The recipe itself is really, really simple. Most of these ingredients you probably already have in your spice cabinet. The only one that might not already be there is chipotle chili powder – but it’s not expensive, and it’s pretty easy to locate. I’d suggest the international or Latin foods area of the grocery store.

I prefer to stick mine in my spice grinder, mainly because I like the salt superfine. You can get the same effect (if it matters to you) with popcorn salt if you don’t have a spice grinder. But it isn’t necessary, because this will taste delicious either way!

Measure everything into a small bowl or Tupperware. You aren’t going to use all the spice at one time, so its easier to make it in the container you’ll store it in.

Then just combine chili powder, chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, cumin, coriander, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and a really big pinch of oregano. If the oregano is dried and still in large pieces, just rub it between your fingers to get it a little finer. If you’re using the spice grinder, it won’t matter.

Then pulse a few times in the grinder, or stir until everything is mixed. It makes quite a bit of seasoning. You can sprinkle it with a spoon, or put it in a shaker and shake it over your popcorn. Either way, only start with a couple teaspoons to a tablespoon and then taste. You can always add more if you want more, but I wouldn’t dump the whole lot on!

I cheated and used a bag of microwave butter popcorn, but you can make air popped and just spray it with a little bit of cooking spray and then sprinkle on your seasoning. I’ve found that it has to have some sort of moisture added to get the seasoning to stick at all.

Just toss it together, grab a couple handfuls and enjoy!

Three Caballeros Popcorn Seasoning

Ingredients:

·       1 ½ tsp chili powder

·       ¾ tsp chipotle chili powder

·       ¼ tsp smoked paprika

·       ¼ tsp black pepper

·       ½ tsp cumin

·       ½ tsp coriander

·       ¼ tsp garlic powder

·       ½ tsp onion powder

·       1 tbsp salt

Directions:

1.     Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or spice grinder.

2.     Pulse or mix until incorporated, then sprinkle over popcorn, either sprayed lightly with cooking spray, or add to a bag of microwave butter popcorn and shake!

 

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Art Smith's Hummingbird Cake Recipe ( Disney Springs:Homecomin')

Art Smith's Hummingbird Cake Recipe 

I had the pleasure to eat at Homecomin' in Disney Springs on my last Disney trip. I highly recommend you try & here is my review on the restaurant: 

http://yohoyohobloggerslifeforme.blogspot.com/2017/04/disney-springs-homecoming-review-pics.html

I am normally a HUGE chocolate dessert lover but I heard so much hype over this I had to try it! This is NOW my favorite Disney dessert so i HAD to make it at home! 

This is super simple to make. I made a youtube video with step by step directions. Please subscribe to my youtube channel for more Disney recipes!: https://youtu.be/vsCKiyZQXMs

Servings: Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped ripe bananas
• 1 cup drained crushed pineapple
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs , beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped pecans

Icing:

• 8 ounces cream cheese , at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter , at room temperature
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar (about 4 1/2 cups sifted)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

To make the cake, position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Lightly butter two 9" round cake pans, sprinkle evenly with flour and tap out the excess. (If you wish, butter the pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, then flour the pans and tap out the excess.)

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, stir or whisk the bananas, pineapple, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Do not use an electric mixer. Pour into the dry mixture and fold together with a large spatula just until smooth. Do not beat. Fold in the pecans. Spread evenly into the pans.

Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cakes to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks (remove the parchment paper now if using). Turn right side up and cool completely.

To make the icing: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla, to make a smooth icing.

Place 1 cake layer, upside down on a serving platter. Spread with about 2/3 cup of the icing. Top with the second layer, right side up. Spread the reaming icing over the top and sides of the cake. The cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and stored, uncovered in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Close up 

Put first layer cake upside down on platter

Cream Cheese icing

This is extremely easy to make. I would suggest reading through the whole recipe first because it has pretty specific directions.  You will need to put your racks in center & lower third of your oven. You do NOT use a hand mixer when mixing together the cake ingredients. You will only use a hand mixer to make the frosting. My one tip would be to refrigerate this at least one hour to overnight before serving. I found it a little dry straight out of oven but when I put in fridge overnight it got really moist & wonderful! 

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Disney Chocolate Pineapple Skewer Review ...

You can find the chocolate covered pineapple skewer at Big Top Souvenirs in Magic Kingdom, New Fantasyland Area. I think the treats here are a hidden gem! They offer a wide variety of treats.














The pineapple skewer did not disappoint. I think that they should give you a plate with it. It was VERY messy to eat & fell apart easily. I would get one again in a heartbeat. Just know that it is very hard to eat! 

Please feel free to send me any questions that you may have. Thank you!  yohoyohobloggerslifeforme@gmail.com

Find me on iTunes, stitcher & GooglePlay Podcasts: MousePort

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