Dining For Less at Walt Disney World

 Dining for Less Cha-Ching at WDW

For breakfast I suggest eating a granola bar or pastry in your hotel room, bring them from home or stop off at a local Target- 3200 Rolling Oaks Blvd
Kissimmee, FL 34747, (321) 677-3971) or Wal-Mart Supercenter- Kissimmee 3250 Vineland Road, Kissimmee, FL 34746,407-397-1125 for breakfast items, drinks, snacks and Disney souvenirs at a huge discount.

Magic Kingdom- I would grab some yummies at Main Street Bakery, for starters a Starbucks, Venti White Chocolate Mocha & a breakfast sandwich or a delicious house-made Disney sweet, you’re spending somewhere between $10 to 15 bucks. At DHS- Starring Rolls Café is my choice; my family might grab a croissant or apple turnover for under $7.00, any grab & go type of food. Over at EPCOT- Fountain View in Future World has Starbucks espresso and specialty beverages or just fill up on warm and tasty treats like Artisan breakfast sandwiches and house-made Disney sweets. While at the Animal Kingdom- try Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery.

*I would definitely save my largest meal for lunch, it’s usually less expensive during lunch hours and you could experience upscale dining without spending all your cha-ching, maybe try “Be our Guest” a quick service dining facility at Magic Kingdom with fine dining appeal, based off the popular tale Beauty & the Beast. Here you have a choice of three enchanted rooms & meals under 15.00 pp. Try the Speedy Salads and Sandwiches, Quick Quiche or the Chefs fave 8-hour-braised pork & for the little beasts, they’ll love Mickey meatloaf or whole-grain macaroni. Lunch time at DHS- 50’s Prime Time Café, it’s a stick to your ribs kind of lunch with a 50’s theme & fun lovin’ family humor. EPCOT-is a great place for Sushi, Sunshine Seasons- has an inexpensive selection, gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads, and wood-fired entrées. Animal Kingdom-Tusker House hosts “Donald’s Dining Safari Character Buffet” 11am-2:45pm, with the price being a bit steep at $30 to 59.99 pp, but it’s a character buffet with African influences and it will definitely fill up the hungry hubby’s out there.

*Dinner at Magic Kingdom, I would grab a combo-style meal at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn in Frontierland, they have a terrific “toppings bar” so you can make the simplest item on the menu go a lot further. I like the 1/3 Angus Cheeseburger-$10.79 served with fries or apple slices or the Taco Salad-$8.79 & add some hot cheese, caramelized onions or Pico de Gallo, yummy to my tummy. I particularly like to dip my fries in the hot cheese, always a late night family fave! At DHS- the Hollywood Brown Derby $15 to $29.99 per adult from 3:30-9:30pm. Enjoy a nice signature dinner with herb-roasted rack of lamb over buttermilk blue cheese-corn pudding, desserts & more. EPCOT- Rose & Crown Pub, fish & chips with a beer, simple & tasty! Animal Kingdom-Flame Tree Barbecue for none other than yummy barbeque.

 These are just a few suggestions for daily meals at WDW. By no means are they the cheapest for dining, but they offer a nice value for your money. Happy Eating*O*

Previously published on http://theadultsideofdisney.com/.

Creating Food Memories- What Bite Takes You Home #TheHundredFootJourney

“If you have a spice use it.  Don’t sprinkle it on top- pour it and mix it in.”

Welcome to The Hundred Foot Journey, the delectable story that leaves you with food for thought long after the movie comes to a close and you’ve had adequate time to push back from the table, to take some time to digest this delicious feast for the heart and soul. Who doesn’t love getting lost in a good movie? Just like a 5 star meal, when all the perfect ingredients are brought together and blended in just the right way, when cooked correctly it transports you back to a time and place when life was served up in perfect proportions.  DreamWorks The Hundred Foot Journey is one of those movies.  With plenty of food for thought, suddenly I was 5 years old again, at my aunt’s house at Thanksgiving with the hustle and bustle that only family gatherings of 100 relatives and great food can bring.  With the smells emanating from the kitchen, the sneaking and sampling of food that sticks to your soul because they were mixed with love, and the sounds of the laughter, with a light smattering of bickering of a family once again reunited I was back at the little kid’s table longing to make the move to the table where all the real action was taking place.   “Food is memories.” The days of those Thanksgiving’s may be long going, but just like a great meal, the memories will live on forever.

“Sometimes brakes break for a reason"

In The Hundred-Foot Journey, Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa (Om Puri), settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant – the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin-starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Academy Award®-winner Helen Mirren) gets wind of it. 

Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet from her own escalate into a heated battle between the two establishments until Hassan’s passion for French haute cuisine — and for Madame Mallory’s enchanting sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) — combine with his mysteriously- delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Madame Mallory cannot ignore. 

At first Madame Mallory's culinary rival, she eventually recognizes Hassan's gift as a chef and takes him under her wing.

“The Hundred-Foot Journey” abounds with flavors that burst across the tongue. A stimulating triumph over exile, blossoming with passion and heart, it is a portrayal of two worlds colliding and one young man’s drive to find the comfort of home, in every pot, wherever he may be.

“What Bite Takes You Home?”

Food Network Star Chef Bal Arneson was inspired to create these dishes in honor of the movie.  To save any of them so you can try each of these burst of flavors right in your own kitchen, simply right click the recipe and save it to your computer.  Bon Appetit- Now let the cooking begin!

“Every hundred-foot journey is like ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” shared producer Oprah Winfrey. “It’s never any further than your own backyard. And food can bring back a fondness or a feeling of being nurtured, supported and loved. Every bite makes you think of being loved and every bite takes you home.”  What bite takes you home?

Check out these fun links when our team got together to share our favorite food memories:

Turner Family Homemade Lasagna

Ferguson Family Fried Green Beans

Giardi Family Meatloaf

Gosdin Family Chicken Tortilla Soup

Bob's Journey Home to the Authentic Philly Cheesesteak

Be sure to see “The Hundred Foot Journey” now playing in theaters everywhere this weekend and then let us know, what bite takes you home.

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What Bite Takes You Home? #TheHundredFootJourney Chicken Tortilla Soup

  Chicken Tortilla Soup by Dawn Gosdin

Notice my Mickey Flatware

Ingredients:

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• 4 oz. unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 4 oz. extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup)
• 2 oz. bacon drippings ( 1/4 cup)
• 2.5 oz. green bell pepper ( 1/3 cup)
• 8 oz. yellow onions ( 1 cup)
• 4 oz. celery ( 1/2 cup)
• 4 oz. carrots (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 bunch cilantro (stems included) My personal fave herb
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 10 1/2 oz. fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt  (I’m from the South, I like it SPICY)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh garlic
• 5 oz. white corn tortillas (about 4-5)
• 2 1/2 quarts chicken stock (or 10 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules and 2 1/2 quarts of water)
• 12 oz. tomatoes (2 to 3 medium)
• 18 oz. grilled boneless chicken breast
• Roux (thickener): 3 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, 3 1/2 oz. all-purpose flour

 How to make it:

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• Peel, clean and wash all vegetables. (Give them a bath & a massage)
• Place bell pepper, onion, celery, carrot and cilantro in a food processor and chop fine.
• Heat sauce pot over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add butter, olive oil and bacon fat.
• When the butter has fully melted, add the vegetables, white and black pepper, chili powder and cumin, salt, and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and slightly brown. While the vegetables cook, chop the tortillas in the food processor until fine. Add tortillas to the sauce pot and cook until soft.

•  Add the chicken stock to the sauce pot and bring to a boil.
• While the soup is coming to a boil, prepare the roux (Roux is a mixture of equal parts fat and flour used for thickening sauces and soups.) Heat a 6-10-inch sauté pan over med-low heat. Add butter and melt fully. Add the flour and mix thoroughly using a wire whip. Cook roux for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add roux to the soup using a wire whip. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add diced chicken breast.
• Finely chop the tomatoes in food processor. Add corn and tomatoes to the soup and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Ladle soup in equal parts into 8 heated soup bowls. Garnish each with fried tortilla strips, shredded cheese and Pico de Gallo and you’re finished~ Voilà

“Chicken Tortilla Soup, “takes me home” even though I only live two blocks from my parent’s, lol! Woot*O*