A taste of Via Napoli's Carciofi pizza at home!

An original Via Napoli pizza - half Carciofi and half Quattro Formaggi

One of my family's favorite dining spots at Walt Disney World is Via Napoli, found in Epcot's Italy pavilion. From the decor, to the scrumptious desserts, to (most importantly!) the wood-fired pizza, it never fails to amaze.  In fact, my favorite pizza of all time can be found here.  It's the Carciofi, which translated from Italian literally means "artichokes."  Described on the menu as "white pizza, artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil", it's beauty is in its simple, earthy flavors.  I was sure I could recreate this at home, even without a wood-burning oven!  Not only did I recreate it, but one smell of the piping hot pizza transported me right back to Via Napoli.  Bon appetit!

Carciofi Pizza Recipe

9 oz. fresh prepared pizza dough*
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese
7 oz. canned plain artichokes (not marinated), drained, rinsed, and cut into quarters (if not already)
2 T. white truffle oil
Flour, for rolling out dough
Olive oil

*My local grocery store has these available in bags for around $1 and I've also seen them at both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.  If you can't find fresh dough for this recipe, canned pizza crust can be substituted, though the results aren't as authentic (but still yummy).  In this case, just skip #1 below.

Experience the Epcot Food and Wine Festival from Home with Italian Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

The 2013 Epcot Food and Wine Festival is right around the corner. So in honor of that I want to share with you some of my favorite recipes from past and present Food and Wine Festivals. I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I LOVE chocolate! I admit it I am full blown chocoholic! And one of my favorite ways to indulge in my addiction is the flourless chocolate hazelnut cake from Italy at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. This cake combines all the gooey fudgeyness of a brownie with the rich decadence of fudge and then adds a bit of crunch with the hazelnuts, this is really a chocolate lovers dream! And this recipe is really and truly so easy. If you can whisk up five simple ingredients in a bowl, then you will be able to master this cake. Even the most novice of bakers will be able to impress their friends and family with this dessert!

Ingredients

7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

5 eggs

1/4 cup cocoa

Godiva Iced Coffee from the Belgium Kiosk at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival

A couple of years ago at the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival I stopped at the Belgium kiosk and decided to try something different. I’m not a big drinker, I’m usually more interested in the food at the festival rather than the wine or beer. But, it was a pretty warm October day and I was craving something cold. So I took a look at the menu board really quick and, being the chocolate lover that I am, I immediately zeroed in on the word Godiva. I mean seriously anything made with Godiva has got to be good, right? Oh! I was so right about that. The Godiva Iced Coffee was seriously the best thing I had ever tasted! It was cold and refreshing and oh so chocolaty. Pretty much after finishing my first one, I was already craving a second. Even after I came home from Disney I would still think about how good that iced coffee was. With the 2013 Food and Wine Festival around the corner, I really started thinking about that coffee again! It was a hot night in South Florida I was craving something cold, so I got on my computer and did a little searching and JACKPOT! I found the recipe for the Godiva iced coffee from Belgium! After a quick trip to the grocery store (and the liquor store), I was ready to try my hand at making quite possibly my most favorite drink ever.

The ingredients needed for the iced coffee are:

2 ounces Godiva chocolate liquor 


1 ounce half and half 


1/2 ounce simple syrup (Simple syrup is just equal parts water and sugar boiled together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the sugar has completely dissolved just take the syrup off the stove and allow the syrup to cool. Or you can cheat like I did and just buy a liquid sugar like the liquid raw sugar that I used. However, the next time I make this I’m going to use a full ounce of the liquid raw sugar because I like my coffee a little sweeter.)

4 ounces hot coffee (I used a French press to make my hot coffee, but feel free to brew your coffee any way you would like.)

Chocolate sauce for drizzling 


Whipped cream for garnish

Now You Can Make Le Cellier’s Beef Barley Soup at Home



This photo of Le Cellier Steakhouse is courtesy of TripAdvisor


As the Disney Foodie I want to take you behind the scenes into the Disney kitchens and break down the magic behind some of our favorite Disney recipes. Anybody can be a Disney chef for a day, all you need is a little faith, trust, and maybe a pinch of pixie dust, so let’s get started.

The recipe I picked to share with you today is the Beef Barley Soup from Le Cellier at the Canada Pavilion in Epcot. The whole process of making the soup was actually pretty straightforward. I had never made beef barely soup from scratch so I admit I was a little nervous. But, it ended up being quite easy. So I promise this is not a recipe to be afraid of! Besides I’m here to take you step by step through the whole process and even share a few pointers here and there.

Foodie Friday - A Sweet Summer Salad and a Taste of Disney World All in One

A friend was hosting a cookout for the 4th of July and I was asked to bring a dish to pass.  Yes, I could have brought one of the staples like potato salad or baked beans, but I wanted something new and yet easy and kid-friendly.  In going through recipes in my cookbooks and recipe cards, I found a winner: African Fruit Fool from Boma in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Just missing a garnish to make it look as great as it tastes!

As a disclaimer, I do not regularly cook.  In reality, my family eats out most evenings.  That being said, sometimes I like to make things just to prove that I still can!  Fortunately, this salad was simple, although somewhat time consuming.  Cutting up all that fruit took about 1/2 hour.  I got some great mother-son time doing it, though, because my 8-year-old son helped cut some of the softer fruits like the bananas.  I also whipped cream for the first time and it was fun!  I may stop buying premade now that I know how easy it is!

Anyway, I tried the salad and ended up licking the mixing spoon before putting it in the sink to wash.  Plus, I not only had some with dinner, it's so sweet that I also had it for dessert.  My friends at the cookout also all enjoyed it and it gave me a little "Disney" in between trips to the parks so I definitely give it two thumbs up.

Food Friday-Tow Mater Cupcakes

Tow Mater Cupcakes

Cooking Fun With Kids

Ka-chow! What better way to spend an afternoon with your kids or grandkids than to recreate these these tow-tally fabulous cupcakes as featured on Disney's Family Fun site. Get ready to be floored-they really were surprisingly easy!

Here's what you'll need to make 6 Tow Mater Cupcakes:

     1  Box Cake Mix (we used chocolate but any flavor works)

     2 16 oz. cans Milk Chocolate Frosting

     1 16 oz. can Vanilla Frosting

     1  6 cup large muffin baking pan 

     1  12 cup regular size cupcake baking pan

     Non stick spray for pans

     2 boxes Keebler 100 calorie Rite Bite cookies (Family Fun  

       suggested Grasshopper cookies but any cookie that resembles a wheel will work)

     1   Go-Pack of Mini Oreo Bite Size ( tires)

     12 White M&M's candies (headlights)

     12 Green M&M's candies (eyes)  

     6   pieces Eclipse gum (teeth)

     8" cardboard cake boards (paper plates also work great)

     Black edible ink pen or black decorating gel

     Ziploc bag