#TripleD Recipe Friday

Tags

Dining, Disney, food, recipe, Walt Disney World

As many of you know I am a chef in real life. However, as many chefs will tell you after cooking all day the last thing we like to do is cook at home. Problem is fast food and eating out has got me into this situation. I am not saying to never eat out, but make it a treat and not the norm. So I have been coming up with new things to eat that are both satisfying and healthy.

One thing I love is Caribbean food. I love the spicy sweet mixture. There is nothing I like more than making my own jerk marinade and letting chicken swim in it for a day and grilling it outside. Well, problem with that is it was 5pm and 15 degrees outside so I took a few shortcuts.  I came up with a jerk marinated chicken breast on a bed of rice pilaf and a carrot pineapple slaw.

What you’ll need:

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• Maragaritaville (or another brand) Jerk Marinade
• Long Grain Rice (1/4 cup dry rice per serving)
• Shredded Carrots
• Fresh Diced Pineapple (get the peeled at the store it’s much easier)
• Fresh Lime Juice (1 lime)
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro roughly chopped (dried will work just use half as much)
• Olive Oil (not extra virgin)

1. Marinate the chicken breast with the store bought marinade
2. In a bowl combine the diced pineapple, lime juice, and cilantro
3. while whisking slowly drizzle enough olive oil to thicken the liquid probably around 3 Tbsp.
4. Add carrots to the slaw mixture, cover and leave in fridge until serving.
5. Make the rice according to instructions. Put some of the bottled marinade or pineapple juice into the rice water for more flavor.
6. I used a grill pan on top of the stove to cook the chicken, but you can use a skillet, or bake in the oven. Make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees F
7. Plate by putting the chicken breast on the bed of rice. Stir slaw in the bowl and put on top of the Chicken.

I really liked the cold slaw on the hot chicken it gave it nice balance. I would have liked a little more heat from spice. When I make my jerk I add habenero peppers to it. Next time I would add some red pepper flakes or diced chiles to the marinade. This whole meal per serving according to my app was 341 calories. I was very full and satisfied after this as well.

I hope you enjoy this and if you try it let me know if you liked it, didn’t like it, or added anything to enhance it. Keith@enchantedtikitalk.com

 

 

 

Non-Park Days at WDW – For Adults

Tags

Contemporary Resort, Dining, Disney

Sometimes you have a 7 day vacation but only 5 days worth of park passes. What to do with that down time? There are several great adventures you can get into for adults!

1. Monorail Crawl – Stop by each of the three resorts on the Resorts Monorail Line for an adult beverage or two and a snack. At the Grand Floridian, stop by the Mizner’s Lounge for a Pino Grigio (or latte) with an Orange Chocolate Biscotti. The Polynesian is a great place for the Kalua Pork Tacos and Rosita’s Margarita (or the NA Schweitzer Falls). Then onto the Contemporary’s Wave Lounge for some soft pretzels and dip along with a Jameson Irish Coffee (or a Sparkling No-Jito). Make sure you have reservations and a designated driver!

2. Disney Springs – Between dining, shopping and entertainment, this is one stop you want to make time for. There are fun dining experiences (Rainforest Café and T-Rex) and some fine dining establishments (The Boathouse and Portobello Country Italian Trattoria) and grab and go spots (Wolfgang Pucks and Earl of Sandwich) that will satisfy every guests appetite and wallet. As far as shopping goes, they have the largest Disney store and also small specialty stores. If you want to buy it and it’s Disney, chances are good you’ll find it here. Entertainments is varied. You can bowl, listen to live music or even watch the acrobats at Cirque Du Soliel. All fun and all right there.

3. Stay at the resort – Why leave, there’s plenty to do! We recently spent the day lounging around Port Orleans Riverside. We filled up our cups and headed over to Ol’ Man Island. Yes we went down the slide – you should try it! We had a light lunch of sandwiches and chips at the Muddy Rivers Pool Bar (along with a white sangria for me). We then changed and took a walk around to the French Quarter for a beignet at the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. They are a must! Time for a break and wait for the movie to begin (Big Hero Six). We could have gone for a bike ride or fishing but we were taking it slow, maybe next time!

PD

The Little Things In Life

Tags

Dining, Disney, food, friendship boats

Last week I did something that I haven’t done in a really long time, I visited a book store.  Now personally I am not and have never been a really strong reader, but as I was driving past the local mall I was drawn to a Barnes and Noble.  My ever growing collection of Disney based books has mostly come from Amazon for the reasoning that the B&N in Dayton, Ohio doesn’t have a dedicated Disney section.  So I wandered around and found myself in the travel section and all at once a blast from my childhood caught my eye.

There it was, the rectangular wonder that is the Birnbaum’s 2015 Official Guide to Walt Disney World.  I still remember the day that my parents told me about our first trip to WDW and gave me the 1997 version which I read over and over again both before and after our trip.  I memorized every word of that guide from the letter from the editor to the coupons in the back.  That guide was marked, highlighted, and eventually started to deteriorate under the wear and tear it went through.  At that time it was my only known source or pictures and descriptions of everything at WDW.  Sure the Disney Channel would play some specials that would briefly give you glimpses of Pirates of the Caribbean or Spaceship Earth but nothing about all the other shops, rides, attractions, accommodations, or restaurants that you’d encounter while visiting.  I also tried to do some research on the internet before the 1997 trip but my two older sisters often tied up the phone lines which made the Birnbaum’s Guide my best choice.

Today, I have a firm grasp on what’s going on at WDW and where things are located thanks to previous experiences, websites, podcasts (shameless plug for Enchanted Tiki Talk), and the unending social media outposts dedicated to Walt Disney World however seeing the 2015 version on the stand was too much for me and I just had to buy it.  Upon leaving the store I found it funny that I traded $15.95 for 355 pages of information I already know.  The real draw though isn’t the words on the pages but as a remembrance of the happiness that my 1997 copy brought me.  Maybe I’m just a sentimental person but I find a lot of enjoyment reading the 2015 copy and seeing a lot of the same factoids and descriptions that were in my 1997 copy.

At this point in my Disney obsession most of the information in this guide is basic knowledge but I do recommend it for the first time trip taker because it is an innocent guide that is free of the preformed opinions of the masses that the internet offers.  Right now for me it serves as a nice reminder that I will get back to Orlando as soon as my daughter is out of diapers (my wife has been very strict about this policy).

If you want any of the coupons from the back of my guide follow me on Twitter at TerriblePirate7 and I’ll be happy to mail them out to you.

The Captain’s Grille at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Tags

DDP, Dining Plan, Disney, disney dining plan, food

We were missing New England the other day and decided the best thing to do about that was to go to Disney World! We went on the MDE app and got same day lunch reservations for Captain’s Grille at the Yacht Club Resort. Who says you have to plan in advance?

We headed down a few hours early so we could walk around BoardWalk (with it’s super creepy clown pool), Beach Club and Yacht Club. They are beautifully situated around Crescent Lake and are a nice little walk to Epcot’s International Gate entrance.

Stepping into the Yacht Club is very much like walking into Newport, RI. I’ve spent so much time there and Disney really has achieved that feel here. From the lighting (my obsession) to the wainscoting, the interior is dead on New England. I even like that the Cast Members are dressed in their nautical gear.

I always get smug when I’m about to try “authentic” NE Chowder (translated from chowdah). I am most often completely let down. Some restaurants may have the texture of the potatoes right but where’s the hint of pork? Don’t even get me started on the consistency! Well I can happily report that they pretty much nailed it. I would say it’s as good as you’ll get up north. Great job on something that is really a challenge. Because I’m picky, I would say the color was just a tad off. Didn’t effect the taste.

The Lobster Roll (translated from lobstah) was perfection. I would say it was one of the best I’ve ever had. The roll was toasted, the lobster moist and the dressing lightly used and thin. This came with fries that had their own dish so it wouldn’t get your sandwich warm. Perfection!

We didn’t have desert as I was saving myself for Beaches & Cream at the Beach Club Resort. No, we didn’t have the Kitchen Sink, it would be way too much for two people.

I look forward to visiting the Yacht Club or as I will rename it – Newport South.

PD

Rediscovering my love of Star Wars

Tags

Disney, han solo, luke skywalker, princess leia, star wars, Walt Disney World

It’s been almost 10 years since I watched a Star Wars movie.  The last time I watched a film it was when I purchase Revenge of The Sith on DVD in 2005 and that film I only watched once.

I have been a lifelong Star Wars fan but to be honest after the prequel trilogy ended I felt I was too overloaded with It. I did watch the Clone Wars cartoon and now Rebels but it has a different feel than to the movies. To me I always connected with Luke, Leai, Han and Chewie. Heck I played with their action figures when I was 5. But then again this was my generations film.

So last night after I watched The Hobbit the battle of the 5 armies I felt something I haven’t felt since: well you get the point.

So I decided to throw in Star Wars. That’s A New Hope for all you newer Star Wars fans. As I started to watch the film and for the first 15 minutes or so I was distracted and I was fiddling with my phone. But then something magical happened. I was engrossed in the Star Wars Universe without touching my phone again for the remainder of the film. In this day in age with all the distractions for a brief hour or so I felt like that 8 year old kid watching Star Wars and playing with his action figures. To be honest when The Millennium Falcon got sucked into the tractor beam i actually paused the movie to get some of my action figures which haven’t seen the light of day in 12 years.  

After I finished the film I remember why I loved the movies so much. As a kid Star Wars was something fresh and new to a young kid. The universe that they lived in was dirty, full of characters you wanted to know more about. And a universe you want to explore with a lightsaber you actually want to hold and play with. Star Wars let your imagination fly to places it has never been before.

I am really looking forward to the new set of films that are coming. The one thing I am truly looking forward to is my 4 year old son seeing this universe for the first time. What will his reaction be with Darth Vader’s revelation and then Princess Leia? Will he fall in love with this universe that George Lucas created? Only time will tell. But I am looking forward to exploring that universe once again with my son. For a time I can relive my memories with Star Wars through him.

May The Force Be With You, Always!

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant – Magic Kingdom

Tags

Dining, Dining Plan, Disney, disney dining plan, food

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant is in a wonderful location with a great view of Main Street. It is adjacent to the Town Square Theater that features meet and greets with Talking Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell. The interior is beautiful with touches and details from Lady and the Tramp. The fountain in the middle is great selfie spot!

We went for dinner with just adults. There were six of us and we were able to get same day ADR’s. Always check the MDE app because you never know when someone will cancel.

We started with the Calamari. We got two orders and needed them both! Did you know that calamari is the national appetizer of Rhode Island? It was perfectly seasoned and cooked well but not overcooked as can happen with calamari.

We had the Chicken Parmigiana, the Shrimp Scampi and the Cannelloni. All the dishes were prepared well but some of the portions were rather small and not unlike you could get at any Mom & Pop Italian restaurant. They lacked a wow factor. They were fine but we all expected much more.

Deserts were fantastic. We had the Tiramisu, Chocolate Cake and Pistachio Crème Brulee. They were all well worth the wait! They were all truly works of art! The presentation and flavor were perfect.

The service and atmosphere were great. The entrees needed some help but all in all I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. Glad we went but don’t necessarily have to go again.

PD – positivelydisneyliving.com

1900 Park Fare – Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Tags

Dining, Disney, disney dining plan, food, Grand Floridian

1900 Park Fare is a buffet restaurant located inside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. You will want to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the scenery before your meal. The sheer opulence of the GF takes a while to soak in. Walk around the grounds and check out the Alice in Wonderland themed children’s play area.

The restaurant is open from 8am to 9pm and WDW park passes are not required. You can get to the GF via car, boat, bus or monorail depending on where you are coming from. I have enjoyed meals at just about every time here and have not been disappointed. Not on the same day! The characters that you will meet do change from time to time. I have seen Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, the stepsisters, Alice and Mary Poppins.

The children’s section of the buffet is lower and has Mickey head shaped plates. There’s no judging adults who use those plates, just in case you were thinking about it. The selections are what you would expect – breakfast has mini Mickey waffles, potato puffs, cheesy scrambled eggs etc. For dinner there are the staples of chicken nuggets, pizza and macaroni and cheese. Children do not have to stay in that section and can choose from the entire buffet.

My experience with Pocahontas Premier in the Park event June 1995.

Tags

Disney, disney store, eisner, pocahontas, pocahontas 20th anniversary, pocahontas premiere in the park, roy e disney

With the 20th anniversary of Pocahontas this month I just wanted to write about some of my experiences of the world premiere for the film.

Back in June of 2005 I worked as a Castmember at the Disney Store in Rockaway NJ. I enjoyed working at the store, because at the time I got my Disney fix as well as some free tickets to the Disney Parks. But luckily because of my college class schedule I was fortunate enough to be asked to participate in the Premiere in the Park event for Pocahontas on June 10^th and 11^th  in New York City.

It is funny to think back 20 years and remembering things like they were yesterday. I remember being in awe of the setup for the premier. They had 4 giant screens to watch the film and in the middle they had a stage with an orchestra which played music before the show. This truly was an event like no other.  I remember on June 10^th we had our training to work the Pocahontas souvenir gift store. Unfortunately I don’t remember what was on sale.  Afterwards we got to see the movie in its entirety. It was so exiting watching the movie before everyone else got to see it and just taking in the whole experience of what was around us was what made it special.

On June 11^th I remember it was a chaotic day preparing for the craziness that was to ensue during the showing of the film. Seeing 100 thousand people fill into the park was something I could never forget. You seeing a sea of people in front of you is something you don’t see every day. Before the film started to play I had to run backstage to hit the bathroom. This next 10 or so minutes was the craziness and some of the most exciting moments of my young life. Before I get into the details that was to come I should state that we were told not to ask celebs for autographs or anything like that. Well as I was walking towards the bathrooms I bumped right into Macaulay Culkin, who at the time was a pretty big deal. We both apologized to one another. After that I headed into the bathroom. As I am about to step up to the urinal on my right,  Roy E Disney steps up and to my left Jon Secada. This moment was totally crazy. I said hello to Jon Secada first and then Roy. Yes I said “Hi Roy” I ended up speaking with him for a few minutes and even shook his hand after we both washed our hands. He thanked me for working the event and asked how sales were going. I thanked him and his family for all the joy that his family has brought to so many lives. He was such a nice guy and a moment I will never forget. (Just wish I had a damn picture)

After walking back to the stand that I was working I ran into Rudy Giuliani the former Mayor of NYC and his family. I was asked to escort his son to the souvenir stand along with the security team. Once I got back to work I got to meet Michael Eisner for about 3 seconds and got on with my duties. Once the movie ended the stand got really crazy. I was asked to stop selling merchandise and work security for the flow of people leaving the premiere.

During this time I had people offering me $100’s of dollars for the shirt I was wearing. It was crazy to think that people wanted to buy the shirt of my back because of the historic event that took place that June night in Central Park.

Rainy Day? Hit the Monorail!

Tags

Contemporary Resort, Disney, Grand Floridian, Monorail, Polynesian Resort, Walt Disney World

 

Not only does Florida get really hot (like walking on the surface of the sun hot) but it also gets a lot of rain. In fact, it will rain almost every day in the summer. But don’t panic, the rain is usually just passing through. It doesn’t last long most of the time but there will be days when it sticks around. What to do on those days? Got to the Ticket and Transportation Center and jump on the Resorts Monorail!

Happy Monorail Day! – There are three top of the line resorts that have Monorail stops – the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, The Polynesian Village Resort and the Contemporary Resorts. Individually, they are wonderful but put them together with one really cool means of transportation and you’ll have a fun day!

The first stop along the way is the Polynesian. With it’s South Pacific Island decor and recently remodeled lobby, which guests are transported to a place far beyond central Florida . Stop at Kona Café for the Tonga Toast; it’s the best way to start any day. This is an original WDW resort so walk around and ask questions of the knowledgeable cast members. Look around for the hidden Mickeys and say hi to Tiki, the new and uniquely stunning figure who sits atop the waterfall!

The next stop is at the crowned jewel of WDW, The Grand Floridian. You really need to take your time to soak in everything from the fresh cut flowers, to the live music and the grand staircases. If you’re there when it’s time for a meal- and since it’s vacation, it’s always time for great food- the Grand Floridian Café is always serving delicious meals to eat while you take in spectacular sights from the plentiful windows that offer views of the resorts breathtaking scenery. If you are looking for a different type of experience, 1900 Park Fare is a character meal with an endless buffet of flavors and delight! For the adults in your party, there is the Senses Spa where guests can enjoy everything from manicures to massages. From here, get back on the monorail for the next short journey and our next stop.

The Magic Kingdom is the next stop on the Monorail. If the rain hasn’t let up, just wave goodbye to all the people in ponchos and sit tight for the next stop.

The Contemporary is another original to the Walt Disney World Resort, having opened in 1971. The centerpiece is the stylized mosaic right in the atrium built with 1800 one square foot tiles. Look closely to find the five legged goat! If you’ve spent the whole day taking the time to enjoy all the magic that is WDW, then head up to the California Grill for fabulous food and a great view of the Wishes fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. Another choice is Chef Mickey’s; this is a character meal, buffet style with the Fab Five. If you can’t possibly eat again – like ever- you can still watch the fireworks from the Contemporary. Rumor has it that there is another viewing spot on the north side of the tower, just outside of the fourth floor. There are benches set up in this area.

Having this much fun will completely distract you from the weather outside. Sometimes it’s fun to have a Monorail day just to escape the heat!

There is an adult version of the Monorail Fun Day called the Monorail Pub Crawl. This includes stops at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, Mizner’s Lounge and the California Grill.

Positively Disney

5 Easy Money Saving tips while in Walt Disney World

Tags

Dining, Disney, magic kingdom, Memories, money saving tips, snacks, tips, Walt Disney World

I put a list together for 5 easy ways to save a few bucks while in Walt Disney World.

1. Water

Water can get very expensive while you are in Walt Disney World. They charge $2.75 for a Bottle of Dasani. An easy way to save money is to get some FREE water, yes free. You can easily go to any of the quick service restaurants and just ask for a free cup of ice water. Or another option is to have cases of water delivered to your room. You can use a personal shopper or one of the sites like Garden Grocer to deliver it to your room. There will be some service charges but its still cheaper than buying 10 bottles of water in the parks. This goes for groceries as well.

2. Snacks

Snacking can get expensive in Walt Disney World but one easy thing to do is bring some snacks with you in the parks. You can easily pack granola bars, Goldfish or any snack that doesn’t take up much space in the suitcase. You will be glad you did especially if you have young kids with you. As mentioned with water take advantage of the grocery deliveries and get some fresh fruit delivered.

3. Skip the Souvenirs

Some not all items in the parks may be found at the Disneystore.com online. They often run sales throughout the year with 20% off or more. Take advantage of those sales and skip the souvenirs until you are home. Or if you have a car there are 2 Disney Outlet stores within a 15 minute ride of Walt Disney World where you can purchase some park souvenirs as well.

4. Order A La Carte

At the quick service restaurants you will often see items listed as a combo. As a quick example over at Casey’s on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom the hot dogs are listed with french fries. So just ask for them without fries. That will save you a couple of bucks and some calories as well.

5. Skip dinner and do lunch

This only goes for the sit down restaurants but if you are willing to skip doing dinner at a sit down restaurant choose to do lunch instead. Often times the menu’s are the same and the meals might be a little smaller but they are always cheaper than the dinner menu. Choose a later lunch say around 3 o’clock and then do dinner later that evening in a quick service restaurant. The good news there is that the crowds are lighter.