Planning for DxDP in a Whole New World...A Feb 14 PDR *2/19 Complete*

[JessicaKnits]

We are only on Day One, and already we have arrived at what is my most feared ADR. I really tried to find restaurants that I had not yet tried before (somewhat difficult when I have had nearly 20 days on the Deluxe Dining plan under my belt,) some places that had at least one pescetarian dish that I would enjoy, and that would also appeal to Megan's tastes.

For our Magic Kingdom day, I was really at a loss of where to go. I had NO desire to try Liberty Tree Tavern, simply because the only thing I would eat there would be kids mac and cheese. A complete waste of a TS credit. I had originally wanted to try out Be Our Guest, but as you can imagine, since I missed our 180 day mark by a few weeks, that was booked solid for our entire trip. So I finally decided on a place that I had considered on both of our previous trips, but it got traded out both times for places that more consistently get good reviews. This time, there is a particular dish that I have my eyes set on that will hopefully make the trip worth it. We are off to...

That's right folks! We are off to Tony's! Never has a place gotten such polar opposite reviews as consistently as this place has! If there is one thing I have learned from the Dis though, it is that you just have to go and try for yourself! I think people commonly refer to this as "Olive Garden" Italian. I happen to really enjoy the Olive Garden, and I also enjoy real Italian. I think if we go in with the expectation of an Olive Garden type meal, and not a Little Italy type meal, we will be in the right mindset!

For appetizers I definitely have my eyes set on the...

Calamari - Tossed with Olive Relish and served with a side of Marinara sauce $10.99.

I am not a huge fan of the tentacle part of the calamari, just the rings and from the pictures I have seen, this should not be an issue. As a back up dish I have the...

Zucchini Fries - baked seasoned zucchini with creamy sun-dried tomato dressing for dipping $7.99

For an entrée I definitely have my eyes set on...

Mushroom Ravioli - housemade daily with a pesto cream sauce and garnished with toasted pine nuts, baby spinach and crispy leeks $17.99

Nothing else will do! I looooooooove mushroom ravioli!

And for desert, of course the...

Pistachio Creme Brulee $5.99

So...fingers crossed that everything works out OK!

 

[JessicaKnits]

**I hope I still have some readers following along! I know that I had a long break in between with relocating, but I am glad to say I am back on track!**

After having a fantastic and surprising breakfast here in 2012, I can't wait to go back to this next restaurant! We're headed to the Contemporary for breakfast at...

This was such a quiet and peaceful retreat in comparison to Chef Mickey's upstairs. They still offer both an a la carte menu and the buffet. Last time we both went with the buffet, but this time I think I will opt for something off the menu. Here are the few pictures I have from the buffet last year...

From left to right we have some Mickey waffles, sweet potato pancakes and eggs benedict.

And a few pictures of plates...

Clockwise from top left we have lox, bacon and cheddar grits, eggs benedict and sweet potato pancakes with honey nut butter.

Also clockwise from top left, we have red potatoes, eggs benedict, strawberries and pineapple, bacon, tomatoes and red onion and hard boiled egg.

And working from left to right we have strawberries, grits, eggs benedict and bread pudding.

Overall, my last breakfast here was very impressive. There was a great mix of sweet and savory options and items on the buffet were very fresh. Our service, for a buffet, was also very good.

This time, I think I will opt for the...

Eggs Benedict - Two "Naturally Raised" Eggs poached to perfection and topped with Key Lime Hollandaise $10.99

(sans ham of course)

Over the years I have started to consider myself something of an eggs benedict connoisseur and this one was top notch. Buttery, crunchy muffin, and wonderfully seasoned hollandaise. I believe the "extra kick" I was getting came courtesy of Frank's Red Hot sauce. It was a perfectly mild added spice.

I also wouldn't mind getting the

Wave Signature Sweet Potato Pancakes - with Pecan-Honey Butter and choice of Bacon, Pork Sausage, or Chicken Sausage $10.49

These really were more like dessert than breakfast with that delicious and amazing pecan-honey butter. The pancakes were light and fluffy with just a hint of spice.

Overall, I am really looking forward to our breakfast here. My only worry is that people are going to discover what a hidden gem this place is and ruin the peaceful and serene setting that it is now!

 

[JessicaKnits]

We are planning to spend the day at Epcot. For lunch, I decided to give one of my biggest let downs from my March 2012 trip another shot. It wasn't necessarily that anything was bad. It was just a combination of the fact that what I REALLY wanted to order, was temporarily removed from the menu confused3) and the fact that I made a bad choice in what I ordered. That being said, I have an open mind that this trip will be much better.

So let's revisit last time, shall we?

It started off well enough. I ordered these little beauties...

They were fish tostadas, and I notice they are no longer on the menu. They had a nice balance of flavors, with just enough spice. They were also cool and refreshing on a hot day.

Coral Reef Sriracha Shrimp - $12.99

These were awesome! They were piping hot and crispy, not greasy at all. I would definitely order these if nothing else struck my fancy.

Our entrees are were things took a turn.

I had originally had my eye on a specific dish. I had selected that restaurant specifically for that dish, and it was not on the menu the evening we dined there. So instead I ended up with this...

So, I'm doing my best from memory, as this is not on any menu. Apparently this one dish replaced my desired dish, only for this one particular night.

It was fish (exact type unknown) with mushroom and truffle risotto and basil oil. I ordered it because I am very much a fan of Le Cellier's mushroom risotto. The fish, whatever kind it was, was not nearly strong enough to stand up to the truffle essence in the risotto. The risotto was good, but tasted as if it had literally been scooped out of a pan at Le Cellier and run over to Coral Reef. So nothing I haven't had before. Maybe I was just salty over my preferred entrée being unavailable, but this dish just didn't do it for me.

My travel companion went with this...

Grilled New York Strip Steak - served with cheddar mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and peppercorn sauce $32.99

It was a steak. It had a lot of gristle in it. It was cooked to the proper temperature. It too was just a little underwhelming.

I did very much enjoy my dessert, which was as wonderful as expected.

The Chocolate Wave* - served with Raspberry Gelato $8.49

It was a chocolate lava cake. Pretty hard to screw up, but also something I find wonderful and delicious. So this hit the mark for me.

When we go back, my appetizer choice is a little up in the air, as I really enjoyed the fish tostadas but those have sadly been removed.

For my entrée, I absolutely have to have the

Coral Reef Lobster Orecchiette Pasta - with White Cheddar Cheese and Basil Oil $28.49

I was immensely disappointed this was not available last time. I'm not sure what caused this, but when I asked about it our waiter seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. Perhaps it had something to do with free dining going on? I suppose we will never know, but this happened multiple times during our trip. I have confidence that this time the seemingly delicious lobster orecchiette pasta will be as amazing as I have built it up to be in my head!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Inspired by the cold weather in Green Bay this weekend, I decided we would have a "Little Mermaid" theme day! We were having "Ariel's Shells and Cheese." The plan was to have "Ursula Smart Dogs" as well...but I forgot!

I was super excited to try out my brand spanking new Dutch oven that I bought at Kohl's this weekend. It was ON SALE for $39.99 and I had a 30% off coupon, so it was $28.00 before tax!

For those that don't enjoy cooking, you may not enjoy this post, because it is pretty cooking-heavy. I made this for the Packer game, so modified a few different recipes I had to suit everyone's tastes. Don't be freaked out, this recipe is SUPER easy and SO delicious!

I will share the recipe I used first, and then show you how everything turned out!

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta (I used Orecchiete)
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon powdered mustard
3 Cups milk
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
8 ounces each: Gruyere, Fontina, Edam cheese (or you can use 24 ounces of cheddar if you have little ones)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Topping:
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Cup Italian-style bread crumbs

Directions:

Set oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook pasta according to package directions to "al dente." Drain and set aside.

In Dutch oven, (if you don't have a Dutch oven, you can use a normal saucepan and transfer to a covered baking dish later) melt butter. Whisk in flour and mustard and keep moving for about 5 minutes. Make sure its free of lumps! Add onion and paprika. Stir in milk, about one cup at a time. Simmer for ten minutes, stirring often.

Temper in your egg. Stir in cheese, about a handful at a time, making sure that cheese is completely melted before adding more. (Trust me on that, otherwise you will have a melted mass that won't incorporate into your sauce, and there is no way to recover from that!) Leave about 1/2 cup of cheese for later! Taste sauce, and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Add in your pasta and gently fold into sauce. If you are using a sauce pan, transfer everything into a covered baking dish. If using a Dutch oven, leave everything right where it is. Top with remaining cheese and remove from heat if using a Dutch oven.

In a sauté pan, melt remaining butter and toss in bread crumbs until coated. Sprinkle over cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!


Alright, now time for a photo tutorial!

Ingredients and equipment! You will need a good cheese grater (I use the box variety!) Don't feel compelled to use fancy cheese for this recipe. It tastes equally delicious using straight up cheddar! If you are using a Dutch oven, you will want a plastic whisk to avoid scratching. And never mind the wine there, that was just for drinking, not for cooking!

Dry pasta. I used Orecchiete. I think regular shells get a bit mushy in this dish. Orecchiete is a bit thicker and still holds cheese sauce really well. You can use whatever type you prefer though!

LOTS of shredded cheese (seriously ladies, get the kids or your man to help out, that is a LOT of work to shred two pounds of cheese!) You can use pre-shredded cheese if you must, but shredded cheese in the bag is coated in starch to prevent it from clumping together. This often makes it a pain in the butt to melt and incorporate into other things, so fresh off the block is really the way to go, unless its a cooking emergency and all you have is pre-shredded. 3 cups of milk (I use whole milk, because if you're going to go, you should go all out, right?) You can use skim, but remember, the higher the fat content, the creamier your sauce. Then we have 1/2 Cup diced yellow onion, butter, flour, salt, dried mustard, fresh ground black pepper, paprika and a whole egg. Crack your egg into a bowl with room for an additional cup of liquid, and room to stir. This is a must when you have to temper in your egg.

Topping ingredients. Bread crumbs and butter! Yum!

And now to the fun part. The first step is to make a roux. You can't skip this step, or your sauce won't thicken, but don't worry, its much easier than it sounds. First, melt your butter.

Then, whisk in your flour and dried mustard. You want to keep it moving over medium heat for about 5 minutes. When it's done it will have loosened up a little big and be nice and creamy, and look like this...

Then, whisk in your paprika and diced onion.

Then stir in your milk...

You will want to simmer, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Then its time to temper in your egg. Again, don't be worried about this step, it's really easy. Whisk your egg well. Using a small bowl, or a one-cup measuring cup, scoop out about a cup of sauce.

While you are whisking your egg, drizzle in the sauce mixture while constantly whisking the egg. Once all of your sauce mixture is incorporated into your egg, whisk the mixture back into your sauce pan.

Add in your cheese, one big handful at a time, stirring well after each addition.

Gently fold in your pasta.

Top with remaining cheese.

Melt your remaining butter in a sauté pan.

Toss bread crumbs to coat, and then top macaroni mixture.

Cover...

And then bake for 30 minutes at 350.

When its done, uncover right after you remove from the oven to prevent your oven from forming a vacuum tight seal.

Serve and enjoy...!

I hope you all enjoy making this as much as I did! If you have some hot dogs laying around, cook them according to package directions. Using a knife, cut the bottom 2/3 of the dog into eighths to form 8 "tentacles."

You can also cut thick slices of French bread, smear with pre-made pesto sauce and top with shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese and bake until cheese is melted!

If you are feeling really adventurous, you can make your macaroni "Wisconsin Style" which basically means, boil your pasta in beer instead of water. The flavor with some cheddar cheese is really incredible. One of my friends does not drink at all, so we made this batch sans alcohol, but seriously, the beer way is equally amazing!

Enjoy!

 

[rachel09985]

OH man that looks amazing but oh so sinful!! Thanks for sharing, I might have to make that someday.

 

[JessicaKnits]

OH man that looks amazing but oh so sinful!! Thanks for sharing, I might have to make that someday.

It is definitely not a low calorie meal! But it is the perfect fall comfort food!

 

[starousse]

That looks amazing!

 

[JessicaKnits]

That looks amazing!

Thank You!

 

[emmysmommy]

I LOVED your pasta tutorial and photo tour - that was awesome! You did make it look so easy and I love the hint to have your kid or man shred the cheese! What a great dish!

As for your dining line up....
CP: I absolutely agree that the food won't change your life but to be there before park open, ahhh such a great feeling.
Kona: I've only had breakfast (a favorite) and dinner and all was very good. That pineapple cake I really wanted to try but our waiter said it wasn't that good. Guess he knew what he was talking about. That's too bad.
Tony's: I'm a fan but mostly because I stick with a few things that I know they do well and there is certain handsome waiter that we like to see.
The Wave: Definitely a hidden gem since it's never busy and they do have a great looking buffet. (I've only ordered off the menu but my family has done the buffet.)
Coral Reef: Love the theming and the desserts. I wasn't the biggest fan of some of my selections but my DD loves the mahi mahi.

 

[JessicaKnits]

I LOVED your pasta tutorial and photo tour - that was awesome! You did make it look so easy and I love the hint to have your kid or man shred the cheese! What a great dish!

As for your dining line up....
CP: I absolutely agree that the food won't change your life but to be there before park open, ahhh such a great feeling.
Kona: I've only had breakfast (a favorite) and dinner and all was very good. That pineapple cake I really wanted to try but our waiter said it wasn't that good. Guess he knew what he was talking about. That's too bad.
Tony's: I'm a fan but mostly because I stick with a few things that I know they do well and there is certain handsome waiter that we like to see.
The Wave: Definitely a hidden gem since it's never busy and they do have a great looking buffet. (I've only ordered off the menu but my family has done the buffet.)
Coral Reef: Love the theming and the desserts. I wasn't the biggest fan of some of my selections but my DD loves the mahi mahi.

Thanks for joining along! I have always enjoyed your dining reviews and found them helpful when trying to find new places to go to!

 

[JessicaKnits]

I will be honest. I chose to have dinner at this next place for one reason. Margaritas! In addition to the margaritas, this next place also offers a great view of Illuminations and is some where I haven't been before, and I'm always up for trying new things! So without delay, we will be off too....

We love tequila. We love Mexican food. I love Illuminations, but hate the wait! So this seems like it will be right up our alley! I have previously been to San Angel Inn and while I enjoyed it at the time, their vegetarian options just didn't thrill me.

I would love to try their queso if they can make it without chorizo. If that is a no go, I will try out their black bean soup, because their salad option doesn't thrill me. I've never had cactus leaves before, in fact the mere mention of them sort of freaks me out, but variety is the spice of life, no?

For entrees, we may split the seafood platter.

Del Mar - Mixed grill offering shrimp, fish, scallops and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas $49.95

All of that sound fantastic. If Megan wants something else, then I will begrudgingly go with the...

Tacos de Camarones - Fried shrimp, chipotle-lime aioli, cabbage, lime and salsa verde, all served over flour tortillas $23.95

I love love LOVE shrimp tacos. But, I make some pretty incredible ones, and often times find other shrimp tacos just don't compare. I do always enjoy trying them.

For dessert, I am definitely going with...

Empanada de Manzana - puff pastry filled with sauteed caramel apples, served with dulce de leche ice cream and cajeta (caramel sauce) $7.95

And Megan most likely will go with...

Tamal de Dulce - sweet tamal filled with guava, topped with strawberry coulis $7.95

As far as the margaritas go, I have never had a bad one. I enjoy the blood orange and the pineapple. I have always wanted to try the avocado one, but I recently heard it is no longer available. I have always wanted to try their jalapeno one as well, so if that is an option I think I will go with that. I can't imagine any of them not being delicious!

 

[JessicaKnits]

We are going to Animal Kingdom on Day Three, so the obvious choice for breakfast is Tusker House. I enjoyed my meal at Boma on a previous trip. As soon as they move Boma into the Animal Kingdom for a pre-park opening breakfast I'm there. Or, if I ever happen to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But since neither of those are true for this trip, its off to Tusker House!

I'm sort of obsessed with Animal Kingdom, so I very much appreciate being able to go into the park and get some gorgeous pictures before everyone else does!

My favorite part of my meal here last time was the wonderful cocktails we had with breakfast.

A Frunch Mimosa. That's right folks. A Frunch Mimosa! It was as delicious as one would expect!

My cohort went with a Bloody Mary. It was spicy (which I like) but needed some
worchestire sauce in a bad way. Still, the spice was right and it was good!

For breakfast, I had this..

This appears to be two helpings of bread pudding. Drowning in vanilla sauce and one smothered in some sort of fruit concoction. Clearly I was trying to put myself into a diabetic coma.

My second plate looked like this...

Clockwise from 9 o'clock we have their amazing mustard sauce, cheese, ham from the carving station, egg frittata, beef bobotie and cheese blintz with cherry sauce.

One thing that I have always loved about Tusker House is that their offerings are truly unique. They aren't something you can get anywhere else on property (except for maybe a few things at Boma) and they have a lot of options that I normally would never try if it weren't on the buffet. So its a great little sampling of things and a great way to expand your horizons!

 

[tybrilinja]

I am loving your PTR. We are going in January, with the DxDDP for the first time and your ADR are a lot of the ones we have picked.

Some of your food pics are killing me here at work, I'm sooooo hungry right now.

Did the avocado margarita really get taken away? I'm so disappointed, I had that on my "list" of drinks to try.

Anyway, I'm loving following along with you.

 

[JessicaKnits]

I am loving your PTR. We are going in January, with the DxDDP for the first time and your ADR are a lot of the ones we have picked.

Some of your food pics are killing me here at work, I'm sooooo hungry right now.

Did the avocado margarita really get taken away? I'm so disappointed, I had that on my "list" of drinks to try.

Anyway, I'm loving following along with you.

Thanks for joining in!! Wow, just saw in your signature that you are celebrating 25 years! That is incredible! Have a wonderful trip! You guys will love the Deluxe plan! This will be my third time having it and it has never served us wrong!

 

[JessicaKnits]

For lunch at Animal Kingdom, we don't have an ADR. I know what you're thinking, and don't worry, we will be stopping at Yak & Yeti later on in the trip. I haven't ever tried any of the counter service restaurants at Animal Kingdom, but there are a few options that offer some yummy sounding vegetarian options.

The first option is Bradley Falls to try either the...

Asian Noodle Salad $6.49

or

Summer Rolls - with house made peanut sauce - $5.49

Unfortunately, they don't offer any non-vegetarian options here, so if Megan isn't interested in anything they have, we will make our way over to Restaurantosaurus where I can try the Vegetable Subosaurus - Grilled Vegetables, Mushrooms, Onions, and Provolone served on a Toasted Roll with French Fries $9.59.

If both of those end up being a bust, then we can always burn some snack credits on either desserts or one of the amazing jalapeno cream cheese pretzels!

 

[JessicaKnits]

For dinner we are off to a brand new restaurant for us, Sanaa. We both love Indian food, so we are really excited about this one!

I definitely want to have the Indian style bread service for my appetizer. I was a big fan of the Taste of Africa when I had it, so I am looking forward to this! The cucumber Raita and the red pepper hummus both sound excellent!

For my entrée, I had planned on trying the shrimp in green curry, but it has allegedly been removed from the menu. I'm afraid the spicy Durban shrimp might be a little too spicy for my taste, so I might try the Tandoori Shrimp instead! So many choices!

For dessert, I don't think there is any doubt that I am going with the...

Dessert Trio - Tanzanian Chocolate Mousse, Coconut Cheesecake and Chai Cream $6.99

Yum, yum and YUM! Everything sounds excellent!

 

[emmysmommy]

A Frunch mimosa at TH sounds brilliant!! I never thought of that but it makes perfect sense! Silly me, I ended up wasting valuable stomach space with Krispy Kreme donuts. What was I thinking?? I can get those anytime.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you like Sanaa. That was one of our ADRs that was axed the day we changed resorts from AKL to YC. I still want to try it one day. The bread service is definitely my app choice as well. I heard the shrimp in green curry was removed as well.

 

[JessicaKnits]

A Frunch mimosa at TH sounds brilliant!! I never thought of that but it makes perfect sense! Silly me, I ended up wasting valuable stomach space with Krispy Kreme donuts. What was I thinking?? I can get those anytime.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you like Sanaa. That was one of our ADRs that was axed the day we changed resorts from AKL to YC. I still want to try it one day. The bread service is definitely my app choice as well. I heard the shrimp in green curry was removed as well.

I never would have thought of it either. We hadn't planned on getting any alcohol. Since it was breakfast after all, and SUPER hot that day! But the waiter suggested some grown up beverages, and so naturally I fell for the sales pitch.

I am excited for Sanaa as well because it is something new! Hopefully they bring back the shrimp in green curry, as I was really looking forward to them.

 

[NickyKnack]

Don't forget that egg salad, tuna fish and PB&J all make for excellent sandwiches, or at least that's what my Pesk wife tells me. =)

Not to mention Crab patties, Veggie Burgers, Fish Sandwiches, salmon Patty sandwiches... all kinds of good sandwiches. None cold cuts, but still tons of good sandwiches.

Thanks for joining along with me! Cutting out poultry was the hardest part for me. I would always eat steak or red meat if it was there, but it usually wasn't my first choice. Poultry was the hardest for me because I LOVE sandwiches! I was a woman obsessed, and was really apprehensive to try tofurkey and other soy alternatives to lunch meat. I am happy to report that I actually really enjoy them so I was able to finally make the switch. Best of luck in your decision, whatever you decide.

My goal going in to this trip is to try and choose restaurants that have at least on pescetarian-friendly option on the menu that I would eat. However on my last trip, we had the unfortunate experience that many items I had read about on very recent menus online, were not in fact offered on the day we dined. This could be interesting.

An interesting thing I have found out about Disney is that most of their cupcakes (which I have enjoyed quite regularly on my past trips) include gelatin. Apparently the gelatin is used so that those mounds of frosting will hold their shape longer. So no cupcakes for me...I did however enjoy Babycakes on my most recent trip.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Don't forget that egg salad, tuna fish and PB&J all make for excellent sandwiches, or at least that's what my Pesk wife tells me. =)

Not to mention Crab patties, Veggie Burgers, Fish Sandwiches, salmon Patty sandwiches... all kinds of good sandwiches. None cold cuts, but still tons of good sandwiches.

Those are all GREAT ideas! I love anything with cheese, and lately have been obsessing over fancy grilled cheese sandwiches! Delicious, but calorie dense. A crab patty sandwich sounds divine!