Belly Up to the Bar With Bendy and Her Friendies!!! Button Pics & New Thread Started!

[D&R love Disney]

Brenda I hope you've lost the crankies

Ok, only 25 days till our trip!!! We are getting VERY excited. There is a pretty big group of us going and everyone is feeling the crunch of getting "vacation ready" (ie. lose as many pounds as possible so we can eat as much dessert as possible!!) I'm considered the health nut of my office and family and I LOVE to make up recipes. So I thought I might share a few recipes that I make that are packed with good things but keep all the flavor.

Chicken Fingers

2-4 chicken breast-sliced in strips
1 cup Stove Top Stuffing
1 cup whole oats
1 cup buttermilk
few shakes of hot sauce (I like Frank's)

Soak chicken strip in buttermilk and hot sauce. Place stuffing mix and oats in a food processor and pulse. Dredge chicken in oat crumb mixture in place on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes till cooked through.
The oat crust is crispy while packing in tons of fiber, protein, etc.

For a side item:

Potato "Fries"

3-5 Russet potatoes
olive oil
hot sauce
seasoning salt

Cut potatoes into slices and toss in the rest of ingredients. Put on baking sheet lined with parchment paper in one layer. Bake with chicken.

Add a tossed salad of good greens and use mustard instead of ketchup and you've got a great meal (that kids love).

Those looke great, I think I might try both of them but will have to go light on the hot sauce for DH.

I hope the special coffee helped When Jon realized I was out of Bailey's this weekend, he stopped at the ABC store on his way home from work Monday--before he flew to California for the rest of the week. Isn't he sweet, he didn't want to leave me alone with the kids without my Bailey's

Sorry I've been MIA this week, it's been a little crazy but really good. The career that I've always wanted but put off/didn't know how to start is actually happening . I get to put my love of Disney with my T&T (travel & tourism) training how awesome is that?

and lastly: Hi Jaime, Alison, Deb & Chelsi Michelle is my real name but Chelle has always been my nickname (and I live in North Carolina)

Background: When I went to college (more years ago than I care to admit) I started as a Business Mgt major, moved to Hospitality and finished up as a Travel & Tourism major (I've got enough credits for several degrees, just not the degree itself ). While in college, I was accepted and spent the summer on the Walt Disney World College Program. That summer changed my life forever Not only did I fall in love with the Mouse, I met & fell in love with DH (we met at PI). I had a Mickey & Minnie topper on our wedding cake, and we honeymooned on The Big Red Boat (before DCL existed) and at the Poly. I've always talked about becoming a travel agent and specializing in Disney is a "DUH"

Fast forward to now: Working for the 1st time in 18 years these last 2 months has been nice for having clients to talk to and a paycheck, but I can't say I love preparing taxes (it's also a job that ends 4/15). DH stumbled on an agency 2 weeks ago that he sent me info on, which made me start looking again and I found this agency. Applied online, filled out the written interview (2 page word document that was 4 pages by the time I was done) and then on Sunday I did a phone interview and we talked for about an hour & a half I signed the contract Sunday evening .

I'll be working thru an agency that specializes in Disney vacations (and is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner) but it's not the one that sponsors these boards, so I probably can't say more than that I will be working from home, doing everything by phone & internet. I'm working on my Disney Colleges of Knowledge classes and as soon as I earn my ears and graduate I'll post a pic

Chelle that sounds like a great job, good luck earning your ears

 

[D&R love Disney]

I haven't read much of this thread at all, but I would like everyone's opinions on my Easter dinner plan.

I'm the only one in the house who really cooks, and we have extended family coming, so I would like to go above and beyond this year.

This is what I'm thinking about so far.

Blue Cheese & Fig Phyllo Cups
Bruschetta
Mini Quiches
Spinach Dip

Ham
Zucchini-Parmesan Custard
Strawberry-Orange Compote
Carrot Risotto
Asparagus
Some Kind of Bread (May Cheat and Use Refrigerated Biscuits)
Leek Fondue
Salad

Orange Chiffon Cake
Strawberry-Lemon Cheesecake

I'm also planning on making homemade candies for Easter baskets.

The only thing that's set in stone so far though is the ham.

Thats quite a menu, I hope you take pictures and share!

 

[whogirl'smom]

Chelle, that sounds so exciting! I wish I had known about the college program way back when. That would have been a great break from social work!

The thought of filling out taxes gives me hives. We haven't done our own in over 10 years.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

That sounds like a lot of work for one person especially as if everything is made from scratch. Leeks are cheap in my neck of the woods - I mean it's kind of like an onion. How expensive could that be? Is the Strawberry-Orange Compote a relish for the ham? The Disney recipes have some wonderful salad dressings and one of my favorites is the Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette from Liberty Tree Tavern. It's on the DISNEY Recipe Exchange -and OMG it' good!

The strawberry orange stuff is more like cranberry sauce, except more seasonal for Easter, and I think it'll be sweeter then cranberry sauce. It's a new recipe, so I'm looking foward to trying it.

 

[PNO4TE]

Background: When I went to college (more years ago than I care to admit) I started as a Business Mgt major, moved to Hospitality and finished up as a Travel & Tourism major (I've got enough credits for several degrees, just not the degree itself ). While in college, I was accepted and spent the summer on the Walt Disney World College Program. That summer changed my life forever Not only did I fall in love with the Mouse, I met & fell in love with DH (we met at PI). I had a Mickey & Minnie topper on our wedding cake, and we honeymooned on The Big Red Boat (before DCL existed) and at the Poly. I've always talked about becoming a travel agent and specializing in Disney is a "DUH"

Fast forward to now: Working for the 1st time in 18 years these last 2 months has been nice for having clients to talk to and a paycheck, but I can't say I love preparing taxes (it's also a job that ends 4/15). DH stumbled on an agency 2 weeks ago that he sent me info on, which made me start looking again and I found this agency. Applied online, filled out the written interview (2 page word document that was 4 pages by the time I was done) and then on Sunday I did a phone interview and we talked for about an hour & a half I signed the contract Sunday evening .

I'll be working thru an agency that specializes in Disney vacations (and is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner) but it's not the one that sponsors these boards, so I probably can't say more than that I will be working from home, doing everything by phone & internet. I'm working on my Disney Colleges of Knowledge classes and as soon as I earn my ears and graduate I'll post a pic

Congratulations! Sounds like a dream job to me too. Enjoy the time spent on your classes. You will be terrific!

 

[TigerKat]

Congratulations! Sounds like a dream job to me too. Enjoy the time spent on your classes. You will be terrific!

I couldn't have said it better! Congrats Chelle!!!!!

 

[shovan]

Chellie, Congrats on the new position it sounds wonderful!

disneyfav4ever, That menu sounds fantastic! Too many difficult dishes for me to handle all at once, I can tell you that! Can you post the recipe for the leek fondue? I would like to try recreating the FF dish!

Brenda, Glad the coffee has stopped the need to cram walnuts! Cake & alcohol sounds like a good plan to me!

Tatania, Thanks for posting that. I'm sad to hear about this. I was under the impression that Ms Carey had worked hard to bring the bocuse to DW and on improving the events. This really has me worried about what we are going to get this year.

 

[blissventure]

Background: When I went to college (more years ago than I care to admit) I started as a Business Mgt major, moved to Hospitality and finished up as a Travel & Tourism major (I've got enough credits for several degrees, just not the degree itself ). While in college, I was accepted and spent the summer on the Walt Disney World College Program. That summer changed my life forever Not only did I fall in love with the Mouse, I met & fell in love with DH (we met at PI). I had a Mickey & Minnie topper on our wedding cake, and we honeymooned on The Big Red Boat (before DCL existed) and at the Poly. I've always talked about becoming a travel agent and specializing in Disney is a "DUH"

Fast forward to now: Working for the 1st time in 18 years these last 2 months has been nice for having clients to talk to and a paycheck, but I can't say I love preparing taxes (it's also a job that ends 4/15). DH stumbled on an agency 2 weeks ago that he sent me info on, which made me start looking again and I found this agency. Applied online, filled out the written interview (2 page word document that was 4 pages by the time I was done) and then on Sunday I did a phone interview and we talked for about an hour & a half I signed the contract Sunday evening .

I'll be working thru an agency that specializes in Disney vacations (and is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner) but it's not the one that sponsors these boards, so I probably can't say more than that I will be working from home, doing everything by phone & internet. I'm working on my Disney Colleges of Knowledge classes and as soon as I earn my ears and graduate I'll post a pic

Chelle, how wonderful for you! Sounds like you were meant for this job. Congrats!! We'll be cheering for you when you ear your ears and graduate!

 

[blissventure]

Waiting to see if our dates for food and wine change--again.
On the plus side, it looks like (from their website) Spyro Gyra will be back at Eat to the Beat October 14-16, 2009.
We might be there during their dates. Here's hoping work schedules will finally be pinned down!! How can an obsessive planner get to work when the dates keep shifting???

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Background: When I went to college (more years ago than I care to admit) I started as a Business Mgt major, moved to Hospitality and finished up as a Travel & Tourism major (I've got enough credits for several degrees, just not the degree itself ). While in college, I was accepted and spent the summer on the Walt Disney World College Program. That summer changed my life forever Not only did I fall in love with the Mouse, I met & fell in love with DH (we met at PI). I had a Mickey & Minnie topper on our wedding cake, and we honeymooned on The Big Red Boat (before DCL existed) and at the Poly. I've always talked about becoming a travel agent and specializing in Disney is a "DUH"

Fast forward to now: Working for the 1st time in 18 years these last 2 months has been nice for having clients to talk to and a paycheck, but I can't say I love preparing taxes (it's also a job that ends 4/15). DH stumbled on an agency 2 weeks ago that he sent me info on, which made me start looking again and I found this agency. Applied online, filled out the written interview (2 page word document that was 4 pages by the time I was done) and then on Sunday I did a phone interview and we talked for about an hour & a half I signed the contract Sunday evening .

I'll be working thru an agency that specializes in Disney vacations (and is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner) but it's not the one that sponsors these boards, so I probably can't say more than that I will be working from home, doing everything by phone & internet. I'm working on my Disney Colleges of Knowledge classes and as soon as I earn my ears and graduate I'll post a pic

Wow!! Congratulations! What fantastic news! Sounds like a terrific opportunity and one you'll really enjoy. It makes such a difference when you love what you do, doesn't it? Not that I'd know... Congrats again and enjoy! Hope you'll tell us a bit about your Disney College of Knowledge classes.

 

[Tatania]

I get to put my love of Disney with my T&T (travel & tourism) training how awesome is that?

I am so excited for you. There's nothing better than getting paid for something you are passionate and knowledgeable about. And the best part will be all the TA trips you get to take to Disney

Tatania .. it would be no problem to post what ever I get for you. If I see anything cool or you have things you really want let me know also and I can get them. 1st year the did recipe cards and I haven't seen them since but cross your fingers!

I would be forever grateful if you did that. It's hard to get any information on what is being served down there, so probably anything you can get your hands on (including demos) would be fabulous. Are you going to that dinner at Napa Rose?


I'm dialing back my expectations of the F&W Festival - which is sad because it's my first time there and it's something I've wanted to do for years. Does anyone know whether snack credits can be used at the food booths yet? Also I've looked all over the Internet for preliminary schedule but can't find anything. blissveture - where did you find that concert information?

 

[PNO4TE]

I'm dialing back my expectations of the F&W Festival - which is sad because it's my first time there and it's something I've wanted to do for years. Does anyone know whether snack credits can be used at the food booths yet? Also I've looked all over the Internet for preliminary schedule but can't find anything. blissveture - where did you find that concert information?

Nothing has been announced yet concerning use of snack credits for F&W Fest booth items. And the list of the preliminary schedule won't be out for quite a while. I know someone on here will remember when exactly it came out last year!

As for the concert info... it can be found on AllEarsNet.com. It might also be on the WDW site!

ETA: Bookings for special events began last year on August 25. The schedule was out just days before that.

 

[jeminni]

Chelle Congrats on the new job. Let us know when you can start booking our trips.

 

[blissventure]

Also I've looked all over the Internet for preliminary schedule but can't find anything. blissventure - where did you find that concert information?

Hi Tatania, I use pollstar and the websites of artists. We travel frequently, and sometimes we manage to catch a concert in another city. I have a favorite artists/groups list a mile long--love music.
For Lake Buena Vista:
http://www.pollstar.com/resultsCity.aspx?ID=32203&SortBy=Date

For Spyro Gyra, they haven't been listed as yet on Pollstar. Their 2009 schedule is on their website, and they have listed their WDW booking:
http://www.spyrogyra.com/tourdates.php

Just count me in as someone who's not patient enough to wait for WDW to publish the completed list.

 

[oybolshoi]

I am so excited for you. There's nothing better than getting paid for something you are passionate and knowledgeable about. And the best part will be all the TA trips you get to take to Disney

I agree - congrats Michelle!

I'm dialing back my expectations of the F&W Festival - which is sad because it's my first time there and it's something I've wanted to do for years. Does anyone know whether snack credits can be used at the food booths yet? Also I've looked all over the Internet for preliminary schedule but can't find anything. blissveture - where did you find that concert information?

I think all of us who follow the F&W Festival are doing the same. After last year's programming cuts, Jay and I are expecting more of the same this fall. The things we really wanted to try last year - more F&W pairings at Epcot restaurants and some signature lunches / dinners were drastically reduced compared with prior years programs.

A friend of mine actually was seated with Nora Carey at an event last year and voiced some of her concerns about these things and was told that the Festival was going to continue to focus more on events like PFTS and City Tastes. In other words, cattle call events where they can over-charge for admission, prepare food in bulk, and cram as many people in as possible.

I would still encourage you to attend anything that really catches your eye if it's within your budget ... at least then you can have your own frame of reference. For us, we were so not impressed with PFTS in 2008 compared with 2007 (and while those are the only two times we've attended I've read reviews from earlier events that make 2007 pale in comparison to them) that we are unlikely to attend this year. Additionally, we fully expect Disney to jack the cost of admission to PFTS since they've held the line on price for the last two years. $135 pp plus tax is pretty much the threshold for us given the way the event played out last year.

It makes us very sad because they used to have so many events that fell within different price points and we always felt like there was something we could afford to do without breaking the vacation budget. I think a lot of that has gone by the wayside ... most of the events are overpriced, and while some do live up to the price tag, others certainly don't and I think that's outrageous. It used to be a given that F&W special programming would be outstanding, regardless of the price of admission - now it seems to me that most people agree that it's a crapshoot.

OK, I'll get off my Festival soapbox (for now). The food booths are typically reliable and always fun to sample ... it's the other stuff that is now totally unpredictable. And with Carey leaving this year I think it will be hard for any of us to really know what to expect going forward ... undoubtedly her replacement will want to change things up to leave his / her own stamp on the event.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what gets released this year in September ...

 

[oybolshoi]

Hey, I just noticed we passed the 1,000-post mark!

Also, some mildly exciting news ... we've discovered some restaurants that host wine dinners periodically throughout the year. The good news is that they are afffordly priced ($60 pp for 5-courses with wine) the bad news is that most of them are held during the week on Wednesday evenings ... that is Jay's late night at work.

Still, it's nice to know that there are some events around town that we can at least consider.

 

[PNO4TE]

OK, I'll get off my Festival soapbox (for now). The food booths are typically reliable and always fun to sample ... it's the other stuff that is now totally unpredictable. And with Carey leaving this year I think it will be hard for any of us to really know what to expect going forward ... undoubtedly her replacement will want to change things up to leave his / her own stamp on the event.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what gets released this year in September ...

I agree with you 100%, Brenda. This will be our 13th year to attend F&W. We have done everything from just sampling the offerings at the booths to PFTS, Signature Dinners, Pairings... you get the picture. This year Bob and I have no plans to do anything except the booths. WDW will have to pull out all the stops and lower the prices for us to book anything else, which is sad. I also don't think it will happen.

So, our expectations are low enough that we will have a great time!

 

[PNO4TE]

Hey, I just noticed we passed the 1,000-post mark!

Also, some mildly exciting news ... we've discovered some restaurants that host wine dinners periodically throughout the year. The good news is that they are afffordly priced ($60 pp for 5-courses with wine) the bad news is that most of them are held during the week on Wednesday evenings ... that is Jay's late night at work.

Still, it's nice to know that there are some events around town that we can at least consider.

We have the same things in our area too, but on weeknights. Since I teach until 9:00 most evenings they are not available to us either. But it is nice to know they are offered ... to others.

 

[whogirl'smom]

The only thing here this weekend is the Girl Scouts having a food tasting at the fairgrounds. Ya'll are welcome to come to the ramp festival in June! (they're like leeks, but wild)

 

[kabuki]

I would be forever grateful if you did that. It's hard to get any information on what is being served down there, so probably anything you can get your hands on (including demos) would be fabulous. Are you going to that dinner at Napa Rose?


I'm dialing back my expectations of the F&W Festival - which is sad because it's my first time there and it's something I've wanted to do for years. Does anyone know whether snack credits can be used at the food booths yet? Also I've looked all over the Internet for preliminary schedule but can't find anything. blissveture - where did you find that concert information?

Tatania! Really it's not a problem. We hope to be able and go a few more times then last year and what ever I see I will post!
As for the Napa Rose dinner.. umm no.. we just can't think that it would be worth that kind of money. Napa Rose is a GREAT place and I think the BEST Disney restaurant on any coast but we could have a huge meal at Napa with oodles of wine for way less! Right now we don't have any special events booked.

Food and Wine Fest wise .. I just have to hold hope in that we will love it no matter what. Heck if I have enough wine it's all good!

No plans for us this weekend! We were supposed to be off to the Big Easy but we have adopted a new kitten and she is sick - so we are home with anti-biotic instead of eating Oysters and drinking Hurricans! Oh well .. we would rather she get better!