Under the Sea Sand Dollar Crackers (Cooking Entry)

How many of you have visited the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World? For some reason, we never seemed to pass Ariel’s Grotto. We had no idea that place even existed! But during one of our more recent trips, a ride we had Fast Passes to was out of commission. So we searched for another ride nearby and discovered the Little Mermaid ride.

We decided to give it a try, climbed into the oversized clamshells and ventured off on a journey under the sea. As with most Disney rides, it was whimsical, fun and enjoyable. The ride has now been added to our “must” list.

So, while we are on the topic of the Little Mermaid, let’s dive back under the sea for this entry’s recipe.

Now I am a self-proclaimed “carbivore.” I enjoy breads, pastries, crackers, pastas…well you get the picture. Naturally, I was elated to randomly select Under the Sea Sand Dollar Crackers.

I will start off by saying that unless you make these super small, getting four dozen crackers out of this recipe is highly unlikely. That is my only negative comment because the rest is 100% positive!

Seven ingredients plus seven steps equals a wonderfully delicious cracker. 

No substitutions today my friends. Five of the seven components are staples in my kitchen and probably yours too – flour, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, paprika and the Holy Grail… butter. You will also need half-and-half and sliced almonds (which are optional – more on that later).

The directions are pretty simple. It’s almost like making cookies. Mix the ingredients, roll out the dough and cut into circles. Then bake. Easy enough.

After seven minutes in the oven, we were treated to one of the best crackers I have ever enjoyed. They were light, yet crispy. And while the almost (I didn’t forget about those) added a little extra crunch on top, they aren’t necessary. You take five almond slices and place them on top of the cookie to give it a sand dollar appearance. But, the tip in the book states “You can simply use a toothpick to poke a sand dollar pattern in the dough.” I might just give that a try next time. Yes, you heard me. I said next time.

These crackers pair well with hummus, cheese, spreads, well…pretty much anything. 

I give this recipe four tiaras and look forward to making them again soon.

It’s time for me to paddle off, but I won’t be leaving the sea just yet because the next recipe is another one from lovely Ariel.

Until the next we meet, thank you for being part of my world!

Bayou Meatloaf (Cooking Entry)

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Today we find ourselves once again in the Big Easy. Tiana has yet to let us down with her wonderfully, delicious Louisiana delicacies. And the recipe I am about to share did not disappoint! Oh, wait, did I just spoil it right there? Okay, so now you know, this dish was fabulous. But was it good enough to upset the Beast’s Quiche’s reign at the number one spot? Only time will tell.

So just what did Tiana have in store for us the go-round? Bayou Meatloaf. My late mother always prepared such a delicious meatloaf, and even though Tiana’s recipes have received big scores on the tiara scale, I remained a little skeptical. But the ingredients did sound promising.

We did alter some ingredients based on dietary preferences such as swapping the ground beef and pork with ground turkey. However many of the ingredients are typical of what you would find in meatloaf. But, the twist with paprika and dried thyme…now that seemed interesting.

As I continued studying the list of components I noticed it called for a topping consisting of ketchup and honey. Now that sounded quite intriguing. Suddenly I knew I had a secret weapon that could possibly catapult this recipe to the top… Mike’s Hot Honey. I picked this up at a local cheese counter and highly recommend purchasing a bottle.

The instructions to make the recipe earned four crowns in the degree of difficulty category. I’m not quite sure why because it was pretty easy. Then again, the Disney Princess Cookbook is targeted toward a younger crowd. Perhaps it was because the dish cooks for 50 minutes and then for an additional ten? But it was worth it! The mix of spices along with the spicy honey and ketchup topping made this a meal to remember!

I will warn, that while it states that this recipe serves six to eight, it makes a lot! It fed us for several days even after serving it to a guest.  But it was so delicious I could have even it for weeks. Oh dear, my mouth is slightly salivating as I look back on the very first bite.

I don’t want to anger the Beast, but his quiche has met its match. This recipe from the Bayou captured five tiaras. Sorry Beast, you know I still love you.

Next time we meet we will be leaving the mainland and diving under the sea.

Au revoir!!!

Enchanting Strawberry Roses (Cooking Entry)

The last time we met while parting ways, I mentioned that the next recipe is from Beauty and the Beast…well, Belle anyway.

Before we begin, let’s talk about the rose, shall we? While researching the meaning behind the rose, I learned that the rose was introduced to the story in the 1991 animated film. As the story goes, the enchantress not only curses the prince by turning him into a “hideous beast” (I put that in quotes because I just cannot bring myself to say that Dan Stevens was hideous.) but also gives him a rose on which she placed a spell. For those of you who don’t know the story, the Beast must learn to love while gaining the love of another before the last petal falls, otherwise, he will spend eternity living as a beast.

Doesn’t sound too “enchanting” to me. I looked up the definition of enchanting and it is said to be powerfully pleasing, appealing, or delightful. So what the heck kind of rose is this then?

Needless to say, the rose has become as identifiable with the story Beauty and the Beast as the teapot, clock, and other hardware that comes to life. And if you think about it, it’s rather idyllic since roses are so often associated with love. Ahhh… l’amour.

All of this brings us to the next recipe in the Princess cookbook: Enchanting Strawberry Roses. If you recall when I hinted at the theme of the recipe, I stated it was very easy. And it was for the most part.

Let’s dive in. This snack requires just two simple ingredients, large strawberries, and whipped cream. The difficulty came in actually designing the rose. You need to cut the strawberry in such a way that it resembles a rose that you place on the spoonful of the whipped cream. You be the judge of our handiwork in the picture below. But rest assured it looked nothing like the photograph in the book.

As far as the taste level, what’s not to like? Strawberries plus whipped cream equals tastiness. But the appearance left much to be desired.

This recipe earned three tiaras. What more can I say? If the Beast depended upon my creating a beautiful rose to turn him back into a prince, well he’d remain beastly for life.

As I bid au revoir, I look forward to your joining me in New Orleans once again. Let me tell you we have a potential contender to tie the leaderboard in the tiara competition.

Now I must wander off in search of “adventure in the great wide somewhere.” Have a magical day!

Confetti Corn (Cooking Entry)

We’re back in NOLA my friends. The Princess and the Frog has made me realize how much I miss that wonderfully historic city. Perhaps one day I will make it back there. The music, the atmosphere, and the food…sigh.

Now I will bring up a topic that may deem controversial. And should you not agree with my opinion we can always agree to disagree. And should you become irate with me, then you can just perhaps dismiss this cooking entry even though it’s a really good one.

Recently Disney announced that it would be reimaging the Splash Mountain ride. I have never been on this ride because, to be quite honest, I just wasn’t really interested. Perhaps I am naïve but I had no idea this attraction was based on the film Song of the South. I admit to never having seen this movie and quite frankly never will. I understand that Disney has “locked” the movie away due to the high controversy surrounding the subject matter and terrible depictions of African Americans. 

While they are not getting rid of the ride, the company will be changed to highlight the film The Princess and the Frog. Tiana will be there along with Louis the alligator and it will feature music from the film. 

I applaud Disney for doing the right thing, and now I will surely give this ride a try once it’s been reworked. Now if only they would open a Cajun themed restaurant. A girl can dream.

Which brings me to the featured recipe, Confetti Corn. Growing up our mother would serve something called confetti corn but it came from a can and had what was supposed to be red pepper mixed within the corn kernels. And I recall not liking it one bit.

So I was hesitant to make this at first but as I read the ingredients, I soon realized this was not my mother’s “confetti corn.” Corn and red pepper were the usual suspects included in the list of components. But the addition of bacon and butter piqued my interest.

There is a total of three, count them, three steps to making this bright and cheery side dish so it was not difficult at all. The most time-consuming part was dicing the red bell pepper (isn’t that always the case?) and cooking the bacon. You need to precook that so you can crumble into the corn mixture.

When it comes to awarding this recipe a tiara, I was a bit torn. While it was good, and I surely will serve it again, I feel it wasn’t up on the level of the Beast’s Quiche. But I really enjoyed it.

Next time I will be sharing another Beauty and the Beast-themed treat. Spoiler alert, it’s very easy for the most part.

So until we meet again I will leave you with a quote from the Dalai Lama, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”

Maximus’s Baby Carrots & Dip (Cooking Entry)

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to announce that I am back! Let’s be honest, it’s been a pretty rough couple of months so I decided it was time to get back writing.

So let’s get back to Disney’s world shall we?

Released in 2010, Tangled became Disney’s 50^th animated feature film and the first full-length computer-animated fairy-tale adventure. It paved the way for the mega hit Frozen.

Based up the Brothers Grimm Rapunzel, this adaptation focuses on the girl with the really long hair. It’s her 18^th birthday and she desires nothing more than to see the “floating lights.” 

She convinces dashing Flynn Rider (more on him in a moment) to take her to see these lights in person. After all, she’d been locked in the tower since Mother Gothel had snatched her from the castle when she was an infant. 

Wait. Did I lose you there? 

Quick recap, ages ago a drop of sunlight fell to the earth causing a magical flower to grow. Mother Gothel guarded the flower because it would restore her youth when she sang a special song. The king’s wife became very ill while she was pregnant and the only hope was the magical flower. A search for the flower ensued and eventually it was discovered. A special tea was made which the queen drank, she became better and gave birth to a girl with beautiful blonde hair. Turns out her hair was magical. Mother Gothel snuck into the castle to cut a piece of the baby’s hair but it turned brown once she snipped it off. So she took the child and raised her as her own allowing her to remain young by simply brushing Rapunzel’s hair. 

I’ll stop there because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen this delightful film.  The songs are memorable. The animiation is very unique. Mandy Moore does an excellent job providing the voice to Rapunzel while Zachary Levi portrays Flynn. The combative chemistry between Flynn and Maximus (a horse who belongs to one of the king’s guards) is hilarious. It’s a love/hate relationship as the film develops.

And so I present this week’s recipe, Maximus’s Baby Carrots and Dip.

This one was extremely easy. It is so simple it only has one crown in the difficulty category.

Five ingredients. No cooking, boiling, baking and you are done. Start with whipped cream cheese and be sure to get whipped. During the pandemic we are hard pressed and got regular. Big mistake! It took a lot longer to mix. Also needed is sour cream, dried dill weed, garlic powder and salt. Mix together and service with baby carrots.

While it was easy and made a nice snack, I would highly recommend reducing the amount of garlic because that was all I pretty much tasted. Other than that it was okay. Nothing super special. Poor Maximus, he got a so-so recipe named after him.

Sadly I give this recipe one princess tiara. Unless you want to actually make the dip you may be better off picking up something comparable in the refrigerated section of your super market.

Up next, we’re going back to NOLA.

Until then, remember to wash your hands and please wear a mask. People are still getting sick out there!

Have a magical day and may all of your dreams come true!  

In the Kitchen with a Top Chef (Cooking Entry)

Who here has seen Bravo’s Top Chef? While I haven’t been a dedicated viewer, I have seen several seasons and credit this series as one of cooking themed shows that has influenced my kitchen skills. I’m always amazed at how many of the contestants appear so calm under fire. I’m shocked if I can manage to have all of the components for dinner ready at the same time.

During this weird time, I had found myself struggling in the cooking department. 

At the beginning of our social distancing efforts, finding the ingredients I needed to try cooking something new was pretty much a failure. I found myself spiraling into a pit of despair. Okay, well, it wasn’t that bad, but I do admit to becoming slightly depressed because I was becoming unmotivated to attempt any type of cooking adventure. How many nights could we have steamed vegetables that were once trapped in a plastic bag in the…I can hardly say it…freezer? Although I have found the freezer and I have become very close friends. 

As the grocery shelves began to become inhabited again, I woke up and soon found myself yearning to try something new. I found a recipe for make ahead savory chicken burgers that freeze very nicely. I stocked up on packages of chicken and introduced them to my freezer. I discovered an easy to make pasta sauce which freezes beautifully. My sister even shared a tip on how to freeze bananas. So all was not lost. I found I could create things and preserve them for future dates.

I acquainted myself with spices I’d purchased and stored in my pantry. Roasting vegetables became a sport. And my taste buds were finally beginning to see the light of day once more.

Then something incredible happened that takes us back to Top Chef. 

Last year’s show took place in Kentucky. Kelsey Barnard Clark, one of the contestants, happened to have a restaurant in nearby Dothan, Alabama. Now when I used to travel up to Atlanta for work, my journey always took me through Dothan. So naturally when I heard Kelsey was from there, she became “our girl.” Each week we’d root for her. 

STOP READING now if you plan to go back and watch Season 16. Needless to say we were beyond elated when she not only won “fan favorite” (I mean really, who couldn’t help but love Kelsey?), but also won the entire season. 

I have never been to her restaurant appropriately named KBC and had planned to last year. Unfortunately after my surgery, the trip to Dothan had to be postponed. And then our unwelcome visitor “Rona” has delayed our visit further. 

But fate intervened. One day I was on Facebook or it may have been Instagram, and found something that caught my eye. Kelsey was going to hold virtual cooking classes. Wait. What? I went to her website and sure enough discovered that she would be hosting online classes via zoom. Sign me up!

My sister, Judy and I chose our class titled Southern Supper that consisted of shrimp and grits paired with a hard Arnold Palmer. After I registered, I received an email that contained a downloadable list of ingredients and what was extremely helpful was if you had trouble finding an item and needed a substitution you could simply email and a solution would be provided. Lucky for us we were able to secure pretty much everything we needed.

Having never participated in a virtual cooking class, we opted to watch, observe and take notes. Then over the weekend, we attempted to recreate the recipe. Kelsey was a fabulous instructor. It was full on interactive. You could ask questions and she was more than happy to answer. She would ask people to show their sauce or whatever they were making so she could see what it looked like. I was really impressed with the ease of taking such a class.

Normally when I write about my cooking trials, I do divulge some ingredients and how I altered it. However, out of respect for Kelsey, plus the fact that the recipes are only shared with those in attendance, I must refrain.

What I can share is that our dish turned out amazing! Yes, I said amazing! It was absolutely delicious. We did make the full serving of sauce and have it guess where? You got it, in the freezer. So we can enjoy it again in the near future. For the grits however, we did opt to half the recipe.

Terrible photo, but wonderful food!

I’ve had shrimp and grits before but never like Kelsey’s. The dish was beyond flavorful and perfectly satisfying. As much as I wanted to dive in and have a second helping, I honestly felt content and look forward to making it again. 

The prices for her courses vary, and truth be told, shockingly inexpensive in my opinion. Several of the classes are already sold out but lots more have been added.

We’ve signed up for two more classes and I am eyeing my fourth.

If you are looking for something interesting to do to take your mind off Covid-19 or to expand your culinary horizons, I highly recommend enrolling in Cook with Kelsey course. It’s a unique experience and I cannot wait for my next class.

Until we meet again, love each other!

Find classes on Cook with Kelsey

Check out KBC. The menus look amazing! 

Like Kelsey on Facebook 

Follow Kelsey on Instagram 

The State of Our World (My Thoughts)

Each and every one of us, old and young, are facing the biggest responsibility of our lives. Yet, sadly I see many, way too many, shirking that obligation – taking this dire situation all too lightly.

Now, I will not list the number of fatalities because, quite frankly, those numbers are in constant flux, changing weekly, daily, hourly. And the saddest thing is those numbers do not need to keep climbing, ticking upward. We can stop that.

We’ve been implored to perform one simple act – to distance ourselves from one another. This is called “social distancing” because our society must put a label on everything so there is a full understanding. I accept that.

Distancing yourself does not mean you must sit in darkness, wearing a shroud of despair.

What it does mean is to just step back from your every day routines whether that is visiting friends at the local coffee shop, going into the office, attending events, things we do every day without a thought.

It means to keep a safe distance between yourself and others. Which, for many, may be difficult but it is a MUST. 

It needs to be done to aid in stopping the spread of the virus and “flattening the curve.” 

Unfortunately, I have witnessed too many people who seem unable to do this one simple thing.

I see kids congregating in common areas with each other playing ball, basketball and other activities that result in the constant touching of a ball or other play items like bikes and scooters. So imagine the germs that are being shared.

What if one is carrying this dreadful virus, and he or she spreads it to another child and then another? Then those children bring it into their homes infecting the entire family. The reason schools have been closed is to prevent just that – children coming in contact with each other and possibly spreading it further. 

Then there are the teenagers who, God forbid, must spend time in their home with a parent or siblings. I guess that is too difficult to ask of them because I’ve seen them go off probably to hang out with their friends who might be carriers.

Let me now bring in the adults who allow their children to run around, or their teens to go off to God know where. I realize kids may not comprehend how grave our situation is and it must be extremely difficult for parents to try and explain. But they must – for the children’s sakes and for theirs.

We must unite by standing apart to help control this pandemic. This is the only way out, my friends.

The longer people refuse to heed the warnings, the more the virus will spread and the longer we will be forced to live this way.

Do you want this?

I don’t have to tell you how frightening the situation has become. Countless businesses and restaurants have closed. As this crawls on, and it will, many of these businesses will face permanent closure. How can we do this to those who have served our communities?

If we can perform this one simple act, perhaps there is a chance for these establishments. But the longer more people ignore the plea to help stop the spread, the longer these businesses will be closed and the bigger the chance they will never recover.

The way we need to live today is being touted as the “new normal.” Quite frankly I do not want to live this way. I do not want to subscribe to distancing myself; being unable to go to my favorite local restaurant or being incapable of getting the groceries we need as my “new normal.” Do you?

If we want to transcend this invisible villain, we must make sacrifices now – each and every one of us. For it is selfish to disregard those in the medical field on the front line, first responders, those who are suffering from this illness or the families of those who have died.

I’ve seen way too many people treating this pandemic as a joke. It’s not to say there are those who are trying to ease the tension with videos, songs, memes, etc. God knows we need some laughter right now. But what I am talking about are those who do not think this is reality or it won’t affect them. Because this disease does not discriminate. It is not an “old person’s” virus. The statistics are staggering about the ranges in age of those affected. 

And then there are those who cannot seem to spend 14 days with their family. I cherish spending this time of isolation with my sisters because today, I am lucky to have them. There are way too many people in this world who cannot say the same because they have lost one or more to this virus.  

I implore each and every one of us to do the right thing.

Today could be the day we all make a difference. Today could be the day the numbers stop increasing. 

Personally, I am hopeful that this too shall pass. That we will all come out of this on the other side as a more humble people. People who truly cared enough that we put aside our daily lives for just a while to make the world right again. 

Let us all do what needs to be done to combat this. Maybe we can end today as our “new normal” and take our lives back.

Just maybe our businesses will reopen and our communities will start to thrive once more.

Let’s all do this one simple thing…distancing ourselves… for the sake of one another. Because if we don’t, we will have failed not only each other but we will have failed as humankind.

And please remember that world, “humankind” because that is what we should be right at this moment. Kind to those at higher risk, those in need, those who just need some comfort in knowing things will be okay, eventually.

Today, let’s all just be kind.

Life is Strange Today

A note to all you readers: Due to the Coronavirus my cooking entries will be on hiatus.

The reason? As some of you have experienced, grocery shopping has become quite the challenge. Today there was not one package of chicken at all.

So with the limitations on what I can purchase, I will have to resume my Disney Princess recipes at a later date. I will make it up though. 

Do not let the darkness of uncertainty take over.

We will get through this.

My ask is that you spread kindness wherever you can.

Finally, look for magic in each and every day!

Fa Family Lo Mein (Cooking Entry)

We are back with another recipe from Mulan…or should I say her family. Now I won’t talk about the story or the upcoming live action film (I seriously cannot wait) but what are my blog entries without some sort of derailment?

I am a member of D23, the official Disney fan club. As a gold member, I receive an annual gift that is unbelievably nice and unique. I also get access to VIP events and movie screenings and receive emails with inside stories and exclusive content. Plus

I get discounts on merchandise, dining, attractions, etc. In addition I receive a quarterly magazine that is beautifully produced. Now you can join as a general member free but you only get the weekly D23 e-newsletter, any type of breaking news, and exclusive content on D23.com. Side note, I am not paid to promote this in any way. I just wanted to share something really fun I discovered as a Disney fan.

Anyway, how fitting that my D23 publication arrived this week. Just in time…

Now, onto the recipe. Do you remember how I went on and on about the Beast’s Quiche and that it’s been my favorite thus far? Well, the Fa Family Lo Mein comes very close. I will preface by saying I did make alterations with the ingredients based on my protein of choice. 

The difficulty of this recipe is four crowns, but I would say that’s it’s not hard at all. The longest part was chopping the broccoli and cutting the bell pepper. Aside from those two ingredients, it includes spaghetti, sesame oil (this is a must have in my pantry from here on out!), spices, sirloin tips, beef broth, brown sugar and soy sauce.

We substituted whole grain spaghetti to make it a bit healthier and also used diced chicken in lieu of the sirloin and chicken broth rather than beef. The rest remained the same.

The directions were easy to follow with only four steps. And the result…DELICIOUS! The mixture of the ginger and garlic along with the sesame oil was perfection. And the book offers the tip of using other types of vegetables such as peas, carrots, bok choy, water chestnuts and mushrooms. With those options one really cannot go wrong. 

The next time we make this, and there will be a next time, we might venture out and try shrimp.  With that said, this recipe receives five princess tiaras.

Come back and visit again when we get all tangled up in our next recipe. 

Oh and if you are interested here is the link to D23. It’s worth a look over.

Have a magical day readers!

Pasta Shell Salad (Cooking Entry)

All right. If you didn’t notice I missed posting my latest kitchen adventure on my blog last week. I had all intentions and ended up with too many things on my calendar, so I am a wee bit tardy. Mea culpa. It will not happen again!

Last time I mentioned that we would be going under the sea. So if you have not figured it out, this week’s recipe is from none other than Ariel, the sweet, endearing mermaid who won the heart of Prince Eric and many Disney fans alike. 

Sadly I missed the live musical adaptation recently aired on network television. I must search for this version somewhere because rumor has it Queen Latifah killed it as evil Ursula. Then there is the upcoming live-action film (no release date yet). It is sure to be a huge hit with Lin-Manuel Miranda teaming up with Alan Menken, notorious for composing songs for a number of movies from the Disney franchise. This is a power team in the making. Now I am anxiously waiting for the release!

Let me just dive into the featured recipe. You see what I did there, right?

Allow me to present Pasta Shell Salad. The directions for this dish were very simple (it earned two crowns in the book) and the ingredients were very basic.

The mix of pasta shells with diced red bell pepper, carrots, and cherry tomatoes made this dish a visual delight. The use of Parmesan cheese and Italian salad dressing offered a fabulous taste experience. I do admit that I omitted the chives because, quite frankly, I forgot to add them to the grocery list. But in all honesty, this did not affect the overall flavor.

Isn’t this just so colorful?

With four steps in all, the dish was ready to eat in no time. The longest part, as is with a lot of recipes, was dicing the pepper and shredding the carrots. After all of the ingredients are blended together you just need to cover and chill until ready to serve. 

I truly enjoyed this recipe. While we ate this for lunch, the salad would be a perfect addition to any cookout or barbeque. The book offers the tip of adding cubed mozzarella cheese or pepperoni slices. Perhaps I will try one of those suggestions next time. And also I recommend purchasing pre-shredded carrots to save time. 

Aerial’s recipe earned five princess tiaras and landed on my “will make again” list.

Stay tuned for another recipe this week. I won’t even give you a hint this time. So until then, go out and make this day magical!