A Magical Experience ~ Food Blog Forum Orlando [Walt Disney World]

So I had the amazing opportunity to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL for Food Blog Forum Orlando. I felt so lucky to be one of the food bloggers to attend. It was truly a Magical Experience. I can’t even put into words how much I appreciate all of the hard work that everyone put into this event. It was a really special event.

I learned so much from so many talented people. Everyone was so willing to help others and I loved seeing that. A special thanks to Disney World, Whole Foods, Julie of The Little Kitchen (who did such a wonderful job organizing!), Steamy Kitchen (Jaden & Scott), White On Rice Couple (Diane & Todd) and to all of the  sponsors (OXO, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Land ‘O Lakes, Bob’s Red Mill, Spice Islands, Goo Goo Clusters, King Arthur Flour, Scharffen Berger, and anyone else I forgot). The Door Prizes were totally crazy and everyone was so generous! I mean seriously, TWO APPLIANCES as well as countless KitchenAid Mixers, LeCreuset Dutch Ovens, and many other prizes. But they weren’t even the highlight of the weekend.  All of the information that we all went home with was the main prize. And that’s a fact.

The accommodations were spectacular, the 4 day park hoppers were generous, the food was delectable and the people there were just plain remarkable. I could go on and on about this past weekend and ramble on for hours, but I’d rather show you how magnificent it was in pictures. Because I had so much fun trying to capture these wonderful moments on camera ~ even if it was an iPhone camera!

[click to enlarge any of the photos]

My room at the Polynesian

A beautiful view from the Grand Floridian

Another stunning view

Succulent Shrimp

Macaroni & Cheese with Lobster & Pancetta – absolutely to die for!

Desserts – Chocolate Creme Brulee, Cake Pop,
Chocolate Mousse type dessert

Taste of Disney Lunch Menu

Olive Oil-infused Chocolate Truffle Mousse with Sea Salt Caramel

Peruvian Chocolate Cylinder with St. Germain Glaze

OXO supplied Assorted Sea Salt Caramels from
Good Karmal – Seriously the BEST! I’m enrolling
myself in a 12 step program ASAP.

Magic Kingdom

Whole Foods Brunch Menu

Candy Coated Mickey Apples!

Pineapple Teriyaki Steak from Kona Cafe

Kona Cool Sundown

Town Square Theater in Magic Kingdom

Monorail at the Polynesian

Frozen Margarita from Hollywood Studios

My favorite ride ~ Tower of Terror

Pop Century – My home for the 2nd part of my trip

Monorail – Photo taken from bench outside of the Coral Reef Restaurant

Superfruit Sangria from Coral Reef

Baileys and Jack Daniel’s Mousse from Coral Reef

Boat outside of Magic Kingdom

Captain Hook at Epcot

I had these on my AirTran flight and they are my favorite now!
I ordered some from Amazon when I got home.

All of the information that I learned there was priceless. I don’t think I can thank everyone enough for allowing me to be part of this event. There are so many talented food writers and photographers out there and I’m so proud to be a part of that.

I was on a mission for Cupcakes when I was there, and you will get to read about that in another post! Because it wouldn’t be a trip without a Cupcake!

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Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village – South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Clear skies. 80 degrees. South Beach, Miami. Welcome to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival!

On Saturday February 26th I attended the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village. It was held right on the beach only a few steps away from the gorgeous ocean. So you know what that meant – it was HOT! There was so much going on that you forgot your skin was burning at times.


This event was huge. There was tent after tent after tent. Right when you walked in there was a set up for illy. Little did I know that this booth would be one of my favorites of the event. It was quite warm out there on the sand, so this “Coffee in a Can” was just what I needed to cool down a bit.

We got to stop by the T-Fal booth to see Ingrid Hoffman and her Simply Delicioso line of cookware. Aren’t those colors beautiful?! Love them!

There was a little tent area where they had book signings. There was also a tent where you could buy cook books to have them signed by the talent.  Here’s a glimpse of a few books they had for sale, as well as  a picture of Rick Bayless signing a book for the one and only Lys at Cooking in Stilettos.

There was a Jelly Belly booth – yes, that’s right – the jelly beans. I’m not a huge jelly bean fan, but when I saw all of these I HAD to try them. Aren’t they cute?! And they were so good. Who wouldn’t love a little cupcake with strawberry icing and strawberry daiquiri jelly beans?!

 

Have you ever had a Chocolate Covered Jelly Bean? Mmmm, they are so good! And they didn’t even melt in the hot South Beach sun! :)

There were two tents where the Demos took place – the KitchenAid Blue Stage and the KitchenAid Green Stage. These events took place between 11am – 6pm. Here was the lineup:

KITCHENAID BLUE STAGE

JAMIE OLIVER 11:15 am – 12:00 pm
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm
EMERIL LAGASSE 1:45 pm – 2:30 pm
RACHAEL RAY 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm
MASAHARU MORIMOTO 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm
GUY FIERI 5:15 pm – 6:00 pm

KITCHENAID GREEN STAGE

RICK BAYLESS 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
THE SCOTTO FAMILY 12:45 pm -1:30 pm
MING TSAI 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm
SUNNY ANDERSON 3:15 pm – 4:00 pm
ALEX GUARNASCHELLI 4:30 pm – 5:15 pm
DUFF GOLDMAN 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm

I had the opportunity to catch Sunny Anderson’s demo and I was so glad I did! She was Cooking for Real! Her menu was mouth watering! She made a Sweet Glazed Butterflied Chicken, Sweet Potato Hash, and her Easy String Beans and Onions.  As usual, Sunny does not disappoint! She showed everyone how to butterfly a chicken!  Check out her set-up:

Here are a few pictures from her demo:

All of the recipes she made in the demo will be featured in SEASON 9 of Cooking for Real on the Food Network! You won’t want to miss it!

There were two huge tents at the end for the American Express Grand Tasting Event. There were many restaurants and vendors set up that were serving up appetizers, signatures dishes, desserts, snacks, wine, beer, cocktails, etc. They were there to answer any questions that anyone had and to inform you about what they were serving up. By the time you left the tents you had a bag full of goodies and full stomach!

Stay tuned for more!