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

March 22, 2012 by 8 Comments

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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Aged Cheddar & Guinness Fondue

May 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Fondue…oh how I love thee. This has to be one of my favorite meals ever. Cheese is one of my favorite foods so it should come as no surprise that I have fondue every chance I can. We can’t always go to the Melting Pot so there are some nights where we have ‘Fondue Night’ at our house. I came across Steamy Kitchen’s recipe for Aged Cheddar & Guinness Fondue and figured I’d give it a try. I really love aged cheddar and I can sit and eat it on some crackers for who knows how long. I’m always up to try a new recipe and this recipe was next on my list.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb good aged cheddar, grated
  • 2 ½ tbs all-purpose flour
  • 8 oz. Guinness stout + more if needed
  • 6 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
  • 1 tsp powdered mustard
  • 1 tsp finely minced garlic
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp olive oil

Instructions

Toss grated cheese with the flour. In your fondue pot over low heat, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and garlic. Fry until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn heat to medium-high. Add Guinness, apple juice concentrate, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Bring to boil. Add cheese a little at a time, stirring constantly until fondue is smooth and melted. Thin with more Guinness, if needed throughout the meal. Season with salt and pepper.

Grated Cheese

Cheese melted and ready to eat!

Bread dippers

My thoughts…

I wanted to like this, I really did. But it was difficult. It did take some getting used to. Once I got used to the flavor it was that bad, but the Guinness is not something that I’d use again.  I would use a different kind of beer, such as Kirin or Amstel Light. But I loved the aged cheddar. I ended up using a little more than a half pound of Black Diamond 2 year Yellow Cheddar from Canada and  about a half pound of Grafton 2 year Reserve Cheddar from the USA.  I definitely didn’t skimp on the cheese. I really think a good cheese makes a huge difference.

We only use bread for the dippers. It’s our favorite. We had cubes of french bread, rosemary olive oil bread, and soft pretzel rolls. We’re from Philly so the pretzels are a must! They are so good in the cheese fondue – definitely give it a try.

I used corn starch in place of flour (as I usually do for fondue) and knowing me I used a bit more than 1 teaspoon of garlic. What can I say? I love that stuff!  But if you love Guinness beer, you will probably love this fondue. I happen to prefer other types of beer, so this recipe wasn’t very high on my list. If you aren’t a fan of Guinness I would just recommend using a different kind of beer and keeping the rest of the recipe the same.

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