One of the things about this blog is that it gives me the chance to not only explore Disney foods I've never gotten the chance to try in the parks, but that it gives me the chance to make something that I tried while on a vacation and loved.  Like Remy describes (yes, I'm talking about the fictional rat from "Ratatouille"), good food comes together, like a symphony, and takes you on a journey, sometimes to an entirely different time and place.

That is what this dish did for me.  One bite and I was back in EPCOT, walking the World Showcase on a beautiful, sunny day, probably on my way to Soarin or the Japan Pavilion.

This meal has quite the background.  It was one of the most popular dishes on Le Cellier's appetizer menu.  Served in a cast iron skillet, designed for family-style sharing, it was a great, fun, and unique appetizer option.  When the restaurant changed their menu to reflect their new status as a signature dining option, despite its popularity, the dish was retired.  Believe it or not, threads started popping up on various forums of people trying to figure out where it went, where else they can go in Disney to find it, even how to make it.  When people talked about the reasons it was such a tragedy Le Cellier went to an all-day signature dining experience, the retiring of this dish was a complaint that came up frequently.

Perhaps due to that popular demand, the following year at the EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival a version of the dish appeared again at Canada's kiosk, which is also where I had it for the first time.  I mean seriously, who could pass up a booth that had both sausage and

the famous Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup?  I vividly remember waiting in a long line, juggling multiple plates (two of each the soup and the sausage) while scrambling to find a spot to eat because every chair, bench, and table was full.  Ben and I ended up finding a spot on the top of a covered trash can in a little area right next to the World Showcase Lagoon.  We stood and ate, hunkered over this stupid garbage can, just relishing every single bite while enjoying a postcard perfect day at EPCOT.  I still remember how the sky was so blue, it almost hurt to look at it, and all the trees and plants around the lake were a vivid, emerald green.  It was warm, with a beautiful breeze that was strong enough that there were little waves rolling across the lagoon.  Stunning.  Peaceful.  For sure a happy Disney moment.

I can't say how happy I am to have this recipe.  This is really just a memory on a plate.  Even with the slight changes I made (more on that in a minute), every moment of this recipe was an exciting Disney memory, a fantastic Disney smell...  Not even joking when I say while I was making the polenta, I yelled out "This smells like Disney!" and all five people in the house huddled over the pot taking big, deep breaths.  We all agreed, by the way, it does smell like Disney...  It smells exactly like the buffet area of Tusker House.  Just saying.

Anyway, I did make some tweaks to the recipe.  First off, I used frozen corn instead of cutting fresh corn off the cob and roasting it.  We live in New Hampshire and it's March...  Fresh corn on the cob?  Not happening.  While I'm sure it would have been a deeper flavor if I'd used that roasted corn, the frozen corn was certainly a completely delicious, functional substitute.  The other somewhat major change I made was I used spicy pork sausage.  The recipe as written calls for chicken sausage, and while the version at Le Cellier did alternate between spicy pork and spicy chicken sausage, the Food and Wine version does use exclusively chicken sausage.  My switch was purely personal preference and economics...  I'm not a huge fan of the chicken sausage available at our grocery store, and regular sausage was on sale.  The only other special notes I have about this recipe is that this recipe is the base to both the old Le Cellier appetizer, but also the Food and Wine Festival's Canada offering.  That said, both dishes are dressed slightly differently...  One with a lot of greens, a little cheese, and the other with a sauteed pepper onion mixture.  When I served this, I went just with the base recipe, the polenta and the sausage.      

Of all the dishes I've made in recent memory, this was one of my absolute favorite meals.  Everybody loved it and we had absolutely no leftovers.  I did stick with the creamy polenta as opposed to letting it cook up so that it was more firm (which is what they do at Disney too), and I think it was the absolute perfect compliment to that spicy sausage.  I couldn't get enough of this meal.  I'm already dreaming about when I can make it again...  Only one bite and I was back next to the World Showcase Lagoon enjoying an amazing meal on the top of a covered trash can, thinking about Soarin Fastpasses, sake tasting in Japan, and enjoying a perfect fall day at EPCOT. 

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Spicy Sausage with Cream Sweet Corn Polenta

As was served at Le Cellier, Canada Pavilion, EPCOT and Food and Wine Festival, Canada Kiosk

 

°o°  1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 
°o°  1 medium Spanish onion, small dice 

°o°  2 tablespoons diced garlic 

°o°  2/3 cup fresh corn, about one cob, removed from cob  

°o°  1/2 ounce basil, fresh chopped (or 1 tablespoon basil)  
°o°  1 cup water  

°o°  1 cup heavy cream  

°o°  1/2 cup maple syrup 

°o°  1/3 cup ground yellow or white cornmeal 
°o°  1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

°o°  1 1/2 teaspoon chopped chives 

°o°  Salt and pepper, to taste 

°o°  1 pound spicy sausage links, chicken or pork, casings removed (if slicing in half for serving)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat olive oil in oven-safe skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, garlic, corn, and cook about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant.  Add in basil and stir about 10 seconds.  Add water, cream, maple syrup, bring mixture to a light boil.  Reduce heat to low and while whisking briskly, add in cornmeal.  Cook on low heat for 5 minutes while continually whisking mixture.  Cover the pan with foil and bake 45 minutes or until polenta is creamy and absorbed most of the liquid, similar to the consistency of oatmeal.  Remove pan from oven and stir in the chives, Parmesan cheese.  Season to taste.  Keep warm but set aside.
 
Grill sausages until done and juices are clear.  

Spoon polenta onto warmed plates or serve in skillet.  Slice sausages in half lengthwise and serve over the warmed polenta.  Top with grilled vegetables, greens, or cheese, or serve as is.

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Unknown

Believe it or not, I'm one of the few people who's never been to the Boardwalk Bakery...  I guess it's because while I like sweets, I'm more of a savory eater, especially when it comes to my snacks.  I'll pretty much always pick a bag of chips over a baked good.

But this recipe?  I've had my eye on it for a long, long time.  While I may be a savory eater, I do love baking, and I love trying out new recipes for baked goods that look deliciously unique.  While brownies and cheesecake aren't unique on their own, combining them to one, scrumptious dessert...  Brilliant.

While time consuming, this is a really great recipe for a first time baker.  Though let me just say, if I had one tip to pass on while making this, it's literally impossible to put too much Pam in the dish used to bake this.  Literally, impossible.  I had been warned to really, really grease the pan, and I went what I thought was overboard, but it ended up still being not enough, especially around the edges.  It made extracting the brownies with the cheesecake on top (without it all falling apart) really, really tricky.  A friend of mine told me the best way to release brownies from their pan is to let them sit in lukewarm water and then cut it with a warm knife, which honestly seems like it'd help out a lot...  I'm frankly embarrassed I didn't think of it first.

I have to say, even for somebody like me, who's not a big sweets person, this is a luscious treat for anybody's sweet tooth.  I was worried it would be sickly sweet, but honestly, it was the perfect combination of rich brownie and pillowy cheesecake.  Topped with whipped cream and maybe a raspberry or two and this could be the perfect dessert...

Now I need to figure out why I've run by Boardwalk Bakery twice, but never actually stopped to eat there.

PS - Like the new plates? A gift from my parents for Valentine's Day.  Woo-hoo TJ Maxx!

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Brownie Cheesecake

As is served at The Boardwalk Bakery, Disney's BoardWalk Inn

 

For the brownies:
°o°  2 cups sugar°o°  1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

°o°  2/3 cup cocoa powder 

°o°  1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

°o°  1/2 teaspoon baking powder  

°o°  5 eggs  

°o°  2 sticks butter, melted  

°o°  1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the cheescake: 

°o°  3/4 cup sugar 
°o°  3 tablespoons cornstarch 

°o°  4 8-ounce boxes of cream cheese 

°o°  1 tablespoon lemon juice 

°o°  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

°o°  2 eggs

°o°  2 tablespoons heavy cream  

°o°  2 tablespoons sour cream
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and heavily grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.  Add eggs, one at a time, at low speed using an electric mixer, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.  Mix until smooth.  Slowly drizzle in melted butter, mixer still on low, and beat until combined and no butter rises to the top of the batter.  Do not overmix.  Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into baking pan.  Bake 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

When the brownies have cooled, preheat oven to 325.

Cream sugar, cornstarch, and cream cheese in a bowl using an electric mixer.  Add lemon

juice and vanilla extract.  Then add eggs, one at a time, beating on low until incorporated.  Do not overmix.  Fold in heavy cream and sour cream.

Spread batter over the top of the cooled brownies.  Bake until cheesecake is lightly browned and firm, about 55-60 minutes.  Immediately after removing from oven, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake to prevent cracking.  

Cool and then refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

To cut, use a warm knife to make clean cuts, and place brownie pan in warm water bath to help loosen brownies, if needed. 

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 Having just gotten back from the Princess Half Marathon and completing the Glass Slipper Challenge, my mind is on one thing...  Pasta. 

Having done two half marathons now, I know that there's nothing in the world I want more after a long run than pasta!  For the Wine and Dine Half Marathon 2013, all I wanted was spaghetti.  Seriously, I craved it for days, and I never, ever crave spaghetti.  This time, I was all about rich and flavorful pastas.  Something like Alfredo, without the heaviness.

While researching Disney pasta recipes, I came across the perfect recipe to fill my craving: spaghetti carbonara.  Pasta, bacon, eggs...  Pretty much my dream post-race food.  What's not to love?

 

Spaghetti carbonara has been featured around Disney World in a variety of places.  Perhaps the most popular of these is at Art of Animation Resort's Landscape of Flavors Food Court.  Despite being the newest resort to the Disney family, this recipe has undergone a couple of changes during its short time as a featured chef's favorite featured pasta dish.  Originally a dish made up of a egg-based cream sauce with bacon and onions (sometimes peas), it has evolved into a cream sauce with a prosciutto and bacon mix and broccoli (yuck).  Variations of this dish have also been served at Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney, and a more refined version, sans broccoli but with truffle oil and using pancetta instead of bacon is available at The Swan's Il Mulino.   

 

The version of the recipe I used is the original recipe featured at Art of Animation's Landscape of Flavors both because that's the most popular version of the dish, and because I can't stand broccoli...  Meaning I really didn't want to make the newer and current broccoli-tainted version (did I say yuck already?).  However, with very little effort, this recipe can be easily tweaked to be the more refined dish featured at Il Mulino.  

I have to say, I love, love, love this pasta dish.  First, it's fast, easy, and cheap... 

All very good things.  But secondly, it's unbelievably rich and luxurious tasting.  Flavorful, creamy, and a great variety of textures, plus a slam dunk for anybody who loves bacon.  I admit, I cooked the bacon until it was very crisp, while the restaurant versions tend to not cook the bacon as long for a softer texture.  Really, it's all personal preference.  I prefer super crunchy bacon, but for those who like something a little less crisp, cook the bacon until it's warmed through, cooked, but not crispy. 

 

I think the only change I'd make to this recipe is using less pasta for a more bacon and cream flavor.  Or the same amount of pasta, but more bacon.  Because really, is there such a thing as too much bacon?

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Spaghetti Carbonara

As is served at Landscape of Flavors Food Court, Art of Animation Resort

 

°o°  1 pound spaghetti
°o°  1 lb bacon, chopped
°o°  1/2 cup onion, chopped

°o°  2 cloves garlic, minced

°o°  2 eggs, room temperature, beaten

°o°  2 tablespoons heavy cream
°o°  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

°o°  Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add pasta and cook until al dente (or slightly under desired doneness).  

While the pasta is boiling, cook bacon in a separate skillet.  Remove bacon to paper towels to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of bacon fat.  Return skillet to heat, cook onions until translucent, then add garlic, cooking only until aromatic, about 1 minute or less.  Add to bacon mixture, set aside.

Combine eggs, heavy cream, beat until mixed.  Set aside.

Drain and rinse pasta in warm water, return pasta to pot.  Turn heat to medium-low.  Drizzle in heavy cream and egg mixture and toss until coated, making sure that pasta is thoroughly warmed.  Add reserved bacon fat, bacon, and onions.  Fold in Parmesan cheese.  Toss until incorporated and pasta is warm.  Serve immediately.

** To serve Il Mulino version, cook bacon and drain, discarding bacon fat.  Add Marsala wine to bacon pan along with onions to delgaze pan.  Cook onions until translucent, add garlic and cook until aromatic.  Substitute 3 tablespoons truffle oil for bacon fat and toss in pasta and prepare as above, making sure to add wine reduction along with onions to pasta dish.

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My obsession with all things Polynesian rolls on...  Since the Kona Cafe Sweet Bread was such a huge hit in my house, I decided to kind of build an entire dinner around the how badly I wish I was at the Poly right now.

Whenever it comes to making dinner that everybody is going to eat, it's always a trick.  Everybody has their own likes and dislikes, and of course, the only overlap I can bet on is that somebody's like somebody else's dislike.  I love onions, my other half, he hates them.  The adults like pork and steak, the kids like chicken.  One loves corn, the other hates corn.  But I have to say, this recipe made me really, really excited because it seemed to be on everybody's "Ok, I'll try it" list.  Or at least the "you have no reason to not try this" list.

One of the fun things about this recipe is that it has a history.  It started out as a signature dish at the Papeete Bay Verandah, a restaurant at the Polynesian that opened with the resort (and the park) in 1971 and closed in 1994 to make way for what is now known as 'Ohana.  After Papeete Bay Verandah closed, this dish (along with much of the old menu) did return for a period of time, only to be officially retired a couple years later.  While a version of this does wander on and off the Kona menu from time to time (that version is a more updated dish, using mandarin oranges), this is a classic dish that's largely been retired.

Now, maybe I'm weird, but I've never, ever prepared beef like this before...  In fact, I've never prepared meat like this before.  This recipe calls for you to dredge the meat in a flour/cornstarch mix and then the egg, then fry it.  I've always, and I mean always, put meat in the egg and then the flour mix...  And I was convinced I'd somehow gotten the order of
things wrong.  That first batch, I was so sure it wouldn't come out and I'd have to switch to doing it the way I was used to.  When it came out perfect...  Well...  Let's just say it was another reminder of why the folks at Disney get paid the big bucks and I don't.

While there are a lot of steps, this was pretty easy to make and not really all that time consuming, and the resulting dish was amazingly delicious.  I served mine over rice (spoiler alert: that rice recipe is the next recipe I'll be blogging about) and while it was sublime using the beef, using chicken would work just as well and would be a healthier (and cheaper) option.  I did leave out the red peppers, though.  Because I still don't like peppers.  I also added just a splash of cornstarch because I wanted the sauce a little thicker.

The results of this dish?  Let's just say there were no leftovers...  And I'm so ready to be at the Poly. 

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Orange Beef

As was served at The Polynesian Resort

 

Orange Sauce

°o°  1 tablespoon olive oil
°o°  4 scallions, chopped 

°o°  1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers 

°o°  4 tablespoons soy sauce 

°o°  1 cup orange juice  

°o°  2 tablespoons sugar  

°o°  1/2 cup water  

Beef
°o°  1 pound flank steak 

°o°  2 tablespoons cornstarch 
°o°  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

°o°  2 eggs, beaten 

°o°  2 tablespoons olive oil 

°o°  2 tablespoons butter

°o°  rice for serving

Heat olive oil in medium skillet and saute scallions and crushed red pepper for 2 minutes.  Stir together soy sauce, orange juice, sugar, and water, and slowly add into skillet.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and keep warm.

Slice flank steak into 1/2-inch strips.  Combine cornstarch and flour in shallow bowl or plate.  Place eggs in a wide bowl.  Dredge steak in cornstarch and flour and then in eggs.  Shake of excess.  Heat oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Working in batches, cook steak and keep warm until ready to serve.  

When ready to serve, spoon beef over rice, then spoon sauce over beef.  Serve immediately.

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Unknown

Warning: this post contains a tangent which I promise will all tie together in a way that makes sense.

This weekend is the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.  The last RunDisney race before the Princess Half Marathon and the Glass Slipper Challenge, an event that I'm running in (and woefully under-trained for).  Right now, my mind is buzzing with pre-race details and plans for our racecation and today was one of the last checkpoints before arrival day...  Early check-in!

For the Princess Half, we'll be staying at Disney's Polynesian Resort, which is an absolutely stunning hotel.  I was lucky enough to stay there in January of 2013 and I loved nearly every minute of it.  It's peaceful, it has a fun theme, it's on the monorail, it has a view of Cinderella's Castle, it's on a lake...  What's not to love about this hotel?  Seriously, any place that trusts me to use a self-serve Dole Whip machine that's within walking distance to my room is a great place.

The funny thing is, other than the required breakfast at Ohana and the rampant abusing of the bottomless refills of our resort mugs (pomegranate lemonade!), we didn't eat there at all.  No Tonga Toast, no pineapple pancakes, not even a Mickey waffle.  We always opted to eat somewhere else.  It wasn't until May of 2013 when a very last-minute trip meant that I was at the mercy of whatever was available and I decided to give Kona a try...  And I figured out why the lobby of The Polynesian always smells so good.  It's the delicious intermingling of the smells of Tonga Toast, pancakes, and sweet bread.  After a completely amazing dinner with wildly unique and delicious food, Kona went straight to the top of my "hidden Disney gem" list and I immediately regretted not eating there every single day of my January trip.

A mistake that will not be made again.

To bridge the gap between now and then, I've started to get all Poly-crazy.  We've watched "Lilo and Stitch" at least 3 times, I've made most of my social media skins something related to the Poly, I even researched the music they play in the gift shop so that I could build a playlist for the gym.  Then suddenly I remembered...  Hey, I have the recipe for Kona's famous sweet bread...  And I even tried to make it for the blog with less-than-spectacular results.  So off to the kitchen I went, with two goals in mind...  Vindication and the satisfying of a craving.

For those who've read my blog for awhile, it's no great surprise that occasionally yeast bread presents some challenges for me...  But I've fine-tuned my yeast bread magic since

then.  Trick number one? I turn my oven on to the very lowest setting it has while I'm making the dough, then when it's time to let it rest and rise, I turn the oven off, cover the bowl, and put it in the warm oven with the oven door open slightly for the first 10-15 minutes or so.

Brilliant, right?  Seriously, I think since I picked up that little trick, I haven't had bread go flat on me.  Then, if I have a second rise, I actually put the oven on to preheat, cover the dough, and put it on the stove.  That usually works, though I have to be careful that it's not so warm that the bottom of the bread is already starting to brown, meaning I'll have a burned bottom by the time it's done (if you laughed reading that, it's OK, I laughed writing it).

If somebody were to tackle yeast bread for the first time, despite my first failures, I'd say this is a great place to start.  Make sure your pineapple juice is nice and warm, but not too warm, don't over-knead and you're good to go. 

The final product, four amazing mini-loaves of bread, is so close to the real thing that it's hard to not eat it all right out of the oven.  Trust me, I know because I made them 4 hours ago and I'm already down to one loaf...

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Kona Cafe Sweet Bread

As is served at Kona Cafe, Disney's Polynesian Resort

 

°o°  1 cup warm pineapple juice
°o°  2 tablespoons active dry yeast

°o°  1/2 cup sugar

°o°  3 eggs, room temperature

°o°  4 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened  

°o°  4 3/4 cups flour

°o°  1 teaspoon salt  

Combine pineapple juice and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and allow to sit about 5 minutes, or until foamy.  Add in sugar, eggs, and butter and mix.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add half the flour mixture into the yeast mixture and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, being careful to not over mix.  Turning off mixture, add remaining flour and incorporate using hands.  The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, but still be very sticky.

Cover bowl with a slightly dampened dish towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

 

Turn dough onto a floured surface and divide into 4 equal portions.  Form each portion into a ball and smooth the surface (I do this by holding the ball in one hand and gently pulling down on the surface of the ball, pinching the excess to under the dough ball...  There's a good video here) and place on a cookie sheet that will be used for baking.  Cut an "X" on the top of each ball about 1/2 inch deep.

Cover with dish towel and allow to rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for about 45 minutes.  10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375.  

After 45 minutes has passed and dough has risen again, remove dish towel and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with macadamia honey butter.

~~~~  °o°  ~~~~

Unknown

 

So I know that practically every Disney blogger has their own version of the make-at-home Dole Whip...  Which is funny, because if you really, really wanted to make the real deal at home, the mix is widely available online for purchase.  In fact, I think many would say that the last thing the Disney universe needs is another DIY Dole Whip recipe. 

Yet, here I am, sharing my version.  And it's not exactly complicated...  I dare say, I'm not the first, last, or only person who's come up with this particular technique to make Dole Whips, though I can say honestly that I did come up with it on my own through experimentation (which isn't saying much, this is so simple I feel a little silly for even sharing it).

Now, this begs the answer to the obvious question "if you can make the real stuff by just ordering the mix, why don't you do that?"  Well, simply put, the mix comes in a bag that makes 70 servings.  While I know you don't make them all at once, I would have a hard time figuring out how exactly to store a bag that presumably weighs several pounds so that I can make Dole Whips on demand from now until the end of time.  Because even I, who could have Dole Whips every day, wouldn't even begin to know what to do with so much mix.

The other issue, and I know this sounds ludicrous, is that I think when it comes to making ice cream, I'm jinxed.  Something always goes wrong.  Either the drum isn't frozen all the way or I don't have enough ice or it doesn't set right...  So spending $25, plus shipping, to ruin 70 servings of Dole Whip mix just sounds like the opposite of fun to me.  I'm not opposed to fine-tuning my ice cream skills, but not with something that costs so much and makes so much.

Finally, it's a lot cheaper and easier to buy a bag of frozen pineapples and try to
make a Dole Whip out of that than the options above.  In the end, what's cheaper and easier usually is what wins out for me.  Like I said before, this is so easy it's stupid.

For my version, I use my handy, dandy Yonanas machine.  For those who don't have one, no fear...  A good blender can do roughly the same thing with maybe a slightly less creamy texture (seeing as I do not have a good blender, I can't really compare the results between the two...  My blender stinks, so whatever I get would be much waterier).  That said, I really encourage checking out a Yonanas machine though, especially if you're into clean or healthy eating and struggle with giving up sweet treats.  I've put everything from bananas to smoothie mixes through to make really great, healthy dessert options, and there are so many great recipes out there...  Besides mine, I mean.

The only thing I sometimes switch up when I make my Dole Whips is the whipped

topping.  The real deal Dole Whips are vegan friendly with no dairy, so I suppose

the most authentic way to serve this is without the whipped topping.  I, however, like a really creamy texture, so I like to add the whipped topping.  It's all personal taste, and personally, I think it tastes more like the real deal with the whipped topping.  But if you're a purist, skip the whipped topping and I promise, you'll still be in heaven.  The consistency is light, though admittedly not as light as the in-park soft serve, but close enough for me. 

Now, on with the recipe.  Seriously, it's insanely easy.  Nobody throw anything at me for posting this.  I did warn everybody.  It's easy.  Embarrassingly easy.  Don't make me write how to make this a Dole Whip Float...  Just put pineapple juice in a glass and scoop some of this on top.  Easy.  Super, duper easy.

I'd be ashamed to post my Citrus Swirl recipe because that's even easier.

~~~~  °o°  ~~~~

 Dole Whip

Inspired by the Dole Whips served at Aloha Isle and Captain Cook's at The Polynesian Village Resort

 

°o°  1 16-ounce bag of Dole frozen pineapple chunks
°o°  1/2 cup whipped topping (optional)

°o°  Water (if using a blender)

Remove pineapple chunks from freezer.  Allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.

Using a Yonanas machine, feed the pineapple chunks into the chute.  Using the

plunger, push through the feeder into a bowl.  Disassemble unit and scrape out remaining whipped pineapple.  

If desired, mix in whipped topping until thoroughly blended.  Serve immediately.
 

If using a blender, add pineapple into the blender and blend on puree, adding water slowly in a thin stream while the blender is running as needed, to achieve desired consistency.

~~~~  °o°  ~~~~

 

I warned everybody, this was ridiculously easy.

 

Unknown

Hey there gang! 

First, I want to offer an apology and an explanation... First, the apology... Sorry that it's been forever since I posted any updates, to either here or the blog. I promise, I've thought of everybody here all the time and the blast I had re-creating Disney for the home cooks out there. This was, is, and probably will always be one of the projects I think back on with pride, as I never, ever, EVER thought this blog would have the reach that it has now grown to have. The opportunities that have opened up to me as a result have been breathtaking, so I apologize that I've kind of returned that favor the readers have given my by giving me their time, attention and praise, by disappearing into Never Land. I hate that I did that to you guys and I promise that I'm in the process of rectifying it even as we speak.

Secondly, the explanation... Shortly after the last blog post, I was diagnosed with persistent degenerative Lyme disease, discovered after an infected tick bite go so badly infected, it resulted in a trip to the ER, bed rest, and a total lifestyle change. The months after was a combination of discovering the symptoms the disease would bring on, managing them, and trying to maintain some semblance of a normal life. Unfortunately, in the process of doing so, my blog fell to the wayside. It was never my intention to stop posting for a time, but the circumstances of my life, the illness and resulting symptoms, and a desire for privacy in managing them with my family just took away the time I had to maintain it.

I'm not trying to excuse taking a break (without telling anybody), merely explain what happened, where I went, and why I didn't give anybody any sort of indication of what was going on. I do want to say that I have read all your comments, here, on the blog, tons on Pinterest, and I don't think any of you guys will ever realize how uplifting it was to see that, despite everything, the life my blog had taken on even without me attending it regularly was growing and growing and people were meeting and coming together and sharing cooking stories as a result of the recipes I shared.

By way of an update on how things are now, there are good days, bad days, but most of all, the good days are now outweighing the bad. Life is getting back to normal and I'm so appreciative of that. For those who asked (you guys have such an awesome memory!), I did realize my dream of running in RunDisney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon in November, and I did finish despite spending about 12 hours in the ER just 2 days before my flight to Florida. I am enrolled in the Glass Slipper Challenge for the Princess Half (I signed up before my diagnosis), and my participation for that remains in the air, but I hope for the best.

As for the blog, I'm excited and eager to share that I'm making plans to again begin updating it. Slowly but surely, I'll get to the comments here and on the blog, and I'll begin adding new content soon. I may not be updating as often per week as I was before, but I'll certainly be updating it more frequently than once every six months...

Finally, I want to thank everybody for hanging in there even though you guys as readers were more active than I was as the author. I appreciate it and I can't wait to start sharing new recipes, food experiences, pictures, and memories with you guys, hopefully, as soon as this week.

Thank you and much love,
Jerusha
(aka The Disney Chef)

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