A few weeks ago we were fortunate to be at Walt Disney World where we saw some of the HUGE pumpkins being grown in the “Living With The Land” attraction.  These are grown in the Production Greenhouse section of The Land where a lot of different vegetables are grown for use in the Garden Grill Restaurant just upstairs as well as many other EPCOT restaurants. I have no idea what these weighed however they were some of the biggest pumpkins I’ve seen. In addition they’re also growing the Mickey shaped pumkins in the hanging molds which are really neat (see picture below.)

So, in honor of the season, I wanted to post a Disney recipe with this tasty ingredient that you can make right in your own home. This recipe comes from the restaurant BOMA in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  It’s a PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE recipe that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.  Here’s how you do it:

Pumpkin Cheesecake (Boma, Animal Kingdom Lodge)

Yields (1) cheesecake

1 2/3 lb Cream Cheese
5/8 tsp Coriander
5 oz Sugar
5/8 tsp Ginger
3 Eggs
1 ½ oz Heavy Cream
1 tsp Orange Zest
1 ½ oz Sour Cream
1 tsp Lemon Zest
5/8 lb Pumpkin Puree (canned is fine)
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
4 Tbl Bourbon Whiskey
¼ tsp Fresh Ground Nutmeg
5/8 tsp Cloves
5/8 tsp Anise Seed

Crust Topping
½ lb Graham Cracker Crumbs
¼ oz Black Sesame Seeds
4 oz Melted Butter
4 oz Heavy Cream
2 oz Sugar

Prepare graham cracker crust by mixing graham cracker crumbs, melted, butter, and sugar in a bowl. Sprinkle into the bottom of the round flexipan mold. Set aside.

Prepare cheesecake mix by creaming sugar, zests and cream cheese.

Add all the spices, then the rest of the ingredients, while constantly scraping to make sure there are no lumps.

Pour the cheesecake mix in the pan all the way to the top. Set the flexipan mold on a sheet pan and bake in a hot water bath at 275° for about an hour. Place in freezer to cool and then un-mold.

Sprinkle black sesame seeds on a sheet pan and bake at 350° until golden brown.

Whip heavy cream with sugar until stiff peaks. Pipe small dollops of whipped cream on cheesecake. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

That’s all there is to it! 

Happy Halloween everyone!

After an extended stay at the beach and some superb seafood meals I went on a search for the best Crab Cake recipe I could find since it’s one of my favorite meals when dining at seafood restaurants. The one I chose comes from Phillip’s Restaurants Executive Chef and TV Show Host Mark Laubner as it’s a simple and classic way to prepare this dish at home. Just about everyone out there has their favorite crab cake recipe (and each Disney restaurant also has their own unique twist on this dish) so give this one a try and you’ll be in CRAB HEAVEN!

And just a note…….For those of you planning on visiting Walt Disney World, you can also find great Crab Cakes at places like the Libery Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom (only as an appetizer for lunch), the Flying Fish Cafe on the Boardwalk and of course Fulton’s Crab House in Downtown Disney.

Ingredients:

1 pound Crabmeat
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Seafood Seasoning (Old Bay)
1 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
1/4 teaspoon Dry Mustard
1 heaping tablespoon Mayonnaise
1 heaping teaspoon Prepared Mustard
1/4 cup Cracker or Bread Crumbs
2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:
Place crabmeat into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat eggs, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, dehydrated parsley flakes, dry mustard, mayonnaise and prepared mustard in a separate mixing bowl. Add cracker crumbs to the mixture. fold dressing into crabmeat, being careful not to break up the crabmeat. Shape into slightly flattened patties and chill.

You can either sauté the cakes in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on both sides until they are golden brown, or you can broil until golden brown on each side.

Yield: The number of crab cakes depend on their size.

Recipes courtesy of Mark Laubner © 2002

2 1/2 lbs Frozen Strawberries (thawed with juice)
16oz Heavy Cream
2oz Sour Cream (Regular)
3oz Plain Yogurt
1/2 lb Fresh Strawberries

Mix frozen strawberries, heavy cream, sour cream and yogurt in a large bowl. Beat slowly until well mixed with a smooth consistency. Chill and then mix well before serving. Add fresh strawberries halves as garnish.

Technorati Tags: Strawberry Soup

Cottage Pie is a traditional English dish that is served at the Rose and Crown Pub in the United Kingdom (EPCOT.) Basically it’s a Shepherd’s Pie but instead of using lamb the Cottage Pie is made with beef as the main ingredient. Topped off with some made-from-scratch mashed potatoes, this is a winner for the whole family.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1/4 cup Butter
1 cup Diced Onion
1 1/2 pounds Lean Ground Beef
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Savory
1 cup Brown Gravy
2 cups Mashed Potatoes
Additional Butter

Heat 1/4 cup butter in a 9-inch skillet. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, stirring. Add beef, salt, pepper and savory and continue cooking 5 minutes longer. Stir in gravy and heat until bubbling. Spoon into a buttered 8-cup flat casserole dish. Top meat mixture with mashed potatoes. Dot with pieces of butter. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.

As always, the quality of the ingredients will improve the taste of the dish. Make sure you take the extra time to make your own mashed potatoes as the boxed instant kind doesn’t quite give you the right taste.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Cottage Pie, Rose and Crown Pub

Here’s how to make one at home….you’ll need:

2-3 scoops Chocolate Ice Cream
2-3 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
1/2 cup Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping (warmed)
1/2 cup Hot Fudge
1-2 tablespoons Peanut Butter Morsels
1-2 tablespoons Chocolate Morsels
Reddi-Wip Whipped Cream
Cherry

If you can find an ice cream glass to fit everything that would be best, however a large bowl will do. Just add a few scoops of ice cream to your bowl followed by some Peanut Butter Topping and a little bit of Hot Fudge. Add the rest of the ice cream and more Peanut Butter topping and Hot Fudge to taste. Top it off with a good amount of Reddi-Wip Whipped Cream and some Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels and top it off with a cherry and there you go!

Make sure you purchase good quality Ice Cream since we’re trying to replicate Disney’s version of the sundae. It’s also a must to have really good Peanut Butter topping made specifically for ice cream. If you use plain old peanut butter you won’t get the full effect as the topping is much sweeter. There are a lot of different recipes online to make the topping so Google it or you might be able to find it at your local grocery store. Also, don’t skimp on the Hot Fudge. The better the quality the better the sundae will be so make sure you go with a good brand like Hershey’s or Smuckers.

Have fun with it and bring a little Disney dessert to your home this weekend!!

(P.S. Thanks to our friend “Wazzo” (from DISBoards.com) for providing this great picture!!)

Technorati Tags: No Way Jose, Beaches and Cream, Beach Club Resort

Here’s what you’ll need:
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1 quart Milk (the full fat stuff!)
1 1/4 cups Quattro Fromage (which is basically a mixture of Asiago, Provolone, Fontina, and Gruyere cheeses)
2 pounds Elbow Macaroni

Prepare the macaroni according to the directions on the package. Make a roux with the flour and butter over low heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and work in the roux. Add cheese and salt to taste. Pour over the macaroni and heat through in a moderate oven.

If I can’t enjoy it because of my diet (at least for now) then I hope you do!

Technorati Tags: Macaroni and Cheese, Jiko, Animal Kingdom Lodge

Taken right from Mom’s cookbook, this Meatloaf recipe is a classic. Give it a try and do Mom proud!

Ingredients:
2 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Ground Pork
4 Eggs
1 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
½ cup Diced Onions
1/4 cup Diced Green Peppers
1/4 cup Diced Red Peppers
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Cracked Black Pepper (to taste)
Kosher Salt (to taste)
½ cup Meatloaf Glaze (see recipe below)

Dice peppers and onions and set aside for later use. Combine meats and seasonings. Add vegetables. Place meat mixture in oiled loaf pan. Bake at 350º F oven for 1 hour (internal temperature should be 155º). Remove meatloaf and brush with meatloaf glaze (see recipe below.) Bake another 10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside for 10 minutes. Cut loaf and serve.

Meatloaf Glaze Ingredients:
½ cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
½ Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
(Combine all ingredients until mixture is smooth.)

Technorati Tags: 50s Prime Time Cafe, Disneys MGM Studios, Meatloaf

RECIPE#1

1 quart Dole Pineapple Juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 cups Cream
3 cups Sugar
Milk

Mix the pineapple juice and sugar making sure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Next add the cream and vanilla. Pour the whole mixture into the Ice Cream freezer container. Add milk to finish filling to the “fill line”. At this point simply follow the instructions on your ice cream maker. When the ice cream is ready you can serve it as is — or you can stick it in the freezer for a while and let it set up a bit.

RECIPE#2

2 cans DOLE Crushed Pineapple (20oz cans)
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons Lime Juice
1/3 cup Sugar
1-1/2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream (whipped )

Drain pineapple from the cans and reserve 2 tablespoons of the juice. Set aside. Place the pineapple, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and reserved pineapple juice in blender or food processor container. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into two 1-quart freezer ziplock bags. Store bags flat in freezer. Freeze for 90-minutes or until slushy. Take bags out from freezer and in a large bowl stir pineapple slush gently into whipped cream until slightly blended. Return to freezer until completely frozen (about 1 hour) and serve.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: DOLE WHIP

Red Velvet Cake Ingredients:
1/4 cup Butter (softened)
3/4 cups Sugar
1 Egg
1 tablespoons Cocoa
1 ounces Red Food Coloring
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 cups Flour
1/2 tablespoon Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9″ springform pan. Cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring. Add the paste to the creamed mixture. Mix salt and vanilla in buttermilk and add alternately with the flour. Mix baking soda and vinegar separately, add last, folding in. Do not beat after adding baking soda mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. Cream Cheese
1 1/3 C. Sugar
5 Large Eggs
16 oz. Sour Cream
1/4 C. Flour
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
(Note: All above ingredients should be at room temperature before your begin.)

Start by beating the cream cheese until light and fluffy, Keeping the mixer on a low setting throughout the beating and mixing process. Add the sugar a little at a time and continue beating until creamy. Add one egg at a time and beat after each egg. When eggs have been mixed into the cream cheese add the flour, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix well. Add the sour cream last and beat well.

Divide the batter into 6 bowls and color each one:
Purple
Red
Yellow
Light Blue
Green
Orange

Drop large spoonfuls of the colored batters randomly atop the red velvet cake in the springform pan. Swirl each layer slightly. Place on the top rack in the middle of a 325 degree preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes. When time is up, prop open oven door and leave in oven for one hour. After one hour, remove from oven. Let cool enough before the cheesecake is put into the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Serve and Enjoy!!

Technorati Tags: Tye-Dyed Cheesecake, Pop Century, Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 oz Castillo Rum
1/2 oz Bacardi Silver Rum
1/2 oz Malibu Rum
1/2 oz Myers Dark Rum
Splash Grenadine
Splash Key Lime Juice
Equal parts orange juice and pineapple juice

Just shake to mix in an ice filled 12oz cup. Now, if you don’t have all these types of Rum in your liquor cabinet then just take the rum you have available and use that instead. It will be different in taste but you’ll certainly have a refreshing drink none the less.

Cheers!

Technorati Tags: Old Key West Resort