Halloween Treats at Disneyland

I  love Halloween. I love Disneyland. In fact I love anything disney.

So when a friends daughter was having a birthday at Mickeys Halloween Party in Disneyland, I was so excited! This time of year, Mickey and friends throw a Halloween Party that is not to be missed. I went on a hunt for all of the yummy Halloween treats that are only available during the month of October. I also enjoyed some of their traditional food items as well.

On select nights in September and October, Disneyland hosts a special event that starts at 6 pm. Now FYI, when you buy tickets for this special event, you are allowed to enter the park as early as 3 pm, and for the price, it is much lower that their regular admission price, and since I usually enter the park in late afternoon anyway, this was a great time to go.

At 6 pm, they begin giving out candy at candy trail locations throughout the park. The place is all decked out for the holiday, and even some of the rides have been transformed. They also have a wonderful Halloween Parade, and amazing fireworks show. 

And while I'm here to celebrate a birthday of a much adored 15 year old, I will also be trying all of the special food fair that is offered for the holiday. I prepared early by checking out other blogs like the Disney Food Blog, for information on where to find

The Halloween snacks, and that really helped a lot.

The first thing I tried, was the Mickey Pumpkin Beignets. You can find the traditional Mickey Beignets at The Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square, and for a limited time, you can enjoy the Mickey Pumpkin Beignets, which I found to be absolutely delicious! They have a very warm, soft, powdery ( is that a word?) sugared texture.

And a deep pumpkin flavor. The kids will find this to be a special treat. Dipping these in coffee is the way to go!

We also tried the Raspberry Magnolia Lemonade that not only tastes light and refreshing, but also fun because it comes with an led ice cube! (Not Edible)

It looked so festive for the Halloween Holiday!

I had their regular Mint Julep that I have always wanted to try, and to my surprise, I fell in love with this drink! I loved the mint flavor, and lightness of this drink. It's non-alcoholic from what I've been told, so you can enjoy it with the family. It has become my new Disneyland Favorite!

I have a list of regular favorite foods to eat everytime I visit Disneyland, including the Bengal Barbecue located across from the Indiana Jones attraction, and the Corn Dogs located near Carnation Plaza, but for the holiday event, I'm in search of limited time goodies!

My next stop, was at the Country Bear Restaurant, for their Caramel Apple Funnel Cake. This Halloween treat should never be passed up! It was the most delicious Funnel Cake I've ever had!

It is topped with a warm, gooy apple pie filling, that just goes together so well with the Mickey shaped whipped cream that is piped on top. The whole thing is then drizzled with a bit of caramel syrup. I swear, I want one right now just thinking about it.

My kids absolutely devoured it! My husband never eats whipped cream, and he said that this is the best he has ever tried! So be sure to check out the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Disneyland for this scrumptious Halloween treat!

The Hungry Bear Restaurant is also known for their Honey Lemon Cupcake, that I had to try.

It has been topped with an edible Bee that has almonds for wings! The flavor of the frosting has a light lemony flavor and with the honey in the cupcake just reminds me of summer with Winnie the Pooh!

My final stop was to the jolly holiday bakery to check out the Bat cookies that I've been hearing so much about.

 They also had these too cute Mickey pumpkin cupcakes, that looked to adorable not to try. As soon as they passed it to me, we all took a bite! The frosting on this cupcake was soft, velvety, vanilla flavored fun.

 But at this time, we are so totally full that we can't eat another bite, so we just stared at these beauties through the case. I have to admit, it is pretty hard to try and eat all of the Halloween treats at Disneyland. I thought I could do it no problem. Boy was I wrong. Even with all the walking, I was full after just a few treats. But it was all worth it! Every last bite!

Disneyland this time of year, in my personal opinion is the best time to go.

You get to try all of their traditional foods, as well as seasonal favorites and everything festive that the park has to offer.

Especially the rides that are transformed for the Halloween holiday like the Haunted Mansion that has been turned into the Night Before Christmas!

So if you happen to be on the west coast this holiday season, be sure to stop by Disneyland! It'll be a treat you won't soon forget:)


And while we are talking about Halloween, don't forget to check out these Halloween treats that you can make at home.

Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate

Harry Potter Pretzel Cheese Brooms

Avocado Egg Salad Open Faced Sandwich

Beer Battered Onion Rings

My kids love onion rings. So on our hot dog night, instead of sweet potato fries, I thought I'd try my hand at onion rings. I've never made them before and I know everyone would love them. 

I'm not much of an onion person. I like them in moderation. I can't really eat raw onions as the taste will just linger with me FOREVER!   But I like to eat them in there cooked form.

I like onion rings, but I have to admit that I'm the person who takes the onion out and will just eat the crunchy batter around it.

Yes I used to cut the ends of my bread:)

I have to say that since this blog has started, I've been cooking things that I either never thought about making or I just never had faith in myself to make. So I am very thankful that since I have started this blog, along with reading many of the other wonderful blogs out there, it has inspired me to try so many new things in the kitchen.

So thanks for sticking with me and here we go!

Ingredients:

2 sweet vidalia onions

2 Cups all-purpose flour

2 Teaspoons garlic powder

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Teaspoon smoked paprika

1 Egg

1-1 1/2 Bottles of beer

1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Canola oil for frying

Begin by slicing onions into 1/2 inch slices. Separate slices into rings.

In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Stir to combine.

Then pour beer in bowl and stir well until it is the consistency of batter. Add Dijon mustard and mix well then set aside.

In a shallow dish, add  bread crumbs and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Combine bread crumb mixture.

Add oil to frying pan. about enough to cover 2-3 inches from the bottom.

Heat oil to 350 degrees. 

Dip the onion rings into wet batter to coat, then dredge into bread crumb mixture. Carefully put them into hot oil, and turn a few times to get the rings golden brown.

Remove rings from oil, and place on a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve warm with your favorite sauce or dip.

Bacon Wrapped Sausage Bite's

 

 

 

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday. We watched the game and ate some really good snacks! Even though the game was really disappointing due to the fact that the Broncos got smashed, the snacks were still awesome! Super Bowl Sunday is always a big deal in our house, and this year felt a little different because I just got home from a short trip, so preparing for game day snacks was a little rushed and unplanned.

I was still able to make the most delicious Super Bowl snack that I have ever had. They disappeared within minutes! This snack is so easy and is perfect for the meat lover, and picky eaters. I have both!

The sweetness from the brown sugar, gives the bacon an addicting flavor and the saltiness from the sausage makes this snack complete. I love sweet and salty:)

Ingredients:

1 pound bacon

2 packages pre-cooked smoked sausage links

1/2 cup brown sugar

Toothpicks

Per-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by cutting the sausage into 1 inch pieces. Wrap a piece of sausage in a piece of bacon that is about 2 inches long, and secure with a toothpick. Place bacon wrapped sausages on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle sausages generously with brown sugar. And bake for about 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer sausages to a serving dish.

Peppermint Candy DIY tray

 

 

Watching TV is something I never really have time for, but when I do have some time, I'll try to catch up on my favorite daytime cooking/talk shows.

Last year I saw an episode of The Chew on abc and they were showing how to do a DIY edible tray made from peppermint candies and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. And I said to myself that I was going to make one this year.

And that's what I did because that's what I do!

I love leaving cookies for Santa, even though my kids are teens and know the truth. I still believe in the spirit of Santa, and I still ask him for what I want for the new year, which every year is health, happiness and prosperity for my family and friends. 

This peppermint candy tray is simple and will bring a touch of whimsy to your holiday party. It's a great tray for displaying sweet snacks, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and more!

All you need is a baking sheet, parchment paper and some peppermint candies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place the parchment on your baking sheet and begin arranging the peppermint candies next to each other. It is ok to have them touching but do not let them overlap.

Place baking sheet in oven and let bake for 8-10 minutes. I let mine cool for 2 minutes then I trimmed it with a pizza cutter because it baked in a strange shape.

 Some people may have better luck and have it baked to perfection, but of course not me, so I trimmed it and it came out great!

Let cool compleatly before handling.

So easy and so cool! And the best part is that after all the guests have gone, you can eat it!

I will be using mine as a plate for cookies and milk for ol Saint Nick!

If you do make one, come back and let me know how it turned out!

Happy Holidays!

Guilt Free Kale Chips

With thanksgiving done and all the leftovers eaten, my guilt starts to set in. Not only because I did not really cook anything healthy or nutritious for our holiday meal, but for the fact that my skirts no longer fit :(

So a few days later I am cleaning out the fridge and I found an extra bag of Kale that I did not need for making the turkey pretty. So I decided that I should try to make some Kale chips to help take the guilt sting away.

I did not know that Kale chips were not only very easy to make, but that they taste really good!

My daughter first gave the eeww look when she took her first bite, but then it quickly changed to " Hey these are not that bad!" Then she kept coming back in the kitchen for more.

Then she says "These are really good but I won't order them again."  0_o

Then she comes back in the kitchen for more. And more.

I think they taste a bit like asparagus. My son said " Mom, how did you make these taste like broccoli?"

Even my husband who is always reluctant to try new foods, said that Kale chips are on his list of healthy snacks!

So from now on when we are in the mood for something crunchy, these will be our go to chips. No more guilt. Love it!

1 Bunch of kale

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

Dash of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Wash Kale under cold water and dry thoroughly by patting them dry with paper towels. Be sure to then remove the ribs of the Kale when slicing. Slice into 1 inch pieces. Place Kale pieces in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and toss with hands to get Kale evenly coated. Place Kale pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

Finger Food - Sweet Potato Stacks

Sweet Potato Stacks

I am trying to find healthy snacks to eat while watching all of the Halloween movies and T.V. Shows that have been on lately. I usually love me some twizzlers but I know that I can do better than that. My husband helped to put these together and I think he is starting to like helping me in the kitchen. My daughter loves to help out, my son...not so much.

So when I said I was making Sweet Potato Stacks, everybody got excited.

I knew they would be good, but I did not expect them to be ADDICTIVE!

This is my first time using a mandolin, and I have to 

Say, I will never slice thinly without it!

I got mine on clearance for $5.00 at my grocery store.

It may not be a fancy one, but it's good enough for now.

My camera is giving me a hard time today, sorry:)

As soon as I got them out of the oven, they practically 

Disappeared!

I adore appetizers, I love finger food, and these will be a big hit for our next holiday party!

If you need a simple yet delicious appetizer to serve this holiday season, give this a try! 

2 sweet potatoes thinly sliced ( I used a mandolin )

2 cups of shredded mozzarella 

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350

In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning.

On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, place one slice of sweet potato

Brush with a bit of melted butter mixture. Sprinkle with some shredded cheese.

Top with another slice of sweet potato, then brush with butter mixture and sprinkle a bit more cheese on top. Repeat this process for all of the stacks.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted and the stacks have browned a bit. I was able to get about 20 stacks from 2 sweet potatoes.  YMMV (Your mileage may vary)

Do you have a favorite appetizer?

Harry Potter Pretzel Cheese Brooms

My kids love anything to do with Harry Potter!

They love talking about the movies, the theme park, costumes, the food. So when I saw this idea on Pinterest, posted by many others. I just had to try it myself, knowing my kids would get a kick out of it.

My daughter propped up the brooms. She said it would look cool this way, and I think she is right!

So simple, just take some pretzel sticks, a slice of cheese and a scallion onion sliced very thin length wise. 

Begin by slicing the cheese slice into thirds. Make little slits into cheese to form the bristles, do not cut all the way through, just half way up the cheese. (You get what I mean;)

Wrap bristles around base of pretzel stick and tie with piece of sliced onion.

And that's it! I love this as snacks for well...ANYONE! And it is perfect for a Halloween party appetizers.

My kids loved the flavor and did not mind the onion at all, they actually loved it!

Tell me what you think?