Disney's California Adventure: Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop and Corndog Castle

Somehow, every time I plan on going to Disneyland, I end up going to Disney's California Adventure instead.  DCA doesn't have the same magical ambiance or soul soothing nostalgia that Disneyland does but it does have cocktails, wine, hotlink corn dogs and now, a Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop.

If you haven't been to DCA in the past year, you are missing an amazing renovation that converted the previous ho-hum entrance to a time machine directly to Burbank in the 1920s. The recreation of Buena Vista street is done in a Spanish Colonial Revival style that does actually does evoke a sense of Disney history previously lacking from the former named Sunshine Plaza.

But my focus during this DCA trip was to enjoy a treat from Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop and a hotlink corn dog at Corndog Castle.  I'm pregnant, don't judge me.


Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop

Now, I've been to Ghiradelli shops twice in my life.  Once in San Francisco and once in Las Vegas.  In neither place was I given a free sample of Ghiradelli just for entering the store so I automatically put this Anaheim based shop at the top of Ghiradelli establishments.

Can I just say that this is also a great upgrade from the original Mission Tortilla Factory that occupied this space.  Chocolate sample > Tortilla sample, in my opinion.  Even if you got a full free package of tortillas on your birthday, I still think Ghiradelli is superior and more San Francisco Wharf appropriate.

The menu at this little shop consists mainly of various sundaes, malts, shakes, floats, chocolate baked goods, chocolate treats, chocolate drinks and specialty coffees.

I was hoping that there would be chocolate sodas, egg creams and other old school soda fountain beverages as the name would imply they had, but no.  At least, not on the menu I read.

I settled on a Lemon Fizz (lemon sorbet, club soda and sliced strawberries) which is basically a strawberry lemonade slurpee.  DH picked out the Sea Salt Caramel Banana Shake, a superior drink to my own choice, and enjoyed every second of it.

While we were in line, the man behind us told his children, "This is an occasional thing.  That's why it's called a treat.  And not like that Dairy Queen crap." If it didn't reek so much of a spiteful tirade against a possible ex wife squabble I would say, "Exactly."

No offense Dairy Queen. 

It seemed like the hot item at the shop was actually the sundaes, especially since they looked like cups of ice creamy joy, but I just had Coldstone's a couple of nights before and wasn't in the mood ice cream overload.

I'm pregnant, not cruising for diabetes.  Though I don't know that the Lemon Fizz was a better anti-diabetes choice in the end.




Corn Dog Castle

DCA underwent a massive remodel around the World of Color area over the past few years adding things like the Little Mermaid ride and a new plaza for food. During that remodel, I tried multiple times to come to DCA for a hotlink corn dog only to be disappointed because it was closed during construction.  I was devastated by the idea that Corn Dog Castle might be no more. 

Because honestly, who cares about a stupid mermaid who would give up her greatest strength, her voice, for a chance at some guy she had never actually met before.  How would that be more important than a corn dog with a hot link in the center instead of a boring old beef frank? 

Lucky for me and for the Disney planners, Corn Dog Castle reopened with the same great joy on a stick.

The regular corn dog is just as good as the ones you can find on Disneyland's Main Street at the Red Wagon.  Even the Cheddar Cheese stick is quite good since it's both bigger and tastier than anything offered at Hot Dog on a Stick.  But the real star of the show, to which many of my Instagram friends confirm, is the hotlink option.  I don't know of anywhere else that makes this culinary wonder.

Every corn dog is offered with a bag of Lay's potato chips or a bag of apple slices. Personally, I assuage my deep fried guilt with the apples.  I don't usually eat the apples by the time I'm full of corn dog but at least I didn't eat the oily potato chips right?

If you've never had one of these, please don't judge them by their appearance or by their non-Disney counterparts.  This is a taste sensation that is unrivaled.

Grab 3-4 packets of mustard (avoid the ketchup), douse liberally and enjoy every sinful bite.

I dropped my last bite of corn dog on the floor and I can't tell you how sad faced it made me.  Like a kid who dropped an entire ice cream cone round side down on the dirtiest of concrete.

But here's a picture of my first bite in all it's beautifully lumpy glory.

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A Fig, a Pig and a Moo

Growing up having only had figs in Newton form, and not being particularly fond of any kind of Newton, I was pleasantly surprised when I had fresh figs for the first time.  They were not too sweet with pretty speckled insides and a tender but not mushy texture.  Why are they not served like this all the time?  What is this crazy Newton business?

As a cheese lover, there's just no fruit that goes quite as well with different types of cheese as figs. (That's right grapes, you heard me.)

My go to potluck offering is always some kind of cheese and fruit plate but this time, for a multiple summer birthday dinner party, I thought I'd switch it up and actually assemble an appetizer.

My friends affectionately named this A Fig, a Pig and a Moo.  As brilliant as my friends are, this is a play off a named flatbread pizza at a restaurant in Huntington Beach called A Fig and a Pig, using figs and prosciutto, mozarella and wild rocket.

So, much as I'd like to take credit for the flavor sensation that is figs and prosciutto, it seems this combination is a no brainer.  I will take full credit for the addition of Danish blue cheese though.

This is a perfect appetizer for the summer as it doesn't require any actual cooking.  If I were a more ambitious woman, I would have grilled the figs first to carmelize the sugar.  Or wrapped the blue cheese on top of the fig and popped the whole thing in the broiler until the prosciutto was crispy and the blue cheese was melted.  Or I could have made a blue cheese spread to put on toast points and top with prosciutto and a slice of figs.

I did none of these things.

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh black figs
4 oz prosciutto in the flat package
4 oz Danish blue cheese

Directions:
1. Rinse, dry and trim the stems off the figs.

2. Slice the figs in half. Slice the stack of prosciutto into 3 strips. Separate the strips. Cut the blue cheese into 1/8 oz pieces

4. Wrap a fig half with one strip of prosciutto.  Repeat until all the figs are wrapped.

5. Top each prosciutto wrapped fig with a piece of blue cheese.

6. Optional: Place under broiler until blue cheese is melted.

7. Serve to friends and listen to all the comments about how wonderful the combination of flavors are and how it hits every part of the palate in a deeply satisfying way.

Or just enjoy with a glass of wine.

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Daily Makeup Routine

I've found that when I start getting lazy about doing my makeup, buying a new product to spice up the routine reinvigorates my energy to get dolled up everyday.  Not that you can call my minimalist routine dolled up. More like, bare basics flaw hiding.

Aside from my Ipsy subscription, I don't get new cosmetics very often, nor am I very product loyal.  There's always something new coming out!  When I buy a product, however, as long as it's acceptable, I tend to use it until the end before switching to something new. I just relish in the joy of when something I don't absolutely love runs out.

Currently, here are my daily use products and what I think of them:

Lancome Star Bronzer.  I went to ULTA and asked what kind of powder would be good with my sensitive skin for contouring.  This was the suggestion and I love how long wearing and natural it looks on the skin.  And after a couple of weeks of daily use, no skin irritation problems! $35.

Too Faced Lash Injection.   My eyes are easily irritated by mascara lately, probably because the pregnancy is causing dry eye issues. As a result, I'm not using mascara very much and I can't tell if the eye irritation is actually from the pregnancy or from the mascara.  $21.

Benefit Coralista Blush.  My friend invited me to a Benefit event years ago where we experienced free Benefit Beauty Bar treatments.  I picked up this blush because of the pretty color and nice scent.  The powder has lasted me over 2 years of near daily use!  I have a Michael Mina blush to replace this with when the last of it runs out in the next day or so but I think I might end up going to pick up a new container of Coralista instead. $21.

Garnier BB Cream. When BBs first came out, Garnier had the best reviews and at such a great price, I picked up a tube immediately.  Though I like the light coverage and that it's easier on the skin than foundation or even light powder, I don't love the finish as much now as when I first started using it.  I guess you get what you pay for because I'll be trying out some CC creams when this tube runs out. $12.99.

Juice Beauty Hydrating Mist.  I received this as an Ipsy sample just as my Murad toner ran out. It is fine as a toner but the smell leaves a little to be desired.  I'll be switching from this to Clinique Clarifying Lotion this week because I like witch hazel. $22.

Elta MD UV Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 45. After the Cetaphil moisturizer and sunscreen  ran out, I looked for paraben free sunscreen that would be lightweight, moisturizing, oil free and play well with make-up.  This sunscreen is highly reviewed and meets all the requirements.  So far, it's been great.  Sadly, my puppy got a hold of the tube and squeezed some out (without eating any of it) so I can't tell if this is truly a good value in terms of quantity per cost.  $27.

Benefit Moonbeam Complexion Enhancer.  This Benefit highlighter is the warm skin tone version of their ever popular Highbeam highlighter.  It gives everything it touches a warm, eye catching glow that isn't at all glittery.  This is one of my must haves that I will rebuy after it runs out. $26.

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner.  This eyeliner has the sharpness of a liquid eyeliner with the forgiving nature of a power or pencil eyeliner.  I absolutely love how easily it goes on and how long it lasts.  I don't know if it's the nature of gel liners or just this brand but I am a gel liner convert.   $9.99.

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H&M Home Coming Soon to the United States

When it comes to low cost high style design, H&M is one of my absolute favorite stores.  As in with the mere mention of the letters H&M, I get itching to head over to the closest location and drop a few hundred dollars on a new wardrobe.

The only thing that's stopping me at this second is my current plan to slim down before my birthday.  Then, you know, it's game on.

But then H&M announces they're going to bring their home decor line to the US and all bets are now officially off. I clicked my way to H&M UK to shop the kinds of goods I might be getting my hands on in the near future.

Here are my favorites!

Ceramic Box. This metallic gem of a box ix something I could only dream of making in pottery class.  Until I get to master potter status, this H&M buy will have to do. £7.99

Labeled Candle. Similar to Le Labo and other high end candles, this lab looking candle comes in various colors and is fragrance free. Perfect for placing on the table during dinner parties preventing that pesky scent clashing problem. £3.99

Cushion Cover. This comes in large and small sequins. The large sequins are cute but the small ones are just so luxe! £3.99

2 pack Guest Towels. How adorable would these be folded and placed on a the guest bed?  No charge, of course. £6.99

Jute Basket. I'm looking for attractive baskets to catch my gym gear and DH's bicycling gear so they're convenient to reach without being an eyesore.  These are so cheap, I might just pick up a few spares. £9.99

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Cricut Pirate Party Decor

George Kitteh is a Pirate

Confession time: I can't draw a straight line.  At least, not without the proper tools.  In fact, for most things I can't do I have a tool that will help me do it.

Straight cuts? Paper cutter.

Pretty lettering? Stamps.

Awesome pirate adventure cutouts? Cricut.

So when couple friend of mine decided to have a pirate birthday party for their 8 year old daughter, I naturally volunteered to help with decor and such.

And by decor I mean an adorable bunted banner that I've been trying to make.  And some pirate sails meant to be attached to straws. And a little flair for the birthday present wrapping.

By the way, I only spent $2.00 total on all these projects combined. Using, you know, hundreds of dollars worth of craft tools investments. I spent about 3 hours total and went through 1 already used cricut mat.

Enjoy!

Bunted Pirated Banner 
Paper - Red, white and black (cut into paper sizes that work with my Cricut) poster board.
Cricut Catridges - George and Shapes, Life's a Beach, Paper Doll Dress Up. (Thanks MIL for letting me borrow from your stash!)
Other Supplies - Crop-A-Dial Big Bite, Jute Twine, glue and a paper cutter.

1. Cut 1 poster board of red paper into triangles on a paper cutter.  I believe my triangles were about 4" by 7". I needed 20 triangles to spell out "Happy Birthday Kaeli" including the spacing triangles and made extra just in case of mistakes.

2. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out the letters (surprisingly pirate like that George Font) in white and circles in black. The letters were set to 3" and the circles were set to 3.5". I made 18 of the black circles.

3. Using the Life's a Beach Cricut cartridge, cut out the skull and crossbones at 1" on white paper. I cut however many of these I could fit on my cricut mat assuming that I would use them for the sails and even as confetti if there were that much left over.

4. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out two 4" circle in white.

5. Using the Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut cartidge, cut out a 3.5" pirate ship and a 6" pirate flag in black. (For some reason the pirate flag is not true to size on my Cricut so I had to cut a 6" to get to a 4".)

6. Assemble the lettered triangles by gluing the skull and crossbones at the bottom of the inverted triangle. Center the black circles above the skull and crossbones and between the 3 sides of the triangle attach.  The glue the white letters to the center of the black circle.

7. Assemble the spacer triangles (to go between the words) by gluing the white circle in the center of the red inverted triangle and gluing the ship or the pirate flag on the center of the circle.

8. Punch small holes with the Crop-A-Dile at least half an inch in the 2 points along the top of the inverted triangles.

9. String the jute twine, without cutting so the twine takes the hanging weight pressure instead of the paper, through each hole and knot to hold in place.  Remember to leave some extra jute twine before the first letter and after the last letter to have something to hang up the sign with.

10. Bask in the awe of your creativity.

Straw Sails (or Food Sails)
Paper - Red, white and black poster board cut into sizes that work with the Cricut.
Cricut Catridges - George and Shapes, Life's a Beach
Other Supplies - Crop-A-Dial Big Bite and glue.

1. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out the uneven rectangle shape to 4" on red paper. I made one for each child I thought was going to attend the party.

2. Using the Life's a Beach Cricut cartridge, cut out the skull and crossbones at 1". I used leftover skulls from the bunted banner but again, if cutting these skulls, it's better to just cut as many as will fit on a page.  Skull and crossbones come in handy right?

3. Glue the skulls to the center of the red rectangle. Let dry.

4. Punch two hole in the red rectangle about 3/4" from the top and bottom of the skull.  Small holes for skewers, paper punch holes for straws.

5. Insert skewers or straws through the sail.  Place in drinks or stick in food trays.

Pirate Birthday Wrapping Flair

Paper - Red (cut into a triangle), white and black (cut into paper sizes that work with my Cricut) poster board.
Cricut Catridges - George and Shapes, Life's a Beach.
Other Supplies - Glue and a paper cutter.

1. Cut 1 poster board of red paper into a 4" by 7" triangle on a paper cutter.  I used a leftover triangle from the bunted banner.

2. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out the word "Happy Birthday" to a 1" size in black.

3. Using the George and Shapes Cricut cartridge, cut out a 4" circle in white.

4. Using the Life's a Beach Cricut cartridge, cut out the skull and crossbones at 1". I used leftover skulls from the bunted banner.

5. Glue the white circle to the inverted red triangle.  Glue the skull and crossbones to the bottom point of the triangle.  Let dry.

6. Glue the black letters onto the inverted triangles spaced with the "Happy" along the top, "Birth" in the middle and "Day at the bottom. Let dry.

7. Glue the triangle to a flat surface on the package.

Other Cricut Pirate Party Projects
Fantablulous Cricut Challenge Blog - It's a Pirate's Life
Grealish Greetings - Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me…
Crazy About Cricut - Pirate Challenge

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Painting and Pimm's

The weather in southern California has been erratic.  As in random thunderstorms interspersing weeks of perfect summer weather and sweltering days of hell like heat. When the weather gets particularly devilish, my favorite beverage is Pimm's Cup.

Now, Pimm's the liqueur was made long ago by some guy who owned an oyster bar in London, which I can only assume was the man's English alternative to bitters. So obviously it's good for you.  Specifically Pimm's No. 1, (they made others that didn't do so well at market) is a tonic made of gin, herbs and quinine. I've never had a shot of it before so I don't know what it tastes like outside of a Pimm's cup, which adds a whole lot of deliciousness covering up any unpleasantness in the Pimm's flavor. 


Pimm's cup is  the official drink of Wimbledon tennis tournament, the Henley Royal Regatta and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, according to Wikipedia, the other being champagne.  Champagne being my first favorite drink makes me think I should be going to a lot more of these Royal events and Operas.
But one cannot drink a pitcher of Pimm's cup alone.  Well, one can but one would then have consumer far too much goodness for one day.  So, during my recent painting meetup with a group of Martha Stewart like ladies, I whipped up a few batches.

Pimm's Cup


Now, there are a lot of ways to make Pimm's Cup. Before everyone gets up to protest my Pimm's Cup's authenticity and add their recipe, note that 90% of the recipes out there don't agree.  We don't have Schweppes lemonade over in the States, for instance.  Ginger ale, though delicious, is a contentious point.  And if strawberries aren't available because some people like to enjoy Pimm's Cup in the off season, it's ok. Plus, who knows where you can find borage anyway?  There's a huge mint plant in my garden, that's what's going in mine.

That being said, substitutions are ok but here are the core ingredients: Pimm's, a citrus fruit, carbonated lemon beverage or ginger ale, cucumber, fresh herbs.

Ingredients


1 bottle of Pimm's No. 1
1 bottle of Trader Joe's Sparkling Lemonade (Or Sprite or 7up or Squirt if it's not available.)
1 small cucumber
1/2 a small basket of fresh strawberries
1 orange
1 large sprig (or branch, whatever you want to call it) of mint

Directions

1. Hull the strawberries and slice in half. Slice cucumber into thin slices. Slice oranges the same way. Place it all in the pitcher.

2. Crush some fresh mint leaves reserving the top on the branch for garnish.  Place in the pitcher.

3. Fill the pitcher half way with Pimm's and the other half with Sparkling Lemonade.

4. Use the branch of mint or long spoon to mix the ingredients in the pitcher. Lease the mint branch in the pitcher.

5. Pour over ice. Optional: garnish with mint, cucumber, strawberry and orange in each cup.

Other Pimm's Cup Recipes
Bon Appetit - The Pimm's Cup
NPR - Refreshingly Old School: Pimm's Cup
CHOW - Pimm's Cup Recipe

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Cookware Lust

I'm lucky enough to have a fairly well stocked kitchen.  My Kitchenaid stand mixer, whom I aptly named Duncan, and a dozen of his closest attachments, a hand-crank pasta maker that rarely sees the light of day (I promise one day, squid ink fettuccine), a Cuisinart ice cream maker that allows me to freeze liquids at will.  Yes, I should be able to make almost anything.

But recently, I've hit a wall because of a lack of kitchen equipment.  How can I be expected to make savory madeleines without a madeleine pan?  Or the multitude of Danish, Japanese and Vietnamese delicacies like aebleskivers and tako yaki without a pan with inverted domes?  Paella: Not in a normal skillet, thank you very much.

Here are a few of the kitchen tools I'm currently lusting after.

9 Quart Dutch Oven. The gold standard in enamel dutch ovens is obviously Le Creuset.  Without it, my world is devoid of properly braised dishes like Osso Bucco and homemade artisan 5 minute bread loafs.    $335 at Le Creuset.

Paella Pan.  I've watched enough Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain to know that paella needs to be nurtured to culinary perfection in a proper paella pan, preferably over a hand drawn wood fire. Pan sizes vary and my preferred size is 17" which serves 10. $39.95 at Sur La Table.

Madeleine Pan. My mother always had a fond place in her heart for madeleines, I think it's the French influence on Vietnam baked goods. How surprised will she be when I present her a dozen filled with bacon, chives and goat cheese? Totes surprised. $25.00 at Williams Sonoma.

Aebleskiver Pan. I grew up with a pan like this in my mother's pantry.  She used it to make Bánh Khọt, a shrimp and pork cup held together by a coconut pancake batter. Later, I saw something similar in Little Tokyo where a women adpet at forming dough balls filled with octopus with a flip of her wrist and a wood skewer. When my husband's family bought a vacation home in Solvang, I experienced Aebleskivers and fanatic bees for the first time.  All these will be possible in my own kitchen (less the bees) once I have this magical pan. $39.98 at Fjorn Scandinavian. 

What are you lusting after for your kitchen?

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