Disney's The Light in the Forest

Every Thursday night, I (Anna) am part of a “Girl’s Night” with Ashleigh, Shannon, and our friend Izzy. We usually eat a meal prepared by that week’s host and watch a movie. After finishing our last selection of movies, we decided that we’d start watching the top 100 Disney movies according to disneymovielist.com as of July 31, 2013.

Last Thursday, Izzy hosted and we started with the 100^th top movie which was The Light in the Forest. The movie originally came out in 1958 and was based on a book by Conrad Richter by the same name. As was usual in that time, Walt Disney took a lot of liberties with it and made the story more “family” friendly. The movie was never released to DVD let alone Blu-ray DVD, so Ashleigh was forced to dig out an old VHS player in order for us to watch it. We had fun reminiscing about VHSs and all the headaches that came with them.

The movie starred James MacArthur as True Son/John Butler and Fess Parker as Del Hardy. Both actors are no strangers to Disney films. MacArthur was in one of my favorites as a child, The Swiss Family Robinson, and Parker starred in all the Disney Davy Crocket films and TV shows. The Light in the Forest was very much a coming of age story. It’s about a white, young man, who is raised by Native Americans from infancy, but sent to live with his birth parents in hopes of keeping the peace between the Indians and white settlers. With the help of Del Hardy, True Son has to learn to fit in with the very people he was raised to hate.

I had never seen the movie or read the book, so I was excited to see the film. At the beginning, all of us thought the plot resembled the plot of Disney’s Pocahontas, but it turned out very different. Movies and books that have raciest themes that people overcome have always attracted my attention, so this movie did not disappoint.  I’d recommend this for pretty much everyone. The story has a history lesson, a little bit of action, and an underlying love story to it. It’s a good story that shows the events of early America and how we got to where we are today.

"Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me!"

Anna here to share my latest Disney adventure. Matt, my parents, and I started out our visit in Disney’s Magic Kingdom. We followed Matt around as he played the final round of The Sorcerers of Magic Kingdom interactive game. I won’t give away what happens when you win, but he was pretty excited that he finished and we went to get a new set of cards. They also upped his level from easy to medium for the next time he plays. We then ate lunch and sought after a new undertaking.

A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas

We found that new adventure when my dad saw a small building in Adventure Land that was called, A Pirate’s Adventure. That seemed right up our alley, so Matt and my dad went inside. They came back out with a treasure map and a hint to their first destination. It was their goal to help Captain Jack Sparrow find the treasures of the seven seas. When we get to the first place on the map, Matt used his ticket (the annual pass) to make a parrot come to life to give us our next hint. We went long like this, discovering new places in Adventure Land and eventually finding one of the hidden treasures. There are several different maps you can go through to find different treasure, but we weren't able to do them all. We’ll pick it up next time for sure.

Kouzzina by Cat Cora® at Disney’s Boardwalk

Mine, Mom, and Matt's dinners

We left the Magic Kingdom by bus to head over to Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. I had made dinner reservation months ago (you certainly don’t need to make them this far in advance) to eat at Kouzzina by Cat Cora®. If you are a Food Network fanatic like me, then you’ll probably recognize that name because Cat was one of the first female Iron Chefs to be on the popular TV show. Her inspiration for the food offered at this restaurant comes from her Greek heritage and also from being raised in the southlands of the U.S.
We started off our meal with an appetizer of Goat Cheese Sto Fourno. We saw it while we were waiting to be seated and thought it would be appetizing to eat after a long, hot day at the park. We were right, it was just what we needed and absolutely delicious. In the dish were baked goat cheese, pequilla peppers, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and greek olive oil. It was served with arugula topped with some oil and vinegar, and olive bread (her recipe for olive bread can be found at FoodNetwork.com). We all ordered different entrées. My dad ordered the Fisherman’s Stew which contained mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops. He loved it so much that he went up the kitchen to compliment the chef who made it. Mom ordered the Kouzzina Trio which consisted of portions of greek-style lasagna, chargrilled lamb burger, and cinnamon stewed chicken with orzo. She thought the lamb burger was a little spicy, but loved the rest of the dishes. Matt, thinking that the menu was a little strange and practically in a different language, opted for the Wood-grilled Steak seasoned with fresh herb salsa and sided with a seasonal vegetable and Kouzzina potatoes. He liked everything, but the vegetable which resembled broccoli, but tasted nothing like it. I got the Briami which is oven-roasted vegetables with oregano, topped with Greek cheese, served with herbed orzo pasta. I’m on a total orzo kick right now and absolutely loved it in my dish. I’m known for putting salt on everything (yes, I know it’s bad for me), but none was on the table and none was needed because everything was so perfectly seasoned. I definitely enjoyed my time at this restaurant.
While waiting for the bus at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort to head back to Magic Kingdom and our car, a bus came to drop off passengers with their destination being “Anna”. Of course this caught my eye and I took a picture. I wasn't gutsy enough to inquire where it was heading, but it still made my day.

Lights! Camera! Action!....Hollywood Studios!

     Ashleigh blogging about my last visit to Disney. Although, my title suggests I was only at Hollywood Studios in fact we visited Epcot and Magic Kingdom all in one day! Talk about park hopping! Well last Sunday was the visit and I should highlight it was marked the hottest day of the year too, we arrived at the park around midday to begin our trip. My trip wasn't with the usual, in fact, I was tagging along with my church friends, Brent, Tracey and Brandon. Upon arrival we decided to make our way to Tower of Terror. It didn't seem to have too long of a line and well most of the line is shaded. Believe me by the time we got in line I was sweating like a pig! In case we haven't mentioned it, the Tower of Terror is an actual Disney Channel movie probably from the 90s and about a group of people who died on the night of a big party in the elevator. Needless to say you ride the elevator up....and well I'll leave the rest for a surprise for those who don't know. It's a classic and a must go! We grabbed some fast passes for later at Rockin Rollercoaster and made our way to check out the Indiana Jones show. This show is family friendly and obviously action packed. It's actually really funny and you might have a chance to participate like Tracey did!

Now one of the biggest highlights of the day was our lunch/dinner reservation at 50s Prime Time Restaurant. Now this is a cool place and must to go eat and check out sometime! Definitely make reservations because it gets packed. This restaurant is based on the 1950s including classic furniture in funky colors, old black and white TVs and super friendly waiters/waitresses who talk the lingo. Needless to say the waiter we had made it awesome and enjoyable. In addition they have great "home cooked" meals and they are quite filling! It's not too bad on prices with typical meals between 15-20 bucks. And before leaving Hollywood Studios, we used fast passes over at Rockin Rollercoaster and of course rocked out :)

     After this, we decided on going over to Epcot for some drinks (although yes, we had some beers in Hollywood Studios). At Epcot we decided to make our way to Mexico and brave some tequila shots (which were really good) and road the boat around Mexico. Afterwards we continued our walk around stopping in at Germany for beers and snacks, England to enjoy pictures with Pooh and Tigger and some awesome music by the British Revolution band (and yes we danced unlike most people). We headed over to test track and in an effort to save time, we did single riders and had a blast! And of course, I couldn't forget to get Shannon two Star Wars Edition 2 vinylmations (one which she had and one she didn't).


Finally, we headed over to Magic Kingdom where we finished our day. Here we rode some classics like pirates of the Caribbean, the haunted mansion, tea cups, and buzz lightyear. I have to make a special highlight on the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger ride. On this ride, you shot targets with a laser gun to earn points. Needless to say, I unknowingly hit some high point targets because before I knew it I had over 500,000 points! I ended up maxing out at 999,999 points and feeling pretty amazing at winning! We rode the people mover to get a break before heading back home.

     As usual, it was a pretty epic day and awesome to do some things I hadn't before. My biggest advice on this trip is to be prepared for the heat and to make a reservation at a cool reservation to check out! You won't be disappointed!

Sci-fi Dine-In Theater

Every time that I (Anna) have wandered by the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater in Hollywood Studios I’ve always wanted to go in and eat. It has always been really busy though and to “walk-in” would be nearly impossible. I finally found a weekend that I could go and got reservations for Matt and me.

As we were being seated, our host told us about the atmosphere of the restaurant. We were heading back in time to 1957 California where drive-in theaters were all the rage. Each “car” seated six diners in groups of two. We sat in the far back seat behind a family of four. There didn’t appear to a seat that wasn’t good to see the screen that was up ahead. They played old commercials and sci-fi thriller trailers mostly and I could tell that everyone was getting a laugh from them.

The menu didn’t have a lot of food options, but it was enough for anyone to find something they’d like. We ordered fried pickles (my favorite) as an appetizer and Matt got a long island iced tea which he really liked. The pickles were pretty good, but not the best I ever had. For our entrée, Matt ordered a half rack of baby-back ribs, while I got their salmon BLT. Matt loved the ribs that came with baked beans and coleslaw. I don’t know if it wasn’t enough food or if he was just hungry because after he was done he ate some salmon out of my sandwich. The BLT was very good and also very filling.

All-in-all, I’d give the atmosphere of the restaurant a 9/10 and the food experience a 7.5/10.

"When you wish upon a star..."

View from Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe

Last Wednesday, I (Anna) met my roommate from college, Kelsey, at Magic Kingdom after work. She made an impromptu visit to Orlando when a friend from college, who is interning at Disney, offered her and two other friends, Lyndi and Amalia, free tickets to Disney for two days. It’s not often that I get to see Kelsey, so I left work at 5pm and headed to “the happiest place on earth”.

I decided to drag Matt along for the ride, so I picked him up from work around 6pm and we made it inside the park at about 7:30pm. Lyndi had never been to Disney World, so it was Matt’s and my goal to find a restaurant for us to eat dinner that would give her a good view of the park. We found that in Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in Tomorrowland. If you sit outside to the far side of “Bay 3” you will get a great view of Cinderella’s Castle.

At night, it is breathtaking. The food was pretty good, but nothing special. The restaurant offers all the basics: hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, BBQ sandwiches, etc...By the time we finished eating, the Main Street Electrical Parade started, but from where we were seated it could not be seen very well. There were too many trees and buildings blocking it. Still, we stayed there until the castle projection show, Celebrate the Magic, started. We had pretty good seats to view the show on the right side of the castle.

Wishes

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Just before the fireworks show was about to start, Kelsey’s friend, Justin, got off work to take us to a better spot to see that spectacle. The Disney firework show is easily my favorite part of Disney. I don’t know if it’s the actual fireworks, the music, or just the beauty of it all combined with the castle that almost brings me to tears. I always find myself pulling Matt’s arms tighter or just squeezing his hand out of shear excitement and enjoyment. I certainly recommend not skipping out on this experience.

Gaston's Tavern

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After the fireworks show, we headed to the back of the park and went into Gaston’s Tavern. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies and I loved how they kept the tavern looking like it did in the movie as Gaston is singing about how great he is. We ordered a few of LeFou’s brew, the restaurant’s signature non-alcoholic beverage. The menu also had satisfying snacks such as roasted pork shanks and warm cinnamon rolls.

After drinking and taking in the atmosphere, we decided to take Lyndi on her first Magic Kingdom ride. We went with Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid because out of the six of us only Matt and I had been on it. The ride was cute and served its purpose.

After getting off the ride and only 3 minutes until 11 (when the park closed), we went in search of another ride to go on. Space Mountain was our first choice, but the wait was still 70 minutes long. We settled with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin which, of course, Matt and I kicked butt at.

Since the monorail line was so long, we opted for the ferry boat at the advice of Justin. I finally got home around 2am. Is going to Magic Kingdom in the middle of the night when I needed to be at work the next morning the smartest decision I’ve ever made? No. Was it worth it? Always.

Roasted Chicken Linguine Lunch

Last Saturday (August 3rd) Ash, Anna, Matt, Neil and I decided to have our second cooking session using one of Anna's Disney cookbooks.

This was a very easy recipe that included roasted chicken that can easily be bought from a nearby grocery store's deli, linguine, olive oil, various seasonings and plenty of cheese.

To start off we all made our way to Anna's house but due to a turn of events Anna had to leave us. We still made the recipe and she was able to eat once she got back.

This of course left me and Ash in the kitchen (not that the guys can't cook, they just choose not too), but Anna already had things prepared for us and ready to go. If you don't happen to have linguine noodles you can always substitute another type such as fettichini or spaghetti noodles.

ingredients list

• 2.5-3 pound chicken, roasted (or from the deli)
• 1 pound dry linguine
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
• 3 Tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons pine nuts
• 1/2 10-ounce bag prewashed fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 goat cheese
• 1/2 bunch fresh basil, chopped
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded for garnish

directions

1. Pull chicken from bones and tear into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
2. Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds (don't let it burn). Add sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts, stirring until nuts are lightly browned.
4. Add chicken, spinach, and feta and goat cheeses, stirring until creamy.
5. Add linguine and heat through. Add basil, then season with salt and pepper.
6. Garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese.

The cookbook for this recipe is Delicious Disney written by the Disney Chefs with Pam Brandon. You can check it out on Amazon here.

This is part of the "Magical Gatherings" section in the cookbook. According the the cookbook this course is offered at Shutters Restaurant at Disney's Vero Beach Resort. The corresponding drink that the recipe is matched with is Chateau de Montfort Vouvray, Loire.

final verdict

This is a great and easy recipe to try! The hardest part is already done for you if you decide to by a roasted chicken from the deli instead of cooking one yourself.

I personally was a little fearful because I usually prefer a different type of sauce with my pasta. This recipe has an olive oil "sauce" with seasonings, but it was really delicious.

Keep in mind when this says a large skillet make sure to listen because when stirring everything together it gets a bit difficult. If you happen to have a skillet with deep sides I would suggest using that one instead of a typical skillet.

Hopefully you'll give this recipe a try and love as much as we did or maybe take a trip to one of the two locations that offers this dish to have it by the actual Disney chefs.