Brother Bear

We finally were able to have another girl's night and watch our next Disney movie after a few weeks of conflicting schedules. It was held at my (Anna's) house and the movie was Brother Bear. Brother Bear has always been one of my favorites because of the main characters overcoming adversity, so I was pretty glad to see it on our list at number 94. 

Brother Bear starts out with the main character, Kenai, coming of age. Before he can become a man though, he must achieved what his sacred totem symbolizes. Much to Kenai's dismay, his totem happens to be the Bear which symbolizes love. With the help from his brothers and other friendly creatures he finally learns that love is actually all he needs to become a man. It's not that easy and it's a great adventure so you're going to have to watch it to find out.

Since the movie was based in North America, I made our little group a Canadian themed dinner. As an appetizer I made Maple Bread with Soft Cheese. I thought it was a fitting start and pretty delicious too. As our main course I got a recipe from this year's Epcot's Food and Wine Festival cookbook. The recipe came from the Canadian pavilion and I think it turned out better than it was at Epcot (if I do say so myself). If you want to try it yourself (which I highly recommend) the recipe is below. For dessert, we had Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars. These were also delicious, but something Canadians probably only have in the summer. Us Floridians can enjoy it all year long!

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup

Serves 10

Ingredients:

·         ½ pound bacon, chopped into ½-inch pieces

·         1 medium red onion, finely chopped

·         3 celery ribs, finely chopped

·         4 tablespoons butter

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         3 cups chicken stock

·         4 cups milk

·         1 pound grated white cheddar cheese

·         1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

·         1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

·         Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper to taste

·         ½ cup warm beer

·         Chopped scallion or chives, for garnish

Directions:

1.       Stir bacon over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned, in a 4-or-5quart Dutch oven.

2.       Add onion, celery, and butter and sauté until onion softens, about 5 minutes.

3.       Add flour and stir constantly for about 4 minutes over medium heat. Whisk in chicken stock and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4.       Add milk and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Do not boil after adding milk.

5.       Remove from heat and stir in cheese, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until cheese is melted and soup is smooth. Stir in warm beer. If soup is too thick, thin with some warm milk.

6.       Serve hot, garnished with chopped scallions or chives.

Eat and Drink Your Way Around the World

The Start to the Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival
This past weekend Epcot’s annual Food and Wine Festival started with a bang. I (Anna) along with Matt and my parents went to check out the festivities this past Saturday. The park was packed with all sorts of people ready to eat and drink themselves around the world. This year they added two new stands, American Adventure Coffee Cart and Scotland, which makes THIRTY destinations all together. If you have never been to the food and wine festival or the International Flower & Garden Festival in the spring then here are a few tips:

1. Go with a few friends and share every dish.
2. Get a “passport” at your first destination and get it stamped at every country.
3. Bring a pen so that you can mark off the things you have tried.
4. Buy a tray at the front of the park so that it’s easy to hold all the hot food and drinks.

Last year when the four of us went we had to visit all the countries in one day which left us stuffed (and a little tipsy). Since we have annual passes this year, we decided to take it slow and enjoy a few counties at a time. We went to Canada, Greece, and Scotland this trip.

Canada

Canada was our first trip and the busiest of them all. Since we had bought two trays when we first walked in, we let my dad go and try to find a seat in the shade for all of us after getting our food. We decided to get all the food items and two of the drinks to share. The dishes were Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Seared Rainbow Trout with Bacon, Frisee & Maple Minus 8 Vinaigrette, and “Le Celliar” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. The drinks we tried La Face Neige Apple Ice Wine and La Face Neige Sparkling. I loved everything that we tried! Matt is one of the pickier eaters in our group and is not a fan of fish usually, but the rainbow trout was easily his favorite.

Greece

In Greece, we tried the majority of the food choices and two of the drinks. They offered the Taste of Greece: Grilled & Marinated Calamari, Htipiti, Eggplant Dip, Olives & Pita Bread, Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios & Honey, Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce, and Spanakopita. We didn’t really know what any of the drinks were, so we let our cashier pick two for us. We got Alpha Estate Axia Syrah-Xinomavro and Ouzo by Metaxa. All of the food dishes were delicious. My favorite (as it was last year too) was the Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios & Honey. It’s so great! Everyone should at least try this in Greece. The Alpha Estate Axia Syrah-Xinomavro was good, but the Ouzo was very strong and definitely a shot that will have you yelling Opa!

Scotland

After Greece and buying Vinylmations, we decided to try one of the new destinations. Mom and I decided on Scotland and left Matt and dad to guard our seats. We once again got all of the food options, but stuck to water and coke for drinks. They offered Seared Scottish Salmon with Cauliflower Puree, Watercress & Malt Vinaigrette, Vegetarian Haggis with Neeps &Tatties (Grilled Vegetable Cake with Rutabaga & Mashed Potatoes), and Scottish Banoffee Tart with Bananas, Scotch Whisky Toffee, Walkers Shortbread Crumbles & Sweet Cream. Surprisingly enough, Matt’s favorite was the vegetarian dish which none of the rest of us really liked and he’s a meat guy all the way. Mom and Matt weren’t fans of the dessert claiming the taste of the Scotch was too strong, but dad and I liked it (not sure what that says about us…). They were out of cauliflower puree, so the salmon was also served with rutabaga and mashed potatoes.
All-in-all, our experience was great as usual and I can’t wait until our next trip to continue our way around the world.

Le Cellier Steakhouse at Epcot

For Father's Day, my parents, my boyfriend, and I (Anna) went to Disney to celebrate my dad. I have mentioned before that Epcot is his favorite park to go and explore, so that is where we headed first. I had made a reservation at Le Cellier Steakhouse during the week knowing that most dads love steak and that would be a popular destination for theme park goers hoping to give their dad a special treat.

We made it into the park about 30 minutes before our reservation, so we decided to explore Canada a little bit. We decided to watch the Circle-Vision 360 film, "O Canada!".The film gave the audience different views of our neighbors to the north. I have never been to the actual country, so the show was very educational and fun as it was narrated by comedian and Canadian, Martin Short.

By the time the film was over, it was perfect timing to head to dinner. The restaurant was nestled in a cellar of a Canadian chateau. The atmosphere was very beautiful, but very dim. To make up for the dimness of the area, the menus lit up. I had never seen this before, so I was a little overly excited about it.

Our waitress, brought us a basket of bread that contained different kinds from the different regions in Canada. The bread was very fresh and so delicious. My personal favorite was the pretzel bread. We ordered the Charcuterie as an appetizer which contained the chef's handcrafted meat selection, prosciutto, flagship, cheddar, and accompaniments. For my entree, I got the "Le Cellier" Mushroom Filet Mignon which came with wild mushroom risotto, pickled pearl onions, and white truffle-butter sauce.

Even though everyone was stuffed at the table, we still ordered a dessert to share which was the Maple Crème Brûlée. It was the perfect ending to our delicious meal. Being the great daughter that I am, I picked up the tab. That being said, I know this restaurant isn't cheap, but if you are looking for a place worth the splurge you will find it in Le Cellier Steakhouse.

After stuffing our stomaches to the max, we looked for a place to relax and digest. We headed to The Mill Stage. If you are into kilt wearing, bagpipe playing rockers then you need to check out Off Kilter. Even if you're not... check it out once... seriously.