Recipe Update

Hey-o I recently updated one of my favorite recipes, the instructions are much easier to follow so now you have no excuse not to make it. Behold the Double Chocolate Torte.

Disney World Christmas Part 1: Epcot

Christmas has come and gone and now I'm sitting here with weather in the single digits reminiscing about where I was a week ago. Missing those beautiful 70 degree days in Florida. Every other year my family goes away for Christmas, we've had this tradition going for the past 6 years. It's glorious. There's no gift buying, no snow, just lots of fun in the sunshine as a family. This year we picked Walt Disney World in Florida as our Christmas trip destination. Disney is such an awesome place to spend the Christmas holiday because they do everything over the top, every building is covered from top to bottom in tinsel and garland and bright colored bulbs and twinkle lights. It's so "Christmasy". We were there for a week and everyday was packed full of fun. The first day we spent at Disney's Epcot. 

Epcot is home of the "World Showcase" where various countries from around the world are brought to life. You can visit France, Morocco and Japan all in one afternoon. I'm always amazed at the attention to detail Disney puts into everything they do from the buildings to the souvenirs for sale, it's all so well thought out. Epcot is one of my favorite parks, there's not many rides, it's really low key. But I have to admit my favorite part of Epcot is the eating. You can get a crepe in France and a Bratwurst in Germany, and finish it off with a scoop of gelato from Italy! It's brilliant, really. Going into this post I just want to warn you, we ate. And ate. And ate, like I said that was my favorite part of Epcot. It's half the fun right? Right! So just a heads up there are many food pictures and descriptions. Don't think less of us OK? We just like food. That being said here's what our day looked like in Epcot...

Our first stop of the day was in Canada. We made a human totem pole and I though about my Canadian friend Maya...Hi Maya!

Next we made our way to England, where we saw precious tea sets, wandered in the gardens and took a break in a traditional English parlor. We got a basket of fish and chips to share and a box of shortbread cookies. Both were fantastic. The eating in England was awesome.

In Italy there were recognizable structures modeled after ones from all over the country, there were fountains that looked like they belonged in Rome, a tower from Venice and, many other little details from Florence. While in Italy we had to try the gelato. My mom and I split vanilla bean gelato sandwiched in between two chocolate chip cookies. And yes, it was spectacular.



Germany was next and surprise we ate some delicious food! A soft pretzel, Werthers caramel popcorn, a salted caramel, and a bratwurst with sauerkraut.While were were there we saw a life sized coo coo clock, people wearing lederhosen and beautiful German architecture.



We made a stop in France and listened to Pere Noel (Santa Clause) tell his story, saw gardens mimicking those of Versailles, and even saw a little art. All the while with the Eiffel tower peaking over the tops of the buildings. We finished our time in France with a crepe, and pain au chocolat. 

Next stop was Morocco where we saw a beautiful belly dancer and loved the colors and patterns and designs of their buildings and artwork.



We made a stop in Japan and loved the gardens and silky kimonos. We saw a Japanese woman retrieving pearls out of oysters and I got a box of my favorite Asian candy "Hello Panda". It's basically little chocolate filled fortune cookies that look like pandas. They're yummy. And cute. 

In China we ate yummy beef stir fry and "awed" over the replica display of the terracotta army.

We also visited America, Mexico and the Netherlands. It was a full and fun day.We finished they day with a beautiful sunset over the lake and an amazing fireworks show accompanied by Christmas music.

Food Adventure: Florida

 The state food of Florida is the orange. So of course last week while we were in Orlando we visited a local orange grove for our Florida food adventure. We picked the freshest, juiciest, most delicious oranges ever. Luckily for us winter is peak orange season in Florida, everything was ripe and ready for picking. The Showcase of Citrus is one of the largest "you pick" orange groves in Florida. This grove was full of many different trees growing over 25 variations of citrus fruits, from oranges to grapefruits to lemons and limes. Picking oranges in Florida was one of the coolest things I've ever done. The grove was beautiful and smelt amazing! As far as the oranges go they were so yummy - the freshest I've ever had. The honey tangerines were probably my favorite (I'm actually eating one right now - yumm) they're so sweet and juicy. The traditional navel oranges were great too, I'm excited to make some juice with the oranges we brought home. These straight-from-Florida oranges are definitely the best I've ever had.

 

On our "yumm scale" we rated Florida Oranges as a Super Yumm!

 

 For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

2012 in a Glimpse

This has been a year full of travel, new jobs, new homes, new friends, and lots of driving (Utah to DC and back are you kidding me??). 2012 was spent learning and growing and planning. We have loved every moment of this year and all that we have experienced as a couple and as individuals. We celebrate our successes and we try to learn from our mistakes and trials. Now we look back with gratitude for all that we were able to do and see this year.

In January we moved to Washington DC for a one semester internship for Adam.

In February we fell in love with Boston. 

In March we visited Mt. Vernon.

In April Adam Graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Communication Studies.

 In May we relaxed on the sandy beaches of Playa Del Carmen.

In June I got to spend time with my best girl friends.

In July we visited Adam's family in Idaho Falls. 

In August I got excited about starting Culinary Arts School. 

(My family got pretty excited too, they really liked my uniforms.)

 

In September Adam took me to the Utah state fair. 

In October I dressed up as a zombie girl scout for Halloween. 

 In November we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at our house. 

(I cooked all day long)

 In December we celebrated Christmas in Walt Disney World.

This has been a pretty fantastic year if you ask me and as I'm sad to see it come to a close, I'm looking forward to 2013 with anticipation and excitement for new experiences and life changes.

Happy New Year! 

Remember 2010 and 2011

Christmas Vacation

Hope you're having a wonderful Christmas! My family is celebrating on the road this year, Disney style! Well wishes from Disney World and sunny Florida! I'll catch up on the blogging next week, food photos to come!

Buttermilk Cornbread

Cornbread can be a tricky thing. So many people have very specific preferences and tastes. A lot of people like thin savory cornbread, others like thicker sweet cornbread, and some people even like actual corn kernels in their batter, all types of corn bread have their place, and are delicious in their own ways but I'm partial to the sweeter varieties. This recipe is a good one for the people who prefer their cornbread sweet and buttery. This bread is dense and moist and has a lot of yummy flavor. The tangyness from the buttermilk, the sweetness from the sugar. It's so good. Great with a big bowl of chili or a heaping pile of jambalaya, even yummy by it's self for breakfast with some raspberry jam and honey. Anyway you eat it, it's sure to be delicious!

Buttermilk Cornbread Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 2/3 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and grease an 8 inch square pan. Melt butter in large pot and then remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* Don't have buttermilk? That's ok - make your own! For every one cup of buttermilk you need add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.   *I don't use buttermilk super often when I cook so I buy dry buttermilk powder and keep it in the fridge that way when a recipe calls for it I have it on hand, and I don't have to send husband to the store.

Classic Chili

For the longest time I have been searching for a great chili recipe, and have been marginally impressed with recipes I've tried, until now, this recipe knocked my socks off. For our party over the weekend I tried this new chili recipe it seemed pretty straight forward to begin with, but after making a few adjustments and substitutions it ended up being perfect. It was a tad bit spicy, but not overly so. It was really hearty and filling, and was full of texture and flavor. It paired perfectly with sweet cornbread and classic chili toppings like, cheese, chopped onions and oyster crackers. It can easily be doubled to feed a crowd or left alone this recipe will feed 6 - 8. This chili is perfect for a cold winter day.  

 

Classic Chili

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
3 cans chili beans
1 can kidney beans
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 beef bouillon cubes
½ cup water
¼ cup chili powder
½ tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tbsp. garlic, minced
½ tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar

In a large pot brown ground beef and onion over medium high heat, until onion is fragrant and beef is cooked through. Add garlic and celery and saute another minute or two. Lower heat to medium low and add all canned tomatoes, bouillon cubes, water and beans.  Add all seasoning ingredients, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper cayenne, paprika and sugar. Turn the heat to low and cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 2 hours stirring occasionally. Before serving taste and adjust seasoning levels as needed. The longer you let the chili sit on the stove the better it will taste, as the flavors continue to reduce down and concentrate, if you let the chili cook longer than two hours (which is completely acceptable and fine) you may need to add an additional can of tomato sauce or another ½ cup of water until it’s to a consistency you like, as it cooks longer the moisture will cook out and evaporate, causing your chili to reduce and become really thick, however if that’s how you like it, leave it if not add a little extra something! Serve it hot with plenty of cheese to top it with. Enjoy!