WK 2 - HM & IN - Columns 2

After thinking a great deal more I also think two other columns would be fun to prepare:

Haunted Mansion (HM) - Covering all aspects of my favorite ride from the haunts to the ride to the merchandise.

Innoventions (IN) - Although Innoventions may be getting a little dated in Disneyland, and with the new Green Home coming to WDW, this blog is not just about the attraction but my attempts to turn our home into a little inspirited Innoventions smart house.

Looking forward to writing more.

WK 2 - WS - Columns

I am continuing to break down the different columns that will be showcased on both the Spirit of Adventure Blog and Webseries.

The Disney Pantry (DP) - Cooking Disney Recipes At Home

Deconstructing Disney (DD) - Reviewing Disney Restaurants

Good Neighbor Restaurants (GNR) - Restaurants That Are Related To Disney or Downtown Disney Counterparts. For example: The Rainforest Café located in Downtown Disney is owned by the parent company Landry's. In my area they also own Bubba Gumps and Chart House. A more blatant example is outside of the Tiki Room is the Dole Stand which sells Dole Whips. At the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk there is a Dole Stand that also sells Dole Whips. Comparing and contrasting.

Although this blog and vlog will both consist primarily of food information, there may eventually be other portions added including focuses on the Vinylmation craze. But at this time I think the first three are enough to worry about doing correctly at the beginning.

WK 2 - WS - Homages To Disneyland TV Specials

Before heading to work I watched two more Disneyland TV Specials to continue giving me ideas for the web series. The 1983 Special Believe You Can... And You Can!. There is a special character introduced named J. Fauntenoy Chiffenrobe the CFPS (Chiffenrobe Fantasyland Problem Solver) of Disneyland. His job was to help solve any Fantasyland Problem which included showing construction photos, future plans, meeting with Fantasyland characters. It would be interesting to have a similar character that helps out for a different portion of the series then the restaurant reviews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYDBfg8wqxI

I also watched The Disneyland Story from 1990. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UntGPyiwLFs

My first surprise was the opening and closing music were selected portions of the Back To The Future theme, and they used the Disneyland Railroad as the train essentially from Back To The Future 3. I think having some throw backs would be very cool in the future like time traveling back to eat Barbecued Pineapple Ribs at the Tahitian Terrace or eating at the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant, with of course the help of some pixie dust. 

This was a very entertaining special, especially at the end where the list a variety of attractions viewers would be able to experience in the future at Disneyland that did not pan out. For instance Little Mermaid would open in 1993, it wouldn't be for another 18 years and across the way that we would get A Little Mermaid Attraction in 2011 at Disney's California Adventure. However if you want to see what the original dark ride would have looked like I think it's a Special Feature on the last Little Mermaid DVD Release.

WK 2 - DP - Preview for Week 3

For one of our next home cooking recipes we will be continuing in the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Boma, this time for Nut Crusted Salmon as the main course.

http://allears.net/din/recipes/rec_nut.htm

If you are not familiar with Boma - Flavors of Africa restaurant in Walt Disney World here is a link.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/boma-flavors-of-africa/

WK 2 - WS - Webseries Opening Segment

Working on watching many old Disney Specials in preparation for the Pilot of The Spirit of Adventure Webseries. Primary filming will be taking place during the 24 Hour One More Day event in Disneyland, California. We will be reviewing as much food as possible over a four day period. At the same time we are working on creating a Podcast that we can host in iTunes. I think the initial episode will feature a throw back beginning. Either taking from the original Disneyland TV Show

Or from the beginning of Up where Spirit of Adventure comes from.

I will post more as I continue to work on ideas for the opening segment and some previews of reviews to come. 

Wk 2 - DP - African Stew

This was the main recipe of the week to cook due to all of the different ingredients.

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

4 cups water
3 each chicken bouillon cubes
1/3 cup curry paste (or can be dry curry)
2 Tablespoons ground coriander, toasted
2 Tablespoons granulated garlic
4 cups coconut milk
¼ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 pounds beef/pork/chicken, large diced
2 cups mixed red and green peppers, diced
2 cups onions, diced
½ cup whole kernel corn, frozen
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons cornstarch (make slurry)

Method:

1. In kettle, heat water, chicken bouillon cubes, curry paste, ground coriander, and granulated garlic. Let boil and add in sugar and coconut milk.

2. Add in the soy sauce and the diced meat. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add vegetables, spices, and cook until tender.

4. Bring to a boil and add cornstarch slurry slowly to the mixture and whisk until thickened.

NOTE: This is the recipe as it was sent by the chefs at Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, reader Mose writes: Just wanted to let you know that there seems to be an error in this recipe for the African Stew at Mara. The recipe calls for 3 cups of soy sauce. I thought that sounded like a little much, so I dialed it back to about half of that. Still, when I tasted the stew, it didn't taste anything like the real thing. In fact, it tasted like soy sauce. Nothing but soy sauce. Soy sauce soup. I think maybe the recipe should have been 1/3 cup of soy sauce, instead of 3 cups. The next time I make this recipe, I will try 1/3 cup and see how it turns out.

1/09 Reader Laurie writes to say that 3 Tablespoons of soy sauce is the correct amount, and that the stew is fantastic!

http://allears.net/din/recipes/rec_as.htm

Instead of Chicken Bouillon cubes I used Organic Better Than Bouillon. I had never used it but from friends who cook a lot they had said once you use this you never go back and the results turned out great so I think I'll be using this brand from now on. USDA Organic and $6.29

I used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste which was the only Curry Paste we could find at our local SaveMart (use to be Albertsons, Luckys). It happened to be the one ingredient I had forgotten and had to get last minute.

Again I went with Morton & Bassett for the Ground Coriander and Granulated Garlic. Interesting note the Coriander has no mention or Organic on it, yet the Granulated Garlic again has the 100% Organic labeling. The spices were $5.99 and $5.69 respectively. 

I used generic canned coconut milk from Whole Foods, and again continue to finish the granulated sugar I have in the pantry.

For Soy Sauce I liked Oshawa Organic Nama Shoyu Unpasteruized Soy Sauce. It is USDA Organic and was $8.99

I decided to make this a Chicken African Stew and used Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast from Bauer Ranch in Snelling, CA. All of their unused unsold foods are donated to their local Food Band and they are 6th generation farmers, 2nd generation in California. At $9.99 lb I received two good sized chicken breasts for $9.89.

The Red and Green bell peppers were Organic from Mexico. I used the same Organic Onions from the last recipe from Phill Fosters Ranch. Instead of Frozen Corn I boiled fresh corn and shaved the kernels for use in the stew. The bay leaf was the other ingredient I forgot and it was to late for me to run out and get it. Next time. I continued to use my McCormick Cayenne Pepper and Kingsford's Corn Starch.

PURCHASE OF THE WEEK

While I was at Bed Bath & Beyond I saw an 8 Cup Rice Cooker & Steamer on sale. Retail Price is $145. Amazon Price is $73.92. Bed Bath & Beyond Normal Price is $79.99. Clearance Price $25.00!!!

Wk 2 - DP - Geelrys Rice

To be honest when I was first looking at this recipe I was unsure of how it would taste since I didn't try this the last time I was at Animal Kingdom. In the end the cinnamon infused rice and succulent onions with a touch of salt tasted great.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 cups Basmati Rice
1/2 cup white onions (small dice)
2 Tbsps. Olive Oil
4 cups water
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 cup Golden Raisins
1 cup (full) Granulated Sugar
Salt To taste
Pepper To taste

Method

1. In a small pot, saute the onions and spices in olive oil until the onions are translucent.
2. Add water and bring to a boil. Add rice and the rest of the ingredients and cover the pot.
3. Let it cook for about ten minutes then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for an additional 25 minutes.

Serve hot.

http://allears.net/din/recipes/rec_geel.htm

I purchased Whole Food 365 Indian Basmati Rice.

I used Organic White Onions from Phil Foster Farms/Ranch, which is located in Hollister/San Juan Bautista. In fact a lot of the wood that is turned into wood chips in San Francisco is brought to Phil Foster Ranch as a crucial part of its composting process. $1.69 lb with an Andi Score of 47. 

The Olive Oil I used is Soler Romero organic extra virgin olive oil. It not only carries the USDA Organic seal but it is 100% Organic. The olive oil is made in Spain and was $19.99 for the bottle which was the most expensive individual purchase on this last shopping trip. The olives and processing have always taken place on the same property and have never been outsourced. Soler Romero has been operating since 1850. 

The Cinammon Sticks and Ground Cinnamon I used are from Morton & Bassett, both claim to be 100% Organic (the USDA Organic symbol is optional). The company is based out of San Francisco and has been operating since 1986. I got 9 cinnamon sticks for $5.99 and the ground cinnamon set me back another $5.69. 


I used Golden Raisins and Sugar I had left in the pantry. As I clear out my old pantry products I am trying to replace them with healthier and organic versions. 




What is an ANDI Score?
Basically the ANDI score is based on the analysis of the nutrients in any food. The scales ranges from 0-1000. This doesn't mean that you should only eat high Andi Score items, it just helps the shopper know the level of nutrients in the item, as a variety of items with different scores have different nutrients vital for healthy body functions. Something like Cola for instance is considered to have an Andi Score of 0.6 vs. Kale which would have a value of 1000.