Princess And The Frog: Mardi Gras!!

Happy Mardi Gras Disney fans!!!! Well okay … Happy a-little-after-Mardi-Gras-and-well-into-Lent-season. So far this month has already seen a lot of happenings: two awesome shows in Dayton and Cleveland over the weekend, a new job I’ll be starting in a week, and a much needed performer’s break from performing. We finally got snowfall here in Ohio and I must say it is quite pretty … albeit cold and wet.

February is seeing a lot of changes for me personally up here in Ohio. I’ve accepted a new position at my day job. I’m excited to take this step up in my department because it means more challenges, more learning experiences and yes even more money! And that means … A little more wiggle room to save up for Disney DVDs and Dinner Parties!!

February is also prep time for my performance life as I generally take the month off to rest and recuperate and working toward some projects. Part of that project includes gearing up for pageantry season and competing!! I love the artistic process that happens when you bring together a package for competition: the gown, the jewelry, the talent, the costumes, the dancers, the sets … everything coming together to form one solid offering that says “here I am and here’s what I do.”

Well enough about my professional and performance life; let’s dive into this month’s Disney and Dinner. With Mardi Gras happening so early this month, what better movie to feature than The Princess and the Frog. Here we follow the story of Tianna, a hard working waitress with dreams of owning her own restaurant and the spoiled yet broke playboy Prince of Maldonia Naveen as they attempt to break the spell of voodoo villain Dr. Facilier with the help of Ray the Firefly, Louis the trumpet-blowing gator, and Mama Odi the Voodoo Woman of the Bayou. I’ve reviewed the movie in a previous post so (which you and find here) so I won’t bore you with going through it again. On this particular night I was joined by my Disney buddy Rory, and two of my dancers (we had just gotten done with rehearsal) Vivianna and Pandora. And here’s tonight’s menu:

Jambalaya
Crockpot Cornbread
Easy Beignets

Now I know what you’re going to say … In the movie they’re constantly talking gumbo. And I understand gumbo is more traditionally served during Mardi Gras so why Jambalaya? Well … the short answer … I don’t know how to make gumbo. It seems like a silly excuse but I have fond memories of learning to make jambalaya from back in college. My college chamber singers were planning a choir tour trip to Italy and well we needed money. Normally choirs turn to raffles or spaghetti feeds for fund raising and such, well our choir director this time around gave us three new ideas: Raffle ticket to win a car (amazingly successful), a pumpkin pie sale (just in time for the Thanksgiving season) but we kicked everything off with a jambalaya night (much like a spaghetti feed). I was given the task of finding out just how much spice we would need to go from a batch that serves 4 people to 120 people!! Thankfully my math skills hadn’t dwindled at that point. The jambalaya was a wild success and I’ve kept the recipe with me for the last 13 years. What I like about this recipe is first off you don’t need a lot of hard to find spices as you use only four: salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Also it’s easy to adjust the ingredient list to use whatever you happen to have on hand. Here’s the ingredient list:

·         1 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size chunks

·         1 lbs Kielbasa, cut into half inch slices

·         One medium sized onion, chopped

·         Three bell peppers, chopped

·         Two to three cloves of garlic chopped

·         Five or six stalks of celery chopped (include the leaves for flavor)

·         One 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

·         One 16 oz. bottle of beer

·         4 Cups of water

·         1 ½ cups of rice

·         Cayenne Pepper

·         Chili Powder

·         Salt and black pepper

·         3 Bay leaves

Method:

In a Dutch oven heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee chicken thighs and Kielbasa, seasoning with salt, black and Cayenne pepper. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, and celery to same pot. Cook until the vegetables start to sweat and season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Add the meat back into the pot with canned tomatoes and beer. Simmer on medium heat until the alcohol evaporates. Add water and rice and turn heat down to medium low. Add bay leaves and simmer until rice is cooked.

One thing I definitely recommend is pay attention to what type of rice you use. Being Japanese, I used Cal-Rose rice which is very sticky. This created a very thick jambalaya with little liquid left in the pot. Still good but if you want more of a soup consistency then I would recommend long grain rice as oppose to Japanese style rice.

As you will see in many of my recipes, I love using my crockpot. For anyone who’s busy with everyday life, I think a crockpot is probably one of the best investments you can make. I use my crockpot for main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and even as a center piece for some of my parties (Google ideas for a crockpot chocolate fondue party and you’ll see what I mean). It seems as though many meals from the south have one common side dish you can find: cornbread. So when I did a search for easy cornbread recipes and a crockpot recipe came up … Well of course I had to give it a try!! Here’s the recipe I found from a website called “Tablespoon”

Easy Crockpot Cornbread:

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·         1 ½ cups Cornmeal

·         1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         1 tablespoon baking powder

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

·         2 cups buttermilk

·         2 large eggs

Method:

Melt unsalted butter in a 5-6 quart slow cooker on high heat. Stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and chili powder in a medium mixing bowl. Then stir in buttermilk and eggs. Spread melted butter around in slow cooker so it coats the bottom of the cooker. Pour in cornbread batter and spread evenly. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours. Let cornbread cool slightly and serve with a spoon.

The end result of this was wonderful. Moist and flaky and delicious; the only thing I toyed with for the future is adding a little more sugar as I’m used to sweeter cornbread. Also I did not add the chili powder so I’m certain that would have changed up the flavor as well. But those details are rather minor; the end result was absolutely worth it (and only two hours in the crockpot!).

Works in progress 

Finished Product

For dessert what can be more appropriate than beignets. These light, airy and crispy pieces of fried dough come with a variety of toppings, from honey to melted chocolate to cinnamon and sugar. I decided to keep this one simple when searching for a recipe and really… It doesn’t get any simpler than this:

Easy Beignets

·         1 12 oz. can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

·         Vegetable oil

·         Garnish: Powdered sugar

Method:

Separate biscuits into individual round and cut into quarters. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven and heat over medium heat to 350 degrees. Fry biscuit quarters in batches (1 to 1.5 minutes on each side or until golden). Drain on a paper towel and dust generously with powdered sugar.

The best part of this recipe is the beignets pretty much tell you when they’re ready to be flipped (most times they turn themselves over in the cooking oil). These are certainly delicious warm from cooking but even as they cooled down a bit … they were still delicious.

Easy Beignets

With our bowls of food ready to warm us through, the four of us sat down and watched Princess and the Frog. In the course of conversation we started to talk of our own upbringings sparked by the villain of the movie, Dr. Facilier. During the course of the movie, we commented on how each of us has a little Facilier characteristic: I read Tarot cards, Vivianna and Pandora grew up knowing voodoo, and Rory pointed out how the Dr. would make an interesting villain movie remake (maybe a thought for the future huh Disney?).

Well everyone another month of Disney and Dinner planning in the books. Some of you may have noticed than in the course of this blog I rarely mention drink with our meals. Normally when I have a dinner night I like to make it a BYOB affair. Everyone brings something they like and are willing to share so we all get a chance to try something new. I asked my friend Rory to come up with a drink that would complement this meal and his offering will be in a follow up blog called “Rory’s Refreshments.” I hope you enjoy this added blog offering and the recipes presented so far. In the meantime, is there a Disney movie you’d like to see offered for a Disney Dinner? Leave a comment in the comments section and I’ll do my best to come up with a dinner pairing for it!!

I hope it warms up nicely and the spring brings you sunshine!! Next month in honor of St. Patrick’s Day I’ll be cooking up some corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot with a side offering of salt-crusted fingerling potatoes and chocolate stout cake for dessert. And next month’s movie offering: Darby O’Gill and the Little People. 

As always Make It A Magical Day -- Pat A

Links: 

Crockpot Jambalaya -- http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/homemade-slow-cooker-cornbread/6a4d0874-1fbf-4e23-954c-0476cca27a40

Easy Beignets -- http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/biscuit-beignets

Lilo and Stitch: At Home Luau

Happy New Year Disney Fans!! And welcome to 2016!! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s. I had the good fortune to spend those holidays (on top of an anniversary) in Las Vegas. I gambled, shopped, caught a phenomenal show, and had an all-around relaxing time. Vegas is home to some of the best entertainment you can find. From showgirls… well… show boys to Broadway and legends of the performing world … and even a few of their impersonators, Las Vegas has it all!!! I will say too … for any of you out there that have a chance to catch the musical Jersey Boys absolutely do!! The story of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons as told by the members and through their music. Wonderful experience!!

For me, no trip anywhere is complete without trying some of the best food. Las Vegas is home to some of the best world class restaurants. Just walking up and down the Strip you can find restaurants owned and operated by some of the biggest names in the culinary world: Gordon Ramsey, Morimoto, Rocky Aoki… Okay that last name may not seem as familiar, but you may have heard of the popular Japanese restaurant where your chef prepares food right at your table Aoki created named Benihana.

I’m sure you’ve figured by now that not only do I love to eat, but I also love to cook. Last month I announced a new venture for this blog and I’m excited to bring you the first entry in a year of movies and meals. I’ve created easy-to-make, three-course menus all themed around a different Disney movie for each month. Each meal is designed to be easy and quick using ingredients you can find in any grocery store and even fun to make for any little Disney kitchen helpers you may have in your family. So grab your apron as I present to you the very first Disney & Dinner!!

Truthfully when it comes to January and winters, I’m not a big fan. I guess after the excitement of Christmas and promising a new year and a new you from New Year’s, January normally brought on the close to zero temperatures and gray days. In light of this I started thinking what could be better than bringing a little sun and fun into the month? And what state is sunnier than the Aloha State, Hawaii. So with my copy of Lilo and Stitch in hand I give you an easy, at-home luau:

Movie: Lilo and Stitch

Menu: Kalua Pulled Pork Sliders

Asian Slaw

Kona Coffee Jello with Kahlua Whip Cream

So Lilo and Stitch, the story of a broken family of sisters struggling to stay together after their parents tragically die in a rainstorm and an extraterrestrial outlaw that randomly lands on the islands. The two paths cross and teach each other the meaning of Ohana: Family. Released in 2002, the movie was meant to be more of a “B-Movie” for Disney and not an epic blockbuster along the lines of say Frozen. I’ve already given my review which you can find here.

So let’s dive into dinner!

When I created the idea of an at home luau I knew I had to include the iconic roast pig. The last time I was in Hawaii my junior year of high school, our trip including a luau and they told us the process of cooking the pig, which included digging a hole in the sand, building a fire and letting it burn down, covering the pig and fire pit with banana leaves, and letting the pig cook in the natural oven for an entire day. As wonderful as the outcome is I’m afraid my landlord would have an objection to me digging up the lawn to create a pit for luaus. So instead I turned to Google for ideas and found a wonderful recipe that was simple and still delicious. I will say from the get go this is not my original recipe so no infringement is intended (I will also include the link where I found it).

Pulled Kalua Pork Sliders

·         1 pork roast, about 4 lbs.

·         1 Tablespoon liquid smoke seasoning

·         1 ½ Tablespoon Hawaiian Sea Salt

Method: Rub the pork with salt and liquid smoke seasoning (I used the Hickory smoke flavor). Put roast into crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours, turning once during cooking. When done shred meat in crockpot and serve on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (I used the King’s Hawaiian brand).

For a side dish I made an easy “Asian” slaw. NOTE: If you can’t find ramen noodles with the seasoning already on the noodles, you can use any ramen with the Oriental seasoning packet; just add half to the full packet into the dressing.

Easy Asian Slaw

·         Half a head of cabbage (or one package of pre-shredded cole slaw mix)

·         2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds

·         2 Tablespoons of sliced almonds (optional)

·         2 Green onions, chopped

·         1 Package of ramen (Nissin works best as it already has the seasoning on the noodles; if you can’t find the Nissin brand see the tip from above)

For the dressing

·         2 Tablespoons sugar

·         ½ cup oil

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon pepper

·         3 Tablespoon Vinegar

In a large bowl combine cabbage, sesame seeds, almonds and green onions. Mix up the ingredients thoroughly. Crush ramen in package and sprinkle over cabbage mix. In a cruet or jar put sugar, oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Cover and shake until thoroughly mixed. Pour over cabbage and ramen mixture.

This slaw is great served freshly made and gets even better the longer is sits in the dressing.

For dessert I decided to draw on a dish that I’ve seen in cooking videos from Japan and had the experience of trying for the first time while on a recent trip to Las Vegas at a Japanese buffet called Makino. Coffee Jello is great as well as you can make it as sweet as you want by adjusting the sugar and the type of coffee used. To go with the Hawaiian theme I opted for a good Kona roast and added a little twist into the whipped cream topping:

Coffee Jello with Kahlua Whipped Cream

·         Four cups freshly brewed coffee, any roast (I used Kona)

·         ¼ cup of sugar

·         One packet (quarter oz.) of unflavored gelatin

For whipped cream:

·         One small carton heavy whipping cream

·         2 Tablespoons sugar

·         1 Tablespoon Kahlua liqueur (optional)

Method: Pour coffee in a mixing bowl and add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and then add gelatin, stirring until gelatin is also dissolved. Pour mixture into a square 9x9 pan and put into the refrigerator until the gelatin firms up (I made this the day before and let it set overnight).

For the whipped cream topping, pour heavy cream, sugar and kahlua, if using, into a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on low until sugar is dissolved and then turn up to medium high speed. Mix the cream until it forms hard peaks. 

To serve, cut the coffee jello into squares. Pour hot water into a larger pan and set pan with jello in water to loosen up. Serve in bowls and top with whipped cream.

My friend and fellow Disney fan Rory came over to help out with serving up this delicious Disney dinner and also took a few pictures of the finished products:

Pulled Pork Sliders with Asian Slaw

Coffee Jello with Spiked Whipped Cream

Here are the links to the recipes I used for this month: 

Kalua Pork: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/24035/kalua-pig-in-a-slow-cooker/

Coffee Jello: http://www.food.com/recipe/coffee-jello-81870

Well all I hope you’ve enjoyed the first entry in my yearlong Disney and Dinner series. I am excited to get this year underway and create more menus and give you more Disney movie reviews in 2016. In the meantime, please let me know what you think of these recipes and share your pictures of these creations.

Next month we’re going to celebrate Mardi Gras in style and take inspiration from the cookbook of Tiana. That’s right Disney fans, next month’s movie is The Princess and the Frog and on the menu we’ll have Jambalaya, cornbread and easy to make beignets!! And as always

Make it a Magical Day – Pat A