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
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