Homemade Hungry Bear YUM

So, it's no secret that one of my absolute FAVES is the fried green tomato sandwich at the Hungry Bear in Critter Country. The green tomatoes! The aioli! The jicama slaw!

I had a couple green tomatoes I needed to use, so I figured I'd try a semi-homemade version of perfection, just using what I could find around the kitchen.

It was pretty easy to fry the tomatoes up - slice, then dredge in 1) flour, 2) beaten egg, & 3) breadcrumbs, fry in butter/olive oil for a couple minutes on each side till they're browned and tasty. For slaw I just used what I had on hand, which was red bell peppers. Likewise with bread (King's Hawaiian rolls) and "spicy aioli" (thousand island dressing + hot sauce, haha!). 

Yeah, very on the fly. But guess what, it was super tasty and was a refreshing taste of "home." Yummy! 

I have made Disney foods at home quite a bit - with varying degrees of success. I'll try to keep up with posting all our food adventures. 

Oh So Dapper

Such a fan! (Dork.) I watched them probably twice a day on my trip.

Disney on Twitter

I find the @DisneylandToday and @DCAtoday twitter accounts both fun and helpful. When you're in the parks, make sure you get notifications from them because they'll have surprise giveaways of cookies, Fastpasses, buttons and more! I was happy to run in to them within a couple hours of arriving.
And if you don't have a Twitter, what are you even doing? GET ONE.

More Disney crafts

Here is Minnie admiring my Bert bag - made this out of a tote bag and ribbons (using Liquid Stitch) last May. Used it on my trip then and on my most recent trip - got tons of compliments from cast members, characters, and other guests! Of course the one day I met Bert I had a different purse, sigh.

Outlet mall haul

Well, not so much a "haul." Went to an outlet mall on my Oregon trip - of course had to check out the Disney Store! There were some decent deals and even some park merchandise, but all I ended up with was this mug. I own too many mugs, but how could I resist this one?? It's everything I love - turquoise, Donald, and DAISY. Also it was $5. So whatever!

Disney Crafts

I made this! I'll try to take pictures of all my Disney crafts - when I have the time to do them!
This is my Bert Bow. Made with ribbon leftover from my Bert Bag (I'll post about that another time). <3

my advice - DL during spring break, misc tips

***

Hey Erin,
So we're in SoCal and we're going to head to Disneyland and we were wondering if you have any tips. Ride strategy, best place to get tix, etc. We're only going for one day. What's the word on Main Street USA?

***

Hey!
Tix online are cheaper, usually...I don't remember if you've been recently or if you'll be there open-close, so forgive me if you already know some of this stuff or if any of it is irrelevant.
It's Spring Break so it's predicted to be pretty crowded all week.
According to the app I have, crowds are supposed to be 9 & 10 out of 10 every day this week - Fri & Sat are the 9s and Wed & Thurs are the 10s. Really not much difference...but I can't recommend the Touring Plans app enough. You can get real time Wait Time updates, which is really helpful.
Use single rider lines when available - you can get on rides way quicker. If you do Carsland, this is especially true for Radiator Springs Racers, which is a supercool new ride - standby line is usually 100+ minutes, but I never waited longer than 25 minutes for single rider. If its not clear, you can ask the cast member at the front of the queue about a single rider line.
Eat a Dole Whip. Eat a corn dog.
The Soundsational parade is my favorite, if you feel like a parade.
If you're there in the morning, Peter Pan first. ALWAYS FIRST. (This is true for most of Fantasyland; if you want to do those attractions, do it first thing in the morning)
Toy Story Midway Mania is always a 45 minute wait. It's worth it.
If you're trying to choose between fireworks and World of Color, do World of Color.
Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed right now, so you don't need to worry about that one.
If you're only going to ride one side of the Matterhorn, do the Tomorrowland side!
The Dapper Dans are my favorite.
If you're there at closing - get in a line a few minutes prior - if you're in line at closing, they have to let you get on the ride.
Good luck!
(Also if it seems overwhelmingly busy, ride the train around a couple times because its awesome, AND Haunted Mansion & Pirates always load fast and rarely have a crazy long wait.)

...Sorry if that's overwhelming. I'm a big Disney nerd. Basically, it's one day. You won't be able to do everything. When I have one day I just figure out what I really really want to do and stick with that. Realistic expectations.
Have a magical day! xoxo

***


Thought I'd post a message exchange with one of my old friends from yesterday/today. I'm planning on doing a more thorough tips/tricks post, but this is a good taste of what my Disney advice is like - past midnight after a night of Portlanding (MIKA show + drinks + food), haha.
(This is slightly edited - to take out my own blog reference, fix spelling, and condense superfluous info.)
I hope they have a freakin' awesome time! I did, in Portland - I <3 MIKA and that's one of the first non-Disney things I've said on my Disney blog!

 

Busybusybusy - World of Color love

I'm in Portland, but here is a lovely WoC picture that I took :)

Silly SouvenEAR

One of my favorites - silly and with no purpose, but adorable anyways! <3 Bobblehead!

Aaaaaagh

Can't believe I almost forgot to post! 3 minutes to go! YIKES.
Here is a picture of me Disneybounding as the Alice comedies FOR the Alice comedies! Fun fun.

A treat

Ayiyi there's 10 minutes left in the day, haha! Figured I'd make this short and (VERY) sweet!
This here is a red velvet Mickey cake pop, purchased from the Candy Palace on Main Street. I have lots of favorites, but every trip I like to try a few new things as well. I don't remember seeing this before! Only the center circle is cake; the ears are marshmallow. This makes sense when you think about how heavy cake pops are, and how cake ears would be too heavy, but when I was "in the moment" I sure was surprised! They also come in vanilla and chocolate cake. So, I don't think I even need to say that it was sweet. I mean, it's cake and marshmallow, dipped in chocolate. It is SWEET. Not really something I'd share though, given the nature of cake pops - they're very much a one-person treat.
At under $5 this was a pretty good deal, for Disney. Enjoyed it on the corner of Main Street and continued my day, albeit with a LOT more sugar in my system!

These are a few of my favorite apps – Touring Plans!

The only Disney app I need is Touring Plans. I first heard about Touring Plans through their Unofficial Guide books, and through the (best) Disney podcast Mousetalgia. Yes it costs money ($6.95 I believe for a year’s DL/DCA subscription, more if you add WDW). Yes it is absolutely worth it. So much information at your fingertips!

Here’s a sample of some of the information I use most regularly. If you’re familiar with the books, however, you’ll know that they also offer…well, Touring Plans, hence the name. Their website says that their plans can save you hours in line; for me the most helpful information is the crowd calendar and wait time features. There’s even links to restaurant reviews and menus, if you’re hungry in the parks or just trying to plan your trip.

 

In my experience, I feel like the crowd predictions may have been slightly “off” in the past year or so (some days have a lower crowd prediction than it ends up being, it seems), but that’s probably because the Disneyland Resort is so very popular! All of the new additions I’m sure have an effect on crowds (UNDERSTATEMENT). However, I feel like the reported wait times you get is worth the price of the app alone – you can find out (via another user) an attraction’s wait time, or if it’s been closed, without having to make the trek yourself. Also, is it possible that Disney's posted wait times are sometimes...wrong? Their predicted wait times have proven (for me) to be more accurate.

 
For me, knowledge is power. The reason I became such a huge Disney nerd is because I was planning a trip and just…got…so…INTERESTED! I never stopped; now I try to know everything, because why not. This app helps me know (almost) everything, and I love it. Thank you, Touring Plans and The Unofficial Guide! (I would work for you guys in a second if I could. Also their website touringplans.com is pretty great, too.)

It’s especially nice if you’re stuck at home in rainy Washington, just wondering about how the parks are today. Sigh!

Got my nails did

All Disney, all the time. :) Picked out a color called "Pink Elephants!" Pretty pretty; I'm on a pink kick lately. Fairly sure that's not going to change anytime soon. ;)

Disney Store trip - my haul for today

I preordered Wreck-It Ralph a while ago, and today was the last day I could pick it up and still use the coupon that came with it. This happened when I preordered Peter Pan, too - what can I say, I don't live superclose to my Disney Stores! Basically, when you preorder you get a coupon that could be used for either $10 your entire purchase or $20 your purchase of $40 or more. WHAT a deal, I can never resist. In fact, I used my Peter Pan coupon to buy Wreck-It Ralph, so 1) it's like the circle of life, and 2) they REALLY have me in the palm of their hand, that Disney Store.

We have two Disney Stores in the area, Alderwood Mall and Southcenter (either one is more than an hour away from my house). Alderwood is bigger, but Southcenter is newer. So take your pick. We were at Alderwood today.

Even though nothing really struck my fancy (I have way too many stuffed animals as it is - maybe you'll see them later, sigh, yes boys I'm single!), I wanted to buy SOMETHING, because hey, $10 off! So, I bought this mug.

Also I have way too many mugs, but whatever. Someday I'll definitely post all of them so I can officially hate myself. Seriously, TOO MANY. I really like this style of mug they've come out with - I already own the Dumbo and Fantasia ones. Beautiful art, a good shape and (most importantly, since this isn't always true with Disney dishes) microwave and dishwasher safe! Allegedly - I'll let you know I guess.

And now Wreck-It Ralph is mine! If only I had the time to watch it! Ah well. Hope we all have a magical week!

Finally! Virginia Davis in Disney’s Alice Comedies – screening in Seattle 3/10

I was so excited to attend the Sunday Special Matinee (part of “The Women of Silent Film” series presented by Trader Joe’s) at the Paramount Theater in Seattle last weekend, March 10. I’d seen some of the Alice comedies before (on the Disney Rarities DVDs), but to have a real silent movie experience in such a gorgeous theater was such a beautiful experience!

Here’s the info from the program:

Virginia Davis stars in Disney’s ALICE COMEDIES (1920s), a series of short animated/live action films starring four year old child star Virginia Davis. The series was first produced by Disney’s Laugh-O-Gram studio in Kansas City, Missouri. Later M.J. Winkler became the first woman to produce and distribute animation at Walt Disney Studio in Hollywood. “It all started with a mouse,” is what most know as the beginning of the Walt Disney Company. In reality, Disney started in 1923 with his neighbor girl Alice in his innovative cartoon, Alice in Wonderland, that combined a live action girl interacting with cartoon drawings. Virginia starred in the first 14 of the 57 Alice short films and helped to set Disney on the map as an animator, director and producer. Today most of the Alice Comedies are rarely screened and 35mm prints are stored in the Disney vaults. We present these five shorts in DVD so audiences can have an opportunity to experience these early Disney creations. Shorts include: Alice in Wonderland, Alice’s Wild West Show, Alice Gets in Dutch, Alice’s Day at Sea and Alice in the Jungle.

 

The tickets were $10 each, and the show went a little over an hour. There was a decent turnout of both adults and kids. We weren’t sure what to expect, so we were thrilled when we entered the theater and saw Jim Riggs playing the Wurlitzer, front and center. He spoke a little about what he does, his process, etc. He also explained the live sound effects setup they had, provided by Gunnar Folsom. Basically both of them just watch the films over and over to get a feel for them. They rehearse, but really every performance is different!

 



The only short that was new to me was Alice’s Day at Sea, and it was just as charming as the others. It was just a fun afternoon enjoying some Disney history. Afterwards we went up front to thank Jim and Gunnar, and ran in to Don Morin from the PNWMM, so that was lovely, too.

Gunnar showing us some of the sound effects.

Such a fun time! I took some cool audio from the show, but I’m hopeless and busy, so it’s not up on here, sorry. Sigh, someday, someday I will learn.

Well, I’m off to a Sounders game! Hope your weekend is as fun as mine will be! xoxo

Food Friday! Carthay Circle House Biscuits (at home)

Okay, so I've never been to the Carthay Circle Restaurant. Oh, how I wish one day! But everyone freakin' raves about their house biscuits (described on the menu as: Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits - Stuffed with White Cheddar, Bacon, and Jalapeno, Served with Apricot Honey Butter. $11!), and I just am impatient and wanted a taste of the magic. So while making dinner one night I figured maybe I'd throw together something similar, like a semi-homemade or ghetto-ized version of my own. I got some biscuits-in-a-can, cubed some cheese, roasted a jalapeño and fried some small pieces of bacon. I chopped everything up and tucked the filling inside the biscuit. They baked okay and tasted good (I ate them with some honey) but nowhere near Disney quality. I am determined to do it, though, so maybe next time I'll try a homemade (or Bisquick) dough. And maybe fry them. That's really like a fritter though, yeah? Whatever. Have a magical weekend!

Subliminal Disney

So, I'm a preschool teacher, did I mention that? Anyway here's something I did but didn't realize I did - one of our projects this week was to make a handprint flower garden; I thought it would look cute on the wall for spring. I'm tired of winter! So I'm putting it up and had a few extra stems, so I created some flowers to go along with the rest.

crafty crafty

 

 

I chose the circle shape just because 1) it was easy, and 2) because I like making flowers that look like that - simple, bright, not really real. It wasn't until the next day (today) that I realized where I may have (unconsciously) drawn some inspiration!

 

 

Splash Mountain flowers!

Specifically these flowers. I notice them every time! So cute.

 

Oh, the Disney Things! Now when I look at the wall, my day is doubly brightened!

 

 

Splash Mountain LOVE. Have a zip-a-dee-doo-dah day!

Announcing...plans!

Going to be completely lame tonight and post something supershort - but exciting!



Caitlin and I are planning a DL trip! Here's our change jar - any guesses as to when we're going? ;)

"Yes, folks, we only have high class stuff on this show." The Hungry Bear Restaurant

Oh my goodness, I don’t think it was a wise decision to try to blog every day in March when I have a show opening the first week of April! But I soldier on.

Since I alluded to it in my last post, I figured I’d write something short and sweet about one of my favorite places, the Hungry Bear Restaurant!

Hungry?

 

This is the counter service place in Critter Country – it’s easy to walk right by it, but when you really look, it’s pretty big, with both upstairs and downstairs seating. The seating wraps around the side/back of the restaurant, with views of the Rivers of America, a peaceful setting while you’re eating. The Disneyland Railroad travels past the back of the upstairs deck, and both the Columbia and Mark Twain sail by serenely, prompting my sister Maddie to say one of my favorite Disneyland quotes (as the Mark Twain passed us while eating at the HB), “You know, not to brag, but if I had a running start…and one of those gymnastics-jumpy things, I could jump from this deck to that boat.” HAHA…or maybe you had to be there. Ah, memories.

Restrooms are on the downstairs level – we’re familiar with these since they’re large and never too crowded. To me it seems that the HB opens late and closes early – they only serve lunch and aren’t open late at night, but I never have trouble finding time to dine there!

I can’t completely vouch for all of the food at the Hungry Bear, (take a look at their menu here, thanks to AllEars.net) because I only get one thing every time I go. “The Fried Green Tomato Sandwich - cornmeal crusted fried green tomatoes layered with two slices of fresh heirloom tomatoes, topped with havarti, remoulade, jicama-mango slaw and served on a multi-grain roll.” Served with sweet potato fries. Hea-ven! DOUBLE tomatoes and the slaw is so so good. I’ve gotten the Lemon “Bumblebee” Cupcake too, which was super pretty AND tasty. There’s only ketchup, mustard and mayo at the condiments/silverware/napkins bar, but they have BBQ sauce and ranch behind the counter if you ask. I do wish they served sweet tea here, though. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time.

 

Another cool thing to do if you’re looking for something different is to hang out at the Hungry Bear while a showing of Fantasmic! is going on. Sit or stand on the upper deck, near the water. Because of the unique view of the Rivers of America, you can see the floats go by after passing the main show area and witness some of the backstage magic. If you’ve already seen Fantasmic! traditionally and don’t feel like waiting with the crowds, you can get a completely new experience watching this way. We saw cast/crew members change the jungle floats to princess ones, as well as the characters getting on and off the barges. We also got to see some of the smaller vehicles (Flotsam, Jetsam, Tic Toc Croc) up close. It was strange to not see everything lit up (which is why I didn’t get very good photos), but it was entertaining and interesting – especially to “theater people” like us. Worth a try if you’d like to try something new.

 

Something special I enjoy about the Hungry Bear is that it’s what Disneylanders have left of the ol’ Country Bear Jamboree. Seeing the references to the old show throughout the restaurant makes me happy. And wistful. And also happy.

Happy Disney Things

I know I said yesterday that I’d write about seeing Alice comedies at the Paramount today, but I want to spend more time than I have right now writing that post! So, another day. In fact, today has turned in to a pretty rough one, so I think for tonight I’ll just post some Disney Things that make me happy.

 

 

 

Okay, that's enough. Night night, xoxo