February 8, 2012

The Perfect Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Recipe (10 Years in the Making)

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Most people don't know the exact Cinnabon cinnamon roll recipe but for a decade, both Aaron and my mom have been intermittently attempting to crack the code, making various tweaks to their pastry-baking-marathons. They've been close but never hit upon a recipe that was indistinguishable, in our opinion, from the Cinnabon franchise version. Until tonight. It finally happened. Jackpot. Victory achieved. By modifying and adjusting several different past Cinnabon cinnamon roll recipes from the … [Read more...]

Dinner at the Yachtsman Club Restaurant in the Yacht and Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World

Yachtsman Club New York Steak

Dinner tonight was at the Yachtsman Club restaurant in Orlando, Florida, on the Walt Disney World property (specifically, the Yacht and Beach Club resort).  It's a classic steakhouse menu that comes highly recommended.  The bar is going to be set high after dinner at Citricos last night and The California Grill prior to that but the menu looks promising.   Appetizers from the Yachtsman Club   Entrees from the Yachtsman Club Dessert at the Yachtsman Club Review … [Read more...]

Citricos Review at The Grand Floridian Resort in Walt Disney World

Citricos Restaurant at The Grand Floridian in Walt Disney World

This has been the hardest day so far in terms of miles walked.  It's easily in the 10 to 15 miles range and possible even higher (part of this is purposeful: Just like running the beach earlier, I am trying to take the longest ways possible to burn off the huge portions at the nicer restaurants since we are doing a foodie tour of the resort).  But tonight, we dine at Citricos in The Grand Floridian Resort, across the lake from The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  I've read wonderful … [Read more...]

Disney’s Living with the Land Epcot Greenhouse Can Grow 35,000 Tomatoes from 1 Tomato Plant in 16 Months and Produce 9 Pound Lemons

Living with the Land Greenhouse Attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort Epcot Theme Park

One of the coolest, and most thought-provoking, experiences of The Walt Disney World experience thus far is the greenhouse ride at the Living with the Land attraction in Epcot.  By focusing on renewable farming techniques and applying best-practices in technology, the researchers and scientists that work in this facility have been able to dramatically increase crop yields in low-soil environments, engineering tomato plants that produce up to 35,000 tomatoes in 16 months, 9 pound lemons, lettuce … [Read more...]

Lunch at the Mexican Restaurant in Epcot Was a Huge Disappointment

isla-flotante-epcot

Our Walt Disney Epcot adventure continues. Unfortunately, it continued right into the first bad (and it would turn out, only bad) food experience on the trip.  The Mexican restaurant inside the pyramid is not, as Charlie Sheen would say, winning.  In fact, it is the opposite of winning.  It is losing.  It is losing badly.  It was an unexpected disappointment because I was really looking forward to a good chimichanga or enchilada.  Instead, we were served dashed hopes and lost dreams (okay, … [Read more...]

Dinner at California Grill with Aaron, Ashly, Ian, Karen, and Blake

Group In Front of Disney Castle

We met up with everyone around the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue at Cinderella's castle before heading over to Space Mountain to ride the famous indoor roller coaster.  Ordinarily, roller coasters aren't my thing, but just like the Everest Expedition (the Animal Kingdom equivalent to Disneyland's Matterhorn), I have to say I really enjoyed it.  It took over an hour to get through the line but it was great because we got to hang out and talk, which was a welcome respite from the umpteen … [Read more...]

Lunch at Yak and Yeti in the Disney Animal Kingdom Park

Fried Wontons at the Yak and Yeti

The safari this morning was awesome but it is now getting excessively hot so we are going to go into our lunch reservation at the Yak and Yeti early.  After that, it's roller coaster time, specifically the Everest Expedition, which is the Florida Disney World equivalent of the Matterhorn at Disneyland in California.  The restaurant is Asian themed, with Malaysian, Chinese, etc. food. Appetizers at Yak and Yeti   Main Dishes from Yak and Yeti   Desserts from Yak and Yeti … [Read more...]

Dinner at Narcoossee’s Restaurant at The Grand Floridian Deluxe Hotel and Resort in Walt Disney World

Narcoosee's Restaurant at Walt Disney World

Dinner tonight is taking place at Narcoossee's, a seafood place on the edge of the lake that separates the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom, The Contemporary Resort, The Polynesian Resort, and The Grand Floridian Resort.  The view is wonderful, the food is terrific, and you can take a nearby boat to any of the other listed properties.  I could hardly eat and wasted a lot of food thanks to lunch at The Brown Derby earlier today.  There haven't been a lot of pictures in the meantime because 1.) I'm … [Read more...]

We’re Having Lunch at The Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World

The Brown Derby Restaurant Review at The Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios Theme Park

Next up on the Walt Disney World foodie tour is The Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios.  It is a reproduction of the famous eatery on the West Coast.   Our reservation had fortuitous timing because a sudden downpour and lightning storm hit, relentlessly drenching the area as we enjoyed the comfort of the restaurant and had lunch.  We have two big reservations today so there was no breakfast and we'll have at least 10 miles of walking.  Still, this is the most food I've probably ever eaten in … [Read more...]

Nescafe Coffee Is as Good as Douwe Egberts

Nescafe vs Douwe Egberts

Many of you know about my Douwe Egberts coffee obsession.  No, not the roasted beans, the machine itself that combines with a concentrated form of the coffee produced overseas so that every cup is identical.  It's normally only available to restaurants but I called the company and just bought one outright so that it sits at headquarters.  In this Douwe Egberts coffee post, I explained how it works and why it is so amazing to the point I'd track down a Netherlands-based coffee manufacturer and … [Read more...]