Wordless Wednesday...They Call me Mellow Yellow

They have nothing in common, except some yellow... 

and a bit of gold.

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Made of Legos!

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St. Marks, Venice

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...as always, for more Wordless Wednesday, 
check these out.

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Wordless Wednesday..When in Doubt...Disney!

 

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...as always, for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Wordless Wednesday...Where In The World Am I?

England?

Norway?

Morocco?

Japan?

Rome?

No, just Disney!

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...as always, for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Wordless Wednesday...What Can I Say...I Love Disney

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...as always, for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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Weekend Cooking...Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake

Sunday evening I was at my brother's house, watching the Golden Globes with the SIL and The Niece. We had great fun ripping apart their outfits..
But when that movie about the start of Facebook started to win a number of awards, a discussion started about the new technologies and the new social medias. The SIL is quite concerned that we are losing our ability to really communicate, face to face, talking, what with all the texting and e-mails and Twitter/Facebook posts. Well, she may have a point but...I must say, sometimes texting can be a lot of fun. What does this have to do with food you might ask. Well...

On my last trip to Disney World a couple of months ago, I was all alone. Now, I have been there many times, most times with other people and a couple of times alone and each way has it's own pluses and minuses. One minus for me of being there alone is that I am not really a fan of eating alone in a 'nice' restaurant. I spend too much time staring at other diners and eavesdropping on their conversation while trying to look like I am not. :-)  With no one to talk to, the whole experience just goes too quick..or something. But, when I have been there with my family before, we always eat at least once at the Brown Derby in Hollywood Studio and it is one of my favorite Disney Restaurants. Very attractive, great service, cool and quiet and a nice relaxing pace...and great food.

So there I was having a nice lunch, duck I think, after a scallop appetizer, when as I remember it, the Niece texted me. Or maybe I texted her. But either way, there we were having a little 'conversation' as I ate lunch. Did I mention that they have the best rolls in the world? Oh my heavens...

Anyhoo, the duck was consumed and I was going to skip dessert and get ready to go find a good place to watch the afternoon parade, until the Niece texted me that I had to try the famous Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake! I had never had it before, but I took her recommendation and ordered a slice, with some excellent coffee, and it was delightful. Sweet and tart, light and luscious.

So, while I have not tried the recipe, it is from the Disney site, so I assume it is the same as the one they sell. And if it is, it is delicious. And pretty , as the picture from that ever handy phone camera shows.


Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake

1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs (separated)
3 tbsp. grapefruit juice
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add water, oil, egg yolks, grapefruit juice and lemon rind. Beat until smooth. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar separately until whites are stiff but not dry. Gradually fold the whites into the cake batter, folding gently with a rubber spatula until just blended. Do not stir the mixture. Pour into an ungreased 10-inch cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back in the center when touched lightly. Place the pan on cake rack until cool. Run spatula around edge of cake. Carefully remove from pan. With a serrated knife, gently cut into two layers. After cutting the cake in two, slide a flat cookie sheet between the layers to lift the top one off; after frosting the bottom layer, simply slide the top back on.

Grapefruit Cream Cheese Icing

2 6-oz. pkgs. cream cheese
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
6 to 8 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1 1-lb. can grapefruit sections, well-drained, reserving 2 tbsp. of juice; or 3 fresh grapefruits, peeled, sectioned, and drained, reserving 2 tbsp. of fresh juice.

Let cream cheese soften at room temperature, then beat until fluffy. Add lemon juice and rind. Gradually blend in sugar and beat until well-blended. Add food coloring, if desired. Add reserved 2 tablespoons of grapefruit juice and blend. Divide the frosting evenly into two bowls. Roughly chop 2/3 of the grapefruit sections and add them to half the frosting. Spread this mixture on the bottom layer of the cake. Top with the second layer of cake, and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Garnish each portion with a grapefruit slice. Serves six.

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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Wordless Wednesday...Christmas at a Magical Place

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Wordless Wednesday...Epcot

...with a short side trip to the Boardwalk and Yacht Club.

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...as always, for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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A Review of "Fodor's Walt Disney World 2011" [86]

Fodor's Walt Disney World 2011
Fodor's; Pap/Map edition, ISBN 978-1400004614
November 16, 2010, 608 pages

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You know, there are all sorts of vacations. There is, is order of complexity, sitting on a beach with a tropical drink in your hand, there is a road trip covering several states, with stops at points of interest and oddities, there is a month long tour of Europe...and then there is a trip to Disney World and the Greater Orlando Theme Park Megalopolis. 
Make no mistake, a trip to Disney is perhaps most akin to planning a military invasion.
Now, that is a bad thing.
So long as you are aware of what you are getting into.
And many people, as I can personally attest to from my latest trip, are not.

A day did not go by on my most recent trip when I did not have to assist my fellow travelers, mostly correcting misinformation. It is a complicated topic and we can not all be experts. But take the example of a Canadian women, and then her whole family, with whom I had a conversation at Sea World. They had no idea about the Disney or Sea World water parks, they had no idea about the various Disney Parks. When someone says to me "What is Epcot", my heart sinks. They had never heard of a FastPass! People, I do not do lines, and in most cases neither do you have to. I try to be helpful and guide the lost and confused...but I am only one person! :-)

I have been to Disney many times. I love Disney and regardless of what one family member, who will remain unnamed, recently said, I totally get The Magic. But the thing is, in the whole central Florida area, there are a huge number of things to do and unless you has unlimited time and unlimited money (and if you do, can I go with you next time?) you need A PLAN.
And many visitor do not have a clue, yet alone a plan.
Without one, you will waste money and time, not get the most out of your trip and end up being one of those families you see on Main Street at the end of the day, as the park is closing, the mother exhausted, the father red-faced and angry and the kids crying. Folks, this is suppose to be fun!

So please, please, before going to see the Mouse...or Harry if you swing that way...buy and read a book. A comprehensive travel guide like this very good guide. There are many, many decisions to be made and you need help. You need help just knowing how many decisions you need to make. How are you getting there? Where are you staying? In park..out of park? What will it cost? How are you going to get around? Do you want to rent a car? Where do you want to eat..and what about the Disney food plan? What do you have to see, because know, you will not see it all. Decisions must be made and this is a very fine book to assist you in doing that.

There is a huge amount of material to be covered and Fodor does about as good a job as is possible in presenting all that material without overwhelming the reader. From the very beginning of your planning, through your arrival at the parks, to how to spend your days, all the topics are covered. Whether you are traveling with little kids, or teenagers, are an older couple or even alone, the various unique issues each situation presents are covered. A huge list of hotels, in and out of WDW are covered, as are many, many restaurants, again both in the parks and resorts and outside the Mouse Empire. Each park and the must see attractions at each are discussed. A great deal of helpful information, all presented in a very clear and logical way, is at the heart of this book. And it is also presented in a very attractive format, with a very large number of very nice, full-color photographs and many helpful maps and graphics and a very nice pull out map.

About 1/2 the book is devoted to WDW, about 1/4 to Universal and Sea World, and the remaining 1/4 to the greater Central Florida region, from Tampa to the Kennedy Space Center. Yes, even my beloved Gatorland is discussed.
It is a very comprehensive book...but, like any guide, it is not perfect. The hotel I stayed at on my most recent visit, an out-of-park hotel, was not included, and at least two in-park restaurants I ate it were not there either. Understandable and not an issue really, since any one book can not contain everything. But take the fact that the very popular restaurant at Canada in Epcot, Le Cellier, was not mentioned. Things like that were a bit odd maybe.

The book is very up to date, which is refreshing. Theme parks are always changing a bit, adding and subtracting  attractions and this book is on top of what is going on in the parks. For example, the fact that Toontown is disappearing, being folded into a bigger Fantasyland is discussed, as is the changed made to the Shamu show at Sea World since the killing of a trainer by one of the whales. But that also pointed out another small issue I had with the book and that is some of the ratings. The greatly reduced Shamu show is still a Fodor Pick, whereas I think it is clear that the best show at Sea World is now the dolphin show, into which the park has poured all their best. Platform divers, acrobats, swooping tropical birds, and a large amount of trainer/animal interaction, make this, not Shamu the must see show. All ratings are subjective and while I found myself disagreeing with some one them and some of the opinions offered, for most visitors that would be a very minor issue.

For someone planning a first trip, this is a great book. For others, who have made trips, even many trips, in the past, this is still a very useful and very enjoyable book. Full of fun facts, countless things I am sure you don't know and tons of helpful information.
Strongly recommended.

Now, let me just say, as much as I like this book and recommend it, I would not let it be the only book I would read if planning a trip to Disney, especially if you are a first timer. Although I have not looked at a recent edition, [author or publisher, please note I would be happy to check out and review the 2011 editions if you would like :-) ], I have also found  The Unofficial Disney Guide by Bob Sehlinger very helpful in the past. Lets say it gives a slightly different, but no less helpful or interesting, perspective on WDW. The fact that every review on Amazon is a five star review gives you an idea of how good this book is.
Together they would make a great team to help you make you trip to Walt Disney World the funnest trip ever...A Magical Trip to a Magical Place.

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My Thanks to Amazon Vine for my review copy of this book.

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Wordless Wednesday...a Magical Place

Magic in The Daytime...


Magic in The Nighttime...


...for more Wordless Wednesday, check these out.

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A Magical, Magical Place!

Have I ever mentioned that I am a HUGE Disney fan, especially a very big fan of Walt Disney World? Well, I am, because it is Magical Place! You didn't know that? You don't believe it? Well, I have proof. Ok, maybe not proof, but a swell look at a day in Disney World, shot in a way that gives it the appearance of a miniature world. I just love the very last scene.

"“A Day at the Magic Kingdom Park” is a never-before-seen look at the park in miniature scale. The video is created from a series of photos snapped inside the Magic Kingdom Park. And the trick is tilt-shift photography.

It’s a sunrise-to-sunset story told without words. But the message is clear — celebrate."

Check out this video... A Model Day At Disney World!

Happy Birthday!!

Oh my, I almost missed it!! It is a very, very important day!!
It is Mickey Mouse's 80th Birthday. He looks very good for his age. Perhaps he has had some work done.
Actually, I would argue that it is not so much his birthday as the day he first appeared in public, his debut. Of course, he was born earlier.

To quote the folks at
the Disney Archives

“Mickey Mouse is arguably the most famous of the Disney cartoon characters. Making his debut in "Steamboat Willie" at the Colony Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1928, Mickey went on to star in over 120 different cartoons. He also starred in "The Mickey Mouse Club" television show of the 1950s.

Mickey Mouse's original drawings used circles for his head, body and ears. 1939's "The Pointer" saw a bold, new design for Mickey as his body became more pear-shaped and pupils were added to his eyes to increase his range of expression. Later on, animators of the 1940s would add a perspective aspect to his ears, giving them a three-dimensional effect. This change, however, was short-lived. The Mickey Mouse of today appears much as he did in the early days with the exception of a costume change here and there.”

All very interesting...but I find it quite disturbing that they discuss Mickey as if he were not REAL, as if he were just a cartoon creation. But as we all know he is very real. I have shaken his hand at Disney World. I saw his house. Don't be telling me he is not real!! I will not listen {{la, la, la, la, la....}}

For your viewing pleasure, in his first film, The Mouse himself...



♫♫ M-I-C...See you real soon...K-E-Y...Why? Because we like you....MOUSE... ♫ ♫

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