Happy New Year! I’m Still Here!

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Look! I’m dusting off the old blog to let you know that I’m still here! Some of you have been wondering and I appreciate you checking on me! I still love you guys and I still have plenty to say. Where have I been? Mostly I’ve been spending my days like this: Run, work, sleep, repeat. We’re officially in the home stretch for Dopey Challenge 2020! I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be finished training (almost)!

Happy New Year!

Sunday’s nine lonely miles in the rain gave me plenty of time to feel sorry for myself, but instead of indulging in a pity party, I thought about how grateful I am that I’m able to run. Even though I’m sore and tired and a bit worried that after all we’ve done, we still haven’t trained enough – I still love to run. I thought about how lucky I am to have Joseph running the Dopey with me and how Raymond has been the ultimate support system through these many months of what felt like constant training.

Happy New Year!

2019 is over and what a year it was! Looking back I would most definitely describe it as uncharacteristically busy. We packed a lot of work and play into the past 12 months (and this blog paid the price). Given the choice between typing a blog post and playing with a sweet grandbaby…can you blame me? I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I am going to do my best to resuscitate Living a Disney Life and get back to regular posting. To get that going, I’ve got some Wine & Dine race reports and some other thoughts from our November trip coming up for you over the next few days. After that we’ll be trying to cross four finish lines in four days and I will be sharing many thoughts and photos on social media during our adventure – so if we’re not connected on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, I would love to have you follow along.

When we get back from our trip, I’m sure I’ll have opinions (don’t I always?) on everything from dining, attractions and resorts to what happens when we run 48.6 miles in four days at Disney World. I’d love to hear from you! What’s in store for you in 2020?

Happy New Year, Disney friends – may 2020 bring you peace, health, happiness, and adventure! – Lisa

Walt Disney World Table Service – Where are We Going Next?

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Walt Disney World Table Service – Where are We Going Next?

First, I was busy booking dining reservations, now I’m busy tweaking them.  I’ve noticed some definite trends in where we choose to eat. We like what we like and deviating from the tried and true is risky sometimes. Since this is a short trip, we’re not taking too many chances on not having great dining experiences.  Here are the restaurants we’ve got in our near future and why we picked them.  (I’ll point out the ones that fall in our favorites category.)

This Trip = Four Days and Nights

Via Napoli (Dinner) – We like the atmosphere and menu at this eatery in World Showcase’s Italy pavilion.  While it doesn’t make our list of top faves, it does offer sharable appetizers, pizzas and pasta dishes.  While we will be sampling some of the Food & Wine Festival booths on our way to Via Napoli, we know we’ll enjoy sitting down and relaxing with some decent fare and a glass of wine.

Tusker House (Breakfast) – WAY up on our list of favorites, it’s hard not to book a meal here.  Full disclosure – we’ve only ever eaten breakfast at Tusker House, but it’s so good in every way!  The buffet has something for everyone and the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy) are absolutely adorable. I love this character dining experience above all others.

Narcoossee’s (Dinner) – Booked for its proximity to our resort (Bay Lake Tower), Narcoossee’s has never disappointed us.  As this is our pre-Wine & Dine half-marathon dinner, we wanted to be able to get to bed early yet still enjoy plenty of tasty entrée options.  We love this restaurant’s location on the Seven Seas Lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort.  They have a big deck on the water and will gladly keep your food warm if a fireworks show is going on in Magic Kingdom. 

Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen (Lunch) – This one’s a favorite as it should be for everyone!  I’ve spoken about my love for the Canteen before and why we need more in-park dining like it.  If the menu hasn’t changed, I’m ordering the exact same delicious dish I had last time I was there (Perkins Thai Noodles).  Bonus – I can have beer with my lunch in Magic Kingdom if I want to. 

Raglan Road (Dinner) – A family favorite for many years, one horrible visit has kept us away for quite some time.  We’re ready to give Raglan Road anther try, but I’ll be honest…if the food and service haven’t improved, I’ll be ready to write this place off for good. Probably. Maybe.     

Morimoto Asia (Dinner) – This one is currently way up on our favorites list (like near the very tippy-top).  In fact, this reservation was originally for Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, but I was doing that tweaking thing when a Morimoto reservation became available in our preferred time slot.  Don’t get me wrong – Homecomin’ is good, but Morimoto’s is better.  If I can find a way to squeeze a Homecomin’ lunch in, I’m doing it.

That wraps up the plans for this trip. Are any of your favorites on the list? The rest of our meals will be Food & Wine Festival food and quick service meals or snacks. We have a Tables in Wonderland discount card that doesn’t expire for a couple more months and we’ll be able to use it at each of the places I listed. I’m pretty excited about our choices! No pressure, Disney chefs, but I bring my lunch to work every single day so we can splurge at Disney World and I’m counting on you!!!

What are your favorite table service restaurants at Walt Disney World? Have any been a disappointment? Let me know and as always, thanks for stopping by…Lisa.

Epcot’s Germany Pavilion – Nudel Gratin at Home

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This weekend we decided to have our own Oktoberfest celebration at home.  We decided if we can’t celebrate it in World Showcase’s Germany Pavilion, we could bring a little Biergarten to our house.  We love beer and brats no matter the season, but German Nudel Gratin, a treat we usually only enjoy in Epcot, would add just the right touch to our celebration. And make us feel that much closer to our next Disney vacation.

Epcot’s Germany Pavilion – Nudel Gratin at Home

As usual, the application of my mad Google skills payed off with the recipe I needed.  Nudel Gratin is the German version of mac & cheese and calls for the addition of eggs which give the sauce a more custard-like consistency.  Swiss cheese and nutmeg add the flavors that elevate this dish to its happy-memories-of-Epcot deliciousness.

Joseph, taking our Oktoberfest theme to heart, decided we needed more. Appetizers and dessert, to be specific and he got busy making dough, because baking is his specialty. All those hours spent watching the Great British Baking Show have not go to waste. For starters, Joe chose pretzels and beer cheese dip. For dessert, caramel apple rolls. The pretzel making turned into a fun group activity and before long, we were scarfing down some warm delicious pretzels covered in tasty gooey cheese dip.  

After assembling my ingredients and with a little help from my favorite egg producers, I assembled the Nudel Gratin.  The recipe is easy, but total prep time is a little more than an hour.  Joseph tossed together some crispy, vinegar-y cabbage and apple slaw and while the Gratin was in the oven, I cooked up some brats. First I browned them, then tossed some beer in the pan, covered those brats up and let them cook through.  Once our cheesy side dish was ready to serve, it was time for our Oktoberfest-ival. 

Everything was scrumptious! We were so full, we put off dessert for an hour so we could appreciate those caramel apple rolls to the fullest. Joseph made the caramel rum sauce from scratch and its sweet buttery-ness was the perfect topping for those rolls. We considered our Oktoberfest a resounding (and fattening) success!

Have you made any Disney recipes at home lately? How’d it go?    

Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

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Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

I’ve confessed my love of the egg-rolls at the Yak & Yeti Local Foods Café (quick service window) many times right here.  It’s a rare day in Animal Kingdom that I don’t have to have at least one on my way to or from Expedition Everest.   On our last visit, I skipped the egg-rolls in favor of fancier fare.  It had been several years since we’d eaten in the Yak & Yeti table service restaurant and it was past time to go back.  Our previous experience had been great, but we’d been too busy trying other places to make our way there until earlier this year.  As it turned out, this was an excellent decision and that lunch was one of my favorite meals of the trip.


Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

Our day had started with double Kilimanjaro Safaris, because animals.  Followed by at trek around Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail and a train ride up the Forbidden Mountain on Expedition Everest.  By lunchtime we’d worked up quite an appetite and were ready for a break.  The day was cold and cloudy and we were happy to have a warm place to relax.  We were having lunch with our friends Barbie and Nick and Nick’s mom, Freida, and when we arrived at Yak & Yeti, we didn’t have to wait long.  The five of us were seated at a second-floor table with an excellent view and the host and server were both friendly and welcoming.

Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

But what about the food?

The menu at Yak & Yeti looks exotic, but has something for everyone. While I don’t have a sweet tooth, I definitely have a starch tooth – anything pasta, potatoes, or rice is my weakness. Sure enough, one item on the menu quickly caught my eye…noodles! More specifically, the Lo Mein Chicken.  

Disney Dining – Yak & Yeti Lunch in Animal Kingdom

As I was exceptionally hungry, I didn’t pay close attention to what anyone else ordered. I did manage to snag pictures of their food though, because rudely photographing everyone’s dish at every meal is my thing. I’m like the plate-parazzi! So far, I’ve not made anyone mad enough to make me stop, so I’m going to keep doing it. All the time. Everywhere we go. Now back to lunch…

I was very happy with the flavors in my lo mein. The noodles were the right texture (this is important to my happiness) and the seasoning was spot on. There was a nice balance between chicken and veggies. I would absolutely order this dish again.

This lunch reminded us that Yak & Yeti is really a gem and we need to visit this little corner of Asia more often! Have you been to Yak & Yeti lately? What was your experience like?