Today will be Disney blog which I have resisted for several months. Why does my family love Disney so much? I can’t really say there is one thing, it’s the entire package. Nothing makes my heart skip a beat like seeing the iconic Welcome to Disney sign when you arrive. I know I am where I want to be and where we all are so very happy. (I will say when you are running a half marathon and run through the sign it’s an entirely different feeling because you still have 7 miles left to run.) I love the feeling, the smells, the excellent customer service, the cleanliness, the “foods from around the world”, the wine, the beer, the happiness knowing I don’t have small children who will get tired and be fussy. I did not take the children until the youngest was seven; it is just too much in my humble opinion for small children. Every time we go we find something we have never seen or done before. As the children got older, the food became a focal point, especially in the World Showcase in Epcot. We have eaten at every country at least once and many several times. We enjoy the authentic food, wine and beer from places I dream of traveling to one day. Everything is so well designed, from the sounds, to the smells, you feel as though you are in the country. You can make dinner reservations at the Disney restaurants 180 days out from your arrival date and you need to. Roomie wanted to eat at Canada’s Le Cellier for years before we were able to snag a reservation, and it was well worth the wait. It is a restaurant-in-a-cellar with unbelievable Canadian steak and amazing Cheddar Cheese soup. And another wonderful thing is my vegetarian daughter has so many choices other than a salad or steamed veggies on pasta; every restaurant has a signature vegetarian dish that I often order myself.
This dish was served at the USA pavilion several years ago at the Food & Wine Festival and makes me ready for summer. Heading to Fripp Island for the wedding this weekend and seeing all the tomato packing houses made my mouth water for fresh tomatoes.
Heirloom Tomato Salad
From the Celebrating 15 Years of Delicious Discoveries Cook Book, International Food and Wine Festival
½ red onion sliced very thin
1 Tab. extra virgin olive oil (buy a small bottle of really good olive oil for this)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced
3 Tab thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
2 Tab crumbled blue cheese (I prefer feta, but family prefers blue)
1 tsp coarse salt
¼ tsp ground fresh pepper
Combine onion, olive oil, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Toss to combine
- Arrange tomato slices on a serving platter and top with onions and any dressing remaining in bowl.
- Sprinkle with cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.
173 days and 23.02 lbs till Disney Food and Wine. (BTW, I am looking forward to weigh in tomorrow.)
Food & Wine Minus 30 