The Crystal Palace

One of my favorite places to dine in the Magic Kingdom...really in all of Walt Disney World...is the Crystal Palace. Located at the end of Main Street, with a stunning view of Cinderella Castle, the Crystal Palace is an all you care to eat buffet. It is also a character dining experience, where you can meet Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.

The Crystal Palace is always one of the "must do's" I have when going to Disney. I love the design, the food, the atmosphere. While I have dined there for lunch, I have to say that their breakfast is my favorite. Their breakfast includes your classic Mickey waffles, breakfast potatoes, meats, eggs, fruit, pastries, and other breakfast goodies. But my favorite thing, the item that I always get at the Crystal Palace, is Pooh's Puffed French Toast. It is so delicious. They take toast, dip it in batter, fry it, them roll it in cinnamon and sugar. You can find it on the kid's buffet.
(and if you want to make it at home, you can find the recipe here: Pooh's Puffed French Toast)

doesn't that look delicious?

Because the Crystal Palace is a buffet and a character meal, it does have a higher price tag to it. These prices vary between meals (breakfast is less expensive than lunch, lunch is less expensive than dinner), and time of year. Most recently, breakfast for adults ranged in price from $24.99 to $32.00 and for children 3-9 $13.99 to $19.00. A way to get the most "bang for your buck" would be to make the Crystal Palace count for 2 meals...consider making a brunch reservation or a late lunch reservation. Not only are you dining at an "off time", you could potentially be saving your family a little bit of money.

The Crystal Palace is a beautiful place to dine. It's also the only place to meet Pooh and Friends. Consider it when making your future dining reservations.

Let's Eat! Buttered Chicken Edition

Welcome to a special food edition of the blog. This evening we were transported back to the Food and Wine festival. My husband made buttered chicken. This dish was featured in the Africa Marketplace during the 2016 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Buttered Chicken from the Food and Wine Festival, shown with naan bread and Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz

When I first read "buttered chicken", this wasn't what I pictured. I hadn't envisioned this chili-like dish. Quite flavorful, with a little bit of zing to it (or for me more zing, but I don't take spicy well). 

This dish is also served regularly at Sanaa, a restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.  

Here's what you'll need to make your very own Butter Chicken. This recipe serves 6. 

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 cup water

3 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2/3 cup tikka masala*

3 tablespoons red chili paste

1 tomato, diced

1 tablespoon canola oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3-4 cups cooked basmati rice, for serving

* we weren't able to find tikka masala, so my husband made his own, using the spices that are generally included in tikka masala

Remove fat from chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes, or until garlic is soft. Stir in water. Add garam masala, paprika, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste, tikka masala, red chili paste, and tomato. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Heat canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear it on all sides; continue to cook until meat is cooked through. Remove from heat, drain juices, and season with salt and pepper. 

Add chicken to sauce over medium heat. Stir in cilantro and cream, then remaining butter, cut in cubes. Stir in lemon juice. 

Serve with warm basmati rice. 

Tonight's final product

One bite and I was transported right back to that picnic table along the World Showcase Promenade. It was divine. 

I hope you enjoy!

Recipe found in the book Kitchen Magic with Mickey, page 79. 

"I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street USA"

Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA

Photo taken October 2016

We'll continue our tour of the Magic Kingdom with a stop at the first "land" you encounter: Main Street USA. Main Street USA in both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park are modeled after Walt Disney's childhood hometown of Marceline, Missouri. The feeling I get on Main Street is that of nostalgia. The design of the buildings. The costumes of the cast members. The carriages and streetcars that travel up and down Main Street throughout the day.

Another Disney factoid for you: the windows of Main Street USA feature different names. According to Disney legend Marty Sklar (one of my favorite Disney Imagineers), there are requirements for a name to appear on a Main Street window...namely retirement, a high level of achievement, and an agreement between the park management and Disney Imagineering*. The windows appear as fictitious businesses that typically relate to the persons interests or what they did. (For example: one of Walt Disney's windows refers to him as the Chief Engineer at the Walt Disney World Railroad Office-due to his love of trains).

Main Street USA is where you can meet the Big Cheese himself: Mickey Mouse. His meet and greet is quite unique in the Magic Kingdom because he actually talks to you! When I met him in 2015, he told my mother, sister and I all about the hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion, then posed us as hitchhikers for our photo.

photo taken April 2015 with Disney's Memory Maker

Main Street USA is lined with shops, featuring everything from baked good to fine jewelry. The largest shop featured is the Emporium. There is also a barber shop, where guests can get their hair cut. There is also Main Street Bakery, featuring Starbucks coffee. At the end of Main Street there is the Plaza Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor, and Casey's Corner. Down from Casey's Corner, with a stunning view of Cinderella Castle, is the Crystal Palace (which I will be giving a more in-depth review of in the future).

Main Street USA is a great welcome into the Magic Kingdom. It sets the stage for a magical day.

* while I had previously read this information, I did reference Wikipedia and its sources to garner more details for your reading pleasure. Here's a link to their page of all the windows throughout Disney properties. Main Street Window Honors

"Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy"

Magic Kingdom. The quintessential Disney experience. When most think of Walt Disney World, they think of Magic Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom is divided up into 6 different themed lands: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. Each land is connected to the central hub-Cinderella Castle. These lands are rich with theming. And so much attention to detail. Example: throughout Liberty Square, you see a wave of brown concrete that runs through the center of the main walkways. This signifies the sewage that was in the streets in Colonial America.

*photo taken in April 2015 

For me, Magic Kingdom marks the beginning. In most of my Disney trips that I can recall, this is the first park we have gone to on our first full day. I love walking in under the train station, seeing the old attraction posters, then walking around the square in Main Street to see the Castle. Every time it is just so magical. On my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, my husband and I had early morning reservations for the Crystal Palace, which granted us early entrance into Magic Kingdom. Being able to stroll down Main Street with barely anyone around us was absolutely amazing. They even had a PhotoPass photographer out near the Castle Hub. A picture with the Castle with not a lot of people in the background? Yes please! 

*photo taken October 2016

In planning for a day at Magic Kingdom, the best advice I can give is to plan to be there for what is known as "Rope Drop". This marks the beginning of the day at Magic Kingdom. Previously, this took place at the Main Street train station, with guests waiting right at the park entrance. It was recently changed to take place at the Cinderella Castle stage. Because of this move, guests are able to be in the park prior to opening, which may make images like the one above harder to come by. Magic Kingdom has by far the most attractions of any Walt Disney World park, so I recommend a full day's worth of time for Magic Kingdom if you are wanting to experience as much of the park as you can. 

There's so much more that can (and eventually will) be talked about when it comes to Magic Kingdom. Stay tuned for more. For now I will leave you with "Kiss Goodnight". 

The Kiss Goodnight

"It was all started by a mouse"...

...well not exactly.

In the summer of 1996, my dad was working in Plant City, Florida, just outside of Tampa. What was originally supposed to be a short job turned into months. After the first month, we flew down to see him. I was 6, my sister was 2. We were only an hour away, so my mom insisted we go to Walt Disney World. And so it began.

Anyone who has met me knows that I love Disney, especially Walt Disney World. For years I have talked about writing about my Disney experiences and giving Disney advice. With the encouragement of my husband, here I am. The name of my blog comes from my nickname, 2Bug. My great-grandmother gave it to me when I was a baby. It's very much a part of my being.

So here it is. I will be blogging about Disney: past experiences, opinions, pretty much anything. This will be my Disney outlet. Follow me along on this journey.