This is an annual series documenting my volunteer shifts and outfits for the Salem Haunted Happenings Visitor Information Booth. Every October over 150 local volunteers, coordinated by Salem Main Streets, sign-up for 2-hour shifts on the weekends and holidays to assist visitors from all over the world by handing out guides, maps, and directions, and answering any questions the visitors may have. We had three locations fully staffed this year: the Information Booth on Washington Street (4 people at a time), a shipping container on Salem Common (2 people at a time), and 3-4 ‘floaters’ that (as the name suggests) floated around town finding the most congested areas (Old Town Hall, MBTA train station, etc.). The crowds this year were historic (1,040,600 visitors in October, an 8.6 percent increase over last October, and 87,351 people on October 31, compared to 63,856 in 2023 — a 37 percent increase), but my numbers were pretty low, comparatively. We had so many volunteers this year, that I was limited in my official sign-up shifts, but I stepped-in to cover a few shifts that were understaffed.
Date (Location) – Visitors helped per shift – outfit worn (reason why): 9/26 (Info Booth) – 248 – no costume (because it was a last-minute shift during Mayor’s Night Out* and it wasn’t October yet!) 10/4 (Floater – 2 shifts**) – 463 – Ambassador Witch (because it’s my traditional first outfit) 10/5 (Floater & Common – 2 shifts**) – 279 – Ambassador Witch on Vacation (because it was unseasonably warm out!)360 video here 10/12 (Floater) – 243 – The Gorton’s Fisherman (because we were expecting a Nor’easter and flooding) 10/18 (Floater) – 690 – Orange Ambassador Witch (cozy flannel for dropping temperatures) 10/19 (Common) – 55 – International Trader (it was an old Ren Faire costume that still fit) 10/25 (Info Booth) – 759 – Stanley Roper from Three’s Company (the Boston chapter of the International Order of Mrs. Ropers were visiting that day) 11/1 (Info Booth) – 82 – no costume (because Hallowe’en was over)
I helped 2,819 people out of the 37,432 visitors counted over the month! This doesn’t count the dozens I helped each day while walking to or from my shifts. I always made sure I had a bag full of maps and brochures, just in case. Last year I had only 1100 during my 5 shifts. You can see the variance in numbers over the weekends, especially depending on where I was standing. On the 18th and 24th, I was standing on the corner of Washington and Essex streets, at the intersection of all of the congestion. The train lets off at one end of Washington and the free parking shuttles let off at the other end. Essex street is the hub of activity for buskers and (as the only year-round pedestrian street) is always the most congested. It’s as if people arrive and then stop within those few blocks without exploring the rest of the city. They come to the booths and complain about lines or crowds, but when we show them the map and explain everything else they could be doing, they seemed genuinely surprised that it wasn’t just that one street and the Common…
In addition to the booth, I also helped-out at the Howl-o-ween Pet Parade, which had over 140 entries again this year! I registered pets and helped the announcer identify each contestant by name and number so the judges could take note. We had groups of Guinea pigs, a few cats, a chicken, and tons of dogs. Our master of ceremonies was Gigi, the newly elected Dog Mayor of Salem and her Deputy Mayor, Bruce! As usual, I wish I had had time to take pictures of all of the costumes, but I was too busy. There are some videos and photos online.
Here are some photos:
*Mayor’s Night Out was typically held on the Friday after the Haunted Happenings Parade (the first Thursday of October). This year, the Mayor wanted to return to a resident-focused event, so it was moved to the last Friday of September. It was still VERY crowded with visitors, but it was wonderful to see all the local families dressed in costume trick-or-treating downtown. I felt guilty as I stood on the street that I was not in costume. Maybe next year.
** That was a very interesting weekend! One of three people that handles volunteer shift changes and opens/closes the booths got COVID, so I had to step-in and take over those duties. I was scheduled to be a floater near the MBTA station that weekend, but because the Government shut down, the National Parks Service’s Visitor Center in the heart of town was closed. This is a go-to for so many visitors because they have the cleanest, maintained, accessible, indoor bathrooms, as well as a free movie and other information. We were stationed outside the closed center handing out maps and helping answer questions. You would not believe how many people had no idea the National Parks and their employees were part of the government. The most asked question was: “Well, when are they going to re-open?” Ma’am, if I knew that, I’d be on an island somewhere relaxing instead of standing here talking to you…
Did I help you this year?!? Let me know in the comments!
While waiting in line to buy the groceries for the Christmas Day meal we would prepare for the friends we had coming over, I instructed my husband to run 3 aisles down and grab a box of After Eight mints from the endcap.
“Why do you want these?” he asked.
Why? Because for almost 20 years, my parents hosted an open house on Christmas Eve. We would go to 4pm Mass, then come home and receive guests until after midnight, with my Mother and Father hosting all of their friends and family. My Uncle Jack would bring his mystery gift – he had an ongoing bet with his sisters, my Mom and Aunt, that if they guessed what the gift was based on a riddle he would write about it, he would pay their mortgage for a year. We kids, the cousins (9 total) would pour over the riddle to try to guess what it was. No one ever did guess in all the years this contest continued.
My parents’ friends, people we would see only on this night, or monthly, or weekly, were an exciting and eclectic group of co-workers, childhood friends, bandmates, actual family, chosen family, and neighbors. There were years when my Dad brewed homemade beer or there was a specialty cocktail that one guest brought a carafe of. My Mom would spend most of the days leading-up to Christmas Eve making cranberry tartlets, fudge, cookies, meatballs, mini kielbasa cooked in beer, cranberry orange bread, and other delights, and I would always help out in these preparations. This is likely where and why my love of hosting parties started. She had a Christmas tablecloth that we only saw on these two days of the year, and crystal and china that were only used for holidays. I see now the hard work and preparation that all of this took, but also the joy and laughter that these gatherings inspired. We had singing, laughter, and saucy jokes. Of course, as kids, we really only saw the gifts that the guests would bring us (we got to open them immediately!!!) and how the glass of yellow liquid (dubbed “Barbara Giggle Juice”) would make our family friend rosy and giggly, and that a cacophony of singing voices, laughter, conversation, and smiles made our home the most exciting place to be. I remember many a Christmas Eve when I fought to stay up and not be put to bed because I didn’t want to leave that all downstairs, even with the promise of Santa’s gifts in the morning.
One staple at this Open House: After Eight Mints. While certain candies or sweets were kept on the counter in jars year-round for my Dad, or for visitors, these thin, minty, creamy, wafer-thin delights in their own individual envelopes only appeared on this one night. A fancy treat. An indulgence.
So when I saw them 3 aisles over, I knew they were just the thing to have when friends were coming over to fill our home with laughter and love.
The tablecloth was still on the table in the wee hours of the morning when we would stomp down the stairs trying to wake our parents so we could all open presents. What little bastards we were, in hindsight. They were probably hungover and had only gotten to bed a few hours before. Ah youth!
This is an annual series documenting my volunteer shifts and outfits for the Salem Haunted Happenings Visitor Information Booth. Every October over 150 local volunteers, coordinated by Salem Main Streets, sign-up for 2-hour shifts on the weekends and holidays to assist visitors from all over the world by handing out guides, maps, and directions, and answering any questions the visitors may have. We had two locations fully staffed this year: the Information Booth on Washington Street (4 people at a time) and a shipping container on Salem Common (2 people at a time). The crowds this year were historic (1,040,600 visitors in October, an 8.6 percent increase over last October, and 87,351 people on October 31, compared to 63,856 in 2023 — a 37 percent increase), but my numbers were pretty low, comparatively. We had so many volunteers this year, that I could only sign up for 2 shifts, but I stepped-in to cover a few shifts that were understaffed.
Date (Location) – Visitors helped per shift – outfit worn (reason why): 10/5 (Info Booth) – 263 – Ambassador Witch (because it’s my traditional first outfit) 10/6 (Info Booth) – 278 – Kilted Ambassador Witch (because it was unseasonably hot out!) 10/19 (Common) – 448 – double shift (4 hours) – Hogwarts Alumnus (because it still fit…) 10/26 (Info Booth) – 479 – International Trader (it was an old Ren Faire costume that still fit) 10/27 (Common) – 198 – Orange Ambassador Witch (it suddenly went from 70s to 42 degrees F!) 11/2 (Info Booth) – 162 – double shift – no costume (because Hallowe’en was over)
I helped 1828 people! This doesn’t count the dozens I helped each day while walking to or from my shifts. I always made sure I had a bag full of maps and brochures, just in case. Last year I had nearly 3000 over my 8 shifts. If it was so much more crowded, why were my numbers so low? I think a lot more people came prepared than in the past, and they just didn’t need our help, or maybe they just didn’t want to interact.
In addition to the booth, I also helped-out at the Howl-o-ween Pet Parade, which had over 180 entries again this year! I registered pets and helped the announcer identify each contestant by name and number so the judges could take note. We had groups of Guinea pigs, a few cats, a chicken (dressed as a parrot on the shoulder of a pirate), groups of rabbits, and tons of dogs. Our master of ceremonies was Bailey Warren, dressed as the tooth fairy, accompanied by his human: Senator Elizabeth Warren! I wish I had had time to take pictures of all of the costumes, but I was too busy. There are some videos and photos online, like this one.
Here are some photos:
The inclusive Pride Flag pin was part of the Hogwarts Alumnus outfit (I didn’t get a picture, so I’m including one from last year – this year had a bow tie and a fancy vest). I specifically covered the Hogwarts symbol on the robes and made sure that the pin was visible at all times. My intention was to let people know that you can still be into an artistic creation without agreeing with its creator (or give her more money). I still got smiles from children and those oblivious to controversy. On my walk home, I caught the tail end of a conversation from a couple that were walking in the opposite direction as they came near. One turned to the other and said “No no! Look, it’s OK. He’s one of us. He gets it.” I have an idea for a dedicated post on this subject that I’ve had in Draft mode for over a year now. Maybe I’ll get to it soon.
I bought the orange suit because I had gained so much weight that nothing really fit well. My idea was to cover it in patches or rhinestones like my Rhinestone Cowboy suit from last year, but I ran out of time. Elise, one half of Salem Main Streets, showed-up to a cat-themed event in the Tuxedo Cat outfit and gave me the idea for making it a orange cat. I may work on this suit for something else for next year. We’ll see.
I initially felt bad about ‘just wearing a coat’ for the really cold day, but I got SO MANY comments on the coat (I had made it a few years ago because I couldn’t find any for sale) and hat (I made that for a different outfit), that it worked out well.
Did I help you this year?!? Let me know in the comments!
This is an annual series documenting my volunteer shifts and outfits for the Salem Haunted Happenings Visitor Information Booth. Every October over 100 local volunteers, coordinated by Salem Main Streets, sign-up for 2-hour shifts on the weekends and holidays to assist visitors from all over the world by handing out guides, maps, and directions, and answering any questions the visitors may have. We had two locations fully staffed this year: the Information Booth on Washington Street (4 people at a time) and a tent on Salem Common (2 people at a time). The crowds this year were historic (estimated 1.2 million over the month, and over 100,000 just on the 28th), and I think my numbers show just a hint of that.
Date (Location) – Visitors helped per shift – outfit worn (reason why): 10/8 (Info Booth) – 234 – Ambassador Witch (because it’s my traditional first outfit) 10/9 (Salem Common) – 115 – Herbology Professor (because it was freezing cold out!) 10/14 (Info Booth) – 428 – Rhinestone Cowboy (see this post) 10/15 (Info Booth) – 398 – Rhinestone Cowboy (because it was too special not to repeat) 10/21 (Info Booth) – 568 – Gorton’s Fisherman (because it was pouring rain) 10/28 (Info Booth) – 621 (before lunch) – Orange Kilt (because it was unseasonably warm 86 degrees F) 10/28 (Info Booth) – 565 (after lunch) – Orange Kilt (because I didn’t have time to change) 10/29 (Salem Common) – 68 – Ravenclaw Alumnus (because it was slightly drizzly and cold)
I helped 2,997 people! This doesn’t count the dozens I helped each day while walking to or from my shifts. I always made sure I had a bag full of maps and brochures, just in case.
In addition to the booth, I also helped-out at the Howl-a-ween Pet Parade before my 10/14 shift, which had over 180 entries this year! I registered pets and helped the announcer identify each contestant by name and number so the judges could take note. We had groups of Guinea pigs, a parakeet, a chicken, groups of rabbits, a few cats, tons of dogs, and the master of ceremonies was a show duck accompanied by his handler, a US Senator. I wish I had had time to take pictures of all of the costumes, but I was too busy. There are some good ones here, here, and here.
I helped 1,692 people out of the 30,619 reported in the booth. That’s 5.5%, though we had over 100 volunteers all season. Personally, I was disappointed in these totals compared to past years, but I guess it’s still a healthy amount.
One highlight of the season was that I was featured in one of the brochures! Right on the foldout map! Of COURSE I had to make sure that the Brave Little Tailor made it into rotation. Every time someone grabbed one of the small brochures, I would point out where the map was and hold the page up to the side of my face. I signed more than one autograph! Hahahaha.
This year, we were split across town. We had the Info Booth at the Salem Common with shifts of 2 inside and 2 outside, and a tent in Lappin Park (by the Bewitched Statue) with shifts of 2 people.
By the numbers – here are the visitors I helped per 2 hour shift: 10/2 – 186 10/2 – 164 10/9 – 218 10/15 – 165 10/16 – 189 10/17 – 446 10/22 – 116 10/23 – 268 10/29 – 213 10/30- 154 10/30 – 46 (Flooding rain!)
All total, I helped 2,165 people. That 446 on 10/17 was because I was alone at Lappin Park. The last shift of only 46 was due to a MONSOON of rain that flooded the common. Thankfully, I had planned ahead a few years before. In a reverse Murphy’s Law, the idea was that if I planned for a costume that could handle the rain, it would never rain! So I put together the Gorton’s Fisherman outfit in 2019 (I had a Gorton’s nametag and a fake fish finger box in my brochure bag). Finally, on the 30th, I wore it during the day shift (light rain) and then switched to the kid from the movie IT for the evening shift (flooding). I had a ton of people recognize the Gorton’s Fisherman and ask for photos, many of whom had family that worked there (they are based up in Gloucester, MA, a 20-minute drive north).
A big challenge this year was the weather. It seemed it was unseasonable warm every weekend. I pulled-out a lot of kilt-based costumes and lighter things like the Beetlejuice suit and the pirate for those shifts. And, of course, there was the issue of matching masks for each look:
The orange kilt outfit was new, based around a glow-in-the-dark Disney Halloween jacket. I found the bright orange kilt online, and added a few light-up slap bracelets (meant for nighttime runners) to add to my ankles, wrists, and bowler hat. That was a fund one for a night shift! A few of the old standbys (Herbology Professor and Salem Ambassador) made it into rotation, only because I had SO MANY shifts. Here, at the downswing in the pandemic, people were still wary of working with the public and putting themselves at risk. I was careful, and never got sick.
You will notice the COVID weight gain pushing the limits on some of these costumes… Let’s hope by the time next year comes around that that will have been fixed.
Now, we leave the parks and go back to eating in the Deluxe resorts, recreating a fond memory in one of our favorite restaurants, and creating an epic 10-course meal that we’ve only ever dreamed of experiencing.
How perfect is this card?!
At the end of Part 4, we had dinner at the Hollywood Brown Derby on the second-to-last Friday night, and Sean received a card from Mickey on Saturday morning thanking him for his help in defeated Maleficent during Fantasmic! On Sunday, he received this (perfectly themed) card (right). Inside, it read:
Jambo! Please join Chuck, Mandy, and I for a cocktail at the Victoria Falls Lounge before we head downstairs for a delicious African-inspired dinner at Jiko: The Cooking Place. Shellie has the night off, but I’ll do my best to serve.
You will remember Chuck from Part 4, as she kept Sean company while I was preparing and presenting the 7-course Monsieur Paul dinner. Mandy is Chuck’s wife. When the four of us took a trip to Walt Disney World together in 2019, we stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and dragged them to all of our favorite places. In fact, the card echoes exactly what we did on the day they arrived: we let them refresh in their room, then we all went to have a cocktail at the Victoria Falls Lounge before heading to dinner at Jiko.
“But wait,” astute observers may say, “who is Shellie?” For that, we need to take a side trip back in time:
“The Cooking Place” – Photo lovingly borrowed from TheMouseForLess.com
THE MEMORY It was June 2003 and we were staying at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside on a fairly tight budget. Sean’s Mom and sister joined us for several days in the parks, and we wanted to take his Mom out for a special dinner as our trip came to a close. We had a Dining Plan, and had saved an extra dinner for her (or else we couldn’t have afforded it). We had read wonderful things about Jiko: The Cooking Place and thought that it would be a nice close to our trip and a new experience for all of us. When we arrived, they sat us at the heart of the restaurant, The Cooking Place that is in the title (see photo). The counter seats overlook two large brick ovens (the Jiko) as well as a wood grill and prep area. We had a cocktail and chatted with the chef making flatbreads in the ovens. The smells and the atmosphere were unlike anything we had experienced before, and we ordered the bread course from our waiter while we eagerly looked through the menu. We were having such a good time watching the dishes go by and reading all of the descriptions, that we were having some trouble deciding. We asked our waiter if there was a sommelier on duty that could help us navigate the extensive wine list while making our dinner choices. She immediately came over and helped Sean’s Mom and I with our choices. When it came Sean’s turn, he played his favorite game: closing the menu, he told her “I want the chef to pick out an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert for me, and I’d like you to pair a wine for each.” Her face split into a grin and her eyes sparkled as she snatched the menu out of his hands and dismissed our waiter, for we were now HERS! With only three questions (spice level? allergies? dislikes?), she was off. She would swing by our seats with our food and their perfectly-paired wines, explaining why she chose each one, and would check-in to make sure everyone was happy. When it came time for dessert, Sean’s Mom joined the fun and let the chef choose her dessert. I had my heart set on the chocolate selection, but asked her to pick an aperitif. She said “Amarula, definitely,” at which point the chef turned around and cooed “Ammmaaaarruuulllaaa” dreamily. This was our first introduction to that delicious South African cream liqueur, and our first introduction to Shellie – the Star of Jiko: The Cooking Place.
2003, after our first dinner with Shellie.
As with Monsieur Paul, Jiko is now one of our favorite restaurants to return to. Lucky for us, we have serendipitously been seated in Shellie’s section each time, including that first night with Chuck and Mandy in 2019, hence the reference in the card.
Unfortunately, like most of the Signature Dining locations at the resorts, Jiko was closed during the initial lockdown, and (as of the moment of publishing this) still has not reopened.
I felt bad that Mandy couldn’t join us for the Monsieur Paul dinner, but with dietary restrictions (Vegan with allergies), she literally couldn’t eat anything on that menu (and I wasn’t prepared to make an additional 7 dishes). When Jiko came up, I knew I could make it up to her.
My WDW Dining@Home Menu. This was printed on parchment-style paper. I found each of these items from existing online menus.
You can see from my version of the menu that the appetizer was already Vegan (minus the shortbread crumble), so I picked an entrée and dessert from the menus that could work well alongside what I had chosen for Sean. Since a Rib-Eye steak would be wasted on me, I was already making a substitution for my entrée, so what was one more?
I have learned throughout this process that when you deconstruct each plate into its component parts, there are often lots of things that can be prepared ahead to lessen the stress of the actual meal preparation. On the days leading up to, and especially the day before, I made the Braai spice, cauliflower bisque,brownies, berry sauce, coffee streusel, tomato-citrus jam (OMG! trust me when I tell you to make this and put it inside a grilled cheese sandwich!), panna cotta, candied pumpkin seeds, shortbread, toasted couscous salad, hibiscus glaze, and the Peri Peri sauce.
On the day of the dinner, all I had to do before dinner was to make rolls (I made sweet potato rolls and purchased gluten-free rolls and flatbreads to fill the basket), roast some cauliflower and carrots, marinate the chicken, make the Chantilly cream and prep the plates. On the TV in the living room, I turned on a slideshow of pictures we had taken at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, hit shuffle on my Spotify playlist created for the dinner, and welcomed our guests.
We reminisced over our 2019 trip and looked at old photos, including from our time at Jiko while enjoying pre-prandials.
Warm towel?
When it was time to sit at the table, I greeted everyone with a warm scented towel (wet a washcloth in water scented with a splash of orange blossom water, wring, then microwave) and Moroccan Mint Tea (sweetened green tea with spearmint), just as we were greeted when first seated at our table in the restaurant. Though we hadn’t been in the parks that day, the towel was such a wonderfully refreshing treat and the tea a wonderful palate cleanser to prepare us for the experience. These nearly-forgotten small touches really made the re-experience special.
The first course only needed to be warmed, garnished and presented. We had these lion-headed individual tureens that worked well:
For the entrées, the Vegan option has been simmering and cooking on the back of the stove since before they arrived, and using a large cast iron grill/griddle over two of my remaining stove burners, I was able to perfectly grill the steaks and chicken while the others enjoyed the bisque. The carrots finished roasting just in time, and the couscous salad was served cold.
Bo Kaap Malay Vegetable Curry: Tofu, Seasonal Vegetables in a Rich Coconut Curry Sauce, Brown RiceBone-in Grilled Rib-Eye with Hibiscus Glaze, Roasted Carrots, Toasted Couscous Salad
For the dessert course, I had already plated the Vegan Panna Cotta (with edible flowers and berries) and chilled it, so it came out during our appetizer so it wouldn’t be too cold. I warmed the berry sauce and poured it over just before presentation.
Coconut Milk Panna Cotta: Vanilla Bean Vegan Panna Cotta, Mixed Berries
I had prepared the other dessert plate ahead by placing berries, some of the sauce, and dollops of marshmallow fluff that I caramelized with a torch, so all I needed to do was warm the brownie, pour over the warmed berry sauce, sprinkle the coffee streusel, top with the Chantilly cream (which ‘broke’ and I ran out of cream, so I substituted vanilla ice cream at the last minute) and sprinkle a small bit of the leftover Braai spice over it. In a bit of inspiration (and because I had them on hand), I filled small pipettes with Amarula and stuck them in the brownie. We have a restaurant here in Salem that serves doughnuts with booze-filled pipettes to fill them with for brunch. The brownie had come out drier than I anticipated, so this also helped to add some moisture.
Braai Brownie: Dark Chocolate Brownie with Braai Spice, Milk Chocolate Chantilly, Coffee Streusel, Vanilla Marshmallow Cream, Raspberries
We finished the meal with a small glass of Amarula to sip. All-in-all, it was a successful night. I can’t wait to go back to the real Jiko: The Cooking Place again.
Looking at how long this post is becoming, perhaps I should have split these into their own posts. Thank you for sticking with me as we move from recreating fond memories, to creating a meal we have only ever dreamed of.
THE DREAM If you’ve been with me from the beginning of this series, you know what is coming next – the inspiration, the original gift idea, and the bankroll for the entire month: Victoria & Albert’s at The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. I had scrimped and saved about $1200 US in extra cash over the two year planning of our original trip so that we could comfortably eat at Victoria & Albert’s without worrying about the bill. I used every bit of that extra money for this month long celebration to buy the ingredients for all eight meals (that’s 29 courses!), a table cloth, six cloth napkins, eight bottles of wine, twelve gifts (bought and handmade), four bouquets of flowers, and dozens of cards. I didn’t keep a tally of what the whole month cost, but when I was done, there was only ~$5 left, and I don’t remember dipping into any other sources. I wish I had documented all of the expenses. If I were to guess, Kona Cafe would have been the cheapest to recreate, and Victoria & Albert’s would definitely be the most expensive, given the number of ingredients I had to special order.
The beauty and draw of Victoria & Albert’s is not only the fine décor, the exceptional staff, and the AAA 5-diamond cuisine, but that the menu is constantly changing, especially at the Chef’s Table, where we would be eating (in actuality, we probably would have eaten in the dining room, but I took artistic license for logistical reasons – more below). This proved to be a challenge and a boon. While I could find the Chefs Degustation Tasting Menu from November 2019 on the official website (plus Vegetarian version), I also found posted menus from many guests before and after that date with completely different courses, and had many back-up ideas from menu items I didn’t pick for previous meals. using all of these sources, I came up with my own 10-course menu:
My WDW Dining@Home Menu – notice the staff…
For all of the other meals, I had devoted a page to each day of the month in a cheap composition notebook where I noted the card, note and gift, when applicable. I also used the daily pages to plan out my shopping and prep work for the week leading-up to each meal. For this one, I definitely needed extra planning, since I didn’t have extra hands. Once I had decided on the menu, I wrote out each course description on its own page, then I went back and filled-in the ingredients that were not listed in the descriptions, marking each as cold, hot, or room temperature. Finally, I went through and indicated which items could be prepared ahead, and which needed to be done during the dinner. This became my obsessive planning document for the weeks leading-up to the dinner. With pandemic protocols in full-swing, I ordered non-perishable specialty items 2 weeks ahead, and made out my shopping list with planned dates of order or pick-up depending on their delicacy or needed freshness. Specialty flours, chocolate, nuts, rice, gold leaf, salts and spices were ordered first. I went to the store three times for this meal where frozen items were purchased a week in advance, fruits and vegetables a few days ahead, and all proteins (and flowers) were purchased within 24 hours of the dinner.
As we got closer to the dinner, I realized two things: I needed to have this dinner happen in the kitchen, and I needed a run-of-show (a throwback to my theatre days that I still employ to this day for event planning).
Location: At Victoria & Albert’s, you can choose from one of three experiences: eating in the Dining Room (14 tables), the Queen Victoria Room (semi-private, seating 8), or the Chef’s Table (2-4 guests) adjacent to the kitchen. Since this was originally meant to be a romantic, celebratory dinner, I didn’t want to have anyone over (breaking tradition, I told Sean which restaurant was coming and he agreed), plus, the necessity and pacing of the menu (as I had planned it) would be difficult to pull-off without Sean sitting by himself in the dining room while I was in the kitchen. So I decided to change the plan to “Chef’s Table.” Just as with the real one, I would be talking with him while making the meals in front of him – the only difference from the real thing is that I’d be eating, too.
Run-Of-Show: With so many courses and so many small, fiddly bits of cooking and plating for each, I also needed to break-down the timing of everything. When we are having a regular dinner party (like with Jiko above), I always mentally plan-out the use of the oven and temperatures needed, the pots and pans needed, and the number of stovetop burners being used at one time. It’s also helpful to know how to time everything so that it is all done at the same time, so I sometimes have a sticky with times and temperatures that I refer to, to know when to throw the rolls in the oven, or to preheat it during dinner for the dessert, etc. I didn’t want anything to go wrong with these 10 courses, so I (of course) made a spreadsheet of all of the timing, and that became my run-of-show that night.
A glimpse at my run-of-show. These were for all of the items not pre-plated earlier in the day.
I kept Sean out of the kitchen all day as I laid-out the 10 different dishes I’d be using and started pre-plating what I could off to the side. I set the kitchen island up as the Chef’s Table with tablecloth, napkins, serving utensils, water and wine glasses, bread basket, and salts. One of the things not listed on the official menu that everyone comments on during their videos or reviews is the parade of breads and butters that come out between each meal. They are usually presented as quenelle, molded, or in crocks. I did not have the time nor wherewithal to create eight different breads and butters, so I had a basket of epi bread broken into individual baguettes and Kerrygold unsalted Irish butter in individual crocks. To mimic the variety, I purchased a set of sea salts and presented them on the table to flavor the butter.
The glass “bowls” are tealight holders from Ikea, and the small crystal spoon came from an antique crystal salt cellar
When all was ready, I started my Spotify playlist (a repeat of the Citrico’s playlist for pre-dinner cocktails, then blending into solo harp Disney covers) and called Sean in.
Maître d’hotel, waiter, chef, dishwasher and date. A friend gave me the retired nametag. Forgive the rolled sleeves (it was warm) and the bathroom door being open.
As with the Monsieur Paul dinner, the courses were chosen and arranged in such a way that “easy” courses bookended or lead into complicated ones. The first two courses were all made ahead, the third required a short stir fry, the fourth a bit more cooking, a sear on the fifth, a passive braise for the sixth, a sear on the seventh, sear and bake on the eighth, and the last two courses were completely pre-made. This sounds simple, but it was much more complicated than that. Let’s go course by course.
Tiny cake & ice cream for an Amuse-Bouche
Amuse-Bouche: Green Apple Baba with Sour Cream Ice Cream You may know Baba from Baba au rhum, or Rum Cake, a yeast-risen cake baked in a mold, then soaked in a hot rum syrup. For this one, I went with this recipe (which ended-up being super-delicious – when we recovered the next day, this was the first thing Sean wanted more of). I didn’t have the canelé molds typically used, so I baked it as a sheet cake and used a biscuit cutter to make individual cakes (hence the leftovers). I can’t find the exact recipe I used for the Sour Cream Ice cream, but there are a lot out there for you to find, especially on Keto sites. I do not have an ice cream maker, so I made the mixture and poured it into a quart sized zip top bag. I put the sealed quart bag into a larger gallon sized bag filled with ice and rock salt. I then shook shook shook it as I danced around the house. When the mixture started to thicken, I put the small bag in the freezer to firm-up. When the ice cream was firm, I used a small melon-baller scoop to create mini scoops and put them back in the freezer to firm. When it came time for dinner, I warmed the cake and topped it with the tiny ice cream ball.
We took this photo after eating the poached Quail egg. It was sitting where the knife is, with chopped parsley and cracked pepper on top.
Soft Poached Quail Egg with Wild Salmon Caviar, Chicken Liver Terrine, Cauliflower Panna Cotta, Porcini Mushroom Cappuccino I started with the Panna Cotta, confident in my skills after making the dessert version for Jiko. The terrine was purchased (I’m not that extra!), and I found wild salmon roe online. We had once been served Mushroom Cappuccino as an amuse-bouche at a little Bistro in Plymouth, MA that no longer exists, and I’ve often thought about trying to make it at home. I found this recipe, and it was just as I had remembered it, so silky smooth and delicious. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to poach an egg, but think of that on a micro scale. Quail eggs are absolutely tiny, and their thick shells need to be cut with a serrated knife. I used a very shallow, small pan and created a mini-whirlpool, then dropped the egg into the center so it would cook and stay in one piece. I made several and took them out with a slotted spoon to dip into an ice bath to stop their cooking. Then I put them on a wet plate and had them sitting ready to be warmed-through in simmering water when dinner came. When it came time to serve, all I needed to do was make sure the cappuccino was hot, warm-through the egg, and present it.
Gulf Shrimp with Heirloom Tomatoes and Charmoula Sauce
Gulf Shrimp with Heirloom Tomatoes and Charmoula Sauce Shrimp is something I just don’t enjoy, so this course was only for Sean. I made the Charmoula sauce the day before, but should have waited and made it fresh that day. It lost a lot of its color and vibrancy overnight. I found these tiny heirloom grape tomatoes in the store and they were perfect! I decided to peel them to showcase the color of the translucent flesh and to make them a more pleasant texture. To do this, you cut a small x in the skin and boil them for 30-45 seconds, then immerse them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. The skin peels off pretty easily. As with most of the things I made for this dinner, I planned for and made extra so that I could use the best looking elements for the final dish. I cooked the shrimp in butter with a little of the sauce in a shallow non-stick skillet, then poured a bit of the sauce over them. While Sean was eating this, I worked on the next course.
A deceptively small plate with a half-dollar sized scallop
Georges Bank Scallop with Herb-Truffle Spaetzle, Corn Puree, Oyster Mushrooms and Fruit Caviar This was a delicious course, and one I would love to scale-up for a dinner party. Though I hate shrimp (texture, smell and taste), I love scallops. If there is a delicious-sounding scallop dish on the menu, I will order it, especially if on vacation. I took a lot of artistic license on this one due to available ingredients. While the scallops were wild caught in the Atlantic, they were not labelled as being from Georges Bank, specifically. Also, the actual menu item specifies Lime caviar, which is made from the pips of the Finger Lime (unavailable in my area). Since I had Agar Agar powder left over from making the Vegan Panna Cotta for Jiko, I decided to try my hand at fruit caviar (the link is a video showing the steps, but use this recipe because you don’t need that much sugar). It was so much fun, and such a satisfying science project that I’m surprised I haven’t made more. I highly recommend trying it with your kids. I used cranberry juice and did not add sugar. It was the perfect tart counterbalance to the sweet corn and the butter. I’ve made spaetzle before, so I took the standard recipe and added a truffle salt and finely chopped fresh parsley, sage and thyme to the mixture before dropping it in ribbons through the large holes of my box grater. I made them the day before and put them in the refrigerator in a sealed container. The corn puree (cooked frozen corn and polenta, pureed together) was also prepared a day ahead and chilled. During the dinner, I sautéed the oyster mushrooms in a pan until slightly colored, added butter to the pan and did the same to the spaetzle, added much more butter to the pan and butter-poached the scallops until bronzed and tender. This is my favorite way to make scallops. Once the butter is foaming, place the (patted dry) scallops in and cook until brown on one side, flip them over and spoon the butter and juices over the scallops as the other side cooks. Depending on their size, this only takes a few minutes and it is a decadence worth giving in to. My other go-to scallop technique is to chop up cured chorizo and cook it in a relatively dry pan, then sear the scallops in the spicy paprika-scented oil that comes out (adding butter as needed, of course). This also goes well with a corn or pea side to balance the sweet and the heat.
Salmon, Bamboo Rice, Edamame
Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon with Bamboo Rice and Soy Beans This was another Sean-only course. I ordered the Bamboo Rice from Nuts.com (along with Almond flour & Chestnut flour) earlier in the month when I knew what specialty items I would need. While this is a very simple dish, I think its beauty lies in the color combination of the bright green edamame and rice contrasting with the deep, rich, sunset pink of the salmon. The rice was cooked according to the directions during the previous courses, and I steamed the frozen edamame in the microwave. The salmon was cooked in a high-heat skillet with just a thin layer of oil to prevent sticking. In hindsight, the piece I gave him was too big for such a large meal. In reality, this would have 1/3 of the amount of food presented on a giant plate. The salmon was of such quality, that Sean really wanted to eat all of it, but the sheer amount of food was starting to be too much, and we were only halfway through!
Poirot’s Endive (“I’m not French, I’m Belgian!”)
Braised Belgian Endive with Compressed Pear and Fennel This plate was taken from the Vegetarian tasting menu. I chose it because I thought it would be a nice break from all of the seafood, and would help transition to the upcoming poultry and meat dishes. The Braised Belgian Endive recipe was fairly simple, but yielded lovely, rich, complex flavors. The compressed pear gave me a hard time. In my research, compressing the pear gives it an almost meat-like texture and a concentrated flavor. The home chef can achieve this through a careful dance of vacuum sealing, freezing, re-vacuuming, defrosting, and vacuuming again. At the time (now rectified), we did not have a vacuum sealer, so I attempted to create these pears using zip top bags and a straw – literally becoming the vacuum and sucking the air out of the bag and quickly zipping it. Those bags are not as air-tight as they claim, so it was a constant game of checking and sucking. They were not perfect, but the thought and flavor were there. Since the pears and the endive were going to be so soft, I decided to finely shred a bulb of fennel to give a snap of flavor and a crunch to the dish. Now that we have a vacuum sealer, I may try compressing pears again, and I think the braised endive would make a lovely side. Again, I think at Victoria & Albert’s, this would be one half of an endive per person, or maybe even less.
I would have made duck, but we had that for the Brown Derby
Maple Glazed Quail with Chestnut Gnocchi I may have said this before, but there are a few things that I HAVE to order if they are on a menu. One of them is Gnocchi (others include Chicken-Under-a-Brick and Short Ribs), so this one made it on the menu for that, for the seasonal use of maple, and because I thought the delicate quail would be the right amount of food for a tasting menu. I found this chestnut gnocchi recipe, made the dough, formed them, and put them in the freezer. During the previous course, I boiled and drained them, then browned them in butter (like the spaetzle earlier) just before serving. I found the Quails in a Portuguese Deli nearby, though when I defrosted them, half of them had freezer burn, so they had probably been there a while. I split one of them in half and pan cooked them until the internal temp was around 145 F, then I deglazed the pan with a little brandy and apple cider vinegar, adding maple syrup and butter for the last 30 seconds as it reduced. I put the quail halves back in the sauce to coat, then served them alongside the gnocchi. The toasty, nutty gnocchi were interesting, but the quail was too gamey for my taste. I think the entire dish could have used some mushrooms or another depth of flavor since we had a lot of mushroom on the menu already. If I was in a restaurant, I would have butterflied/semi-deboned the quail and fried them, then put on the maple glaze, like a fancy tailgate chicken wing.
This is as far as we got in one sitting.
Grass Fed Filet Mignon with Creamy Mushroom Risotto, King Oyster Mushrooms and Parmesan Sauce When I make Sean a steak (or he makes one himself), he will often ask me to make mushroom risotto to go with it, so this was a “typical” item amongst all of the other courses. I’ve made risotto so many times over the years, that I don’t use a recipe any more, but it goes like this: rehydrate dried wild mushrooms in hot stock (chicken, beef or vegetable) with one bay leaf on the back burner while you heat olive oil and butter in a large pan. Sauté minced shallot and garlic until soft, but not colored, then add Arborio rice, stirring until it is all coated and until the edges start to turn translucent. Add splash of wine (or brandy, bourbon, stock, or even water) and stir to make sure nothing is sticking, letting any alcohol smell dissipate, then add a ladle of the stock from the back burner (just the stock, not the mushrooms) to the rice, stirring until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat one ladle at a time until the rice has absorbed as much as it can and is tender throughout (typically ~25-35 minutes, depending on the volume). Remove the rehydrated mushrooms from the stock, chop finely, and add to the risotto with pinch of salt and plenty of pepper to taste. This can stay covered, off-heat, on a warm stove until you are ready to serve. To reheat, add in a little liquid and turn on the heat, stirring until warmed through, then add grated Romano (or Parmesan) cheese to taste. Sometimes I sauté fresh chopped mushrooms and add those as well. The rehydrated mushrooms tend to be rather soft, so having the crisp sautéed fresh mushrooms contrasts nicely. Depending on what else you are serving, thyme, sage, parsley, and rosemary all love mushrooms. For the Oyster mushrooms, I roasted and pan fried the them like the scallops course. The filet was seared and finished in the cast iron skillet (see Part 3 Citrico’s) and came out perfectly. The only problem was that Sean was getting too full from all of the other courses, and though it was a petit filet, I should have cut it down further, or split it with him. The only thing I had never made for this course was the Parmesan sauce. I found several recipes that all seemed to be very similar, so I downsized the ratios and pre-made this sauce the day before. I warmed it in a small pan while the filet cooked, and spooned it over.
Selection of Cheese from the Market: Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, Blueberry Wensleydale, Organic Von Trapp Oma; Vanilla Gelato with Plum Compote and White Chocolate At this point, all of the live cooking was done. The problem was, so was Sean. While I had skipped the shrimp and salmon, and had only a bit of the filet, he had eaten everything, plus bread and butter, wine, and a cocktail beforehand. I had served too much food, and he could not eat any more at this point. I still presented each remaining course to him so he could experience everything and continue taking his pictures to post. In the restaurant, the cheese cart comes to you and you choose (or have the waiter choose) a few things to taste. I chose these three for taste, color, and texture variety, and paired them with a Bourbon Bacon jam, cherry preserves, honey in the comb, fig jam, and apricot preserves. What really confused me in all of the menus that I saw was the addition of the gelato with compote and chocolate alongside the cheese course, but it (or something similar) was there in every single menu that I found. Perhaps, like the cake and sour cream ice cream at the start, it was a palate cleanser. I made the plum compote and bought the vanilla gelato, making quenelles and freezing them. Not pictured were the white chocolate shavings I was planning to add to the top. We enjoyed the cheeses the next day, as well as the compote and gelato.
There has to be a showstopper dessert, even if you can’t stand to look at any more food.
Chocolate Mousse Dome on Praline Crunch At Victoria & Albert’s there is always a show-stopping dessert, plus selections of handmade chocolates (every video or review I have seen ends with the couple taking the chocolates in a box to go because they couldn’t eat any more), and the coffee service is a must. In reading the menu description, I interpreted it as a praline crunch cookie/wafer base, with a bittersweet chocolate dome filled with chocolate mousse inside, so that’s what I did. I started thinking that I would make a traditional Trianon Royal, omitting the dacquoise layer, but came up with my own instead. I made a sheet-pan sized thin layer of praline meringue (ground almonds and pecans, brown sugar, and egg whites) and set it aside to cool and dry. I lined a half sphere silicone mold with a thin layer of melted chocolate, then filled it with a rich homemade chocolate mousse and a dollop of caramel in the center and set it to chill. I carefully cut circles from the praline meringue to serve as a base. I tried to make a mirror glaze, but it wasn’t working, so I coated the domes in more bittersweet chocolate. This made a shell that made them too hard to eat, but they were still delicious. I took the leftover pieces of meringue and broke them into pieces and dust. I spread the leftover melted bittersweet chocolate on a piece of parchment and created thin shards. On a chilled plate, I spread melted milk chocolate and caramel in alternating dots, then placed the bittersweet chocolate shards standing up in them, covered the caramel with the meringue pieces and dust, placed the mousse dome on top of the meringue circle, dusted everything with powdered sugar, and then topped the dome with edible gold leaf. Though our eyes and stomachs were bulging, we did eat one of the extra domes I made before giving up entirely. Besides the issue with the hard chocolate shell, it was so decadent and delicious. We each had one on Sean’s actual birthday, and gave the rest away to friends because we had so much Baba in the freezer.
The remaining two days in Sean’s birthday month were quiet and we reflected a lot on the wonderful meals we had and I think that we may have succeeded in distracting him from the fact that we were not able to be in Walt Disney World celebrating his 50th in the way we planned.
LESSONS LEARNED
Do not expect that you can cook (or eat) a 10-course meal in just 2-3 hours. We should have made it a day-long affair, starting the first courses at lunch time and spreading them out to last through dinner time.
10-course meals are only possible if the volume of the 10 courses is equal to that of a very large 3 or 4 course meal.
Thorough planning is key.
Substitutions are acceptable, and sometimes better than the original.
You are limited only by your own self-imposed limits.
Conversely: You must set limits, or things can get out of hand.
Trust your instincts, but still do your research.
A white tablecloth and cloth napkins can transform your everyday meal to something special.
A well-presented and garnished plate turns a great meal into an amazing one.
Music, lighting, and table design should set the mood, but also complement the meal, like a well-chosen wine.
Life is too short to not use the crystal, silver, or china in your cupboards.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We are now (at the time of writing this) almost 7 months from the end of that month-long celebration. Going back to look through my notes, mine our memories, and find the pictures so I could write-up the background and process has been both bittersweet and revelatory. I remember and re-live the pain and struggle of watching Sean’s spirits sink deeper and deeper as the dates of our original trip came and went, as well as the self-induced stress of wracking my brain to come up with an appropriate, yet safe, celebration of this landmark birthday during a worldwide crisis. I don’t know where the spark of inspiration came from to embark on this journey, but I am profoundly grateful for it. I learned a great deal during this process about myself, about food, about planning and preparation, about presentation, about sacrifice, about limits, about perseverance, about pride, and about love.
I didn’t save anyone’s life, like the thousands of healthcare workers that risked their lives and sanity to help others during this pandemic. I didn’t climb Everest, or write a Nobel Prize-winning novel, or start a non-profit to bring clean water to a village, or cure Cancer. All I did was sacrifice my free time, my effort, and my savings account to create a unique birthday to remember for the man I cherish. I know that there are people that will read this (now, or long after I’m gone) that will find the whole thing vainglorious and cry “privilege.” Yes, I believe that we do hold a privilege that many others do not. On an almost daily basis, one or both of us can be found wandering around our home, dewy-eyed, remembering our poor, isolated, bullied younger selves dreaming of the impossible: a home full of love with a husband, a cadre of accepting friends and family, with food on the table and no wolf at the door.
Never give up, and never stop giving back.
Thank you for reading through these posts, and for joining us along this journey. I started this series just to document the experience, but I hope you have learned a new technique, laughed, or been inspired to try something new. I would love to hear your comments and your own stories or memories below.
In the spirit of never give up and never stop giving back, I offer these local and national charities* for your consideration and generosity:
For WDW Cast Members that have lost their jobs, please consider giving to the Cast Member Pantry. They have also created this Google doc with a list of small businesses and “side hustles” that furloughed/laid-off cast members are undertaking to keep financially afloat – please consider purchasing directly from a former CM.
*I receive no kickback or recognition for your donations through these links, but this list includes many of the charities Sean and I have given back to in 2020 and 2021 so far. If you do donate, please leave a comment below so I can thank you.
The Monday after Kona Café was Labor Day here in the U.S, and the card Sean received that morning had a drawing of a TV on it, and the message that we should relax and watch a movie marathon of his choice. For me, it was truly a day off, as I did not do any prep for the coming weekend.
Tuesday included a gift: a desk organizer (insert snoring noises). I hate giving practical gifts, but this was on his wish list and he really needed it. The card was a piece of Ursula stationary sarcastically lauding this “exciting” gift, that was obviously needed, since he didn’t have 8 tentacles to help him file. Tuesday began my prep, which mostly consisted of an Instacart order of the fresh ingredients I needed. But wait – I haven’t revealed what Friday would bring:
As I mentioned last time, when planning a WDW vacation, we tend to book the Signature Dining ADRs first, and then work our parks schedule around when we can get in. Hands down, the first in-park restaurant we book is always Monsieur Paul at Epcot World Showcase’s France Pavilion.
Some background: Sean LOVES French cuisine, and this restaurant has a very special place in our hearts. We took our first WDW trip together in 2001. It was not planned (that is, it was meticulously planned, but we ended up moving the reservation earlier due to unhappy circumstances, and cutting the time in half), but Sean had researched and researched places he had wanted to try. When we found ourselves on property (then known as Dixie Landings, now Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside), Sean was able to score a last-minute ADR for Chefs de France (now Monsieur Paul, named after Paul Bocuse). As with almost all of the land pavilions at Epcot, the front of house was staffed entirely with French nationals on a one-year visa. Before the restaurant’s redecoration and name change (a sad, but understandable business decision for a restaurant located in a theme park), Chefs de France had a fairly strict dress code (for inside a park where tank tops and shorts are necessary) and an atmosphere of high class and elegance. The night we first ate there, all of the waiters wore tuxedos (we were served by ridiculously handsome twins!), and the table service was beyond anything I had ever experienced. We found out that each was a career waiter at home and took their jobs seriously (something not common here in the U.S.). The service and food are still of the highest quality (we have been back MANY times), but it is now a more relaxed, ‘friendly’ and ‘accessible’ environment for families. It was the quiet, exclusive vibe of the original restaurant (you enter under a small arched sign through a door in the alley behind a large family-style bistro and climb a circular stair up to the restaurant, leaving the noise of the crowd for the hushed and dimly-lit oasis) that made it so unique, especially in the middle of a crowded theme park. Still, we try to always include it.
On that first trip, we were only able to book a late (8 or 8:30pm) seating. We made sure to leave enough time in our day to return to the resort to shower and dress before heading over to Epcot for dinner. The meal was amazing, and we were seated in a table by the window, so we were able to experience the color and spectacle (if not the heat, crowd, and noise) of Illuminations (RIP) though the frosted windows. We had a tight budget for all of our trip, but we also had a Deluxe Dining Plan, so we used it to our full advantage and each enjoyed our own amuse bouche (compliments of the chef), appetizer, entrée, and dessert (Side note: in the past, tip was included in the Dining Plan and was calculated on what you ordered – we often ordered more than we could eat and chose the most expensive items). We splurged on pre-prandial cocktails, and wine with the entrée (tipping accordingly), and the bread service and delicious butter kept coming. By the time we were finished, we were stuffed. Looking up from this amazing meal, we realized we were the last ones in the restaurant! We never once felt pressured or guilted into leaving, in fact, the staff seemed to love us enjoying this experience so much and brought us coffees and offered us chocolates. We waddled out of the restaurant “Merci”-ing everyone we passed and stepped out onto a magical scene. While we were eating, the park had closed. Staff at WDW are not allowed to “turn off the magic” while a guest is in the park. When we stepped out into the France pavilion, all of the lights, music, and atmosphere were still on, but there were no other guests in sight! We held hands and walked slowly from the pavilion towards the front gate. We know now that (even then) Disney knows where every guest is. The restaurant had let the front gate security know we were still there, so while crossing over the bridge from France to the United Kingdom, a very nice Cast Member pulled up in a golf cart and “offered” us a ride to the front of the park. We knew we couldn’t refuse, but he only took around the lagoon to Showcase Plaza and let us walk ourselves to the gate (maybe he was only a World Showcase security?). We continued walking hand-in-hand towards the gate when the Fountain of Nations (RIP) show started playing. We were the only people there, so it was a private show! As we stood and watched the water and lights dance to the music, two Cast Members came along and asked if we would take their picture. They were part of the College Program and they had just finished their last shift. We chatted with them as they reminisced, hugged and mugged for the camera, and we all floated towards the front gate. What an experience!! The entire evening is one I will never forget.
Wow. That was a lot of back story, but now you know how important it was that I included Monsieur Paul in my WDW Dining@Home experience. Back to planning.
While we have dined at Monsieur Paul many times, and ordered off the a la carte and three course prix fixe menus, one of the things we have not done was to order the Prix Fixe Degustation Tasting Menu, which is typically seven courses. Of COURSE I chose to recreate that! I found three menus online and combined them to create my own:
My WDW Dining@Home version. Note the price….that is based on what this menu cost in March 2020 before they shut-down. To not keep you in suspense, scroll through the slides below for each course. The opening slide is pre-prandials (before dinner drinks).
Glass Dumplings ready for the freezer
Table setting from ACTUAL Monsieur Paul – see my version at the top of the page.
Tuesday Prep: I made the Truffle Glass Dumplings for the 5th course. On that slide, you can see me rolling-out the potato flour dumpling skins (that’s what made them ‘glass’ dumplings – the skin goes translucent when steamed). I also created the white chocolate disks and the Brittany shortbread for the dessert, as well as the pepper cream for the chilled soup course (key to successful execution – see later).
Wednesday, I made and froze the snail butter balls that would be breaded and fried for the 2nd course on the night, and made the Green Apple Sorbet for the dessert course.
Thursday, I made and chilled the pear soup, I caramelized the apples and pre-scooped the apple sorbet and vanilla gelato into appropriate balls and froze them in a container for easy dessert prep, bought the cheeses, fish, rolls, and delicate garnishes that would have spoiled if I had bought them earlier, made the Chicken Veloute for the second course, breaded and chilled the escargot balls, made the leek fondue, created and baked the windowpane potato chips, and printed the menus. That morning, Sean had a gift of a notecard holder. In addition to his D&D reference cards, I hinted that he could use them to hold his tasting notes and restaurant reviews.
Friday, Sean received a card that said “Bonjour Darling!” on the front, and inside I invited him to join me in the France Pavilion, telling him to check the dress code and to not eat too much before arriving! I also revealed that he would have a guest at dinner: his best friend Chuck! Because I suspected that I would be preparing a lot of food between courses, I didn’t want Sean to have to sit in the dining room alone, so I had scaled the whole meal to three people from the beginning. I would be eating with them for each course, but I would also be jumping up from the table to make sure the next course was ready before they were done with the current course. I would also be the waiter refilling their glasses and offering bread service.
That day, I laid out every plate I was using for all the courses on the kitchen island in order of appearance. I sliced and arranged the fruits for the Napoleon of the first course (and chilled), boiled the potatoes for the second course, pre-set the beet salad for the third, ladled and chilled the pear soup in its bowl for the fourth, made the truffle cream for the fifth, plated and chilled the cheese course, and assembled the dessert in its glass. When Chuck arrived, we had drinks in the living room (see first slide photo – I mad a Martini and Manhattan to their specifications) and they chatted while French music played through the speakers and I ran to the kitchen to continue preparations. The dining room was set with white tablecloth and napkins (folded just as they were at Monsieur Paul), and nearly every utensil we owned.
This meal would truly not have been possible for one person to cook and serve without the meticulous planning and prep I had spent the time laying out. I had a master list of timings for each course and plate that I referred to constantly – when to take the plate out of the refrigerator so the cheese could warm to room temperature, when to change the oven setting, when to heat the oil, when to bring the second type of bread out, when to switch wines, etc. I can also say that the course order and choices also helped a great deal. If you look at how the courses are laid-out, only one or two things needed to be prepared during the dinner: First course: Cook the scallops – the rest of the dish was prepared ahead. Second course: Fry the escargot balls while the sauce and potatoes warm. Third course: Cook the fish – the rest of the dish was assembled earlier. Fourth course: Add the pepper cream and serve – this was the easiest! I highly recommend a cold soup or salad course! Fifth course: Cook the tenderloin while the dumplings steam and the fondue warms – because the previous course was mostly hands-off, I could boil the water for the steamer, heat the cast iron skillet and warm the leeks while we enjoyed the soup. Sixth course: Easiest! Just serve the already-prepared plate. Dessert: Warm the caramel sauce.
Speaking of dessert, I knew this was the one I wanted to do, especially since their other signature dessert is chocolate, and I already had two chocolate desserts in the month-long plan. When it was Chefs de France, the signature dessert was Crepes Suzette en Flambé. They would prepare it tableside and ignite the Grand Marnier-soaked dessert crepe in towering flames: VERY dramatic. This dessert is just as dramatic, and was delicious to boot. See the “spectacle” of the presentation here:
Recreating the Magic from Monsieur Paul (though I think my caramel was not warm enough, which is why “Mickey” didn’t melt faster)
The warm caramel, the velvety white chocolate, the tart apple sorbet, the creamy vanilla gelato, and the crisp shortbread soaking up all of it – this was SO MUCH BETTER than I dreamed it would be. I would make this again in a heartbeat.
Actually, I would make ANY of these courses again. This was my favorite of all of the meals that I prepared. I got to enjoy it all along with Sean, but I also got to share it with our friend and bask in her joy and smile at how all of my little touches were noticed, even though she had no idea what to expect. The two of them hadn’t researched all of the courses and seen the photos or videos of what they were supposed to look like, but I had. At the risk of boasting: This is the meal that I am the most proud of. If you have eaten anything on this menu, or image search for these items, you will see that my presentations were 96% (minus 4% for actual table wear) accurate. It also helped to have such an appreciative audience. Most importantly: I learned a lot. There were techniques, sauces, and flavor combinations that I had never attempted before, and now I can draw on them any time I want.
As you can imagine, this was the only recreated meal that weekend, but as the theme of this update is eating in the parks, I’m including the following Friday’s experience: The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This restaurant offers another in-park dining experience that feels more elegant than it should, given it’s surroundings. True to its inspiration and namesake, walking into this dining room makes you feel like you are stepping into old Hollywood. It’s a perfectly-themed experience in the Studios, and I feel like it’s overlooked by many guests who think it’s too ‘fancy.’ so they opt for the Hollywood & Vine buffet dinner with their family. I think this is a shame, because it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce children to fine/adult dining. There is a children’s menu, but it’s mainly child-sized versions of the regular menu, not pandering chicken nuggets and plain macaroni, and I think the atmosphere provides enough stimulation, but also brings a bit of seriousness that kids can sense that makes them behave in a different way.
Forgive my/Maleficent’s atrocious handwriting.
My WDW Dining@Home version of the menu.
In the week leading-up to this dinner, Sean received Captain America socks (Film/1940s style), and Nick & Nora glasses (glamorous Hollywood) as clues. On the day of the dinner, he received a note from Maleficent announcing our ADR and hinting at our post-dinner entertainment (Fantasmic!).
We have eaten here many times. Sci-Fi Dine In Theater is our go-to lunch spot, and the Tune-In Lounge/Dad’s Bar is our go-to cocktail spot, but The Hollywood Brown Derby is always our choice for dinner, and before the Star Wars Spectacular came to the Studios, the Fantasmic! dinner package was usually what we booked. If you reserved this package, the restaurant would give you a ticket (or update your MagicBand) after dinner to enter the Fantasmic! amphitheater through a special entrance for premium, reserved seating. After a day of standing in sweaty lines, it was well worth the early dinner seating.
My Cobb Salad. The server brings it to your table in this form, then mixes it for you tableside. I achieved the look by placing two cutting boards on top of the bowl to create a narrow channel to lay each ingredients down in its row.
My Duck Two Ways
There are two menu items that the Hollywood Brown Derby (both the original and the recreation) is famous for: Cobb Salad and Grapefruit Cake., so I knew I had to incorporate those two (even if the grapefruit cake is not our favorite). For the entrée, I went with one that I order there almost every visit: Duck Two Ways.
Finding recipes was pretty easy, but I had to look to find photos of past meals to recreate the look of WDW’s presentations.
Their Duck Two Ways has a Duck Confit Ravioli and Seared Duck Breast. I opted to make my ravioli from duck Foie Gras. It was decadent, to say the least. Sean adores getting Foie Gras at a restaurant when it is the actual seared liver, not a pate, so I created the ravioli with a small portion of a slice I found, and seared the rest of it for him for dinner the next day.
The accompaniments for the duck were a mystery. Nothing is listed on the real menu. I had to rely on my blurry photo and guess at what the red (cherry), yellow (butternut squash), and white (horseradish) dollops were. I already had the beet dust from another project, so I used that for the base. I’m not sure if those choices were correct, but they all worked beautifully together.
The Grapefruit Cake was exact to a photo I found online. It’s still not a favorite for either of us, but it was refreshing and unique. Making the garnish of the stained-glass-looking grapefruit slices was fiddly, and I made many that didn’t come out. You may have noticed on the menu that the Pink Grapefruit Sorbet was “optional.” I knew that all that grapefruit was a bit too much (it’s in every piece of this dish), but I found a pint of the sorbet at Wegman’s while I was buying the foie gras and specialty items for the next meal, so I thought I’d offer it.
My Grapefruit Cake
A thank you note from Mickey himself!
After dinner, we watched Fantasmic! and the next morning, Sean received a card from Mickey Mouse!
If you weren’t already aware, I hope you’ve now learned that eating in the parks is more than just grabbing a churro or turkey leg from a cart, or a platter of fried, beige food in a quick-service. There are many fine dining options in the parks, and we encourage you to explore them all for yourselves.
Next, we leave the parks and go back to eating in the Deluxe resorts, recreating a fond memory in one of our favorite restaurants, and creating an epic 10-course meal we’ve only ever dreamed of.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sean just said “Well, we’ve never eaten ON the Monorail.” To which I countered: “We’ve never eaten ON Bay Lake either!” I was wrong, it seems, as he reminded me of two fireworks cruises we had with refreshments. Technically, one of those only cruised around on Seven Seas Lagoon, though… Anyway, you get my point. Both of these upcoming restaurant experiences are found on the Resort Loop Monorail line.
During the week between the meals of Part 2 and Part 3, Sean received a D23 Membership and the first delivery of weekly flowers (with the explanation they would be coming every Wednesday). On Thursday, he received the crystal cocktail mixing glass and cocktail spoon along with a piece of Haunted Mansion-inspired SHAG stationery with a note from some of our favorite characters (Frank & Sadie Doyle of the Thrilling Adventure Hour’s Beyond Belief) making puns about ‘spirits’ and hinting that he would need these things the next night. On Friday morning, he received an embossed gold card with a formal invitation to meet me in the lobby of the Grand Floridian (dressed appropriately) and to bring the glass and spoon so we could have cocktails while enjoying the pianist and Grand Floridian Society Orchestra before dinner at Citrico’s. When he got home from work, I had a playlist of 20 minutes solo piano followed by 20 minutes of the GFSO, followed by 20 minutes of solo piano again, to mimic the actual lobby. Taht played on repeat during dinner. I had also ordered white table linens that I used for this meal and each of the finer dining experiences following. This was also the first meal actually presented at the dining room table.
CITRICO’S If you were to look through all of the backlog of dining receipts we’ve accumulated from WDW restaurants, by sheer volume (though not cost), the most would be from Citrico’s at The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. In fact, during one unbelievably magic trip staying in a one bedroom at the DVC Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, we ended up eating at Citrico’s three times! When planning our trips, once the Signature Dining ADRs are made (Cinderella’s Table, Jiko, Monsieur Paul, Hollywood Brown Derby), Citrico’s is the next to be booked. And let’s not forget that, as I alluded to in Part 1, it was thinking about having a cocktail in the lobby of the Grand Floridian and listening to the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra while waiting for our Citrico’s ADR that inspired me to come up with this crazy idea of recreating his favorite dining experiences in the first place!
Sean has been watching over my shoulder as I write these up (hence the snarky comment about the title), so I asked him to explain why we eat at Citrico’s so often. “It’s classy, but comfortable,” he immediately answered. “There is no pretense. There are great views of the resort, the yard, the pool, families doing cartwheels on the lawn, and at certain tables you can see the Magic Kingdom Fireworks. The food is accessible. I mean that in the sense that the cuisine, the culture, the comfortable atmosphere, and the price are all accessible to both a family meal or as a romantic dinner.” I completely agree, and would add in that the delicious food brings us back time after time. I love the partially-open kitchen, and the friendly, knowledgeable staff. We have serendipitously been seated in Javier’s section 9 times out of 10, and he always picks the best wines to pair with our meals. He’s one of a handful of our favorite, recognizable servers, but there is only one we ask for by name (see Jiko in Part 5).
A customize Citrico’s menu Javier presented to us during our honeymoon trip in 2016.
My WDW Dining@Home version
In looking at the online menu, I chose the Pâté appetizer, the Plancha-seared Beef Filet, and the Warm Chocolate Banana Torte because Sean ordered that the last time we were there. Sean will eat anything (again: see Jiko in Part 5 for more on that), but I tend to only order chicken or duck or pasta or vegetarian options, though I usually end up ordering scallops at Citirco’s because they are always presented in some new amazing dish. Knowing I was including scallops in a future meal (and not wanting Sean to feel he was cheated out of them this time), I “ordered” the same and opted to have the “chef” (me) alter mine to be chicken.
Here is where the fun really started for me. If you search the internet for exactly what the menus says, you’re not going to find a single recipe. You’re going to have to piece it together.
A photo we took in 2016 of the appetizer at Citrico’s
APPETIZER Thanks again to the Cheese Shop of Salem, I found a delicious Pâté. Watercress was notoriously hard to find in the store, so those are miniature mustard greens. I repurposed the onion jam from the entrée for the onion confit, and being the way I am (the kids call it “extra” I think?), I made a enormous sheet pan of focaccia and broke-out the stovetop grill plate just so I could have half a dozen grilled slices on the plate. My version of the appetizer is pictured at the top of this post as the feature image. That solid white chocolate Mickey Mouse statue was a gift from the Concierge during our anniversary trip in 2018. We’ve kept it in plastic displayed on the kitchen counter since carefully taking it home on the plane. This was its first (but not last) use as a centerpiece. Also pictured: the first week’s flowers.
My version of Plancha-seared Beef Filet with pepper crust, potato puree, broccolini, cippolini jam, and bordelaise sauce
Citrico’s version of the filet plating
Entrée Sean LOVES steak, and is very particular about how it is cooked when ordering it at a restaurant. Since I don’t eat a lot of red meat, it’s not something we had at home that often. If he is craving a steak and we can’t go out to have it (hello quarantine!), then he tries to make one at home. I have watched him struggle with expensive cuts that get overcooked, or cheap cuts that don’t cook evenly. He’s tried everything, and always seems to be disappointed in the result, so I spent hours searching for every tip and trick I could find. In researching this menu, I learned that a Plancha is a super hot wide metal plate, like a griddle, but hotter. For those of you paying attention, this is where the first weekend’s Cast Iron Skillet earns its keep. This post has some great tips, and I trusted in the cut of meat (be nice to your Whole Foods butcher), getting the right heat on the cast iron skillet, and paying attention. He claims it was one of the best he’s had, and that it was perfectly cooked. We have repeated this several times now, and so we have a permanent sticky note on the side of the fridge that just says:
The Chicken version
3 min. then 1 min. 425o 6 min (130o) Rest 5 min
In a very hot cast iron skillet, sear the filet mignon for 3 minutes on one side, then 1 minute on the other, place the skillet in a preheated 425 F oven for 5-6 minutes (internal temp should be 130 F for Medium-rare, 140 for Medium (it will rise another 5-10 degrees), let rest for 5 minutes on a plate or board.
DESSERT Again, I had seen all of these meals presented in the actual restaurant, so plating them was easy, if not very memorable, so I knew I had to make a statement with the dessert. Thankfully, the one I chose is well documented online, as guests love to take photos of it, and I’ve had it in the restaurant.
A photo we took of the dessert at Citrico’s in 2018
My version
I wanted a rich, dense, brownie-like warm torte, so I turned to this recipe, making them ahead (slightly undercooked), then warming them while we were eating dinner. I also made the banana ice cream (just frozen bananas blended with a touch of rum, frozen, blended, frozen, and blended again for smooth texture), and several versions of the chocolate lattice during the week leading-up to the dinner. On the day of, I secured the lattice and graham cracker dust on the plate, caramelized the bananas (in butter and sugar on the stove top), pre-scooped the ice cream (and stuck back in the freezer), warmed the torte and the hot fudge, then assembled it all after were were done eating the entrée.
Looking at the picture, I’m slightly embarrassed how wonky the lattice looks. It is certain I am no chocolatier, but I tried. Also, my bananas were definitely more caramelized, and my banana ice cream was made from actual banana, not banana flavoring, so it would never be bright white like theirs. But Sean loved all of it, and really, that’s all that matters.
On Saturday, Sean got a note on another piece of SHAG stationery, this time Jungle Cruise-themed, inviting him to join me for breakfast the next morning.
KONA Café Full disclosure: I love all things Hawai’ian, Modern Tiki culture, and the mix that Disney has brought together of authentic Polynesian culture and the fabricated kitsch of mid-Century Tiki design. While we haven’t stayed there (yet…), I drag Sean to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort every trip to spend an hour or so in the shop and drop a lot of money on souvenir mugs (and the rum that I have to drain out of them) at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. He also enjoys the resort, and is happy whenever we eat at The Kona Café. We can always get a table at the Kona Cafe, and it always a surprise to me, because the food is amazing, and since it overlooks the 2-story lobby of the Grand Ceremonial House, it’s a beautiful experience. Most families go for the Ohana restaurant, where meals are served family-style and characters from Lilo & Stitch roam the tables (fun!!), or they choose the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show in Luau Cove (amazing!). Several times we have walked into the Poly lobby thronged with large groups lounging on the furniture or getting their picture taken waiting for their Ohana seating, and have stepped right into Kona Café to be seated at a table without a reservation.
While the pan Asian/Polynesian cuisine served during lunch and dinner are perfect when you want a lighter meal, especially after spending time out in the Florida heat, it’s one particularly famous (and certainly not light) item on their breakfast menu that made me want to include Kona Café in the list: Tonga Toast.
My WDW Dining@Home Menu
If you have not experienced the Tonga Toast, let me break it down for you: Take half a loaf of unsliced white bread, cut a slit in it, fill it with sliced banana, soak it in eggs and cream (like French Toast), deep fry it, roll it in cinnamon & sugar, and drizzle with strawberry compote. That’s a serving for one person.
I ended up making a loaf of white bread from my grandmother’s recipe box (this one is a good substitute), slicing it into 5 or 6 slices (thick, but not HALF A LOAF), stuffing with banana, dipping in egg, and pan frying it (thanks again, cast iron skillet!) before dredging it in cinnamon & sugar. I made a strawberry compote (simmer together chopped strawberries, sugar, a little lemon juice, and vanilla until thickened, cool and store in a jar in the fridge) and the bread in the days leading-up to breakfast.
My version of Tonga Toast, a side of bacon, coffee, water, and POG juice.
So delicious, but we both crashed immediately after finishing breakfast and needed a nap, thanks to the carb & sugar overload.
Liliko’i Juice (Poly), Jungle Juice (Animal Kingdom) and Moonshine Juice are several names given to POG (equal parts Passion, Orange & Guava) Juice that is a staple at many Disney Resorts. I made a huge batch and froze half of it for summer time Trader Sam concoctions. You can see it in the photo on the top right of the menu. Because this was a breakfast, I set us up on the kitchen island again, but this time I laid-out some vintage Hawai’ian fabric I had as table cloths and played an appropriate playlist (I had many in my collections to choose from. Go for Alfred Apaka or Don Ho if you don’t mind lyrics, or search for Led Kaapana or other Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar masters for instrumental).
This was a fun weekend, and a nice progression from the relative ease of the first weekend to the complexity of the ambitious meals coming up. Will he bite off more than he can chew? Wait and see…
California Grill A very popular destination since 1971 (then known as the Top of the World Restaurant & Lounge) located on the 15th floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, The California Grill offers unparalleled panoramic views, and outdoor roof terraces for viewing the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom. Though Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower offers exclusive access and closer viewing, the angle and overall view is still better from California Grill, in my opinion. Of course, nothing beats being on Main Street to experience the projection mapping, lights, fireworks, and music, but I digress.
Menu, Logo & Cosmo circa.2011
As I mentioned in Part 1, the scheduling of the “at home ADRs” started from least complicated to most elaborate. “Least complicated” in this case equaled “made by someone else.” California Grill is known for its stellar wine list and clean, fresh, contemporary California cuisine. While we have eaten in the restaurant many times, we have also sat in the Lounge area for lighter fare and cocktails before watching the fireworks or heading into the Magic Kingdom for an evening event. I chose to recreate the Lounge experience for this first evening.
My menu (current 2020 logo) with Sean’s Martini
When Sean woke up on that Saturday morning, I left a card for him to open that had a drawing of a Cosmopolitan on it. We tend to pair our cocktails with the seasons, and summer is always Martinis (for him) and Cosmos (for me), and the clean lines and pop of color reminded me of the Contemporary. In the card, I told him to “meet me this evening at the California Grill for our first ADR, and be sure to check the dress code.”
Cheese Board from the California Grill, c.2011
When sitting in the Lounge, we typically order off of the Lounge menu, so I chose an amuse bouche of a Veggie Salad Roll (from Whole Foods), a charcuterie & cheese board, cocktails, and a small dessert trio (also from Whole Foods) to share. We are lucky to have The Cheese Shop of Salem in town (and even luckier that they deliver!), and while I did not stick entirely to the California theme in my cheese and charcuterie selections, I did have California wines available and built up the choices to make it more of a meal.
My WDW@Home 2020 version. See selections printed on the menu above.
The Veggie Salad Roll was a fresh, clean, vegetarian sushi-style roll wrapped in lettuce (not shown, sorry) which seemed very Californian to me, and the desserts (below), while maybe not accurate to the original menu, were close enough to convey the sense that we were there.
My Dessert Trio. Presentation is key, especially when it’s all store-bought.
You will notice that the dessert photo has a dramatic lighting effect, that is because the “lounge” was actually our living room coffee table. During the meal, I had a sunset video on the TV while a Disney Spotify playlist I created played over the speakers. When it came time for dessert, I turned off the lights and switched the TV and speakers to the Happily Ever After Fireworks.
When we travel to WDW, we will often start our vacation in the Magic Kingdom, or by watching the fireworks from Top of the World or California Grill, so this was the perfect beginning, and set the tone for the rest of the month. Because this evening’s dinner was store-bought and involved only assembly and presentation, I was able to “book” a hearty breakfast ADR for the following morning.
My WDW@Home menu
Whispering Canyon Café While we have only eaten in the Whispering Canyon Café a handful of times, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, where it is located, is very dear to our hearts, so I knew I had to find a way to represent it in my planning. In the overall story of the month, I had us staying at the Lodge this first weekend. We would have taken the boat from the Contemporary last night after dinner (what a spectacular view – go do an image search) and we’d be waking up in our room and heading down to the lobby for breakfast this morning.
Breakfast skillet from WCC. Photo from DisneyFoodBlog,com
In Part 1, you saw a screenshot of the planning spreadsheet and may have noticed that he received a gift AND a WDW@Home experience on this day. I can’t recall which came first, so this truly was a chicken & (scrambled) egg scenario. You see, we had lived up to this point without owning a cast iron skillet (!). I knew that it was the secret tool in the perfectly-prepared filet mignon coming up later in the month (not to mention the crispiest grilled cheese, skillet cornbread, chicken-under-a-brick…the list goes on…), so I ordered one. I had already planned a special breakfast for the second Sunday that was to be the only non-dinner event, but when the skillet arrived early and I realized we didn’t have the Wilderness Lodge represented, I had the idea of making the skillet a gift and to use it as the centerpiece to this meal.
My WDW@Home Skillet Breakfast presentation
Sean woke up to a pun card with a horse on the cover that said “Hay There.” Inside, there was a lot of “Howdy Partner…” this-and that, plus a warning to not ask for ketchup, because we were heading down to the lobby for a rollicking good time and an all-you-care-to-eat skillet breakfast!
Since the Saturday meal was relatively low-maintenance, I used the day to prep the potatoes for making home fries, made my Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuit mix (I used dried buttermilk powder), cornbread, honey butter, and the sausage gravy. All sat in the refrigerator overnight so that in the morning, I’d have less to prepare.
Cornbread & honey Butter
I set the “table” on our kitchen island, as that is where we usually have weekend breakfasts together. First, I put the bacon in the oven (400F for ~20 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet). The cornbread was wrapped in foil and sat in the oven for a few minutes to warm, then was served with the honey butter while Sean had his Mimosa and coffee. While the bacon was cooking (oh the smell!!!), I added the appropriate amount of cold water to the chilled biscuit mix, kneaded it, shaped &, cut (yay Mickey cutters!) and put them on a baking sheet. When the bacon was done, I put it on paper towels to drain while I increased the oven temperature to 425 F to bake the biscuits. I warmed the sausage gravy on the stove, toasted the frozen (store bought) Mickey Waffles in the toaster, and skillet-roasted the potatoes (heat butter & oil, sauté cubed potatoes with minced garlic and onions over med-high heat 8-10 minutes, toss with garlic & onion powders, a pinch of paprika, salt & pepper). The potatoes and biscuits were done at the same time, so I heated some maple syrup before plating and presenting everything to Sean while I scrambled the eggs.
Mmm warm cheddar buttermilk Mickey biscuits….
Everything came out perfectly, but (like the real thing) it was way too much food! Proportions aside, don’t be intimidated by trying this. Remember: this was all breakfast food. You can easily change the décor, music, and plating to turn this into Chef Mickey’s, Donald’s Breakfastasaurus, or The Crystal Palace Breakfast with Pooh & Friends. Try it out with your family to add some Magic to your weekend breakfast.
My husband turned 50 in September 2020. For almost two years (since this impromptu trip), we had been planning an epic two week trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate, Friends and family were planning to come and join us when they could in staggered short trips during our stay. From the moment we decided to plan this trip, I had scrimped and saved every bit of extra cash that I could in preparation for my ultimate Birthday gift to him: Dinner at Victoria & Albert’s in the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
Over the years, we have had many fine dining experiences at WDW, but we have only ever dreamed of eating at Victoria & Albert’s, as the cost was always prohibitive (especially on top of all other vacation expenses). When we started planning for his 50th, there was no question in my mind as to what I could surprise him with.
2020 had other plans for all of us.
As March of 2020 hit and cancellations started piling up, we held our breath (while wearing masks, of course), hoping that things would be better by our August trip. As things progressed, we altered our plans and hoped that a Christmas/New Year trip might be possible. When things turned from badto worse, we cancelled our plans altogether and put all of our hopes and dreams on an unknown dream of 2021 or 2022…
My heart grew heavier the closer we came to when our original trip was planned. We continued to watch old videos from some of our favorite WDW vloggers, but that quickly turned bittersweet. I struggled with trying to find anything we could do to celebrate this special birthday. I had bought him a few small gifts, but as we are actively trying to get rid of junk and clutter, that limited the gifts to being useful (read: boring) or something that he needed that he wouldn’t get for himself. Nothing I could come up with was special enough. In mid-August, I looked at the small pile of gifts and grabbed my calendar to figure out if we could set-up a surprise Zoom party or have an outdoor, socially-distant meal with friends. That’s when the idea hit me: in just 2 weeks from that point, we would be exactly one month from his birthday. I could create a month of birthdays for him!
The First Inspiration: The Month of Birthdays I laid out the calendar in a spreadsheet (obviously) and started plotting-in when I would give him the few gifts I already had. School would be starting for him (a very stressful time) just as I began the celebrations, so I knew to start with the gifts that would be useful for that time (his wish list included file folders, desk organizers, and a USB microphone for remote teaching). I had a pile of blank greeting cards and stationary that I have accumulated over the years (in other words: horded. See above note on getting rid of junk…), so I decided that I should give him a different card every day! We always send each other flowers to our workplaces for special occasions, but capacity restrictions at his work meant that he couldn’t spend time any time at his office desk, so they would be unappreciated. I called our local florist (who made the boutonnieres for our wedding) and set up a delivery of flowers every Wednesday for the 4 weeks to come to our home, so he could enjoy them here. I had a set of 4 matching blank cards with a floral print on them that seemed perfect for the Wednesday cards announcing that flowers would be coming that day, so I added a column to the spreadsheet and started planning-out which cards I’d use each day (see photo below).
As I looked at the calendar, there were many days where he only got a card, with large gaps between (boring) gifts. Hoping for inspiration, I looked through the cards again and tried to let their covers tell me what I should write, or when I should use them. I had three related gifts in the crystal cocktail mixing glass, cocktail spoon, and the Nick & Nora glasses, but I wanted to spread them out and give them on a few different days. Seeing a gold-embossed card in the pile, I immediately thought of us sitting in the lobby of the Grand Floridian, sipping Manhattans from Mizner’s (RIP) while listening to The Grand Floridian Society Orchestra. Inspiration struck again!
The Second Inspiration: Bringing WDW Dining To Us Most likely, you have seen the many ways that families and individuals “recreated” their cancelled Disney vacations during the coronavirus pandemic. While we certainly enjoy the attractions, one of the first things we make sure we have planned is all of our Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs). I won’t say that our days revolve around food, but a scoring a coveted reservation often narrates what we plan for the rest of that day at Disney.
Other than Victoria & Albert’s, what other ADRs would we have made for our trip? My mind jumped into overdrive as I grabbed the spreadsheet. His actual birthday would be on a Monday, but there were 5 weekends in the calendar that screamed opportunity! I made of list of our favorite WDW restaurants, then narrowed them down to those that (1) meant the most to us and (2) added variety. I planned the “at home ADRs” from least complicated to most elaborate, with a nod to the order in which we would probably include them in our vacation, then correlated the gifts I’d already bought (plus 2 or 3 more) that could tie-in.
With these points plotted into the spreadsheet, several storylines started to take shape. When I was happy with the order and timing of everything, I sat down and wrote-out the first 25 of the 32 cards, weaving in stories and clues that would lead to each dining experience, deciding that they would all be a surprise until he received that morning’s card with the reveal. I wrapped and tagged the existing gifts with their dated corresponding card, searched and ordered for the 2 or 3 items that occurred to me while planning, and made a few more bowties (I had already given him several sets of matching masks and bowties I had made for him for school) to fill-out the missing gaps in the gift schedule. All this was done with a week or so before the festivities would begin. Not being a patient person, I was dying to get started!
Meal Planning While all of this plotting was great fun (shoutout to my peeps!), the real fun was just beginning. Now that I had committed myself to 8 WDW Dining Experiences, I spent all of my free time researching online menus for each restaurant, then developing ways to recreate them. The basic planning for each experience followed this process:
Find online menus through Disney Dining, AllEars, WDW Dining, with preference going to the most recent (before the shut-down) or the most seasonally appropriate (Autumn, in this case).
Choose the menu items that I think we would order, as if we were on the Deluxe Dining Plan (one appetizer, entrée, and dessert each). If this wasn’t a surprise, I probably would have let him choose his meals a few days ahead.
Find photos or videos of the chosen meals (very important for the next steps).
Using the menu descriptions and the found imagery, develop possible ingredients list to find similar recipes and plan plating/garnishing/presentation.
Search for recipes as close to the menu as possible and alter to more closely resemble the desired outcome. In some cases, finding just the technique or the ingredients to a particular spice blend was the closest I could get.
Using final menu and recipes, plan a shopping list for each experience. Some ingredients needed to be specially ordered, or were needed for several of the meals, so this step was key.
Create an execution plan for the days leading up to the meal and on the day of. I am only one person, so I was shopper, sous chef, maître d’, sommelier, waiter, head chef, pastry chef, Garde Manger, potager, etc. I was also working full-time, so even though I planned the meals on weekends, most of the prep work had to/could be done in the week leading-up. I managed to make sorbets, dumplings, sauces, marinated items, and completed anything that could be prepared ahead of time during my lunch breaks or after our weeknight dinners. Even the most straight-forward dinner party or meal could turn from stressful to enjoyable if you plan every detail beforehand. Since I would also be joining Sean for all but one of the meals, I needed to time everything perfectly so it had a chance to go smoothly.
Print the menu, set the table, turn on the appropriate playlist, and enjoy!
Following this approach, I amassed a lot of information. I saved all recipes found online in a folder for each restaurant or noted cookbook names and pages on the spreadsheet so I could easily find them. These folders also held the draft menus I created for each meal, jpgs or scans of menu headers and restaurant logos, along with any photos I had for really complex presentations.
A sample of the spreadsheet/master list. Green rows were days with gifts, dull orange days were the WDW@Home Dining Experience days, yellow for flower delivery days, and white were just cards. The Other column held reminders to use in the cards, or for certain actions, and the card names were to help me plan which ones to use before I wrote them, and to remind me what they were once they were sealed. There were tabs for each restaurant as well, with possible menu items, backup choices, and ingredient sources.
As things grew more complex, I transferred information from the spreadsheet to a $1 Composition Notebook, devoting a full page to each day of the month-long celebration. Some days just had the card name and a reminder note of what it said. Days leading up to the meals had shopping lists, prep work, reminders to wash certain dishes *(or outfits), create playlists, or print menus. Dining days had lists and timings to complete the meal prep and serve it all on time and at temperature.
I know I’ve spent a lot of time going over the planning, but it really was all of this prep work that turned the whole idea from a dauntingly impossible task to a successful and rewarding experience. Now that YOU are prepared, let’s dive into the experiences.
Small Stuff 