A few little spots of holiday cheer around our house! Including our mantel…
Our reading corner…
Our hutch….
Our little plant corner…
Our foyer….
And our tree!
Christmas Corners
Yak and Yeti
Friends, I was so excited to go to Yak and Yeti! We had avoided it for several Disney visits because I wasn’t sure how we could make it work with the boys’ food allergies. However, I did quite a bit of research and managed to find options for all of us. This was also where A discovered his love of dumplings…
And he’s been obsessed ever since! While we were enjoying our appetizers, we checked out the menu. Look how fun the kid’s menu is!
B got the burger (yes, they have a burger) as did the boys….
I chose the sweet and sour chicken, with fried rice and it was excellent:
But let’s be honest. There’s one reason that I came to Yak and Yeti, and that’s for the mango pie:
It was absolutely perfect. Creamy and sweet, but not overly sugary. It was the perfect ending to the meal! Afterward we wandered back out and ventured into Pandora at night, which was a great way to end the evening!
Winter Sweater Round-Up
Perfect for gifting, or just adding to your own closet, here is a round-up of some of my current favorite sweaters! Each of these are great for layering, perfect for our unpredictable southern temps.
- Okay, this isn’t technically a sweater, but I love that it’s long-sleeves include a cute button detail, and it has a slightly higher neckline, but not turtleneck status.
- I love the ribbing on the edge of these sleeves, with a little extra detail.
- Perfect for layering with a tank top for warmer days or a long sleeve shirt for when it’s colder.
- I’ve been trying to incorporate a little more color into my wardrobe, and this reminds me of this outfit here.
- So comfy! I love that this is off the shoulder a bit, but not too much.
- An emerald green basic, perfect to dress up with a pair of velvet or sequin black pants for holiday parties.
- And finally, this is one of my favorite all time JCrew sweaters, navy with little gold stars, I love it with my favorite jeans and tan boots.
Happy sweater shopping and gift buying!
Friday Favorites
Ready for the lay up.
This has been a crazy week, friends. I’m looking forward to the weekend, even with the abundance of rain we are about to get. We’re taking the boys to see Ralph Breaks the Internet, and then we’re going to catch up on all the Christmas movies and shows we’ve recorded on DVR.
Love these Japanese cut-out illustrations featuring all things Fall.
Target stocking stuffers; polar-izing nail polish, fluffy powder brush, and hair balm.
Self care strategies for the crazy holiday season.
After listening to a Milkstreet podcast on my way to work, I immediately put Coconuts and Collards on my cookbook list.
A winter trip bucket list, for when the kids are in college, and instead of filling the two weeks before Christmas with parties, field trips, and basketball games we can go to Hawaii. Hopefully Pinterest will still be around then so I can find the list, ha!
A list of board game essentials for your favorite board game aficionado. In our house that’s J.
Office party outfit.
The avocado melting mask at Sephora that is my watermelon mask’s BFF.
Chocolate sprinkle rugelach. So pretty, so delicious!
I really want this eufy robot vac…it’s just sitting in my Amazon cart right now, waiting for me to make up my mind!
Finally, I love Reese’s Witherspoon’s book club. I am starting her December pick today!
Be Our Guest
This was one of our most highly anticipated dining reservations, in part because when we went to Disney in 2017 we had to cancel our reservation due to the boys getting sick. We rebooked it for this trip, and it’s definitely one you want to get a reservation for. The standby line to get in the restaurant was long. Let me re-emphasize that by saying that was the line to be put on a wait list, not the actual waiting time. Anyway, we ordered ahead through mobile order (one of the few restaurants right now that requests you do that), and then walked up to an outside stand and got a rose, that we then brought inside, and then you pick a table. Somehow they know how to find you, even though I think we returned the rose. We picked the room with the dancing Belle and Beast because that seemed like the obvious choice:
The paintings on the wall were also lovely:
We waited about ten minutes and then our lunch arrived. I got the roast beef sandwich with consommé:
B got a carved turkey sandwich:
And the boys got assemble your own pasta, which they loved:
It was all very good! This is one of the pricier quick service meals (let’s face it, part of the reason you’re eating here is to see the inside of the Beast’s castle because it’s the only way to see it), but we all really enjoyed the food, and the boys liked that it comes on a fancy cart straight to the table. I would definitely add it to your trip list for these reasons and because I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually becomes table service for lunch.
In addition this was our food reservation heavy day (we had three). If you want to go to several restaurants in the Magic Kingdom area, here is an idea of what we did:
- Breakfast: Ohana 7:50 a.m.
- Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- It’s a small world
- Haunted Mansion
- Lunch: Be Our Guest 12:20 p.m.
- Seven Dwarves 1:05-2:05 FP x 2 B & J
- Little Mermaid 1:10-2:10 FP x 2 N & A
- Carousel of Progress
- Space Mountain 3:10-4:10 FP x 2 B & J
- Tomorrowland Speedway 2:30-3:30 FP x 2 N & A
- Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor
- Buzz Lightyear 4:35-5:35 FP x 4
- Dinner: Ohana 6:50 p.m.
This worked really well because it was on a Saturday and the park started off not too bad and then got really crowded. It was so crowded that after we had dinner at Ohana we headed back to our hotel because we didn’t feel like fighting the crowds again to see the fireworks. Happy trip planning!
This and that
This weekend we visited Santa and the boys shared what they would like for Christmas…
This is my favorite nail combination (I do polish x 2, top coat, glitter coat and let my nails dry for about ten minutes in between the polish coats, top coat, and glitter coat)….
My favorite frozen Rhodes rolls hack is to put two freezer rolls in a greased muffin tin, and then let them rise all afternoon, then bake at 350 for fifteen minutes:
I took this picture of A by my favorite tree on campus when we were walking to my class last week:
And finally two of my current favorite things, my Magnolia Journal and a Gingerbread Spiced Latte:
Friday Favorites
This has been a crazy week! My classes had their final meeting days, I’m trying to get courses prepped for next semester, grades in from this semester, the boys had basketball practices this week, plus homework, plus, oh yeah A got sick midweek and I had to bring him to work. I’m so ready for the weekend! Our elf, Link, shows up tomorrow, and we are headed to Santa’s Village at some point to see Santa! The boys are very excited!
Buffalo chicken dip is perfect for pre-game holiday snacking.
The key to improvement.
Homemade orange rolls for Christmas Eve.
Perfect holiday travel wear.
Peaceful home in Coastal Spain.
Reading up on one of our bucket list travel places.
The organization blog of my dreams.
Oreo ice cream pie for Christmas Eve Eve.
My current hair cut and color.
And finally, a birthday that is the GOAT.
Ohana 2018
I did a review of the dinner at Ohana two years ago, however, I’m reviewing it again because one of the main questions people have about Disney dining is the consistency. I can say that we’ve had dinner at Ohana three years in a row and it is consistently great. The service has always been spot on, the atmosphere is wonderful, and the food is really fresh and delicious. In case you haven’t been to Ohana for dinner here is a run down of the food. Located within The Polynesian Resort, Ohana dinners are served family style, so there isn’t a menu to pick and choose from.
You start with ‘Ohana Pineapple-Coconut Bread
And then they bring out Mixed Greens Salad with a Lilikoi dressing
Then you get a Pork Dumplings tossed in Garlic-Ginger Sauce And Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings
And then they start bringing out all of the meats cooked over an oak fire grill
Our favorite is the sweet and sour chicken and the peel and eat shrimp (the sirloin steak is fine, but we have found that sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s just okay):
And then when you finally think you can’t eat anymore…
They bring out bread pudding with ice cream and warmed caramel sauce
And you definitely eat all of that too. We love Ohana and no matter what reservations we make at Disney, it’s always on our list. This is definitely a place to make an advanced dining reservation and if you are staying at a Disney resort, you want to put it as one of your first places to reserve.
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
- 2 cups plus all purpose flour
- 2 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp clove
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp of kosher salt
- 3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
Directions
- Cut butter into tablespoon slices and place in the bottom of the mixer. Set your egg out on the counter. Do this first then prep the rest of your ingredients
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, clove, and salt. Set aside.
- Crack egg into a small cup and whisk.
- On medium speed cream butter for about three minutes.
- Add sugar to butter and mix until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides and then add in the egg mixture. Mix until it resembles cottage cheese (so slightly lumpy, but well mixed).
- Add in molasses and mix briefly
- Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix just a little by hand (so it doesn’t puff out when you start the mixer), and then mix on low speed only until barely blended.
- Divide by scoopfulls onto silpat lined pan.
- Bake for six minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for two additional minutes. Let cool on the pan for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Will keep in an air tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. In our house they rarely last that long.
Flame Tree Barbecue
I have to share our favorite quick service restaurant in Animal Kingdom, and maybe all of Disney. The boys liked it so much the asked to go back there for dinner on our next trip. It is situated near Discovery Island in Animal Kingdom, and it has all outdoor seating. While the outdoor seating may be a bit of deterrent, there is tons of it and several areas with roof tops and shading. We made use of mobile order for this meal and it was a great idea because it was quite busy that day.
B and A split the ribs, chicken, and pork sampler platter:
J got a hot dog
And I had the pulled pork French fries
The food is simple, straightforward, but so delicious! It is really good barbecue, and the switch-up from typical pizza or chicken nuggets for lunch was great. Here’s a breakdown of how we set-up our day at Animal Kingdom:
- Wilderness Explorer Books
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch
- Jungle Juice Slush @ Tambu Tambu- Snack
- Pretzel – Snack
- Gorilla Falls Trail
- Lunch: Flame Tree BBQ QS 11:00
- Kali River Rapids – FP x 4 12:25-1:25
- Dinosaur 1:50-2:50 FP x 2 B & J
- Boneyard
- Snack- Apple cider donut holes
- Navi River Journey 3:05-4:05 FP x 2 N & A
- Flight of Passage x 2 3:25-4:25 FP x 2 B & J
- Expedition Everest x 2 4:40-5:40 N & A
- Maharajah Jungle Trek
- Flights of Wonder
We ordered lunch at the Gorilla Falls Trail, And then set it to be picked up about 11:15. As you can tell from our list, A is not big on the faster rides, so we split up our fast passes to reflect that. There are times that B & J used A & I’s magic bands, and A and I would grab a snack or get in a character meeting line. I plan the routes so we spend as little time as possible trekking back and forth across the park. Happy planning and eating!