Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Yummies: We heart Theme Park Treats!



Soooooo we were the luckiest girls in the world when we were surprised with a trip to Disneyland for a romantically fun day yesterday. It was unbelievably fun and mucho needed!


But we think the biggest surprise of the day was the amount of amazing Fun Park junk we managed to eat in utter bliss without getting the least bit sick.


Everything from Lollipops to Ice Cream to Cotton Candy and Chocolate Bananas went down with ease and every bite was more intoxicating then the next.

So it (of course!) goes with out saying that we HAD to figure out how to get these sickly sweet treats in our bellies day after day without the trek to the Land of Mouse.



Not that it wasn't a super huge blast to be there...it was! We ran from ride to ride like little kids ...now that we think of it...maybe it was all of the sugar...We ate so much we should have been arrested by the sugar police!
That is me! OK the dream me...I wish I wore my SW costume yesterday!!!

Oh well it was still crazy fun!

As we type with our sugar hangover (we passed out last night from the sugar and theme park crash...hence the late post) we think a good way to remember all of the amazing treats we ate was to go in order...yes? OK!



Dear Cotton Candy inventor...we heart you sooo much it hurts....no seriously...we are in pain! We devoured so much of your pink sweet clouds of sugar it's shocking!


But guess what? We would totally eat more if we could right now...and surprise...we can!
We have read mixed reviews on this Cotton Candy maker but there are more good than bad so we are sooo in!

Cotton Candy on a day in the sun at home...um yeah! It beats those gross bagged kind sold at 7-11.



Next on our trip down junk food lane we took a right down Chocolate Dipped Frozen Banana Road.

And boy o' boy that was the best right turn we ever made! Really? A frozen banana (yum!) dipped in dark chocolate and nuts? Really?!?!? Yes!

(Tried to find pics that weren't too dirty looking but nada...deal with it! ...Try getting your cutie bean boy to eat a frozen banana...it's super funny!)

It really shouldn't be junk food since it's filled with potassium and um isn't dark chocolate good for you?

And nuts are super protein food...sooooo....
Trader Joe's sells pretty amazing frozen naners in the ice cream (yum!) section...

but if you are like the TWH ladies of love...then you prob wanna make your own so you can lick the bowl of chocolate when you're done.

We found a fantabulous recipe here....

Ingredients

  • 4 medium ripe but firm bananas
  • 8 wooden craft sticks
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped lightly salted peanuts
  • 6 ounces good quality dark chocolate<span class=showlist_icon.gif"> (60 to 70 percent cocoa solids), chopped

Directions

Peel, then cut each banana in half crosswise and insert a craft stick into each half. Place on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until frozen, about 3 hours.

Place the peanuts in a shallow dish or on a plate. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the top pan. Pour the melted chocolate into a tall glass. Dip each frozen banana into the chocolate, turning it to coat, and immediately roll in the peanuts. Place on a tray covered in waxed paper. Serve immediately or wrap individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and freeze


Can't WAIT to make these this summer for a pool party!


Next up on our TPT (Theme Park Treat) walk o' sugar we stopped at the Frozen Lemonade stand! I mean who can resist frozen lemonade on a warm day???


The one most parks seem to sell is the Minute Maid one you can find in stores? And you know what you can find in the minute maid one? Preservatives and "natural flavors" so we say...DIY!

  • Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups fresh lemon juice (from about 10 lemons), plus wedges for serving

Directions

  1. Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Let cool.
  2. Mix sugar syrup and lemon juice in a nonreactive 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover, and freeze overnight. (Lemonade can be frozen for up to 3 days.)
  3. Using a fork, break frozen lemonade mixture into chunks, and transfer to a large bowl. Whisk, breaking up chunks, until slushy. Divide slush among glasses. Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over each glass, drop it into glass, and serve immediately.
P.S. Great idea for the Lemonade Stand for 2010! Slushy ade of lemon? Uh huh...we would stop for sure!

After a few more rides and miles of walking...we for sure worked up an appetite for somethin' sweet but it also had to be satisfying...not that Cotton Candy isn't but I literally forgot we ate it at all!
We smelled an addicting and familiar smell in the air...yup!!! KETTLE CORN!!!!


Woooooooooo hoooooooooo!!!!!

There is nothing like the sweet and salty crunchy goodness of warm kettle corn...nada!
And it totally fills you up too...like a meal in a bag!
We have tried numerous attempts at getting KC at home and to our surprise Whole Foods KC is TDF!

Be careful....you can go thru and entire bag in no time...
So if that's the case...or you don't have a Whole Foods at your fingertips then...
say it with us..."DIY!"

Easy Kettle Corn Recipe

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

*Special Equipment – A large pot with lid

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add popcorn and sugar giving it a quick stir and then cover with lid. Once popcorn starts popping, pick it up and give it a quick shake every few seconds until popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately. Do not make the mistake of removing the pot from heat without transferring to a bowl. Due to the high heat of the pot, if you don’t transfer the popcorn it will caramelize and perhaps burn. *Also, do not attempt to make a batch of this in a dutch oven. I made a second batch thinking it would work and it caramelized to quickly and burned.


We were sooo super full after the KC that we didn't get a chance to peruse the Churro Carts...


But have no fear! We learned an easy way to make your own!


And they are baked not fried...sooo there is that fun fact....

Now after all those snacks...not only do we have a new addiction to all things sweet (not that we didn't already have one) but we have to get to the gym...bloated!


xoxo things we heart

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Disneyland has my brother-in-law's company Dandy Cotton Candy supply them. He grew up in Jersey and loved carnivals and the boardwalk...and all the vintage candy! So he created cotton candy that is the freshest tasting ever-I love it:)

Ivy said...

Oh my goodness, that Frozen Lemonade looks delicious. Yep, I see one of those in my future!