Chip Chip Hooray!

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies

chipchiphooray — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 12:00:41 +0000

I have cookie issues.

As in, at this time of year legitimately half of my kitchen table is taken up by Tupperwares FULL of cookies from various swaps, holiday parties, and baking adventures. I bring a lot of it to work and try to foist off my sweets on my coworkers (usually they’re only too happy to oblige). I send some to my mom and my sisters. Other times, I just force myself to have an extra cookie for dessert…and second dessert. It’s a hard life I lead, I know.

I baked these bad boys for Cookie Swap NYC, an annual gathering a bunch of us New York-area bloggers hold (and this year organized by the lovely Lillian). We took over the Coffee Foundry this year, and I loved this cozy space in the West Village (it even doubles as a karaoke bar at night!). Plus I mean, latte art!

Also, this year I brought a special date — my sister Meg! As her contribution to the swapping activity, she brought these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.

It was so great to catch up with friends like Jennifer, Hazel, and another Jennifer. And of course, to sample all their cookies! But we also raised a ton of money for City Harvest, a food rescue organization here in the city that also helps raise awareness about healthy food preparation and nutrition. I love when my sweet tooth can also feed a good cause.

Thanks also to our awesome sponsors, Divine Chocolate and Zugar Haus, especially for the tasty gifts they gave to swap attendees! Okay, okay, I’ll stop blabbing and give you the recipe. Happy holidays!

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies
Ever so slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbsp
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Biscoff spread
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
Generous 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter, Biscoff spread, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing only until just combined. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
5. Use a two-inch cookie scoop to form balls of dough and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are just starting to darken around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

chipchiphooray — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 12:00:22 +0000

It’s time for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!!!

Can you tell by the three exclamation points that I have really been looking forward to this day?? Cookie swapping is one of my favorite events of the holiday season, and I love that it always introduces me to new bloggers who eventually become social media friends. (Hi to all my previous years’ matches!)

Anyway. This year I decided to go super traditional with my cookie choice. You know me — I love throwing random baking chips and/or candy in my cookies. The more sweet stuff, the better. But this time I went with an indisputable winner: ginger molasses cookies.

These cookies can go by a lot of names. Soft ginger cookies, gingersnaps, gingerbread. Call ’em what you will; they’re addictive. My mom (hi, mom!) tried half of one as a midday snack…then had to go back for the other half with her tea. And then promptly fought my sister to call dibs on the one other cookie left in the container. If inter-family brawling doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will, so get baking.

Ginger Molasses Cookies
Very slightly adapted, then doubled, from The Baker Chick

Ingredients:

3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp water
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup white sugar for rolling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flours, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, followed by the water and molasses.
4. A little bit at a time, stir the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.
5. Chill dough for 15-30 minutes to make it easier to handle (I recommend erring toward 30, if you have time).
6. Use a two-inch cookie scoop to form balls of dough, then roll them in the 1/2 cup of white sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on your baking sheet, and press down to flatten slightly (these don’t spread much).
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are starting to darken. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, plus a few for noshing.

I hope Louise, Rose, and Kelley enjoyed the cookies I sent them. I sure enjoyed taking a peek at their blogs and exploring some of their stories and recipes.

_____________

And I can’t forget to thank the wonderful bloggers who baked for me!

Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla sent me these unreal Matcha-Black Sesame Shortbread cookies. So good! I couldn’t believe I had never had matcha/green tea in baked goods before.

Justina of Fail Sweetly made me these Dark Chocolate Almond Cluster cookies. They’re bite-sized…which means they have no calories, right?

And last but so far from least it’s not even funny, Laura from Pink Cake Plate sent me these outrageous Red Velvet Biscotti. I am keeping them at work because it’s such a treat to have one of these in the afternoon with my ~~eighth~~ second cup of tea of the day.

Happy holidays, happy munching!!

Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Bread and a Divine Giveaway! [closed]

chipchiphooray — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 11:00:50 +0000

Well, since it snowed (?!?!) in New York yesterday, I finally feel like I can say it — it’s the holiday season! Granted, nothing accumulated, but I left my apartment to catch the subway and got smacked in the eye with a big ol’ flake. Nice to see you too, winter.

Anyway, that plus a gingerbread latte have me thinking family gatherings and lots of food. Chances are you’re looking for something to bring to your holiday get-togethers — and this Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Bread is a winning candidate!

First of all, it’s a quick bread…ain’t nobody got time to play around with finicky yeast these days. (Unless you’re good at it, in which case — please bake me some bread. Kthx.) And second, it can do double duty as an after-dinner dessert or a next-morning breakfast/brunch item. Are you sold yet?

If that’s not enough, I’m working with Divine Chocolate once again, and this time they’re bringing you an awesome giveaway, too. Details are at the end of the post, so hold your horses for just a few. I love Divine because their chocolate is Fair Trade, which ensures their farmers receive a better deal for their cocoa and additional income to invest in their community. And company ownership gives the farmers a share of Divine’s profits and a stronger voice in the cocoa industry. I’ve met the Divine farmers, and I can testify to the fact that they really are special people.

So it’s a win-win-win, people. Bake this bread and your family is happy, your tummy is happy, and your conscience is happy. Get to it!

Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin Bread
Adapted only slightly from Baking Bites

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I made my own)
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, divided
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 oz finely chopped dark chocolate (approx 1/2 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture, followed by 1/2 cup almond milk.
4. Stir in the remaining half of your dry ingredients, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Don’t be like me and succumb to the temptation to overmix.
5. In another small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder and 1/4 cup almond milk until well combined. Then add in 1 cup of the pumpkin batter as well as the finely chopped chocolate and fold together.
6. Alternate adding pumpkin batter and chocolate batter into the prepared pan, dolloping both batters around to spread out the colors. Then run a butterknife through the batters to gently swirl them together.
7. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.

________________________________________________

~~Now, for the giveaway!!~~

What THREE of you will win:
–Limited Edition bar of 70% Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts & Cranberries
~~–Limited Edition bar of Milk Chocolate with Spiced Cookies~~
~~–Milk and Dark Chocolate Christmas Trees~~
~~–Milk and Dark Chocolate Coins~~

How to enter:
–MANDATORY: Leave me a comment, telling me: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

~~For extra entries (leave a comment for EACH additional entry):~~
–Subscribe to Chip Chip Hooray via RSS or email
–Follow @ChipChipHooray on Twitter
–Follow @DivineChocUSA on Twitter
–Tweet the following: “I’d love to win @DivineChocUSA holiday treats from @ChipChipHooray! http://wp.me/p1Yt6H-se%C2%A0#DivineInNYC” #DivineInNYC”
–Like Chip Chip Hooray on Facebook. Feel free to say hi while you’re there!
–Like Divine Chocolate USA on Facebook and leave the comment: “I’d love to win Divine Chocolate holiday treats! Sent by Chip Chip Hooray! #DivineInNYC”

Giveaway details:
–This giveaway is open to residents of the 48 contiguous United States only (sorry again, HI, AK, and UK friends!) and will run until from Wednesday, November 13, until Friday, November 22, at 11:59 pm EST.
–Three winners will be determined via a random number generator software program. Winners will be notified via the contact email provided on the comment contact form.
–Winners will have until Wednesday, November 27 (the day before Thanksgiving!), to respond to my email and claim their chocolate prize pack or another winner will be chosen and contacted.
–Prize packs will be shipped directly to the winners’ addresses by Divine.

Disclaimer: This giveaway was sponsored by Divine Chocolate USA. I received a prize pack of chocolate items for review, but as always, all opinions stated are my own.

Our Engagement Story

chipchiphooray — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:57:35 +0000

Today we’re taking a little break from recipes and instead peeking into my life. The reason being? I don’t know if you caught it in my last posts, but I just got engaged a little over two weeks ago.

I took a poll of sorts on Twitter to see if people would be interested in the engagement story, and the overwhelming answer was yes. So here it is! And a few photos to boot.

As some of you might know, my now-fiancé is a PhD student down in Virginia. We try to see each other at least a couple of weekends a month, and on Friday the 13th of September, I was heading for a train out of NYC down to Virginia to visit him for the weekend.

In typical Friday the 13th fashion, I walked into Penn Station to discover that my train was indefinitely delayed. Awesome. After some arguing, negotiating, and eventually, yes, crying, I finagled my way onto the next regional train to Washington DC, where Charlie would come to pick me up instead (an extra two-hour drive each way).

So I was already a little cranky when my train pulled in around 6, and we didn’t roll into Charlottesville for dinner until around 8. We stopped to eat before heading home — nothing fancy or out of the ordinary, just an Indian place in the downtown area that looked nice.

We left the restaurant and Charlie said, “I’m not really hungry for dessert yet, are you? I think I’ve got ice cream in the fridge at home.” Sounded like a plan to me.

But when we got home and I opened the door of the apartment, I could tell something was different. Charlie has a whiteboard hanging on one if his walls, and it was covered with doodles of different things that have meaning in our relationship — a cruise ship, a V for Villanova, some silly-looking fish. And when I opened the freezer to get the ice cream I was promised, this is what I found:

I walked out of the kitchen to find Charlie with the ring box in his hand getting down on one knee and proposing. And then there was all the crying (both of us) and the making sure he wasn’t kidding (me). And of course I said yes.

And THEN I found out Charlie secretly had his computer on, recording the whole thing. So we have a version of our proposal that we can watch and that I can show to my family and all that. He thought of everything!!

(On my way home on Sunday, newly engaged.)

Now for some of the questions I keep getting asked:

Did you know it was coming? No! Well. We’d talked about it in the abstract a fair amount, and I thought maybe it would happen when we were down on our college campus for a friend’s wedding in a few weeks. I certainly was not expecting a proposal on a random Friday the 13th!

Was the ring IN the ice cream?! Nonononono. Like I said, he thought of everything. That ice cream container had a custom blend of two of my favorite ice cream flavors. Charlie had the ring in a separate box. So I got ice cream AND a proposal!

Do you have a date? Aka the worst question ever. Not specifically. We’re thinking in the general vicinity of fall 2015.

And that’s it, pretty much! I’m still getting used to using the word “fiancé” instead of “boyfriend,” and this sparkly thing on my left hand is VERY distracting — on the subway, while I’m typing, when I fix my hair in the mirror. Sometimes I wiggle my hand just to make it glitter.

In all seriousness, though, I’m incredibly blessed and lucky to have found a guy like this. And I’m pretty darn excited to be married (?!?!?) to him and get to tell him that every single day.

NYC Eats: Crosstown Pizza Walk

chipchiphooray — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 11:00:42 +0000

Hi there! Today I’m here to talk awesome foodie experiences – namely, the NYC Crosstown Pizza Walk my sister and I recently took with Scott’s Pizza Tours.

The walk was a birthday gift for Meg, who’s an absolute connoisseur of pizza. The girl knows her slices, and she has a discerning palate! I was excited to try some of New York’s best pizzerias with her. And we lucked out in getting a beautiful late summer / early fall Saturday for our three-hour tour! (I will now have the Gilligan’s Island theme song stuck in my head for the rest of this post.)

Our group assembled at 11 a.m., and our tour guide, Joe, started out by giving us a brief overview of “pizza history,” both in Italy and the United States. And lest you think you’d be starting to snooze, our first pizza stop was just around the corner…

Lombardi’s of Little Italy was our first stop. This joint was America’s first licensed pizzeria and has been a staple since 1905. The slices we sampled used bufala mozzarella and fresh basil, and the underside was nice and charred and blistery, just the way I like it.

After chowing down on our sample slice (and one of the lonely leftovers too), the tour trekked over to visit the Bari pizza ovens at the restaurant supply stores on the Bowery. It was cool to hear how much of a difference there is between coal ovens and gas ovens!

Stop #2? Joe’s of Greenwich Village. We perched all over Father Demo Square to sample these slices, where were the greasy, drippy, extra-jumbo New York slices you’re probably used to seeing on TV. You know, the ones where the cheese slides off and you’ve gotta fold ‘em to eat ‘em.

Our final stop was close by – John’s of Bleecker Street. In addition to Meg freaking out because of the Friends trivia inherent in this stop, it was also her favorite pizza slice. They actually put the cheese on first at John’s, then dollop the sauce on top, so her favorite part of pizza (that would be the cheese) totally wins the flavor war.

Overall (I reserved judgment till the end), my favorite was definitely Lombardi’s. I’m a margherita pizza purist, and Lombardi’s slices went heavy on the sauce and light on the high-quality cheese. Plus their crust was a thing of beauty – crisp but chewy and smoky from the hot oven. I die.

Our tour guide was fantastic as well. Joe made sure to regale us with PPIs (points of pizza interest) at every turn, and his energy totally set the tone for the day. Plus he’s actually worked in pizzerias everywhere from Detroit to Chicago to New York, so his knowledge and love of pizza runs deep!

I was able to book both of our tours through Vimbly, which made scheduling really easy. The website makes it easy to search activities by city and view the next available tour dates and times, and you can even narrow your search results by desired price, time of day, and day of the week. Plus, their booking and reminder services are free. They have “Food Adventures” and “Cooking Classes” areas of their site that sound like a perfect bet for any of you readers. Right now, Vimbly is only available in New York and Chicago, but maybe they’ll be booking in your area soon!

So. Who wants to go grab a slice with me?

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ticket for a tour of my choice. All opinions of the tour, and of Vimbly’s services, are my own.

Pumpkin Pie Streusel Bars

chipchiphooray — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:05:51 +0000

Hi friends! I’m back from a very long summer blogging hiatus, and so happy to be bringing you sweet treats once more. It was quite an eventful summer – I went to two weddings, two bridal showers, and took a couple of gorgeous vacations.

But hands down the most exciting thing that’s happened to me since I blogged last…I got engaged last weekend! It’s been a whirlwind of excitement and happiness, and I feel like the luckiest girl ever. (I know we all say that, but it’s true.) So you may see some musings on weddings start to creep in here. I promise, they’ll always be accompanied by food.

Anyway! I’m guest posting over at The Spiffy Cookie today while Erin finishes up the madness that is Ph.D. dissertating. Click on over to get the recipe for these perfectly autumnal pumpkin bars!

CCH on the Move: A Disney Foodie Recap

chipchiphooray — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 13:17:04 +0000

Well, friends. My little bloggy has been sadly quiet as of late. Stepping in to save the day and fill that void is my darling sister, Megan (aka Middle Chip), who was lucky enough to do some traveling over Spring Break this year. And of course, like any good sister of mine, she wrote about everything she tasted. Get ready for a day-by-day review like no other!

_________________________________________________________

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream…

Welcome to a Throwback Tuesday like no other.

For some of you, this may be throwing it back to the golden days of your childhood. For some, maybe a few summers or winter holidays ago. And if this just throws you back to yesterday, then you’re extremely lucky and I’m very jealous!

For me, I’m feeling especially reminiscent of this past March, when my roommate Olivia and I took a fabulous senior year spring break vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth… Walt Disney World!

Our trip almost got off to a less than magical start, when the day before our flight was set to depart from JFK, a snow storm hit New York! I sat through that Friday afternoon with baited breath, constantly checking up on weather forecasts and willing the snow to stop falling. Luckily, by the time I arrived at my Olivia’s house (she had gone home the day before to pack), the snow had calmed and the weather was warming. Disney magic was in the air before we even hit Florida. After a lovely dinner, courtesy of my 100% Italian roommate and her family, of homemade pizza, salad, and biscotti, we finished packing and hit the airport the next morning, Orlando bound!

Getting in the Disney mood early! With some Mickey-infused caffeine, we were ready to fly.

The magic continued, as we arrived at Disney’s All Star Movies Resort! It was my first time staying on-property in Disney, and I highly recommend it if it is doable for you. As college students, we weren’t looking to spend too much on a hotel but wanted to be able to get to and from the parks without renting a car. This was one of their more moderate resorts… but it certainly didn’t feel that way! The duration of our stay felt like 5-star living.

I could happily walk you through each and every step of our trip to the most magical place on earth, but instead I’m going to combo-package with this food blog theme we’ve got going on here and take you through some of the highlights of our Disney dining adventures.

This trip marked another Disney “first” for me… my first time using the Disney Dining Plan! But thanks to my internship at Disney-ABC Television Group, I was actually able to get my Olivia and me a really great deal on a plan, as well as on our stay at the resort. And I could not believe how much it paid off for us – it was UNBELIEVABLE how much the dining plan was worth it! There are a few options, and we went for the Quick Service Dining plan. I believe this plan typically adds about $37.50 per adult ($14.32 per little Mouseketeer ), per night. With our discount, the two of us were able to get it for slightly cheaper, but either way I think it is still a great value.

My hesitations toward a dining plan always stemmed from not actually doing the math and understanding what the plan entails. I first said to myself, “Psh! Would I actually pay that much per day to eat?! There’s no way that’s worth it, I would never spend that much.” But as much as I love my company, I will admit that park food prices are ridiculously high. And that’s exactly what our lovely resort concierge made us see. As she said “You’ll never eat for less than $15 per meal in the park,” and as she explained the plans, I quickly saw that she was right. Per day of your stay, the QSD plan allots you 2 meals at quick-service at participating Counter Service restaurants… and their idea of a “meal” includes an entree, non-alcoholic beverage, and a dessert (at lunch or dinnertime).

In addition, the QSD plan gives you one snack per day, which can be used on a variety of treats from those old-classic Mickey ice cream pops, to a full bag of popcorn, to a Mickey cake pop (HIGHLY recommended!). It can also be used at breakfast, but we normally paid cash then because we realized it was our least-expensive meal of the day. You are not limited to only two meal “swipes” per day (you can use three one day and one the next, depending on your plans), but the total meal counts would evenly allocate you two meals and one snack per day. AND you can use it at your Disney resort… which we did in our resort’s awesome food court! When we thought of how much you got out of it, and kept track of the prices we would have paid without a plan, we realized how great of a deal it was.

There is also the option for the Regular Dining Plan, which is more expensive but includes 1 Table Service credit (this can be used at fancier, sit-down restaurants such as Cinderella’s Royal Table and Via Napoli in Epcot Italy), 1 Quick Service Credit, and 1 snack per day. Olivia and I realized that a lot of Table Service places require advance reservations, and after seeing the list of participating QSD places, there were SO many options that we knew we would be just fine on the Quick Service plan (read on to see for yourself…). Plus, “Quick” means more time for fun in the parks!

And on that note, with our bellies happily anticipating being full, we were off to…

And oh, what memories did we make. And what treats did we taste!

Our first day at the Magic Kingdom was everything we could have hoped for! We got a lovely start and hit all of our favorite rides, saw a few parades, and experienced some of the great new features of the park, including New Fantasyland. But without a doubt, the highlight of my ENTIRE day, if not my entire trip, was our lunch spot…

The brand new Be Our Guest restaurant! I have always had a very special connection to Beauty and the Beast. It was one of my favorite Disney movies, was the first show I remember seeing on Broadway at age thirteen that made me absolutely fall in love with musical theatre, and was my senior year musical in high school (in which I played Cogsworth in my all-girls school. My best friend played Lumiere, and not to pat myself on the back but the two of us performed to rave reviews. We were quite the dynamic duo!). Needless to say, I was ECSTATIC to get the chance to dine in Belle’s ballroom!

If you go to Be Our Guest for lunch, it is actually eligible as a Quick Service Dining credit! Which was very exciting for us! Although we got a bit of a later start on this park day, as long as you are on line for seating before (I believe) 2pm, you will be able to dine there for lunch (after that time, they close to additional entrants so that they can turn over the restaurant for their dinner service). We got right on line around 1:30! The line to the order turnstile moved much quicker than we were told and anticipated, and once you place your order you are free to find a table in the ballroom or West Wing. With a GPS system cleverly disguised as an Enchanted Rose, your food is magically brought right to your table. We couldn’t believe how lovely the experience was – it felt like a sit down restaurant!

I ordered the grilled steak sandwich, served with a light garlic butter spread on a baguette with pommes frites! C’est magnifique! Now unfortunately, the restaurant menu has been updated since March and this is no longer a lunch option, but every other meal that passed me by looked just as delicious! And don’t forget my favorite part – our QSD plan also included a delectable dessert! This part of the meal was where the plan really paid off for me.

I ordered the triple chocolate cupcake, while Olivia opted for the lemon meringue cupcake. It was one of the best cupcakes I have ever had – the cake was nice and moist (not dry, as if it had been sitting out awhile) with a mousse filling, the icing was a nice consistency to balance the cake, and the little chocolate crunchies on top were a great addition. While Disney food may be getting expensive, I will admit that, in my opinion, at least it is not sacrificing quality. And with the portions and Dining Plan, I still felt I was getting value for my money.

With our special Magic Hours, we spent a total of 16 hours in the Magic Kingdom that day. Yes, we are unstoppable. After our big lunch, we had a very late post-fireworks dinner at Cosmic Ray’s (a great Tomorrowland spot for some classic grill food, and a favorite of my dad’s) and ice cream snack at the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street (amazing cookies n’ cream! Tip: always go for the cone – you get more, and they’ll give you a bowl to help you handle it!).

Ice cream and hot chocolate – the perfect end to a perfect day!

After our long night, we got a bit of a later start in Hollywood Studios the next day. We hit some of our favorite attractions, like The Great Movie Ride (heaven for the communications/media major) and the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. I introduced Olivia to Toy Story Midway Mania, and she fell in love! It’s a great ride for any age, a similar concept to the Buzz Lightyear ride but, in my opinion, easier, more graphically rewarding, and much more fun. Important tip: this is a super popular ride, even though it’s not brand new anymore! Get a Fast Pass for this ride immediately upon arriving at the park, as they have been known to run out of Fast Passes for the entire day very early in the day. We had Magic Hours, so we knew we would get on… but this is a ride you don’t want to miss!

Before Fantasmic (which was ‘fantastic!’) we grabbed dinner at the Backlot Express restaurant. After a delicious turkey and cheese Panini (my favorite at this spot), we each enjoyed the seasonal dessert special… the St. Patrick’s Day cupcake! A chocolate cupcake with peppermint buttercream and white chocolate topping. While I’m not the biggest mint fan, luckily it wasn’t too overwhelming for me. The cupcake part was again nice and moist, and the little white chocolate hat topped it all off. While it was big enough to share (neither of us finished one), it counted as the dessert option for each of our respective entrees. Happy Early St. Patrick’s Day from Mickey Mouse!

On our third day we hit Epcot, prepared to take on the World Showcase full force! Both Olivia and I studied abroad during our college years, and were lucky enough to experience a wide variety of countries and cultures during our travels. We were both so excited to bring out our international flair on our Epcot day. With our brand new favorite souvenir in hand/on head (see pictured below… I think you’ll agree, it was a once-in-a-lifetime must buy!) we spent the morning in Future World before venturing across the globe. Some favorite spots included Ellen’s Energy Adventure (If you haven’t seen it, it’s one of Epcot’s best kept secrets) and the revamped Test Track. And then… well, the pictures speak for themselves. Magical.

Lunch in Mexico! Tacos de carne and churros con cajeta at La Cantina de San Angel. I love our dining plan!

Gelato in Italy and margaritas in Mexico! And, again, my favorite duo of characters ever.

The final stop on our trip around the world brought me back to the second most magical place on Earth, in my opinion… jolly old England, where I spent my semester abroad! Living in London was unlike anything I could ever imagine, and one of the local features that became one of my favorites was the cider. And, well, just the sight of the Rose and Crown pub in Epcot was like coming home! Of course, I did more than just look. Don’t you worry about that.

Strongbow cider in Epcot UK. I’m a bloody happy camper.

Before the Illuminations fireworks show, we headed back to Morocco for dinner. I haven’t actually visited the country, but Olivia did during her time in Spain! After this meal, it’s on my list! We loved having the dining plan for our Epcot day – we had the opportunity to dine or snack in just about each country for very little out-of-pocket cost! As you can see, we certainly appreciate good food.

Chicken wrap, couscous, lentil salad, and baklava in Morocco

On our final day in Animal Kingdom, we hit some great attractions like Expedition Everest and Flights of Wonder! I hadn’t been to Animal Kingdom since its very early years; as such, in a way it was a “Disney first” for me and I loved it! After a wild morning, we hit Asia for lunch – where I honestly had some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever tasted. Hit the Yak and Yeti restaurant for the beef lo mein!

We headed back a little earlier than evening to pack for our flight the next day, and had dinner at our resort poolside for a final, relaxing evening. And we were not disappointed! During our stay, I enjoyed our experiences dining in the food court, since as is the Disney way, quality is never sacrificed. A huge team of chefs is constantly manning each individual station, constantly cooking fresh food made to order. Our meals were always hot, and being able to talk to the chef allowed them to customize or substitute if we asked– and always done with a Disney smile.

Fresh chocolate chip pancakes (which were obviously so good I started eating before remembering to take a picture), and the “Breakfast Bounty Platter” – eggs, French toast sticks (a slightly different version offered with a Mickey waffle!), home fries, and a biscuit. Our food never tasted as if it had been sitting out, something I noticed and was very impressed by.

If you’re lucky enough to be visiting Disney World this summer, I hope you have as as magical a time as I did! And I hope you have a delicious dining experience, as well! No matter what age you are, whether you’re traveling with kids or not, remember the wise words of one of my favorite men:

“Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.” – Walt Disney

Straight on until morning!

__________________________

Thanks for sharing, Meg. Looks like I need to head back to Disney soon! Good thing I just registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon last week…

Divine Dark Chocolate Chunk Brownies

chipchiphooray — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:30:34 +0000

The No Kid Hungry bake sale is one of my favorite events of the year – which is why I’m bummed it took me this long to tell you about it! But alas, the bake sale happened to fall at the same time as both finals and a major freelance project. Oh, and normal work. Woof. (I know, I know, you’re all sick of me complaining how busy I am when it’s self-inflicted. Sorry.)

I always credit the NKH bake sale as what got me started blogging, back when I first met Maggy, Amber, and Lillian. It’s exciting to see the same group of blogging friends year after year now, and to watch the sale grow from a folding table outside of Kiehl’s to a central booth at the Brooklyn Flea. We’re movin’ on up, guys!

The bake sale donates all of its profits to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, which is working to end childhood hunger in America by providing healthy food for kids each and every day. Among other things, they educate and empower low-income families to stretch their food budgets so their kids get healthy meals at home. Participants learn to shop strategically, use nutrition information to make healthier food choices, and cook delicious, affordable meals. What an awesome cause!

I was super excited this year when Lillian offered the opportunity to partner with Divine Chocolate for our recipes. Divine is a fair-trade company that’s actually co-owned by cocoa farmers from Ghana. The cocoa beans used by Divine Chocolate are hand-harvested by the family farmers of the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative. Farmers receive a fair-trade premium that is invested in their communities and a share in the profits that provides extra income and opportunity for their families.

And what’s even cooler is that two of the wonderful cocoa farmers visited us at the bake sale to meet the bloggers who had used their chocolate. We even got to share samples with them–what an honor!

I also love having the chance to spend time with bloggers I only see a few times a year. Hanging out with Hazel, Melissa, Kelly, Jackie, Jenn, and the rest of the foodie gang is always a treat (no pun intended). And while enjoying the gorgeous Saturday together, we were able to meet–and exceed–our goal of raising $3,000 for No Kid Hungry. Hooray! Thanks so much to Lillian and Ken for organizing another wonderful sale. (Didn’t get to join us? You can still donate online to support our cause!)

Divine Dark Chocolate Chunk Brownies
Adapted from Shugary Sweets

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Divine)
3 large eggs
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks (I used Divine)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray an 8×8 Pyrex pan with baking spray.
2. Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments. Pour into medium bowl and add sugars, flour, cocoa powder, and eggs.
3. Combine ingredients with a wooden spoon until no streaks remain – don’t overmix. Then fold in the chocolate chunks.
4. Pour brownie batter into greased pan and bake for 20-23 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (Watch them closely! You don’t want to overbake these. I tend to set my timer for two minutes lower than the time a recipe tells me, then check them every couple of minutes after that. My oven is also hotter than the inside of the sun, so I’ve burned many a cookie.)
5. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing. Enjoy!

Makes about 16 brownies.

Disclaimer: I received assorted Divine Chocolate products to use while creating my bake sale contribution. But my opinions about the company and its cause are, of course, my own.

Rosemary & Sea Salt Olive Oil Cookies

chipchiphooray — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:30:48 +0000

Remain calm. You are, in fact, on the correct blog. These cookies are definitely unique–and very different from what you’re used to seeing on this blog. There’s no butter in them. No brown sugar. They’re downright savory cookies. But y’know, they happen to be Charlie’s hands-down favorite thing I’ve ever made. So I figured they warranted a blog appearance.

Charlie is usually so patient with my cookie experiments, but this time I decided to just give him the cookies he’s been hinting at for the past year. I was visiting him to celebrate two things: a) his performance in Into the Woods, which is his last show before he graduates next month, and b) his picking an amazing PhD program to start in the fall, complete with funding, a TAship, and a stipend. I’m not usually the type to brag, but I’m really proud of him.

So what do I do when I’m proud? I feed people. These cookies aren’t my typical fare. The flavors pack a punch, but the sweetness is far from in your face, and the interaction of crunchy sea salt and rich olive oil and tangy rosemary is complex and altogether interesting. It’s like the haute couture of cookie-eating experiences.

I think these cookies are a fine welcome for the springtime that has finally decided to arrive. Fresh flavors, fresh season!

Rosemary & Sea Salt Olive Oil Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from Bramblings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup granulated white sugar, plus 1/4 cup for dusting
3-4 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
2. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, blend olive oil, sugar, and rosemary leaves until combined. Add two eggs and continue to mix until eggs are completely incorporated and emulsified (the batter will be light yellow and almost look like lemon curd at this point).
3. Add flour, salt, and baking soda directly to the bowl and mix until dough comes together. It will be sticky–you’ll need to stop the mixer and clear the whisk with a spatula once or twice. Make sure you scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to get all the dry ingredients.
4. Using a two-inch cookie scoop, separate balls of dough. If desired, roll in extra granulated sugar before placing on baking sheet.
5. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are just starting to brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Butterscotch Biscoff Chunk Blondies: A {Virtual} Bridal Shower!

chipchiphooray — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:00:24 +0000

Surprise! Today a group of lovely bloggers is throwing a virtual bridal shower for Miss Julie of Table for Two. Julie and her adorable fiancé Jason are gettin’ hitched this month, and we wanted to share in their festivities!

Julie is such a rockstar. She works super hard at her job, is a bonified tech whiz, and dedicates her free time to finding great natural light for her amazing photos. She and I have almost met up a handful of times, but something has always fallen through–I’m still waiting for that Japadog date, Julie!

I can’t wait to hear all about Julie and Jason’s wedding–and to see the photos! Julie’s purple theme is going to make their day so colorful, and we even had to add purple touches to our shower today. I brought Butterscotch Biscoff Chunk Blondies to the party today. When I was brainstorming what treat to make, I couldn’t help remembering Julie’s Biscoff Pancakes, the ones that inspired my Biscoff White Chocolate Chip Pancakes. So, Julie, in honor of our shared love of Biscoff, I hope you indulge a little bit today. You deserve it!!

Butterscotch Biscoff Chunk Blondies
Adapted from Keep It Sweet Desserts; Biscoff chunks adapted from RecipeBoy

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups crunchy Biscoff (or cookie butter) spread
10 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1. In advance: Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and spray with cooking spray. Spread the Biscoff on the wax paper in a layer about half an inch thick. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer on a flat surface until Biscoff is completely frozen (I put mine in the freezer in the morning before work).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar together, stirring occasionally, until butter is fully melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Add butter and sugar mixture and continue to whisk.
6. Add dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in butterscotch chips.
7. Remove cookie sheet from freezer. Turn onto a cutting board and carefully peel waxed paper away from frozen Biscoff. Using a sharp knife, cut Biscoff into chunks. Try not to touch the frozen Biscoff too much—it melts very quickly!
8. Fold three-quarters of the Biscoff chunks into the blondie batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and scatter remaining Biscoff chunks on top.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Makes about 16 bars.

And don’t forget to take a peek at the other ladies’ delicious contributions to the shower. If we were all together in person, this would be one delicious, yoga-pants-inducing party. Can we make that happen, friends?

Megan at Wannabe a Country Cleaver – PNW Smoked Salmon Crostini
Rachel at Rachel Cooks – Easy Cappucino Mousse Cups
Cassie at Bake Your Day – Confetti Popcorn
Erin at Dinners Dishes Desserts – Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
Ali at Gimme Some Oven – Chicken Enchilada Cups
Lauren at Climbing Grier Mountain – Vanilla Cupcakes with Purple Buttercream Frosting
Rachel at Baked by Rachel – Chocolate Eclairs with White Chocolate Drizzle
Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny – Strawberry and Champagne Macarons
Kathryn at London Bakes – Spring Onion and Parmesan Mini Quiche
Carla at Carla’s Confections – Blueberry Bliss Cocktail
Claire at The Realistic Nutritionist – Chicken Salad Crostinis