Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Still on my quest to increase my intake of vegetables, I keep trying to find ways to cook zucchini. It is in season right now and I feel like my neighbors and friends are trying to get rid of their gardens like they are bad pennies. Which has made experimenting with them easy and fun.

A couple of days ago I wanted to make my own variation of sausage stuffed zucchini boats. After seeing many recipes on Pinterest and hearing one of my co-worker's take on it, I decided to try them myself.

I made ours with poultry sausage - a mixture of chicken and turkey, which have a mild flavor to them. I mixed in some leftover pasta sauce, parmesan cheese, and basil. Then I added a layer of mozzarella to bake them to perfection.

Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Makes 2 servings

2 medium-large zucchini's
Salt & pepper
Garlic powder
Olive OIl
1 lb Sausage (I used a poultry sausage)
1 tsp basil
1/2 cup pasta sauce
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
2 cheese sticks
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the ends off the zucchini's and then cut them lengthwise. Using a spoon or melon-baller, remove the seeds and "guts" from the zucchini and set aside. Leave about enough so that there is about 1/4" shell. Put zucchini in a glass Pyrex baking dish (mine fit a 9x9). Baste the zucchini halves with a little olive oil and salt, pepper & garlic powder them to taste. Roast the zucchini's for about 20-25 minutes until they are soft. While the zucchini's are roasting, brown and cook the sausage. Drain any excess grease. Once the sausage is browned, mix in the pasta sauce, basil and parmesan cheese in the pan with the sausage until mixed through. Next, cut the mozzarella cheese sticks (or whatever kind you like) in half lengthwise. Once the zucchini's are done roasting, place a 1/2 a mozzarella cheese stick in each boat. Then fill in the boats with the sausage mixture. Top the zucchini boats with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Then enjoy hot :)

I paired our dinner with roasted carrots and some herb couscous. It was colorful and delicious!

Surprise!

I have to give a major shout out to my loving and wonderful husband, Christopher. He surprised me this week with a gorgeous bouquet of my favorite flowers. He is a keeper, right? He picked my favorite blue hydrangea's and then filled in with pretty pink roses and carnations and some babys breath. He even arranged the flowers in our Disney vase! I love walking through the dining room and smelling them!

Disney Party at Bassett

Last night Christopher and I went to a Disney-themed party at Bassett Manor where my grandfather resides. It was so well done! And Papa had a great time! When we showed up at the residence, Papa and his friends were outside waiting for us. Papa and his friend Jim had on custom made T-Shirts representing one of the Seven Dwarfs. Papa wore the "Happy" shirt and it could not have been more fitting for his personality.

Inside the dining room, the residence staff turned the room into a ballroom; they even had a huge cardboard castle to get everyone festive. The kitchen staff prepared a delicious meal for everyone, even with little Disney themed treats. They had an "Under the Sea" punch, Mickey Mouse shaped fruit and cheeses, shrimp, tortellini skewers, cocktail meatballs, carved turkey sandwiches and corn dogs! I have to say - the corn dogs were a hit with everyone!

And then for dessert they served Mickey Mouse shaped cookies with vanilla ice cream. It was so wonderful to see the residents having a great time! They place Disney movies and shows while we ate and music too. The residence even had games for the little kids that were there - pin the nose on Mickey and a coloring contest.

I am so glad that we were able to participate in such a wonderful event held for the residents at Bassett. It was also a great memory for us to have with Papa.

Roasted Garlic Chicken

Roasted Garlic Chicken

1 whole chicken, about 3 to 4 lbs
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic cloves
4 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a roasting pan and rack lightly with cooking spray. Prep chicken by removing the giblets and rinsing the chicken both inside and outside. Pat the chicken dry. Season the inside and outside of the chicken with salt & pepper to taste. Gently pull up on the skin starting at the neck opening as far as you can lift the skin without ripping it. Once lifted, massage about 1 1/2 tbsp butter mixed with 1/2 tbsp minced garlic onto the chicken breasts. Use remaining butter on top of the skin as well as the garlic. Bake in the roasting pan for about 18-20 minutes per pound until the thickest part of the beast meat reads a temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and rest for about 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Note: By cooking it this way, you will get a crispier skin. If you would like the chicken more tender, baste the chicken with its own juices every 20 minutes until done.

Wedge Salad

This is a super easy recipe and my husband LOVED it, which says alot because he is not a salad type person.

Wedge Salad

1 Romaine heart, cut in half, lengthwise
2 tbsp your favorite blue cheese dressing (I picked out Marie's Bacon infused blue cheese because who doesn't love extra bacon!)
2 strips, cooked, Turkey bacon
Handful cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp French's Fried Onions

Place 1 half of the romaine lettuce on each plate (this recipe is for two salads). Top the flat, cut side of the lettuce with 1 tbsp of the dressing each. Then top of the dressed salad with the remainder of the toppings and enjoy.

You can't get much easier than that!

Zucchini-Feta Fritters

Zucchini-Feta Fritters

1 medium zucchini
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt & pepper
Some butter or olive oil (for frying)

Shred the zucchini using a cheese grater. I highly recommend using the large hole and not the smaller ones or you will pulverize the vegetable. Squeeze as much water out of the zucchini as possible. To do this either: 1) sprinkle the shredded zucchini with a little salt and let it drain into a bowl (using a fine colander) for abou 1 hour pressing down every 15 minutes to help remove the water or 2) sprinkle salt on the shredded zucchini and wring out the zucchini in a dish towel - this is definitely the quickest.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, onion powder, parsley, egg, flour and feta together. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes to firm up the mix. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a little olive oil or butter. Drop the zucchini mix in small scoopfuls into the skillet. Press down on the top of the fritters so that they form patties (won't be perfect circles - but pretty close). Cook on each side under golden brown (maybe 4 minutes each side). It is best to work in batches. I fit about 4 on my skillet at a time. Serve warm with either a tzatziki or ranch sauce.

Surprise Romantic Dinner for Christopher

So this weekend was rare in that I did not have any formal plans - YEAH! But don't think I sat on my butt doing nothing either. On Saturday I started to deep clean several rooms in the house in preparation for Fall. I also ran errands and got to visit with my friend Carly and our Godson Wyatt. What a cutie pie! I loved his big belly laughs - they are just so precious.

Then on Sunday I continued my cleaning marathon and errand running. But I was really in the mood to cook...sooooo I decided to cook a 5 course romantic dinner for Christopher. He has been really busy lately working hard to find a job, volunteer, network, etc. I surprised him when he came home! I styled our dining room table with linens, centerpiece and placing settings. For the courses, I made the following:

1) Zucchini Feta Fritters with cool ranch sauce

2) Wedge Salad with turkey bacon, tomatoes and onions and a bacon infused creamy blue cheese dressing

3) Chicken and Herb Dumpling Soup

4) Roasted Garlic Chicken with steamed broccoli and roasted garlic potatoes

5) Oreo Marshmellow Bars

I will post recipes in a bit! For now, here are the pictures of the table and place settings.

President's Visit to Buffalo

So last week Christopher and I were lucky enough to be part of President Obama's visit to Buffalo. Christopher had the unique opportunity to tour Air Force One after the President landed. While waiting for the President and his staff to deplane, he was able to wait on the tarmac and after the President landed and shook hands with the other politicians, he came over to shake all of the civilian's hands too, including Christopher (and his mom too who also toured Air Force One). He said the experience touring Air Force One was really cool and he learned a lot of interesting facts about the plane, travel and the workers.

I on the other hand, had a VIP seat to listen to his address at UB. Although there was a lot of standing and waiting, the morning seemed to fly by really fast. I sat next to some of Christopher's family and we had a great time chatting.

Once the President arrive the place went nuts and it was really electric inside Alumni Arena. It was an amazing experience to hear a US President give an address (topic was Making College Education Affordable). After his address, he came around to give us all a hand shake. It was truly an experience I will never forget!

Thanks Ron for including us in this awesome day! You are the best!

Splurge Group

I am loving splurge group! It is awesome to have something to look forward to each month. And...it has been great getting to know more women in the area. I can't remember if I talked about how splurge group works.

The concept is simple: it is a way to splurge on yourself and make a once-a year buy! Every month, each member puts $20 in the splurge pot. Everyones name is placed in the drawing and whoever is picked to win that month's splurge money then also hosts the next month's party. Therefore, winner of the pot gets $240 to spend on something she'd never buy herself. Once you win, your name is no longer in the drawing. So this is similar to a savings club, except every member recoups their total donation for the year!

Of course, there are some additional rules:
- Winner must spend the $240 before the next party AND she must buy something only for HERSELF; the splurge cannot be spend on the hubby, kids, family pet, pay a bill, etc.
- Requires a 12 month commitment; if you cannot make a party you still make the $20 donation
- if you are picked for the splurge, you have to bring (if possible) your splurge to the next months party to show off!

I originally got this idea from an article in Buffalo Magazine last summer describing such a party. I think this is an awesome way to not only socialize with friends, network and reap an award each month! Even if you do not win, it is still a stress free night out with friends!

So I am very pleased to announce that I won the August splurge pot! I already know how I am going to spend the majority of it - I am going to make an appointment at Blums Swimwear & Intimate apparel and get fitted for a swimsuit. I know I know, it is the end of summer in Buffalo...BUT Disney is around the corner and I want to look good in a new swimsuit :) If there is anything leftover, I am thinking about buying a couple cute things to wear on the trip or maybe a new pair of flats.

For the party that I have to host in September, I am thinking about throwing a "Breakfast & Bubbles" brunch on a Saturday morning. So far, the brunch idea has been well received - we shall see if it is well attended. Obviously I will do a mimosa bar (hence the "bubbles") and I am thinking a waffle bar to spice things up. Maybe do some breakfast potatoes and sausages to go along with it.

Once I get a plan together, I will share it and the details for the party.

JJM Recovery Golf Tournament

This past Sunday was the JJM Recovery Golf Tournament at Chestnut Hill Country Club in Darien, NY. After weeks (and months) of preparation, the day came! It was a beautiful, sunny day perfect for golfing. Everything went really well thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and our family team.

A little disappointing this year was the turnout. We had 17 teams commit but only 13 showed up and played. We also had 28 people confirmed for dinner, but several couples did not show. We will not let this get us down though! We had so many people sponsor the tournament, send donations, including fabulous auction items!

Christopher played golf but this year I rested in between set up and registration and getting ready for the auction and dinner. It was still a busy day! We bought some auction tickets and ended up winning three prizes! We won a zero gravity chair, a basket of gourmet cooking oils and a liquor basket. We actually ended up winning two more, but for one his mom was not paying attention to the ticket numbers being called out - rats! And then for the other...I am embarrassed to say that we won the prize, but for some reason, I don't know what came over me...I told them to re-draw. I was nervous because we host the event and here we were winning all the prizes. I mean, we did donate and purchase 6 sheets of tickets, so there are quite a few in the bags, but still I felt funny about it.

We are still confirming the final tally, but I am happy and proud of how it all came together! I took a vacation day on Monday to celebrate the hard work put into the tournament.

To celebrate a job well down, Christopher and I went up to Niagara on the Lake, ON, one of our favorite places to go and picked up our quarterly wine club installment. If you have never been to NOTL, it is a must visit place! Our favorite winery is Jackson-Triggs, which is what the wine club is through. They treat all of the visitors like gold and their wine is fabulous.

Papa's Birthday & Leutze Summer Picnic

This past weekend we drove out to Barker, New York to have a little family picnic with my Dad's side of the family. We also celebrated three birthdays at the picnic - Trevor's 25th, Katie's sweet 16 and Papa's 93rd birthday. My cousins Jennifer and Luke hosted us at their house, which is also part of the Camp Kenan property.

It was a gorgeous day to be outside. I made three dips to bring (my assignment) - Tzatziki dip with homemade garlic pita chips, White Pizza dip with crackers and vegetables and the classic Buffalo Chicken Wing dip with tortilla chips. They all came out great and there were very little leftovers - phew.

Jennifer and Luke took us on an extensive tour of the camp. The camp faces Lake Ontario and the view is beautiful. It was the first time our little dog Marv has been to a lake or a pool. Needless to say little Marv did NOT like it. Not sure if it was the noise of the waves coming in or the smell, he stayed away from the water. I don't blame him either - it was surprisingly cold and a little stinky.

Jennifer made three cakes for the birthday folks and they all looked delicious. Unfortunately, Christopher and I had to head back to Buffalo to meet his family at 7, so we left before dinner was served.

All in all it was great to see everyone and spending time with family!

Buffalo Bills Football - Pre-season

This past Friday I got to go to the Buffalo Bills home preseason game. Unfortunately Christopher could not go because he had an NFL fantasy draft to go to (who schedules on home footballs games???) and was quite bummed about it. But...I got to go with my father in law and see how the team looks so far. This year there are lots of changes - new coaches, many new players - including new QBs and there is a lot of excitement surrounding the team and the upcoming season.

I thought they looks pretty good! I usually think the pre-season games are boring because there is little intensity. This game was very exciting. The players were running on and off the field, conditioning during the breaks on the sidelines and there seemed to be a sense of urgency on the field, even though it was only a preseason game. Needless to say, I am sold on the new program! And I am looking forward to the upcoming season!

Go BILLS!

Disney Countdown

It is crazy to think that we will be in Disney in less than 50 days! It seems like just yesterday I started the countdown at 170 and started doing the daily trivia and crazy little surprises for Christopher and the family.

Now I have to start my pack list, souvenir shopping list and budget, getting our pennies and quarters ready for the penny press machines, etc.

A week or so ago I surprised Christopher and my in-laws with cute little door hangers and luggage tags for the trip. They were super easy, because I found awesome internet sites that already had them made. All I did was print the door hangers and luggage tags in color on white cardstock to make them sturdy. Then cut and paste!

Here is the awesome site for the printable door hangers:
http://print-it.disneyinternational.com/en-GB/all/door-hangers

Here is the awesome site for the luggage tag templates:
http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/trip/DisneyLuggageTags.shtml

Easy and cute, right?

Babies!!!

In previous posts I mention that some of my friends are pregnant. Some of the babies are here!!!! And...we found out that another friend is pregnant with TWINS and another is pregnant too! The crazy year is going to continue! All my friends are doing well, healthy and adapting to their new additions. 

Baby Natalie - Born August 7th @ 1:32 am, 7lb 9oz, 19.5"

Baby Zoe Anne born Friday, August 16th @ 7:58 pm, 8 lb 14oz and 21" long

Babies to come:

Christine & Brian's little Molly - due September 7th! I seriously cannot wait to meet her! Christine and I had our "last" lunch just the two of us! 

Babies Umstead - coming our way February 2014!

And...my friend Jenn is also expecting too!!! CRAZYNESS! 

All my "nieces" and possible "nephews" are going to be so loved!

Missing in Action

So it has been a little while since I posted last, but the good thing is...it was been a busy week and lots of updates are coming! To give you a little preview - this past week we celebrated my brother's 25th birthday, went to the Bills pre-season game, had the Leutze Family summer picnic, held the JJM Recovery Fund Golf Tournament AND celebrated Papa's 93rd birthday.

Plus...I had splurge on Monday night and won the POT for this month. I am super excited about hosting and spending my splurge money. I am going to make an appointment to get a bathing suit fitting so I can have a cute and well fitted swimsuit for our vacation to Disney. I guess this means I will have to fit in some pool time to show off the suit. I think the family can manage that ;) Maybe if I have a little left over I can buy a cute tank top for the trip too. Oh the possibilities!

More to come, but no worries - I will get you all caught up!

Let's Go Buffalo!!!

I am so excited that football season is upon us! Yesterday was the Buffalo Bills first preseason game and they looked pretty good. Our hopes are all up for the season! I am very excited to be going to Friday's game here to see them live in action. Friday's game is also Kids Day at the stadium, which should be fun to see.

Marv LOVE football season, but does not like all the Bills outfits we put him in

Christopher had his Dad over to watch the game and spend some quality father-son time together. They grilled up hot dogs during halftime (I LOVE a grilled Sahlen's hot dog - yummy) and relaxed outside for a bit. This was a perfect chance for Chris to show off his hard work in cleaning up our garage; he has put lots of football and Bills things up in the garage, chairs, fridge and one of our super old TV's. I feel bad because I teased him a bit about putting a TV outside, but I am actually kind of liking it. We had dinner outside on Saturday and we turned the TV on for a bit to watch some shows and relaxed. Not going to admit that to him ;)

Saturday night was actually quite lovely. We both were pretty tired from the day's activities. I worked hard on getting stuff ready for the golf outing next weekend and helped my mom put together all of the baskets for the chinese auction. While we were doing that, Chris volunteered on the Comptroller's campaign and drove Stefan to a fundraiser. So for dinner we relaxed outside - had roasted chicken wings, corn on the cob and some garlic toast. And of course some wine. It was a beautiful night out, so we played some card games and had a little fire. Then once it was dark out, we decided to stay up and see if we could see any shooting stars. Apparently this weekend there was a shooting star phenomenon and Saturday was going to be a great night to watch it. We saw some, but started to fall asleep outside!

It was a perfect end to a nice night. Overall - great weekend!

Although this loaded upside down, this is the golfers giveaway for the golf outing on Sunday - pretty nice, right?

Disney Planes is One to Watch!

This weekend we were fortunate to receive some free movie passes to see an advanced screening of the new Disney movie - Planes. I was super pumped to go and have never attended something like this. Last night was awesome! We were glad we got to the theater when we did because more tickets were given out than there were seats in the theater and we were lucky not only to find seating, but to also sit together. 

The movie was great and was shown in 3D. I love watching 3D movies and this was my first Disney movie in 3D. The animation was wonderful and the jokes throughout the movie were great. We took my mom and our family friends Jen, Casey and Connor. Christopher's dad also came too. 

Now I want to see Disney Cars and catch up with some of the more recently released movies!

Welcome to the World Natalie

I am so excited for our friends and the arrival of their little one - Natalie! She was born at 1:32 am, weighing 7 lb 9 oz and 19.5". Both mom and baby are doing well! This is definitely going to be an exciting end of 2013 with all of the babies arriving.

Looking forward to meeting you soon!

Disney Countdown

I can't remember I wrote about this before, but Christopher and I are trying to do a little something each day (besides our daily trivia) to keep the excitement going and countdown to our anniversary trip to Disney. Usually it involves looking up our favorite attractions on YouTube, watching a Disney movie, writing down our favorite attractions at each parks, etc.

Last night, we stepped up our game. Christopher was really craving chocolate chip cookies, so I quickly whipped up a batch. After baking almost all of them, I decided to get a little creative - how about a mickey shaped cookie? It was super easy - I just balled up three separate pieces of dough - 1 larger one for his "face" and then two smaller pieces of dough for each of his ears. Ta da! It came out halfway decent!

My friend lent me her Mickey cookie cutter...I am feeling some sugar cookies or brownie bars are coming soon!

Do you see Mickey's head???

Super Easy Chicken Recipe - Christopher approved!

This past weekend at the Italian Festival we ran into one of our favorite chefs - Art Christy. He owns Frontier Catering, whom we hired to cater our wedding reception. He is fabulous and we still have people come up to us and rave about the food at our wedding. Anywho, we stopped to say hello and we talked about his cooking demonstration and how people prepare meals. One of the comments he made was that people today are looking for a variety of meals that are quick and easy to make. Well...I found a winner.

I pinned a week or so ago a recipe for a Chicken Dinner with Pepperoni-Marinara Sauce that I wanted to make. The recipe is pretty simple, but I made it even easier by using pre-made sauce and added some extra ingredients. The result: a delicious adaptation.

Pepperoni Chicken Parmesan
Serves 2

1 lb chicken breasts or cutlets (I had breasts already thawed, so I pounded them to make cutlets)
1 cup marinara sauce (I already had a jar open)
16 slices of pepperoni, quartered
Extra pepperoni to top chicken
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded, mozzarella cheese

Preheat the broiler to HIGH. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little bit of olive oil to the pan, swirl to coat. While pan is heating, mix the pepperoni and ricotta cheese with the marinara sauce in a separate bowl. Sprinkle the chicken with a little bit of ground pepper to flavor and add chicken to skillet. Sear and cook the chicken, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat. Transfer the chicken to an oven & broiler safe dish (I used a Pyrex 9x9 dish). Cover chicken with additional slices of pepperoni and then top the pepperoni slices with the prepared sauce. Top the sauce with the shredded mozzarella cheese and then broil in high heat for about 5 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to brown a little. Enjoy!

Tip: when broiling, I have found it best to watch the dish. Once the cheese is melted and starts to brown, it can burn really quickly if you are not paying attention! You would not want to run supper, right?

Past Weekend Fun - Buffalo's Italian Festival

I love Buffalo in the summer; our city is blessed to host many festivals, carnivals, parades, etc in the summer time. Every weekend there is always something different going on. This past weekend was the Italian Festival, which is one of my favorites! Who cannot resist the pizza, sausage, cannolis, meatballs, pastas, gelato, etc. We are lucky enough to live fairly close by so we are able to walk to the festival. We went almost every day and was able to try a little bit each time. My favorites were:

Campi's Pizza - they offer this HUGE pizza slice and is always piping hot
Salvatore's Italian Garden - I LOVE the Mozzarella Stuffed Meatball and the Sausage Loaf
Gelato Gypsy - who doesn't love Gelato??? They offered 6 different flavors to try. My favorite was the Tiramisu, which had actual espresso soaked lady fingers in it
Lombardos - Arancine with Fontina Cheese; totally going to try to make these. Right now I am obsessing with Risotto...maybe swap out and use quinoa??? Who wants to test taste with me??

It was a great weekend to enjoy the festival too. The weather was perfect everyday.

Bubble Pizza

As promised, I will share one of my favorite childhood recipes - Bubble Pizza. There are lots of variations of this on the internet but this is the one my mom made for us. I still love it! When I was in college, this was one of my roommates favorite dishes I would make and now Christopher loves it too. Enjoy!!!

Bubble Pizza
Serves: 6 or 4 hungry people

2 cans of refrigerated biscuits
1 lb ground beef
1 small jar pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brown the ground beef. While the ground beef is cooking, quarter the biscuits. Lightly spray a 13x9 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the quartered biscuits on the bottom so that the whole bottom of the pan is covered. Once the ground beef is cooked and drained, mix in the whole jar of pizza sauce to the pan with the ground beef. If you would like, saute the beef in the pizza sauce for a couple of minutes to really meld with flavors together. Sprinkle the sauced ground beef over the biscuits in the prepared pan. Try to cover the biscuits with the beef mixture as evenly as possible. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Take the pan out and add both the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Put bake in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheeses are melted and the bottom biscuits are cooked through. I let the dish set for about 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven before cutting into it.

2013 Epcot Food & Wine Festival - UPDATE

For all the Disney lovers out there I am so excited to read more about the 2013 Epcot Food & Wine Festival updates this week. I follow several Disney news sources, but my favorites are allears.net and disneyfoodblog.com. I think I may have mentioned in a previous blog post that tickets for some of the seminars are going on sale in a couple weeks. These include the Deminars, Wine/Beverage and Mixology seminars.

This year there are two new marketplaces - Scotland and Brazil. According to allears.net and disneyfoodblog.com, the Scotland Marketplace will serve a seared Scottish salmon with cauliflower puree, watercress and malt vinaigrette; Vegetarian Haggis with Neeps and Tatties (griddled vegetable cake with rutabaga and mashed potatoes); and Scottish Banoffee Tart (bananas, Scottish Whiskey toffee, Walker’s Shortbread crumbles and sweet cream).  For beverages, the Innis and Gunn Beer, a Loch Lomond Cocktail and Glenfiddich Flight featuring 12, 15, and 18 years aged.

Banoffee Tart

Scottish salmon with cauliflower puree, watercress and malt vinaigrette

The Brazil Marketplace is schedule to serve a crispy pork belly with black beans, onions, avocado and cilantro; and a seared scallop with ragout of tomatoes, hearts of palm and steamed rice. For beverages, the Xingu Black Beer, Carnaval Moscato White Sparkling and Frozen Caipirinha will be featured. 

Crispy pork belly with black beans, onions, avocado and cilantro

Also new this year will be the American Adventure Coffee Cart, featuring Shakin' Jamaican Coffee (American???) made with Kahlua, Vanilla and Caramel, which can be served hot or cold. The Refreshment Port will now feature Dole Whips, including one with liquor in it - yummy!!! They will also feature Dole pineapple fritters and a fried shrimp and fried chicken dish with a Dole pineapple sauce

Some new featured dishes that I am dying to try (don't read this if you are hungry - I warned you!):

Australia - Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes, Lemon Myrtle and Rapini

Cheese - Almond Crusted Blue Cheese Souffle with Fig Jam

China - Chicken Potstickers

France - Boeuf Bourguignon (Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes)

Hops & Barley - Griddled Lobster Tail with Garlic Herb Butter

Morocco - Harissa Chicken Roll

Singapore - Lemongrass Chicken Curry with Coconut and Jasmine Rice

Some fun drinks I am looking forward to trying are:

Argentina - Pascual Toso Sparkling Brut

Cheese - Once Upon a Vine's Big Bad Red Blend (they all sound so cute!)

France - Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Chateau Bonnet

Germany - J&H Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay Riesling Auslese

Hawaii - Aulani Sunrise

New Zealand - Mohua Sauvignon Blanc

Terra - The Vegan Vine Chardonnay

Note: pictures are all from disneyfoodblog.com. Definitely visit for up to date information for your Disney vacation!