Finally ... My Disney Recap; Magic Kingdom

OK, so I'm finally really starting my Disney World recap. So here are the photo highlights from the Magic Kingdom:

Allen and I shared our Carousel ride with Nana and Kissy

And then we rode Dumbo with Kissy

After Dumbo we rode Small World. Allen loved it, and pointed to different things constantly.

We shared a Mickey Mouse ice cream treat. Allen liked the chocolate the best, and kept biting that off. Mommy got most of the ice cream ...

We went to our first character greeting that day too. First we met Max (I think he's Goofy's nephew or something ... I'm not sure)

Then Goofy (I think he's Allen's favorite)

And finally Nana's favorites -- Chip and Dale

We also got to talk to "Push," a talking trash can who somehow could see us and interact with us, but we're not sure how ... ahhh the magic of Disney!

After a really fun day, we enjoyed dinner at the California Grille, atop the Contemporary Resort. It's the best place to watch the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. Allen enjoyed them quite a bit, and then nearly fell asleep in my arms.

That's it for the first day recap. More soon!

xoxo,

Figures, Magic Kingdom

I apologize for the lack of posting ... surprise surprise, I got sick as soon as we got back from Disney. Between being sick and crashing as soon as Allen goes to bed, and having 500 pictures (love you Papa) to go through from the trip, the thought of blogging about our trip has been a bit overwhelming.

While I'm still trying to organize the photos, I will go ahead and share these three with you (in spite of the fact that I look like an idiot in them). They are of the Disney castle, and of our first ride -- The Carousel. I'm working on getting all the photos organized, and I hope to have some good recaps to share with you soon (once I can do something without having to blow my nose every five seconds)!

xoxo,

Fabulous time ... where to begin??

Well, we're finally home. We had an unbelievably wonderful time (thank you Nana and Papa), and we are sufficiently exhausted. I had such high hopes of posting while there, but with hundreds of photos to go through, I found the task a little too daunting. Here are some photos to whet your appetite (in no particular order) ... I'll be posting much more over the days to come.

xoxo,

Enjoying a show with Nana at Sea World
Charming the "ladies"

Playing with Uncle Josh (in a "London" phone booth)

His black eye (which he got within minutes of our arrival)

Sickie, Progress

So, by Monday evening, the monkey was feeling pretty lousy. And Daddy was away (long story), so when Allen woke up a second time, and asked to come into Mommy's bed (I walked in and he was holding "KittyCat," all ready to go), I gave in quite easily.

I had been downstairs paying bills, so I brought him into my room, and explained that I had to go back down to finish up some things. He nodded, and closed his eyes right away. That meant I was able to capture him and all of his adorable sleepish-ness.

On a more positive note, tonight Allen went poopy in the potty for the first time! Yay Allen!!!

Goodnight all! I'll try to post more from Disney (we leave Saturday morning)!

xoxo,

Super Bowl Party Part II: Home-Made Pretzels

The best part is that they were a huge hit (and yes, the tape measure in the first picture was there because we were measuring the length of the dough strips). Everyone loved them!!

Unfortunately, due in part to my son's illness and in part to my husband's over-enthusiasm, I was very stressed out during the party, and neglected to take any other pictures -- of our spread or of our guests. But, I'm happy to say that it was a huge success.

xoxo,

Super Bowl Party

So, in true Allegra fashion, I chose like the most difficult recipes ever to make for this party, on the same day as the decline of my son's health.

Due to popular demand, I will now share the recipes. The first recipe we made was for Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls, made by our boy Aaron McCargo Jr. (winner of last season's The Next Food Network Star). Here it is ...

Ingredients
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup freshly sliced scallions
1 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Blue Cheese Dip:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup packed blue cheese, broken up
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Directions
Have oil heated to 350 degrees F.

Pick the meat from the chicken and discard the skin. Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the hot sauce, pepper, cheese, and scallions, and toss to combine. Roll the chicken into 2-ounce balls, about the size of a golf ball.

Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Roll each ball in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside.

When the oil is hot fry the chicken balls in batches. Cook for about 2 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken to paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil.

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the chicken alongside the dipping sauce.

As if frying for the first time ever wasn't difficult enough, then we decided to make home-made soft pretzels. Yes, you read that right -- soft pretzels! Here's that recipe:


Ingredients
Queso Poblano Sauce:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Mustard Sauce:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
Honey, to taste

Soft Pretzels:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons light brown muscovado sugar
1 package active dry yeast
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil
3 quarts water
3/4 cup baking soda
2 whole eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Coarse sea salt

For the Queso Poblano Sauce:
Directions
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the Monterey Jack cheese, poblano chiles, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place the queso sauce into a bowl and sprinkle with chopped poblano.

For the Mustard Sauce:
Whisk together the mustards and honey, to taste, until combined. Let sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

For the Soft Pretzels:
Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper and spray liberally with vegetable spray.
Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.
Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. Roll each piece into a long rope measuring 22 inches and shape: take the right side and cross over to the left. Cross right to left again and flip up. Boil the pretzels in the water solution, 2 at a time for 30 seconds, splashing the tops with the warmed water using a spoon. Remove with a large flat slotted spatula or a spider. Place 4 pretzels on each baking sheet, brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

Remove to a baking rack and let rest 5 minutes before eating. Dip into desired sauces.

Pictures next!

xoxo,

It's been awhile

It's been awhile my friends, and I apologize. As many of you know, my little boy's ridiculously healthy streak has officially come to an end. And to follow in his Mommy's footsteps, he ended this streak with a bang: a sinus infection, an ear infection, and croup. This poor kid goes for a little over two years with no illnesses except roseola. He's never even really been on an antibiotic before.

Needless to say, he's been out of sorts, and Mommy and Daddy have been worried sick. Thus, the lack of posts recently. But, I do have a couple things to share with you. So I hope you enjoy ...

xoxo,