It's been a busy few days around here, but that's pretty much our schedule for October. While I welcome it (because our "busy" contains things like Aquarium classes, presidential birthdays, Marine Quest, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and a Mexican Cruise), Asa isn't exactly thrilled. (Any busy to him just holds too much of a negative connotation to get over).
But this week our "busy" includes James coming to visit us! He was here a couple weeks ago, just passing through before and after his cruise, but he was back this week because of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. You guys probably all know how much I adore the Food and Wine Festival, so it wasn't a hardship to make time to go yesterday.
And holy gorgeous weather. It wasn't humid, but it was a bit overcast keeping it nice and cool all day long.
So, the Food and Wine Festival, you guys should know how it works ( I blog about it several times every year), but in case you need to know, I'll give you the lowdown. This year we have plans to go no less than three times (but maybe even four). First of all, there are booths all around the world showcase of foods from various countries. Any given day at Epcot you can get food from the various pavillions, but this is different. There's more choices, and everything is "tasting" portions. It's not cheap though, and $3-$7 adds up. So to make sure things don't get too out of hand, we always get a Food and Wine Festival gift card. You decide how much you want to put on it, conveniently wear it on your wrist, and just scan it at all the booths (fun fact: it also works anywhere on Disney property, just like a Disney gift card, and you can fill it back up at any of the stops along the way)
We decided to put $80 on the card, a total splurge. We figured if there was any left, we'd just use it next time with the boys.
Our first stop was at the new coffee station, which to nobody's surprise Asa loved.
I wasn't sold on the Apple Coffee, it was a little weird. But, I'll try (almost) anything once.
We headed out to the World Showcase. I have a hard time denying some of my favorites, even though I've had them a million times before. Up first: Hawaii's Kalua Pork Slider with dole pineapple chutney and spicy mayo. As always, it was amazing.
We stopped by Greece for the chicken gyro with tzatziki sauce. If only I could ever find pita bread as fresh and awesome as it is in Disney, we could totally make this at home. I really debated about trying the Greek Salad in a cone. Maybe next time.
James got the Spanakopita, and it was equally as good. The phyllo dough was really crispy, which I liked.
Canada always has tasting portions of things you can get anytime at Le Cellier (albeit for a much steeper price tag, but a bigger portion to match). New this year was the Chicken Sausage with creamy polenta and minus 8 jam. I LOVED the polenta with the pieces of corn, but the sausage was a little too spicy for me.
I told Asa at $6.50, I didn't have to get the Lobster and Seafood Fisherman's pie this go around (I know the boys will want it), but of course my husband, who does what he can on our limited budge to spoil me, insisted.
In France, James got his favorite: Beef Bourguignon. I went over to the ice cream shop and got a Croque Glace. It's always there, so it's not a Food and Wine Festival exclusive, and it is pricey, but come on, it's a pressed brioche ice cream sandwich with any kind of ice cream and syrup you want. Hello.
We headed over to Brazil, where I do enjoy the Pao de Queijo (Brazillian Cheese Bread), and the Cocada (Brazillian Coconut Candy), but with the big portion and the small $3 price tag on each, I decided those were better to be had with the boys. Gotta shop smart, even at Disney!
Instead we got the smaller, and more expensive Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans and Tomatoes. Last year, I wasn't a fan, but the pork belly was less "crispy" and more fatty. This year was a huge improvement.
James, meanwhile, got the Escondidnho de Carne (Layered meat pie with mashed yuka).
It was good (despite James's facial expression), but nothing I'd order again.
Asa can never pass up a steamed bun, so we pretty much had to get the Teriyaki Goyza Bun in Japan.
We skipped Italy (along with a few others, you can't possibly eat at all of these places in one trip- there is SO. MUCH. FOOD), and headed over to Poland. Sometime I'd like to try the Sauerkraut Pierogi with Pork Goulash, but Asa won't eat sauerkraut, so we ended up getting the Kielbasa and Potato Pierogi with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream. This dish is good, but the sour cream seems a little misplaced to me.
Asa likes the Berbere-style Beef Tenderloin Tips. I won't eat them though. It's full of jalapenos, and you can tell. But for you spicy food lovers, this would be one for you. It's Asa's favorite.
Over in China, we got the Beijing Roast Duck in a Steamed Bun with Hoisin Sauce. The consensus was we liked this steam bun way better than the one in Japan.
Mexico has a pretty good taco in it's Tacos de Camaron. It's a shrimp taco, and in past years it's been a little on the spicy side, but I still liked it. I think the heat got taken down a notch this year with the subtraction of the jalapenos and the addition of the pico de gallo. But, the chipotle mayo might still punch a kick. Either way, I'm not so sure, because we decided on another excellent Mexico dish, with a very reasonable $3.75 price tag, the Pastel de Elote con Queso. It's a sweet corn cheesecake, which debuted last year. I was very curious about it last year, and once I gave it a try it was on my 'must eat' list for sure. We'll probably get this one with the boys, too.
Australia is usually my big splurge. The Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies comes it at a whopping $6. But you guys, it's SO good. The only thing I might like better is the Fisherman's pie, or Patagonia's Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimchurri Sauce and Boniato Puree. We didn't stop by Patagonia this time, because honestly, we were pretty full by the time we made it around to there, but it'll be my first stop next time.
New this year was the Loaded Mac and Cheese with Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions at the Farm Fresh booth. The pepper back had a bit of a kick, but it was creamy and cheesy, and oh-so-yummy anyway. The portion was big, and for $4.25, I can see us getting this again when we take the boys.
James had plans for desert, and by now we had circled the whole world, and there wasn't a line at the previously crowded Scotland.
He ordered the Tipsy Lard, which wins for the best named food, but not probably the best dessert. It was good, as most things at the Festival are (except don't even get me started on the plantains from Puerto Rico last year), but it wasn't something I'd get again.
If anyone watches the Chew, they're filming this week at the Festival. I tried to get tickets, but they were gone by the time I knew about it.
However, the Chew is sponsoring a couple of booths over in Future World (the Food and Wine Festival isn't just reserved for the World Showcase anymore!)
We were just going to get dessert there, but we decided to spend pretty much the rest of our card (we still have $2), and also get this aesthetically pleasing plate. It's New York Strip with Parsnip Silk, Balsamic Glaze, and Arugala foam. Sounds fancy, right? I'd never go to a restaurant this fancy (um, what shoes would I wear, I only own flip flops and tennis shoes), so it's the perfect opportunity to try something new.
But, it fell a little flat for me. The steak was awesome, and the parsnip puree was good, but the arugula foam was a little weird, and there was way too much of it. Plus, those three little dots of balasmic glaze just wasn't enough. I wanted to love it, but it was just ok, and for the hefty $6.25 price tag and the small portion, I wouldn't order it again.
The Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almost Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel on the other hand. Why, I would eat this for desert every day of my life, and twice on Fridays. But, I think I was alone in that. You have to really, REALLY like chocolate. It's like an ice cream and a fudge all rolled in to one. Yum.
Our card was out of money, for the most part, and our tummies were full. So, we headed over to Club Cool to wash it all down.
Then it was off to see some shows, ride some rides, and generally play around in Future World.
FYI, there's two things I really, really want for Christmas. This, and the Don't blame me, I voted for Henry Clay t-shirt.Plus, you know, the rest of the Pez Dispensers, since they're just a few weeks from being released. Then I can have ALL 43! (I still kind of want two Grover Clevelands for the record though).
We also went on Spaceship Earth twice in a row.
Mostly so we could make different funny futures though.
All in all, a lovely day. The boys stayed home, did their chores, and some school work and kept the house nice and clean. But, don't feel too bad for them missing the fun, they'll go soon enough and they all got unlimited video game time while we were gone.
James got here on Sunday, but before he arrived we had a Bucs game to get to. It's only our second home game of the season. After a rainy morning, it looked like things had cleared up and tailgating was go, so we headed out to Al Lopez park and found our old spot below what the boys like to call "our tree".
I packed all kinds of goodies and everyone filled up.
Plus we had time to toss the football around.
We were headed to our seats in the cheap-as-they-get 300 section, when something wonderful happened. We were stopped by a girl from the Bucs "difference makers" team, and she upgraded us to Club Level seats for no charge!
We've only ever been in the Club Level for special events, never ever during a game. (I don't even want to think about how expensive it is to sit at Club Level). For those of you non-football people out there, Club Level is awesome. First of all, you have this lovely indoor space you can enjoy. There are giant TVs, comfy couches, lots of seating, and all kinds of specialty food to be had. Plus, they'll hook you up with free ice water, and there's a whole big awesome merchandise shop. It's very coushy.
So out the doors are your seats, and as a Club Level guest, you get nice big, wide, cushiony seats.
Plus we were WAY closer. You see all of us sitting here, and you see that section all the way in the top left... that's where we usually sit! Peyton and Hayden had never gotten to sit that close at a Bucs game, so they were excited.
The weather, however, on Sunday was weird. Sometimes the sky looked like this....
...and less than five minutes later the sky looked like this.
Then downpour... luckily, we had a lovely indoor space to wait out the rain...
Then back to our seats...
We were playing the Carolina Panthers, and they had JUST signed one of my favorite players: Jared Allen.
Where we got to see the Bucs score RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!
Things did not go well (the Bucs haven't won a home game since December 8, 2013) though, and the Bucs were down by a lot. Calib swears he "Accidently" wore a Superman shirt under his jersey (the Carolina Panther's QB has the nickname "Superman") but I think he did it on purpose. You know, so he could bail on the Bucs when things inevitably turned ugly.
Again, it started raining, so back inside we went.
Peyton and I checked out the shop. I loved these lego guys, but settled on getting a magnet. I collect them, but shockingly enough didn't have one from the Bucs. I figured it'd be a cool story to know that I had gotten it from our free upgrade seats.
We also decided to forgo the bottomless popcorn we usually get for something we don't usually have access to.
We went with the Tampa Tacos, which were so good. I'm hoping Asa can make some like these.
We also got Plaintains!
It rained off and on all game (there were no less than five downpours), so it was a good day to have the Club Level access. And even though the Bucs lost, I think it was a net gain, because CLUB LEVEL!
We just missed the very last of the downpours. We left with about 8 minutes left, hoping to get to the car before the skies opened up again. Luckily, the downpour started right when we got there.
In other news, we've been hanging out, getting some school work done, and enjoying Asa's office week. Hayden built some card houses.
We played a game of who can put on the most pants (It was our Chester Arthur activity!)
There were a couple park trips. Did I mention how lovely our weather has been? Because this low humidity and cooler temperatures is awesome.
Hayden's working on his Flat Hayden project. We've decided to do things a little different this go around.
He's labeling his map with the places he's been.
We also had a lessons by dad, all about China.
We made windsocks for our activity using toilet paper rolls.
I think they turned out pretty great..
We decided to hang them all up between the palm trees in the backyard.
And oh my gosh, I almost totally forgot to add this (it's a actually a late edition), but Jan (the exchange student who lived with us when I was in grade school) came back to visit this week. I missed out on going to Ohio, there was just too much going on here, but I was able to make an appearance, and my mom took my picture while I was "there."
That's it from here. I wanted to get you all caught up, because tomorrow we celebrate my home town president, Rutherford Birchard Hayes! His birthday was Sunday, but between football and James' arrival, there just wasn't time to squeeze it in.
Next Up: Our 19th President. Sorry Sam Tilden, it's not you.
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