I'm Coming Back!

I know, I know.

It's been a while.

Which I can explain!

The last time I posted, July 28, over 2 months ago, I was living with my aunt in Texas, and I was really homesick.  When I'm sad or upset or stressed or just about any negative emotion, I go to Disney.  Disney makes me happy.  (I go to Disney when I'm happy too, but I don't need it to cheer me up when I do.)

So I was going a little Disney-crazy to combat my homesickness.

One of my major projects during this time was a pair of Rapunzel-themed pajamas!

I posted this picture to Facebook, and a friend of my mom's (completely jokingly) made a comment about me taking the Disney obsession a little too far.

It broke my heart.

Like I said, I was homesick and I need that as my outlet, but I felt embarrassed and horrified and discouraged, and I needed a break from the pressure of coming up with ideas and posting to the blog.

Fast-forward to now.

A few weeks ago, I was doing some homework and needed some background noise.  I went to my favorite Disney-music site (dcot.com) and on a whim turned on the music to the Festival of Fantasy parade.

It was like the Disney-fire within me relit, and suddenly I felt like my heart was going to burst with excitement.

I looked up a Disney vacation package.

I put on my Disney hoodie.

I called my fiancé and he could just hear it in my voice.



I've missed blogging, and even without posting at all the past 2 months, my blog is still getting views everyday!!  Which is amazing, and I thank those of you viewing it!



So, that means
I'm coming back!

I'm going to start posting on the blog again!

However, just to be clear, this isn't going to be on the same day every week.  It might not be every week at all (though I'm going to try!!)

It's my senior year of college, and I'm looking in to Physicians Assistant school -- as well as keeping up my grades, studying for the GRE, working 16 hours a week, and maintaining a long distance relationship.

I'm busy, but that doesn't stop my love of Disney.

So I will be posting much more frequently, but maybe not every week.



I've missed you all so very much <3




I'm going to try to keep up with my Young Adult Disney Twitter (@YADisney20) and update my Pinterest more often as well!

But, don't forget to check out my Etsy page, Main Street Crystal, for Disney-themed crystal jewelry.  Through all of this nonsense, I have kept up with that!

 (You can even like Main Street Crystal on Facebook and find me on Instagram--@mainstreetcrystal)
SO MUCH SOCIAL MEDIA!






I can't wait to start posting on here again.  It's been too long!
Love, Sarah

Dole Whip Recipe

I feel like this post has been a long time coming!  There are so many Dole Whip recipes on the web, and this might not be the first that I try because, like this recipe, they are all so easy.  However, this is where I found the one that I used this time!

The Dole Whip is a Disney staple!  It's basically a cult following, with t-shirts and twitter accounts dedicated to this sweet and refreshing delight!

Of course, that means that if you're anything like me, you're going to crave this delicious (and vegan!) dessert at home!  If so, here's a recipe to try it!

To make one Dole Whip, you will need:

• 1 1/2 cup frozen pineapple (it won't fit exactly in the cup, but that's accounted for)
• 1/8 cup almond milk (or, really, any milk)
• A splash of honey OR 1/4 cup whipped topping (Cool Whip)

You will also need a really high powered blender, or a food processor.  I originally tried to use a Magic Bullet and that did not pulverize the pineapple as necessary, so I pulled out the food processor and, though it took a while to blend it all smooth, it worked beautifully.

All you need to do is put the ingredients in the food processor or blend and blend until smooth.  I put about 1/4-1/2 tsp. of honey in for a little extra sweetness, but you could put more or less based on your taste preference.  Also, if they pineapple isn't blending well, you can add 1 tbsp at a time extra almond milk.

At the end, you will have a soft-serve texture!

Edit: I made the Dole Whip again 3 days later (it was delicious and I am obsessed) but tried it with Cool Whip instead of honey.  IT WAS MAGICAL.  I highly recommend this version, as it did taste more like the Disney version to me.

I put the pineapple mixture in a piping bag with a star tip to squeeze it into my bowl to make it look more fun and fancy, but it will taste just as delicious just scooped into a bowl!

It was SO GOOD.  I reached the end of the bowl before I realized it.

Next time, I might add a little cool whip, since it doesn't have dairy, but you could easily add just a little bit of whip cream as well to make it a little more creamy.

You could also add some coconut rum or spiced rum over the top like they did at the Flower and Garden Festival this year and are beginning to do in Animal Kingdom!

I plan on doing so for my roommates once I go back to college in a month :)

Still it hits that craving for many people's favorite dish at Disney World!

And be sure that you follow me on Pinterest,

And Twitter! (@YADisney20)

Olaf's Carrot Cupcake

If you remember from the Princess Red Velvet Cupcakes, I used to be quite the cupcake baker.  And when I saw the Olaf carrot cake cupcake being featured at Disney, I knew it was something I was going to have to try my hand at.

The version I'm trying to replicate is from the 24 Hour Rock Your Disney Side event earlier this year (2014) and since then they've updated to a version with a piece of white chocolate for Olaf's head.  If you want to get fancy with the chocolate, you can always try that instead!



For 28 Carrot Cake Cupcakes, you will need:

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups pureed carrots (about 4 medium carrots)
• 2/3 cup milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Begin by mixing the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, together in a small bowl and setting aside.  Next, cream together the sugar and butter, adding the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.  Before combining the wet and dry ingredients, puree the carrots until smooth.  I recommend adding the milk in order to smooth out the puree.  Alternate adding the dry ingredients and carrot puree into the wet ingredients, mixing between each addition.

Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full and bake for approximately 16-20 minutes.

For the cream cheese frosting and face designs, you will need:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4-6 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 teaspoons milk
• Dark food dye
• Carrots
• Chocolate bar

To begin, cream together the cream cheese and butter until the two are completely mixed.  Add the vanilla and mix.  Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.  If you add too much powdered sugar, add milk to thin the frosting out a bit, one teaspoon at a time.  I think that the Olaf structure of the icing would be easiest to attain with a stiffer icing, however mine was not and I thought it looked okay, so it's up to you!

Yum!

Allow the cupcakes to cool.  Get the largest round piping tip you have (or cut the corner out of a plastic bag) and create 3 tiers using the cream cheese icing.  Set some aside and color it with black or other dark colored food dye.  Use a very thin piping tip, or a toothpick (that's what I did) to draw on Olaf's mouth, eyes, and eyebrows.

Cut carrots into small points to use as Olaf's nose.  If you want, you could also use an orange taffy or fondant and design the nose using that.  Carefully cut shaving off of the chocolate bar to use for the hairs on his head.  Assemble the face of your Olaf and you're done!

So will you try to make the Olaf cupcake yourself?  Let me know in the comments how it turned out!

"The Grey Stuff" Recipe

"Try the Grey Stuff it's delicious!  Don't believe me?  Ask the dishes!"

One of the most iconic new menu items introduced with the opening of Be Our Guest Restaurant was the Grey Stuff!  Originally, this dish, inspired by the line in Lumiere's song in the movie, was served on a plate only for special occasions.  Now, the Grey Stuff is the icing on "the Master's Cupcake," so that everyone can try this delicious treat!

But what if you want to make the Grey Stuff at home?  Maybe you haven't made it to Be Our Guest, or maybe you have and want to have more Grey Stuff.  I found the recipe online and decided to give it a try myself!

To make the Grey Stuff, you will need:

• 1 package vanilla instant pudding
• 1.5 cups whole or 2% milk (or 3/4 cups almond milk or other milk substitute)
• 15 Oreos, original
• 8 ounces whipped topping (Cool Whip)
• 3 tablespoons chocolate instant pudding
• edible pearl sprinkles (optional)

To begin, mix the vanilla pudding mix and milk.  Allow to cool in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.  While it cools, blend Oreos in a food processor until they are a crumb-like consistency.

After the vanilla pudding has chilled, add the Oreos and mix well.  Fold in the whipped topping until well combined.  Mix in the 3 tablespoons of chocolate pudding mix...this should turn the mixture grey!

To present it the way Disney does, use a cake decorating bag with a  star tip and swirl.  Add the edible decorative pearls (which I did not have), and enjoy!

Unfortunately, my "Grey Stuff" didn't turn out so grey.  Maybe a tablespoon less chocolate pudding mix?  Still, it was delicious and made me happy with every bite, thinking about being back in the Beast's castle.

It would also be delicious served on a chocolate cupcake, just like they did with the Master's Cupcake!

Did you make the Grey Stuff?  Did you have better luck with it turning grey?  Let me know in the comments!

Follow Young Adult Disney on Pinterest for new posts from the blog and other Disney sources!

And follow me on Twitter for everyday Disney info and posts!

Also, take a look at my page on Etsy, Main Street Crystal,

for Disney-inspired crystal jewelry!

Princess Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

If there is anything I know better than Disney, it's how to make a good cupcake.  In fact, before this blog, I started a cupcake blog (of which I forget the url), which ended because of my freshman year in college and my lack of oven to continue my craft.  From there, my love of cupcake baking sort of fizzled out...but for special occasions I'll still whip some up from time to time.

I made these Princess Red Velvet Cupcakes for my 3-year-old cousin.  I typically spend a lot of time with her over the summer, but because of my internship I won't see her much at all.  We always play with her Disney Princess toys when I visit her, so I knew this would be a cupcake we would both love.

For 24 red velvet cupcakes, you will need:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 bottle (or about 2 tablespoons) red food color
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Begin by mixing the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, and salt) in a separate, smaller bowl.  Next, cream together the butter and sugar until fulling incorporated, then add the eggs one at a time.  Carefully add the red food coloring (because it will make a mess) and vanilla, and mix until the batter is thoroughly red.  Add the dry mix and the milk in parts, 1/3 of the dry, 1/2 of the milk, 1/3 dry, rest of the milk, and the rest of the dry. Mix until just incorporated...do not over mix.  Last, add the baking soda and vinegar, letting the two react on top of the batter only briefly before mixing them into the batter.

Fill cupcake liners between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way full.  Bake for 18-21 minutes, checking at 18 minutes.

A trick I learned to tell if a cupcake is done is to press on the top of the cupcake with your finger.  If an indent is left in the cupcake, they need 1-3 more minutes.  If they spring back into place with no indent, they are done!

For the cream cheese frosting, you will need:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4-6 cups powdered sugar
• 2-4 teaspoons milk
• Pink food coloring

To begin, cream together the cream cheese and butter until the two are completely mixed.  Add the vanilla and mix.  Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached.  If you add too much powdered sugar, add milk to thin the frosting out a bit, one teaspoon at a time.  Once you like the consistency of the frosting, add pink food coloring (or just a little red) until the color is what you want.  I went with a bright pink.

Allow the cupcakes to cool, and frost with whatever tip (or knife!) you want to make the cupcakes as fancy-looking as you would like.

To make the tiara garnish, you will need:

• Yellow decorators chocolate
• Pearl sprinkles

Melt the chocolate (I use the double boiler method).  Prepare a surface to put the chocolate on (I used foil that I sprayed with a non-stick spray).  Place the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle or a piping bag with a small round tip.  Carefully create tiara designs (as shown below) as simple or elaborately as you want!  Decorate the tiaras with whatever sprinkles you prefer, such as the pearls.  Allow to harder for a few minutes in the refrigerator.

If I were doing this again, I would probably use the edge of a can with foil and non-stick spray on top to design the tiaras, allowing them to have more curvature than these.  I ended up carefully cracking these to try and curve them around the top of the cupcake.  It would be a bit more complicated, but it would look really cute!

    This is the finished product!

You might feel so inclined to add a hidden mickey...like me!

Though not a recipe from Disney, these cupcakes will make any Disney princess lover feel like royalty!  And they taste pretty delicious too!

So, do you think you'll make these cupcakes for yourself, your friends, or little cousins like I did?  Do you have any questions on how to make them?  Leave a comment!

Follow Young Adult Disney on Pinterest for new posts from the blog and other Disney sources!

And follow me on Twitter for everyday Disney info and posts!

Also, take a look at my page on Etsy, Main Street Crystal,

for Disney-inspired crystal jewelry!

Mexico: Frozen Lime Margarita

Sorry for the delay in this last post in the Drink Around the World series.  Check out my twitter for some explanation.  Anyway...

Here we are at our final stop on our tour around world showcase at home, Mexico!

In Epcot, Mexico is one of the best places to get a specialty drink.  The margarita options there are basically endless.  You can smell the tequila in La Cava de Tequila before you see it!  But to save on buying ingredients, for our drink around the world, we'll just make a simple frozen Lime Margarita, found at the margarita stand out front!

To make one frozen lime margarita, you will need:

• 1 1/2 oz. (1 shot) tequila
• 3 oz. sweet and sour mix
• 1 1/2 oz. simple syrup (made by boiling down sugar with water)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1 cup ice
• Salt (for garnish)

To make the drink, you will first need to create the simple syrup.  To do this, simply add 2 parts sugar to one part water (you'll want to make a little more than needed for this drink to be sure that too much water doesn't boil off).  Boil until all of the sugar has dissolved, and let sit until cool.

Add all of the ingredients to a blender with ice.  Blend on high until all of the ice cubes have been broken into small pieces.  Rim your glass in salt. (If using regular table salt and not margarita salt, be sure to use a lot less than shown in the main picture.)  Add the frozen drink to the glass and serve with a straw (also not pictured).  And that's it!

Check out yesterday's post from Norway.

(For links to all the drinks, click here.)

So what did you think about Drink Around the World at Home? 

Would you have chosen to make any different drinks?

Are you going to give this a try with a few friends?

Let me know in the comments!

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And follow me on Twitter for everyday Disney info and posts!

Norway: Viking Coffee

Our second-to-last stop on our home drinking journey around World Showcase is Norway!

The most popular drink here is the aquavit, a vodka-like beverage flavored with spices that is produced in Scandinavia.  However, a more accessible drink (and easy favorite of mine) served in Norway's pavilion is Viking Coffee!

To make one Viking Coffee, you will need:

• 1 1/2 oz. (1 shot) Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1 1/1 oz. (1 shot) Kahlua
• 1 cup of brewed coffee, hot or iced
• Sugar - to taste
• Whipped Cream - optional

Simply mix the Bailey's and Kahlua into a glass of brewed coffee, adding sugar if the drink is still too bitter for you.  Feel free to top your with whipped cream if you have it on hand, as that is one of the options available in Kringla Bakeri Og Cafe in Epcot!

Viking Coffee from World Showcase
Photo Credit

Tomorrow we are on to our last stop in World Showcase, Mexico!

View yesterday's post from China.

(For links to all the drinks, click here.)

Follow Young Adult Disney on Pinterest for new posts from the blog and other Disney sources!

And follow me on Twitter for everyday Disney info and posts!

China: Ginger Zinger

 With only three stops left on our at home tour of Wold Showcase, we stop at China for a Ginger Zinger!

This drink is actually available at the China pavilion, however it is made with ginger liquor and light rum.  Using what we had available from other drinks, I instead made this with spiced rum and ginger ale.

You will need the following for one Ginger Zinger:

• 1 1/2 oz. (1 shot) of spiced rum
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• Ginger ale

Mix the rum and lemon together in a glass. Top with as much ginger ale as desired...approximately 3 shots worth.  If you happen to have any extra lemon laying around, garnish it with a lemon twist.

Simple enough, right?

As our tour continues, check out the next drink from Norway!

See yesterday's post from Germany.

(For links to all the drinks, click here.)

Follow Young Adult Disney on Pinterest for new posts from the blog and other Disney sources!

And follow me on Twitter for everyday Disney info and posts!

Also, take a look at my page on Etsy, Main Street Crystal,

for Disney-inspired crystal jewelry!

Germany: Jager Bomb

Evidence I was at fiancé's house-his Pitt shot glass.  Whoops. 

The next stop is every beer-lover's favorite, Germany!

Though it is quite obvious that there is nothing like a German beer, the next most popular drink from this country is definitely their signature liquor, Jagermeister.  And a popular way to drink Jagermeister is in the classic Jager-Bomb, a shot of Jagermeister dropped into a glass of beer, drank quickly.

However, one of the "under $50" requirements was no beer.  I knew I wanted to use Jagermeister, but there aren't too many mixed drinks that use this licorice-flavored ingredient.  As I searched the internet for "what pairs well with Jager," one of the suggestions was Root Beer...and I thought, perfect!

So here's the instructions on how to make a Jager-Bomb..."beer" and all!

To make one Jager-Bomb, you will need:

• 1 shot Jagermeister
• 2/3 glass of Root Beer

Pour the two items separately (as pictured in the main photo).  Gently drop the Jagermeister shot into the root beet and chug!

I found that the taste of this reminded me of a Necco Wafer (throwback!).  It was much better than I expected!

Bombs away!  Check out tomorrow's post, a cocktail from China!

See where we visited yesterday, Italy.

(For links to all the drinks, click here.)

Follow Young Adult Disney on Pinterest for new posts from the blog and other Disney sources!

And follow me on Twitter for everyday Disney info and posts!