The Dirty Dozen – 12 Days of Disney, Drinks & Dining - Updated 2/26

[princessmocha]

It's good to know that you have superior balls! LOL The pasta looks pretty good, but I am willing to bet you make it way better than what you could get there.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

These were quite tasty but the consensus was that my meatballs were better than theirs but their sauce reigned supreme.

At least you got one! I feel like homemade meatballs are almost ALWAYS better at home.

To wash our balls down Jason and I shared a bottle of Chianti.

Unfortunately my mini food critic was not happy with this. She said the sauce was just too

Funny, I totally thought that the pasta was pretty boring for her. And that it was more Gwen's speed of exciting....

I tried a bite of this as my formerly mushroom hating sister, @CruellaNY, said you couldn’t taste the mushrooms but that was a big ole lie. Vile mushroom flavor was everywhere and I was having none of it.

Ha!!!!

. We ended up getting some random candy and had what Jason affectionately deemed trashy snacks.

I mean I LOVE peanut M&Ms. But in the world of Disney desserts, it is white trash-y....

This trip we saw more constant rain than we’d ever had in Disney so it messed with our plans on more than one occasion.

Oh no! At least you were there a decent amount of time to spread out fun.

In case you ever doubted that she is 99% Jason’s DNA here is the definitive proof.

Oh dear!!! Gwen had to ask me how they did that.... Oye!!! I had to explain that she was hanging upside down. gwen DID accuratly figure out that the rain video next to it on YouTube was probably the reason for Casey's silly video... AND she keeps watching the video just to here Casey say "Hi I like Cheese" Also, was she able to get the marker off?!?

 

[SmallWorld71]

OMG, Casey cracked me up in that video!

 

[MeghanEmily]

To cap off the best day ever we fittingly had a reservation at one of the best restaurants ever: Sanaa. This has long been a favorite of ours largely due to one menu item alone…. Bread Service (shocking I know).

Soo shocking.

Casey commented that she loves that you always feel comfortable in a Disney restaurant even if its fancy or you haven’t been there before. ❤

I love this! I agree. And as someone with dietary restrictions, that's not a common occurrence for me.

Jason needed some Yes in his Jito so he got the Whiskey Breeze

Up first is the glorious bread. We always order this with regular naan vs. all of the flavored ones so the bread doesn’t overwhelm the sauces.

Ooh that's a good pro tip!

We had heard that there was a secret 10th sauce you could order so of course we had to go that route. I didn’t catch what it was called so we’ll go with Valley of Death.

This was so crazy spicy I could only eat a tiny bit.

Ooh no way! Sanaa has a secret menu item!? It sounds terrifyingly hot!

This was as close to the secret spicy 10th sauce that Casey choose to get.

At some point we called Uncle but the damage was already done. Jason said he was so full he could feel it in his chest. Not to be out done by her father Casey declared that her brace (which she wears for scoliosis) may explode. So Sanaa is a great spot with fabulous food, but consider yourself warned in the explosion department.

Ahaha! Worth the risk.

Only park time we have planned is for the Boo Bash. Casey planned our matching costumes so stay tuned for that. Here's a hint they are an ode to one of her favorite attractions and its thankfully not the pooper

Oooh I can't wait to see these costumes... (one of the benefits of my most recent absence from the Dis being that I didn't have to wait long )

Someone was excited to ride Mickey and Minnie's Railway for the first time, though she is still bitter about the loss of her beloved shooting lady ride.

I'm with ya, Casey! I expect I'll like the new ride, and I'm excited for it, but I also miss TGMR.

For our entrees we were very boring and got two Cobb Salads to share.

Boring? Maybe. But why mess with perfection?

But have you seen it tossed by a professional.

But there were some other clear winners in the food department. We had dinner at Topolinos where we had one of the best Disney desserts we've ever had, the Pumpkin Mousse.

Ooooh this sounds soo good!

And last but not least we got our Boo Bash on. And who were we....

Oh my gosh! This is awesome! Casey had a wonderful idea!

Lots of guests seemed confused by Mae West walking around with Abe Lincoln and an Amish girl, but cast members went wild for it.

I bet the CMs loved it

as I’m terrified of heights and swore I’d never set foot on this death trap in the sky. But....

…..It wasn’t completely terrible. I didn’t love it, but I didn't die either so small victories.

You're braver than I am! Nathan has a video of me riding it for one of the first times, and it involved a lot of inappropriate language on my part. heh heh heh whoops!

If you look close you can also see the sushi Mickey earrings I bought for her.

Ok, so sushi Mickey earrings are things I did not realize I had a mighty need for until just this moment, but that's cool.

Like any good Italian I took a bit of offense to this but at least I had the superior balls.

heh heh heh heh heh

I tried a bite of this as my formerly mushroom hating sister, @CruellaNY, said you couldn’t taste the mushrooms but that was a big ole lie. Vile mushroom flavor was everywhere and I was having none of it.

Impossible to sneak mushrooms past you!

 

[ncc1701]

We also grabbed a Coconut and Key Lime Beer from the Citrus Blossom booth.

This tasted like sun screen fell into a batch of beer and rolled in some coconut before being bottled. No thank you.

I was reading this a few days ago at a Avalon, NJ hotel pool after just spraying Hawaiian Tropic on my feet. Fortunately I wasn't drink my beer.
I am impressed with your doing the Skyliner. My biggest fear is getting stuck during the ride.

Overall Il Mulino was a solid meal, especially given that we didn’t need a reservation and it was right downstairs. We are generally pretty picky about our Italian food (my grandmother immigrated from Sicily and Jason owned in Italian restaurant for several years) so for us that is a true compliment. The food was all a little under seasoned for our tastes but definitely hit the proverbial Italian spot.

We love Italian food so thanks for the for Il Mulino. Not that either of us are of Italian ancestry so we may not be the best judges of good Italian. Our meatballs come from a local Italian pasta & food shop. I especially like the half portion of pasta idea. Will keep it in mind for our next visit. Like you the mushroom entree would not be my thing.

 

[kastoney]

Agreed. But, in general, I prefer Italian and German wines over Americans one.

I don't know a lot about German wines. I do like several Austrian ones so I'm thinking they are pretty similar.

Is that what it's really called!?! I hate those fungus-y little things, so if so, this is hilarious.

It is. Mushrooms couldn't be anything farther from fun-guys!

I do love to sit on the balcony and watch a good Florida storm, but what a bummer that it messed with your plans for the night!

Same. It messed with our plans a few times, but sitting out and watching a storm is definitely one of my favorites. Until the mosquitos descend of course

I do love a kid who can entertain themselves!!! and everyone around them She's the best!

Pretty sure we both have one that meets this description ❤

I think that it is hard to find Italian food that pleases everyone. So many families have their own recipes that are better than anything a restaurant serves. Congrats on winning the meatball contest.

That pretty much sums it up. Pretty sure every Italian thinks they have the best of everything and clearly we can't all be wrong I've tweaked my recipes over the years to suit our tastes (like wine in my sauce) but they all come from my great grandmother that Casey is named after (her middle name, clearly Casey is not very Italian )

This is one of the perks of staying in a resort that has everything under one roof, and a balcony, too. It can be fun to watch the rain, but it is more fun to have other options.

It really is. I want to stay in a Disney resort when we are there for Christmas but after that I think it will be lots of Swan time for us. Between the price and the location and all the amenities it really is the most well rounded resort on property.

LOL, the Casey video is hysterical!! She is adorable.

Thanks! She is quite the little ham

How fun that your brother got a surprise visit in!! So much fun!! Those meatballs looked good....I think I would get that with a side of bread lol Too bad no dessert to be found...better luck next time there!!

We were very lucky our stars could align with him. With covid we had barely seen him for a year and a half so we were grateful for the time we could get

Meatballs were definitely good but oddly I don't think we got any bread

 

[kastoney]

It's good to know that you have superior balls! LOL The pasta looks pretty good, but I am willing to bet you make it way better than what you could get there.

Thank you for the very thoughtful recognition of my balls

At least you got one! I feel like homemade meatballs are almost ALWAYS better at home.

Well I guess it is in the homemade name

Funny, I totally thought that the pasta was pretty boring for her. And that it was more Gwen's speed of exciting....

It would definitely be Gwen's speed. If I remember right she was in a bit of a funk this night because she wanted to go to a park at night. The rain and not being able to go sadly became a reoccurring theme for her this trip

I mean I LOVE peanut M&Ms. But in the world of Disney desserts, it is white trash-y....

The Swan was awesome but Disney certainly wins in the being able to at least find a cupcake in every resort category. All we could find was candy bars and some bulk candy which I wasn't getting near in these covid times

Oh dear!!! Gwen had to ask me how they did that.... Oye!!! I had to explain that she was hanging upside down. gwen DID accuratly figure out that the rain video next to it on YouTube was probably the reason for Casey's silly video... AND she keeps watching the video just to here Casey say "Hi I like Cheese" Also, was she able to get the marker off?!?

Casey just texted her Hi I like Cheese. Love our girls ❤

OMG, Casey cracked me up in that video!

I'll be sure to tell her. She certainly thinks she is hilarious

I love this! I agree. And as someone with dietary restrictions, that's not a common occurrence for me.

I'm sure the comfort level is even higher with dietary restrictions. Must be a huge relief to know you will be in such good and qualified hands

Ooh no way! Sanaa has a secret menu item!? It sounds terrifyingly hot!

I think its just the one sauce, but terrifying is a great word for it. Cool to be in the know but definitely not "cool"

Oooh I can't wait to see these costumes... (one of the benefits of my most recent absence from the Dis being that I didn't have to wait long )

I look forward to your next post after Casey graduates from high school

Oh my gosh! This is awesome! Casey had a wonderful idea!

Thank you ❤ She was so excited by this and planning everything. She is very into meticulous costume design which is such a joy at Halloween time, but this was a lot of fun.

You're braver than I am! Nathan has a video of me riding it for one of the first times, and it involved a lot of inappropriate language on my part. heh heh heh whoops!

How has this not made it to our facebook page? Pretty please

Ok, so sushi Mickey earrings are things I did not realize I had a mighty need for until just this moment, but that's cool.

I got them off Etsy just in case you feel the urge. They are really cute and were pretty inexpensive

I was reading this a few days ago at a Avalon, NJ hotel pool after just spraying Hawaiian Tropic on my feet. Fortunately I wasn't drink my beer.

I think even if you got it in your beer you would still have been fortunate

We love Italian food so thanks for the for Il Mulino. Not that either of us are of Italian ancestry so we may not be the best judges of good Italian. Our meatballs come from a local Italian pasta & food shop.

Good is good regardless. We usually don't eat a ton of Italian in Disney since we have so much at home but Il Mulino is a solid choice

 

[disneyAndi14]

Love the post title

We are staying at The Swan Reserve in early December

My husband is not Italian but his “balls” are supreme! He makes a delicious red sauce and meatballs, so tasty. It is hard to find another ball to out due his!

I love mushrooms so the pasta dish Jason had would be up my alley!
I would never turn down a bag of M&M’s!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Casey just texted her Hi I like Cheese. Love our girls ❤

So cute!

 

[CruellaNY]

the year long Flower and Garden festival

Which turned into the year long Food and Wine Festival......

This is one of her favorite Epcot snacks and the source of the shirt I’d gifted her that morning.

I was going to say I love that shirt!!

Ok it was really my brother, aka Uncle Matt, but this was more exciting for us since he lives in Texas and we don't get to see him nearly enough. Unfortunately we didn’t have the camera on live mode so you can’t see her full on reaction but it was priceless. My brother is more of a Disneyland kinda guy but like me has loved the parks since we were kids.

How awesome!!! Love that Casey was surprised!

Like any good Italian I took a bit of offense to this but at least I had the superior balls.

And one must always ensure their balls are superior

I tried a bite of this as my formerly mushroom hating sister, @CruellaNY, said you couldn’t taste the mushrooms but that was a big ole lie. Vile mushroom flavor was everywhere and I was having none of it

And as your STILL mushroom hating sister, I will remind you that it's the shrooms themselves I don't like! And I don't eat them in this dish. But the flavor is A-OK.
Also because I love you so much here's this fungus photo I took for you again:

We are staying at The Swan Reserve in early December

Ooh what are your dates? We're there the 3-7th at BWI; do we overlap??

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I had the superior balls.

To wash our balls down Jason and I shared a bottle of Chianti.

We generally find that mediocre Italian wine is much more forgiving than similar American vintages.

We find the same to be true for Aussie wine too.

my formerly mushroom hating sister, @CruellaNY, said you couldn’t taste the mushrooms but that was a big ole lie.

Tut Tut shame on you Ariane-leading your poor mushroom-hating sister astray!

We ended up getting some random candy and had what Jason affectionately deemed trashy snacks.

Love the trashy snacks. Nothing says holiday to me quite like booze and M&Ms. I may not be free but I can be cheap

we had said trashy snacks on our balcony while enjoying the rain all around us.

I miss Florida rain. I mean don't get me wrong I'm in Ireland-we have rain-ALL THE FLIPPIN TIME-but it's not Florida rain-it's mizzley, drizzley, damp, soak you through to your knickers rain but it doesn't come even close to the sitting on a balcony listening to the storm-Florida rain.

it was great to have a night to just chill and it gave Casey some much needed time to let her creative energy out.

Casey is simply priceless!

In case you ever doubted that she is 99% Jason’s DNA here is the definitive proof.

Ach I don't know I think her award winning mother of the balls may have influenced her sense of humour too

Also because I love you so much here's this fungus photo I took for you again:

Now really Cruella there was no need for that monstrosity! As a fellow hater of mushrooms I'm going to have to schedule some downtime to cope with the horror of this photo

 

[kastoney]

Love the post title

Thanks Pretty sure classy to trashy could be my moniker in life

We are staying at The Swan Reserve in early December

Ohhh. Can't wait to see what you think. We'll be at the BWI at the same time as Ariane too. What are your dates?

My husband is not Italian but his “balls” are supreme! He makes a delicious red sauce and meatballs, so tasty. It is hard to find another ball to out due his!

Noted. Caroline's husbands balls are supreme

Which turned into the year long Food and Wine Festival......

Seriously its too much. Just doesn't seem as special anymore when it is basically there all the time. Plus the quality (and creativity) seems to have gone down hill. But of course I'll be all over the holiday booths like

And one must always ensure their balls are superior

So may balls right there but you forgot poor little the forgotten"sport"

And as your STILL mushroom hating sister, I will remind you that it's the shrooms themselves I don't like! And I don't eat them in this dish. But the flavor is A-OK.

Nope. Can't go back and redeem yourself now. Even the flavor is

Also because I love you so much here's this fungus photo I took for you again:

We find the same to be true for Aussie wine too.

That's another one I don't drink too much of. I do like a good Australian Shiraz but I think that may be about the Australian wine I've had besides Yellowtail. And pretty sure that doesn't count as actual wine I'll have to give some others a try.

Love the trashy snacks. Nothing says holiday to me quite like booze and M&Ms. I may not be free but I can be cheap

You and me both sister.

I miss Florida rain. I mean don't get me wrong I'm in Ireland-we have rain-ALL THE FLIPPIN TIME-but it's not Florida rain-it's mizzley, drizzley, damp, soak you through to your knickers rain but it doesn't come even close to the sitting on a balcony listening to the storm-Florida rain.

It really is rain like nothing else. Though I definitely prefer it on my balcony that being out in it

Ach I don't know I think her award winning mother of the balls may have influenced her sense of humour too

There is a twinge of sarcasam brewing in her but it's gonna be hard for that to outshine all her Daddy's weirdness

Now really Cruella there was no need for that monstrosity! As a fellow hater of mushrooms I'm going to have to schedule some downtime to cope with the horror of this photo

 

[kastoney]

Wieners & Bits

Day 4 found us right back in MGM, cause it had been so long. To support our second day in a row in the park I had bought Casey some Star Wars Snack ears as her present of the day.

She may be doing this wrong.

The “plan”- or so I thought - was to spend the day with my brother but other than running into him for 5 minutes, he had mandated Groomzilla fun all day. Still not bitter.

But we somehow went on without him and spent most of our morning in Batuu. We were able to do Smugglers Run and ride Rise again, and this time we thankfully got the full experience. Casey and I even had a photo shoot for our next album cover.

Album dropping May 4th, 2022.

All of this galactic activity got our bellies rumbling so we subbed last night’s balls with a wiener. Meet the Ronto Wrap, Roasted Pork, Grilled Pork Sausage, Peppercorn Sauce, and Tangy Slaw wrapped in Pita Bread.

That’s some wiener! This was our first time experiencing the wrap of Ronto and I must say it was pretty darn good. The combination of the smoky pork, salty sausage, peppery saucy and tangy slaw all went together perfectly. We were less than impressed with the “chips” as the pork rinds were so hard they were virtually inedible and everything else tasted like Styrofoam. But what did we care, when we had a winner with our wiener.


Needing to wash down our salty wiener (promise that was the last time) we sauntered over to Oga’s Cantina for some overpriced very well themed libations.

We had been to Oga’s once before during the annual passholder preview and didn’t love it but thought we’d give it another chance.

And boy were we glad we did. Our server (shout out to Pham) was amazing! He was simultaneously into the Star Wars schtick but also in on the joke so he had the perfect blend of authenticity and witty banter. He also picked on Casey incessantly (which of course she loved). He kept telling her she was sketchy and walking by and putting coasters and napkins on her head and sticking straws through her ears. He totally made the experience.

In the drinks department despite not loving it the first time around Jason started out with the same thing he had last time the Jet Juice with Maker's Mark Bourbon, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Cedilla Açaí Liqueur, White Grape Juice, and Lemon Juice.

The Jet Juice still tasted like Jet Fuel, so he promptly switched to a $14 beer of some sort.

Unlike my husband I learned from our last trip and this time went with the Fuzzy Tauntaun with Cîroc Peach Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps, Simply® Orange with Tangerine, Pure Cane Sugar, and "Buzz Button Tingling" Foam.

Now I’m pretty sure I hadn’t had Schnapps since college (which of course was only 10 years ago) so I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was pretty darn good. It was definitely on the sweeter side, but it was offset by the sour tingling foam. If you haven’t tried this it’s some sort of numbing element so as you drink your lips and tongue go numb. Now I may have panicked for a brief moment wondering if my trachea would go numb and this would somehow kill me, but I am happy to report I did not die at the hands of this truly unique drink.

Speaking of unique, say hello to Casey’s Carbon freeze.

This is a combination of Lemon Lime Powerade, Wild Strawberry, Blueberry, and Green Apple Popping Pearls which sounds absolutely vile to me but when your drink does this and you are 10 its absolute nirvana.

Pham also brought Casey a cup of the tingling foam so she could get in on the numbing action.

Even after our wiener (really last time I promise) we were still a bit hungry.

Well maybe Jason was a lot hungry so we shared the Batuu Bits.

This is described as Crispy Galaxy Snack Bits with Spiced Chermoula Dip but beyond that we really didn’t know what we were eating. The bits definitely had some veggie chips in there and maybe some sesame bites but we also found pieces of merengue which was just odd. The spicy tomato sauce was good and reminiscent of something you’d find at Sanaa. All in all I’d say it was decent considering we had no clue what it was.

Overall Oga’s was a great experience, the drinks were still ridiculously priced pre-mixed sugary concoctions but our server made the experience.

Up next, we chill and grill​

 

[Jenny Sanders]

At this point MGM was a hot, crowded mess so we headed to Epcot via the Skyliner. I was not happy about this “majority” decision as I’m terrified of heights and swore I’d never set foot on this death trap in the sky. But....

I absolutely hate this mode of transportation.

This tasted like sun screen fell into a batch of beer and rolled in some coconut before being bottled. No thank you.

LMBO!!!!

These were quite tasty but the consensus was that my meatballs were better than theirs but their sauce reigned supreme. Like any good Italian I took a bit of offense to this but at least I had the superior balls.

This too made me laugh. I say the same thing to Joe, lol!!!!!!!

(my grandmother immigrated from Sicily

I get you. Joe's parents and grandparents came over from Sicily and there's nothing better than a home-cooked, Italian meal from someone who was born and raised there. THIS is another reason we are sister wives.

That’s some wiener!

I say this to Joe too!!!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Our server (shout out to Pham) was amazing! He was simultaneously into the Star Wars schtick but also in on the joke so he had the perfect blend of authenticity and witty banter. He also picked on Casey incessantly (which of course she loved). He kept telling her she was sketchy and walking by and putting coasters and napkins on her head and sticking straws through her ears. He totally made the experience.

Some of the fondest memories are when CM's are having fun with the kids, and the kids are loving it. I'll bet that Casey would love to go back there again.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Ooh what are your dates? We're there the 3-7th at BWI; do we overlap??

Oh my gosh those are our exact dates 3-7 at Swan Reserve, Karamie and Lesley are there at this time as well!!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love the Ronto wrap, that wiener reigns supreme!
We will be at Disney 12/3-12/7!
Lesley and Karamie are there to and we are all going to the over priced Christmas party on 12/3!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

To support our second day in a row in the park I had bought Casey some Star Wars Snack ears as her present of the day.

I am going to need some etsy shop recommendations! You found some good stuff!

Album dropping May 4th, 2022.

I will be first in line to pick up a copy! ha.

Needing to wash down our salty wiener (promise that was the last time) we sauntered over to Oga’s Cantina for some overpriced very well themed libations.

Glad you liked the Ronto Wrap! And glad to hear you were giving Oga's a second chance.

The Jet Juice still tasted like Jet Fuel, so he promptly switched to a $14 beer of some sort.

Why in the world did he order it again if he didn't like it the first time?!?!

Now I’m pretty sure I hadn’t had Schnapps since college (which of course was only 10 years ago)

me too.... def only 10 years ago!

This is a combination of Lemon Lime Powerade, Wild Strawberry, Blueberry, and Green Apple Popping Pearls which sounds absolutely vile to me but when your drink does this and you are 10 its absolute nirvana.

kids taste is so different than adults.

Pham also brought Casey a cup of the tingling foam so she could get in on the numbing action.

That was cool of him! I think we let Morgan and gwen try and some off the top of my drink one time. Mother of the year!

 

[princessmocha]

HAHAHA! You said wiener!

 

[kastoney]

This too made me laugh. I say the same thing to Joe, lol!!!!!!!

I knew I liked Joe's balls

I get you. Joe's parents and grandparents came over from Sicily and there's nothing better than a home-cooked, Italian meal from someone who was born and raised there. THIS is another reason we are sister wives.

❤❤❤ Funny I somehow got the only Italian grandmother who couldn't cook for anything. Thankfully my Mom learned how to cook from my great grandmother instead so all the Sicilian goodness got passed down.

Some of the fondest memories are when CM's are having fun with the kids, and the kids are loving it. I'll bet that Casey would love to go back there again.

Perfectly said. She would absolutely love to go back and she doesn't even really like Star Wars. But that CM sealed the experience.

I love the Ronto wrap, that wiener reigns supreme!
We will be at Disney 12/3-12/7!
Lesley and Karamie are there to and we are all going to the over priced Christmas party on 12/3!

Woohoo!!! We'll definitely have to catch up at some point. We don't get down there until the 4th and no Christmas party for us. After a ho hum Boo Bash my cheapness is skipping the Xmas party.

I am going to need some etsy shop recommendations! You found some good stuff!

I got the ears from this place and they were all of the highest quality with some really unique designs. She only restocks every 3-4 weeks or so and sells out quickly. I'm already planning on getting Casey some Christmas ears for December.

https://www.bowtifulmouseco.com/

Why in the world did he order it again if he didn't like it the first time?!?!

I know right? He asked our server what he recommended and he said this. And when I reminded Jason he ordered and hated it before he apparently decided the server we'd never met before had more accurate information than me

That was cool of him! I think we let Morgan and gwen try and some off the top of my drink one time. Mother of the year!

I was planning on doing the exact same thing but my little rule follower was having none of it. Not sure if he heard that exchange or not but soon enough we had a cup full.

HAHAHA! You said wiener!

Are you sure? Pretty sure I never said that